Do I grease axle end before refitting hubs?

[DanielCoffey]

I have had to remove a rear wheel on my second-hand GR1600-II riding mower due to a puncture and noticed that the axle end, key and hub were very dry and somewhat rusty. This made me wonder...

Should the axle ends and fittings be cleaned and lightly greased when changing wheels?

There is a slotted axle and rectangular key which mates with the wheel hub, a pair of washers and a c-clip all behind a rubberised cap. There probably was grease on it once but it has dried out, attracting dirt and moisture. There is light surface corrosion which should clean off.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I have had to remove a rear wheel on my second-hand GR1600-II riding mower due to a puncture and noticed that the axle end, key and hub were very dry and somewhat rusty. This made me wonder...

Should the axle ends and fittings be cleaned and lightly greased when changing wheels?

There is a slotted axle and rectangular key which mates with the wheel hub, a pair of washers and a c-clip all behind a rubberised cap. There probably was grease on it once but it has dried out, attracting dirt and moisture. There is light surface corrosion which should clean off.

You could, it's not required.
I would suggest marine grade wheel grease if you do.

 

[DanielCoffey]

Thank you - I will lightly grease the c-clip and inside the hub surface to help getting them on and off next time.

There was a puncture on the rear right that ought to have been spotted at the pre-sale service but it only hissed when the wheel was right up to pressure and on the vehicle. In a noisy garage it probably would have been missed.

Something large had gone through the sidewall just above the tread line and had started a small radiating split in the sidewall. That meant it could not easily be plugged so I had to fork out for a new tyre. It had been missed because it was on the inner face of the tyre.

 

[D2Cat]

A tube may have solved the problem.