I waited until after April 1st to ask this question as I didn't want anyone thinking it was an April Fools Joke. On two aircraft I have owned that had Scott 3200 tailwheels, I have routinely pulled the tailwheel at annual and/or if I had to repair a flat or replace a tire. Each time I clean the bearings & repack them --- and I use a grease gun to put grease into the axel via the grease zert (fitting) until clean grease comes out. My thought is the purpose of that grease fitting must be to provide grease to the tail wheel bearings Is this correct My thought is that if one that is the purpose one has to put quite a volume of grease in to force much into the bearings. I have just put 3 new tires on Ole Pokey (actually installing the tailwheel tire tomorrow) and want to put the correct amount of grease into the fitting. Thanks
I agree that the king pin likely only needs about one shot of grease a year. Its the wheel bearings that I am curious about. The more I thought about it the more I am sure the bearings do get grease from that axel fitting. I just usually add grease until the dirty grease comes out, while cleaning everything, and add additional until I see it coming out at one side or the other. Just wondering if that is what everyone else does?
The zerk does provide grease to the bearings via a drilled axle. The purpose is for replenishment purposes...not initial lubrication. Annually the tailwheel should be disassembled, cleaned, inspected, lubricated, etc.,
Each 100 hours operation the tailwheel should receive addt'l lube until grease appears at each exit, with excess wiped off. (I know that many do not like to think of their friction-plates getting greased, but that's the way for which they were designed.)
Yes, the annual includes a 100 hr inspection. But a 100 hr inspection does not replace an annual. (One can exceed 100 hrs operations several times over during each annual operation.)
Personally, I also remove, clean, inspect, and re-grease my main wheel bearings at the same time even tho' the Cessna instruction is at "500 hours or owner's recommendation." For wheel bearings I use only water-proof grease such as that sold for marine trailer use.
(BTW: for those of you who have converted to Cleveland wheels... Do not use the Cessna IPC to order new wheel bearings/cups. Use your Cleveland recommended bearings/cups. They use different cups, and are NOT the same. Mark your IPC accordingly.)
Original Timken cups for Goodyears were 13830, but Cleveland conversions using 40-97A wheels use 13836 cups.The specific difference is: The 13830 cup outer diameter is 2.5000 inches, while the 13836 cup outer diameter is 2.5625 inches. If the original cup (intended for Goodyear wheels) is used in a Cleveland wheel the cup will not fit snugly and will "chatter" and possibly rotate within the wheel and damage the wheel and bearing. On the other hand, if a 13836 cup (intended for a Cleveland) is installed in a Goodyear, it can crack the wheel hub.
They both use the same 13889 bearing cone.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
This "Axel Zirk" has been the biggest headache in the world to Scott model 3200 owners. It is sooo EZ to blow out the wheel bearing grease seals and following that you now have the grease seal able to "Free wheel" in close proximity to the grease seal seat. Being this area is usually full of grease spatter, the area collects abrasives and wears out the seat area by the time you realize what's going on the damage is done and the seal(s) have no place to be reseated. This leads to the potential of buying new wheel halves all because of overly agressive grease gun activity.
I recommend converting to a "chevron" type seal (Grease retainer) (ASAP) offered by Alaska Bush Wheel. p/n ABI-1863 They Hold up much better (BUT) still, don't get overly agressive with the grease gun as this type of seal can also fail Follow Bush Wheel lubrication recommendations.
It's also a good time to reference the thread they offer on tailwheel lubrication, maintenance and rigging.
While I acknowlege this is a good company with good intentions...The only video I've ever seen by them regarding rigging of tailwheels is incorrect. It recommended a procedure of jacking the tail off the ground to adjust chain tensions, etc,. and that is not a valid procedure. It is unimportant how the chains work while airborne. Their only purpose is while the aircraft weight is upon the tailwheel, negating their rigging procedure. The video also illustrates a Stinson set-up (using compression type springs)...not a Cessna set-up (which should NEVER use compression springs and which should be JUST slightly taut, using tension springs, with the aircraft resting on the gear.)
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
Cessna® is a registered trademark of Textron Aviation, Inc. The International Cessna® 170 Association is an independent owners/operators association dedicated to C170 aircraft and early O-300-powered C172s. We are not affiliated with Cessna® or Textron Aviation, Inc. in any way.
Is this correct 
My thought is that if one that is the purpose one has to put quite a volume of grease in to force much into the bearings. I have just put 3 new tires on Ole Pokey (actually installing the tailwheel tire tomorrow) and want to put the correct amount of grease into the fitting. Thanks 
