Grease tool for repacking dual angular contact bearing with grease, and method of using same

A grease tool for mating with a pair of inner races of a dual angular contact bearing to facilitate greasing of the dual angular contact bearing, and the grease tool being fabricated from a single unitary piece of material and comprising:

• a cylindrical hub having an axial length which is greater than ½ of an axial length of the pair of inner races of the dual angular contact bearing;
• a flange being supported adjacent one end of the cylindrical hub for limiting insertion of the grease tool into the dual angular contact bearing;
• a grease fitting being attached to the grease tool to facilitate supplying grease thereto;
• the grease fitting being coupled to a supply passage for conveying the supplied grease to at least one grease outlet formed in an exterior cylindrical surface of the cylindrical hub so that the supplied grease can be subsequent channeled to a bearing chamber of the dual angular contact bearing to facilitate repacking of the bearing chamber with grease;
• a pair of spaced apart O-rings being accommodated by the exterior surface of the cylindrical hub and the at least one grease outlet being located in the exterior surface of the cylindrical hub between the pair of O-rings;
• and
• the pair of spaced apart O-rings facilitate forming a pair of spaced apart grease seals, when the grease tool engages with an inwardly facing surface of the pair of inner races of the dual angular contact, and directing of the supplied grease radially into a bearing chamber of the dual angular contact bearing to facilitate repacking the bearing chamber with grease.

A method of greasing a bearing chamber of a dual angular contact bearing with a grease tool fabricated from a single unitary piece of material, the method comprising:

• providing a cylindrical hub having an exterior cylindrical surface;
• supporting a flange adjacent one end of the cylindrical hub for preventing further insertion of the grease tool into the at least one inner race of the dual angular contact bearing;
• attaching a grease fitting to a trailing surface of the grease tool to facilitate supplying grease thereto;
• connecting the grease fitting to a supply passage for conveying supplied grease to at least one grease outlet formed in the exterior cylindrical surface;
• accommodating a pair of spaced apart O-rings on the exterior surface of the cylindrical hub, and locating the at least one grease outlet in the exterior surface of the cylindrical hub between the pair of O-rings;
• inserting the grease tool into the at least one inner race of the dual angular contact bearing such that each of the O-rings mates with the inwardly facing surface of the at least one inner race and forms a pair of grease seals therewith;
• connecting a grease dispenser to the grease fitting;
• conveying grease from the grease dispenser along a supply passage from the grease fitting to the at least one grease outlet located in the exterior cylindrical surface of the grease tool between the pair of O-rings;
• and
• directing the supplied grease, at least partially via the pair of grease seals, through a gap in the dual angular contact bearing to facilitate repacking of the bearing chamber with grease.