I have to thank a number of Forum members for advice on a couple of topics- Wheel bearing lubrication and jacks / jack points.
This afternoon I successfully used my new low profile "mini floor jack" to raise each of the 177's wheels enough to slowly and carefully pump in new bearing grease while rotating the wheel.
The jack point I selected was the steel mounting bracket for the axel and the small jack pad fit nearly perfectly on and next to the mounting bolt.
The old grease looked ok but somewhat "flimsy", if you know what I mean, so new grease was most likely called for. Pumping slowly and carefully so as not to traumatize the bearing seals I was able to exude a "collar" of old grease until I felt confident that the bearings were mostly renewed.
Our 177 has had very gentle use since we are both still employed and can only escape for a few days at a time a couple of times a year. It has been over a year, however, due to employee problems and I was very concerned that sitting idle, (but wonderfully sheltered in our good friend's steel barn), would be as bad or worse than normal use.
Now we and the pups are anxiously awaiting our departure to Suwannee River State Park in Live Oak, Florida for a few days of doing absolutely nothing! (Except for walking the Cocker Spaniels, reading on our iPads, sipping some wine, charcoaling dinner, and watching the camp fire die....)
Does it get any better?