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Modern agriculture depends on millions of ball and roller bearings and the grease that helps them all roll.
So it's no surprise that proper greasing goes a long way to ensuring implement wheels keep turning during peak periods and also keeps a lid on maintenance costs.
The job of greasing the bearings typically falls to the operator of the day for that implement.
Decisions on when to grease and how much to pump into each zerk often depend on weather, seasonal rush, time of day and the mood of the operator.
How much grease is too much? How little is too little? How much grease is already in the bearing? Has the grease lost its oil and turned into a crusty non-lubricating chunk of hard petroleum?
Because we can't see inside the bearing housing, we don't know.
To get a firm grasp on the slippery issue, three engineers who work exclusively with bearings and grease offer their advice. Marcus Wickert is manager of technical resources at NTN Canada, John Melanson is engineering manager at SKF Canada and John Munson is with Standard Bearing in Des Moines, Iowa.
The three agreed that the question of too much grease versus too little grease depends on operating speed and application of the bearing more than on the part number stamped on the housing.
"Bearings today are really well built," said Munson. "Some of the bearings coming out of China lately have a higher degree of precision than the finest Swiss watch. But they all need proper greasing. If you have too much or too little grease, you can still destroy the best bearing ever built."
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| 1304TV bearing | 20 | 52 | 15 |
| 2204TV bearing | 20 | 47 | 18 |