We are having to replace the shafts on our Meadowbrook style cart and are taking this opportunity to grease the axles on both carts. One of the carts has the flush caps on the axles and the other has the axles that protrude about fours inches out of each side. Does anyone have some tips on greasing these axles. I have packed wheel bearings many times. Are these axles “sort of” the same. If needed I could get some pictures of each type of axle. As always thanks for your help.
You probably have roller bearings on the axles of the flush hub vehicle. You will need to remove the hub caps, and the pieces to get the old grease out. In demos I have seen, they have a clean rag, lay out the pieces in order of removal. Hub on one side, then I think the cotter pin, castle nut, bearings. You will want to remove wheel, backside of hub bearing (I think) clean the axle stub, check for wear. Seems like there are two sets of bearings per wheel. Clean the interior of wheel hub of old grease. You will want to clean the grease off bearings, any parts you removed, check them for wear too.
Then with clean grease lubricate parts, put everything back on in the correct order. It is pretty much like doing wheel bearings on trailers or other vehicles, just slightly different parts. Might want to replace the cotter pin if rusty or worn, they usually show wear first. Sure don’t want the castle nut coming off! I would replace bearings if needed. Some folks NEVER grease wheels, bearings can be worn down.
Husband usually does all the maintenance stuff, I hand him the parts back so I don’t have needed parts memorized like I should!!
But I think the left side hub cover, unscrews the “wrong” way. Could be wrong and they all unscrew the same to aid mass-production of parts. Old vehicles, antiques DO have wheels that the hub unscrews opposite on the right and left sides. This was to prevent the nut working loose while traveling in the same direction it screwed down tight. Makes that old scavenger hunt item, the left-handed buggy nut, a REAL item!
With your long hub wheels, they probably are the same as the fllush hub wheels, but you won’t know until you take them apart. The roller bearing hubs should have a hub cap on the hub ends. Old axle will have a nut, inset into the hub end. If someone used an old axle to build the cart, cart is an antique, wheels could need leather washers, no bearings in there. Leather washers are an odd looking corkscrew of leather, like HEAVY shoestrings. This antique axle WOULD have the right and left side buggy nuts, so you have to unscrew in the correct direction or you are actually tightening them. Should be obvious when you look at the cart hubs, which kind of bearings you have.
Leather washers, roller bearings are readily available from Witmers Coach Shop in New Holland PA. Phone I have is 717-656-3411, but catalog is older. They carry pretty much EVERYTHING for pleasure vehicles, to keep them going, repair, restore, and let you have fun.
If you SHOULD have an old axle, do ONLY one side at a time, to prevent ANY mixing the parts. That old stuff is often quite worn, so the wheel and stub end of axle are “married” and don’t fit on another stub of the axle. Only fits the stub wheel came off of. Again you will need to clean the stub, wheel interior, get the hard grease off. You take the leather corkscrew and measure it to fit in the backside of clean wheel hub. Cut off enough leather to make a complete circle. Do the same for the front side of wheel hub with a second piece off the corkscrew. Then you take the cut piece from the back and grease it heavily with your axle grease, put it back into the backside of wheel hub. Pack with extra grease. Do the same with second peice of cut leather and put it into the front side of wheel hub, pack it with grease. Stub of axle should be well greased too. I “THINK” there is a large metal washer that fits over the greased leather washer and wheel hub, to hold leather and grease in place, prevent some dirt entry, on the back side of hub. So washer should be put on over greasy leather packed hub, wheel put on axle stub, pushed back tight to the vehicle. Then a second washer to cover front side leather washer, and return the parts onto stub in order removed. Tighten buggy nuts with fingers to snug, make sure threads are on STRAIGHT. You cross thread the nuts and it will cause problems!! Then just a LITTLE more tight with the wrench. I am digging in my memory for the order of things, haven’d done any buggy axles in MANY years. So the metal washers may be slightly incorrect, but the leather part should be the way you do those kind of wheels. They will need redoing yearly if you drive a modest amount, or leave vehicle sitting. Leather can dry out. If you drive a LOT, the leather and grease should be checked every 300-400 miles. Friction uses up the grease. Without grease, the hubs and stubs are rubbing metal to metal, causing damage. But re-greasing has been recommended about every 300-400 miles on those leather bearing axles, or yearly, to prevent grease hardening, drying out.
Roller bearing wheels probably only need greasing yearly, even driving a lot of miles. One caution with this, is if you drive in a lot of sandy or light soils that are dusty, go thru lots of water or mud. That kind of stuff will work into even sealed hubs, causing wear. So I would be checking my hubs more often, re-greasing them at least twice a year with those ground condtions. Sand and dirt in the grease can damage the smooth metal, causing distinct wear. Greasing more than once a year prevents that wear better.
Everyone should be doing a TOTAL vehicle safety check at least yearly. Many folks doing them now, after the winter of lesser use. Start with greasing the wheels, but also check nuts and bolts, rubber on the wheels for wear. WHY is that squeak persisting?? A squeak is usually wear, something you need to check. Shackles on the axles holding springs in place, seat bolts, can get old and need replacing. How about the Singletree bolt? Unfasten it, pull it out to check for wear, might need replacing. Use HARDENED bolts, not just any shelf stock bolt. Shelf bolts are soft and wear easily. Get two hardened bolts with nuts if you are shopping, put one in your spares kit in case you ever need it.
Checking out your vehicle is not hard, but does take some time. We do that to keep ourselves SAFE, prevent accidents. A hard look over on a clean carriage, can spot things you have overlooked just hitching to drive. Wooden wheels, we put the axle up on a block or jack, spin the wheels. Do they travel true? Are the spokes aligned, not dished out? We turned the dish in one wheel of the cart inside out, doing MANY pivots while training. Had to pull the wheel and take it to the wheelright to be repaired!! Look at the spokes, felloes (wood part at end of spokes holding on the tire of hard rubber or steel), make sure all the wood is sound. Any separating of rubber tire ends? All stuff that needs professional attention.
Metal spoked wheel are less work, but still need attention. Rusty spots can grow, affect the soundness of metal parts. Rubber should be firmly in channel and not separating of the tire ends. Bolted on metal shafts may need new bolts, they can loosen and wear. Brakes in good shape? Maybe needs some fluid? Some lubrication of the braking mechanism, after a winter of wet driving to get rust taken care of. How about where shafts connect to vehicle, need new bolts there? And the kingpin, going thru the fifth wheel. Any wear on it? We broke a kingpin from wear and a hard pull, not ever checking it. RUINED our CDE!! Never THOUGHT to check the kingpin, they are so THICK, how could you wear it out?? Grease the fifth wheel at the same time.
Now is a good time for maintenance of the WHOLE vehicle. Nice warm days to work outside. Always makes me feel better when things have been gone over, removes worries. Sorry, I kind of got carried away here, going from one thing to another!!
Thanks so much, I feel much better about it now. With the experience I have had in the past packing the bearings won’t be a problem. Hopefully replacing the shafts will be as easy.
goodhors,
All your information was wonderful. I’ve driven for years (but been away for it for a long time … its amazing what I’ve forgotten!)
Both carts are new enough that they will have the roller bearings. (My previous cart was an 1892 Kentucky Road Cart and used the leather washers)
Thanks also for mentioning Witmers. Someone else had mentioned them to us on another forum, but when I did a search I wasn’t sure I’d found the right one.
To me, there’s no such thing as too much information!
THANKS for your VERY helpful post!
PS With both of us thanking you, you KNOW your post is appreciated!