Wheel bearing grease fitting mistake, found out the hard way

For like 8 years I was greasing my trailer bearings with a needle tip on the grease gun, thinking I was getting the same job done as a regular zerk fitting. Took a trip through Flagstaff last month and the passenger side hub got so hot the bearing actually seized up on me. Mechanic in Kingman showed me I'd been pumping grease into the dust cap instead of the actual bearing carrier, which was packed like a brick. Has anyone else used one of those cheaper needle adapters and found out the hard way about proper greasing technique?

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wrenh792h ago

Man, I feel like the king of junk bearings after reading this because I did the exact same thing with a needle tip on my boat trailer for years. Thought I was being clever and reaching where the fitting wouldnt go, but turns out I was just building a grease mountain inside the dust cap. My hub got so hot on a trip to the coast that the grease melted and dripped all over the brake drum, looked like a chocolate fountain gone wrong. The guy at the shop laughed so hard he gave me a discount on the new hub assembly, said he sees it all the time. Now I only use the regular zerk fitting and I spin the wheel every few pumps to make sure the grease is actually working its way in. Your story makes me feel a little better knowing Im not the only one who learned this the pricey way.