Can I Use an Ez Lube Hub on a No Easy Lube Axle
My axles are the EZ Lube. Keystone Outback. I had the TT inspected which is required in VA and they checked for looseness and if the wheels wobbled while they jacked up each tire off the ground. All was tight but they did not pull bearing caps(not required).
How many repack bearings regularly? Not sure why they would even dry up in a closed system of if folks just do this out of habit? My thinking is let them be. Sometimes messing around with things opens up problems down the road.
When my old one failed it was a bad job and I don't want to worry again that if I have them repacked that I won't have another failure due to poor workmanship. Should I just squirt a little grease in the fitting and call it a day? If so, what is best grease and should it just be a small squeeze of the grease gun. I know that too much grease will blow the seal and I don't want that to happen. tks
Cecilt wrote:
..........
Should I just squirt a little grease in the fitting and call it a day? If so, what is best grease and should it just be a small squeeze of the grease gun. I know that too much grease will blow the seal and I don't want that to happen. tks
A squirt or two does nothing for correctly greasing the bearings in the EZ Lube axle. Either take it apart and grease the bearings by hand. Or follow Dexter instructions and pump enough grease into the fitting to push all the old grease out the front, replacing it with new grease. That takes a lot of grease. Too much grease does not blow out the seal. Improperly adding the grease may blow out the seal though.
Google Dexter EZ Lube and you will find information on just how that system works, and instructions and videos on how to do it properly.
Truth known, there are a lot more bearing failures from improper installation than from lack of packing them now and then. You right, just a little shot of grease every 6 months-to one year, they have a good chance of lasting forever.
Now, lets hear of all the seals popping out, and grease getting all over the brakes !!
Rich
'01 31' Rexall Vision, Generac 5.5k, 1000 watt Honda, PD 9245 conv, 300 watts Solar, 150 watt inv, 2 Cos 6v batts, ammeters, led voltmeters all over the place, KD/sat, 2 Oly Cat heaters w/ ox, and towing a 2012 Liberty, Lowe bass boat, or a Kawi Mule.
There is NO way to understand what is physically going on behind the drum unless you (or your mechanic) physically inspect it. Yes, you can inject grease into the hub with the EZ lube, but that is a short cut I refuse to take. I want to know the condition of the critical components that are inside.
Jim
2016 Ford F350 Turbo Diesel SRW 4x4
2017 Grand Design Reflection 297RSTS
2013 Ford F350 Turbo Diesel SRW 4x4 (Destroyed by fire - 8/29/16)
2014 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS (Destroyed by fire - 8/29/16)
Quote:
I remove each wheel and hub, inspect the brakes, including linings, magnets, wiring and drums. Then, I remove the grease seals, clean and inspect the bearings and repack the bearings with new grease. I follow this up with new double lip grease seals and then install the hub with the proper bearing pre-load. When it's all installed, I finish off with a brake adjustment.
I hand pack the bearings then use the grease gun until the grease comes out the front bearing. Same grease.
2017 Grand Design Imagine 2650RK
2019 F250 XLT Supercab
Just DW & me......
1. They do not dry up. What happens is they heat up and the grease deteriorates from the roller surfaces.
2. You repack to force OUT the old worn grease and push in NEW grease
3. You need to repack bearings once a year.
4. Unless you have the new style Dexter bearing lube system, injecting grease thru an EZ lube does not adequately get to the roller bearing surfaces. You NEED to get rid of the old grease.
5. Inspecting (pulling) once a year and repacking is GOOD insurance from failure miles from home. Doug
I have the EZ lube bearings but want to inspect the bearings.
Patrick Campbell
State College, PA
2011 Carriage Cameo 37KS3
2006 Chevy Silverado extended cab LBZ Dually
dougrainer wrote:
You have a lot of misconceptions about bearings.
1. They do not dry up. What happens is they heat up and the grease deteriorates from the roller surfaces.
2. You repack to force OUT the old worn grease and push in NEW grease
3. You need to repack bearings once a year.
4. Unless you have the new style Dexter bearing lube system, injecting grease thru an EZ lube does not adequately get to the roller bearing surfaces. You NEED to get rid of the old grease.
5. Inspecting (pulling) once a year and repacking is GOOD insurance from failure miles from home. Doug
"Need to repack bearings once a year"??!! Not gonna happen.
Howard and Peggy
"Don't Panic"
This member is not responsible for opinions that are inaccurate due to faulty information provided by the original poster. Use them at your own discretion.
09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)
fj12ryder wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
You have a lot of misconceptions about bearings.
1. They do not dry up. What happens is they heat up and the grease deteriorates from the roller surfaces.
2. You repack to force OUT the old worn grease and push in NEW grease
3. You need to repack bearings once a year.
4. Unless you have the new style Dexter bearing lube system, injecting grease thru an EZ lube does not adequately get to the roller bearing surfaces. You NEED to get rid of the old grease.
5. Inspecting (pulling) once a year and repacking is GOOD insurance from failure miles from home. Doug
A lot of those "misconceptions about bearings" are listed above.
"Need to repack bearings once a year"??!! Not gonna happen.
Please state what is wrong with my post. Doug
RJsfishin wrote:
Properly installed...and greased bearings do not heat up. If a bearing is heating up, there is a serious problem that will turn into bearing failure very quickly. When I tow a heavy trailer, I feel the hubs at rest stops. Except on a hot day, they are never much more than warm. And if ever one is noticeable warmer than the others, that wheel (probably all) will get inspected at first chance. Normally, bearings do not need packing for at least 2-3 years. And if EZ lube, NEVER.
From the largest supplier of Trailer Axles to the RV industry(LCI which owns Dexter now). There is heat from the brakes and such. I did not mean they heat up to extreme temps. I call heat anything from 100 to 135 which in hot weather and braking often will get too. What do you mean "If EZ lube, never"? Never what? Doug
Bearing Lubrication - Grease
Bearing grease should be replaced every 12,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. Remove all old grease
from wheel hub and bearings first. Bearings should be packed by machine if possible. Packing bearings by machine
is preferable; however, packing by hand is a viable alternative.
Follow these procedures to repack bearings by hand:
1. Place grease into the palm of your hand (See Fig. 1).
2. Press widest end of bearing into the outer edge of the grease pile, forcing grease into the inner area of
the bearing between two adjacent rollers (See Fig. 2).
3. Repeat this process while turning bearing from roller to roller until all rollers are coated.
4. Apply a light coat of grease into the bearing cup surface.
5. Reassemble bearing into cup.
This is from the EZ lube manual.
E-Z LUBE OR SUPER-LUBE AXLE (IF SO EQUIPPED)
The E-Z lube or Super-lube feature on your axles provides the ability for the bearings to be
periodically lubricated without removing the hubs from the axle. This feature consists of
axle spindles that have been specially drilled and fitted with grease zerks in their ends.
When grease is pumped into the zerk, it is channeled to the inner bearing and then flows
back to the outer bearing and eventually back out the grease cap hole. If you have further
questions, consult with your dealer.
?NOTE: The convenient lubrication provisions of the E-Z lube or Super-lube feature
must not replace periodic inspection and maintenance of the bearings. Use a hand-operated
grease gun; improper use of a commercial grease gun may damage the sea
* This post was edited 04/26/16 01:14pm by dougrainer *
--2005 Ford F350 Lariat Crewcab 6.0, 4x4, 3.73 rear
--2016 Montana 3711FL, 40'
--2014 Wildcat 327CK, 38' SOLD
phillyg wrote:
Every year's a bit much IMHO. I do it every two years.
It all depends on how many miles you put on the Trailer. I agree, low miles every 2 years. But, what is the definition of low miles? I think less than 10k. Doug
dougrainer wrote:
fj12ryder wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
You have a lot of misconceptions about bearings.
1. They do not dry up. What happens is they heat up and the grease deteriorates from the roller surfaces.
2. You repack to force OUT the old worn grease and push in NEW grease
3. You need to repack bearings once a year.
4. Unless you have the new style Dexter bearing lube system, injecting grease thru an EZ lube does not adequately get to the roller bearing surfaces. You NEED to get rid of the old grease.
5. Inspecting (pulling) once a year and repacking is GOOD insurance from failure miles from home. Doug
A lot of those "misconceptions about bearings" are listed above.
"Need to repack bearings once a year"??!! Not gonna happen.
Please state what is wrong with my post. Doug
1. The grease doesn't deteriorate from the roller surfaces, grease won't stay on the rollers, because there simply isn't clearance to allow grease between the bearing surfaces. The oil suspended in the grease does most of the actual lubrication for the bearing surfaces. Provided you keep dirt and water out and avoid the high temps necessary to melt the grease, grease lasts a very, very long time.
2. You don't force out old grease with repacking. Done properly you clean out the old grease so you're regreasing a clean bearing.
3. That's just silly to do it every year. How often do you repack the bearings on your car/truck?
4. From the diagram it would appear that adding grease to the front zerk will adequately supply grease to both front and rear bearings. In many cases, too much grease can cause excessive heat buildup. However I cannot say that you're wrong because I've only had my toyhauler 5 years and haven't had the wheels apart to check.
5.You're correct, but whether it's really necessary is debatable. Probably pulling wheels apart to check things out is a good idea, but doing it every year? Not my idea of a good time so I'll give it a pass.
fj12ryder wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
fj12ryder wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
You have a lot of misconceptions about bearings.
1. They do not dry up. What happens is they heat up and the grease deteriorates from the roller surfaces.
2. You repack to force OUT the old worn grease and push in NEW grease
3. You need to repack bearings once a year.
4. Unless you have the new style Dexter bearing lube system, injecting grease thru an EZ lube does not adequately get to the roller bearing surfaces. You NEED to get rid of the old grease.
5. Inspecting (pulling) once a year and repacking is GOOD insurance from failure miles from home. Doug
A lot of those "misconceptions about bearings" are listed above.
"Need to repack bearings once a year"??!! Not gonna happen.
Please state what is wrong with my post. Doug
1. The grease doesn't deteriorate from the roller surfaces, grease won't stay on the rollers, because there simply isn't clearance to allow grease between the bearing surfaces. The oil suspended in the grease does most of the actual lubrication for the bearing surfaces. Provided you keep dirt and water out and avoid the high temps necessary to melt the grease, grease lasts a very, very long time.
2. You don't force out old grease with repacking. Done properly you clean out the old grease so you're regreasing a clean bearing.
3. That's just silly to do it every year. How often do you repack the bearings on your car/truck?
4. From the diagram it would appear that adding grease to the front zerk will adequately supply grease to both front and rear bearings. In many cases, too much grease can cause excessive heat buildup. However I cannot say that you're wrong because I've only had my toyhauler 5 years and haven't had the wheels apart to check.
5.You're correct, but whether it's really necessary is debatable. Probably pulling wheels apart to check things out is a good idea, but doing it every year? Not my idea of a good time so I'll give it a pass.
Sorry, I disagree with your response. GREASE does deteriorate. You ought to see the 1 year old Bearings and grease we replace due to Cheap Grease used by the axle builders. These bearings are replaced UNDER warranty after we send detailed pics as they will not replace just on our word alone. We also use a GOOD hi temp bearing grease. There are different grades of bearing grease and the Axle makers use the cheapest they can find. WE include a Warranty Forever with every NEW RV we sell. For towables you must every year, have the bearings/brakes inspected and repacked if necessary. We average at least 1 set of bearings a week thru this program. These are basically 1 year old Towables with less than 5000 miles on them, and the Bearings are damaged and the Grease is/was inadequate. Please read my lastb post on packing bearings. YES, you could clean them out and install new grease, but packing bearings CORRECTLY will push out the old grease and get NEW grease inside. IF you take time to watch the EZ lube or Dexter lube Video, it will show how done PROPERLY the old grease is pushed out and new grease installed. Great you have a 5 year old Trailer, and have never done the required Maintenance. YOU are the exception and it would be foolish for people to accept your way of maintaining their RV. I work on RV's every day and I see the result of failed bearing maintenance. Doug
The old way will leave air gaps, and pressing into the palm will never equal the pressure of a grease gun. Once again IMO, a better job will occur using the Zerk, all surfaces will have grease with no gaps . The only big issue is the lack of inspection. There is no chance of catching a problem while it is small.
![[emoticon]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tndVz4aUjCo7iA1TUH59qmwj1lNd40sP71nGdoU0bRRjwbz-Q6WwVFy6CX3QFgP1LKodSS4UzEwqlQsJJhoOuINci6i_hQgKLjnH69WF8fdLAgFTmU=s0-d "huh")
Me, I totally agree with fj12ryder. ![[emoticon]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vRZrU6EVFvbHit6fXGJvUf9nW0f9d6nTOe1DbSPA9zB8bbipgudBjv31NC9pBOV7A6T810AuC0AElwV6VmJQ9U4_O66Stm5Vvtng_kgNK0_lP_Bf2jNQ=s0-d "wink")
I'm old school to and never had a wheel bearing failure! ![[emoticon]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vh2A18fGnbS0bRm7ekuQNbhZmMEiu62qmVoiTrKWujjLe00b4u_2AbPQSGAIBp2EJpWs3-GsHNnXfu8NGd817mu8bX2CEM6Jt-S_aafMUM3vHFN_YiPi4=s0-d "smile")
Cheap stuff is cheap stuff. Good grease will last a very, very long time. We use to pull bearings after a year of running 24/7 and the grease would still be greasy.
I've purchased a number of new trailers, not all RVs. I check to see if the bearings are well greased. I only remember one that was. If the trailer has EZ-lube hubs, I use the proper procedure to pump good quality new grease through, until it comes out the front. Unless I notice a problem with brakes or hot bearing, I am good for several years.
My current FW in sig had very little grease on the bearings, when purchased new. It was easy to see that the EZs were not used, and looked like a finger tip of grease wiped on bearings.
I am sure that fj12ryder has done the same with his TH, as I have with mine. He has not just towed it for 5 years, and not looked, or added good grease as needed.
Jerry
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I don't disassemble and repack the wheel bearings on the front of my car/truck every year, or two years, or three years. I've taken a couple apart to replace the brake rotors and on all of them the bearings were just fine. Heck, the newest vehicle I own is a 2004 Honda Silverwing, and I've not pulled the wheel bearings on any of them just to repack the bearings.
I do need to check brake linings/drums so I guess I'll find out how things look at that point. Just hope I don't have to eat crow.
fj12ryder wrote:
... The first thing I did was check out how to use the EZ Lube hubs. I jacked up the trailer and, using a manual grease gun, pumped grease in while spinning the wheels, until fresh grease came out the front around the grease zerk. And that takes a lot of grease, which tells me they didn't put an overabundance of grease in those hubs.
The bearings were new and greased, I'm sure the maker did not feel the need to use the zerk. What you saw when you did use the zerk was probably the filling of the voids around the axle shaft. Now 'old school' would have also put some grease on that to discourage rust.
Cecilt wrote:
OP here. Seems to be differences of opinion which it to be expected. I watched a video on applying new grease through the zerk on the EZ lube to push out the old grease. I think I may do this. My question is what grease and as important I would like to use a color of grease that more than likely was not used by Dexter when they packed the bearings so I can definitely tell when the old is fully out. Also, how many of the tubes will this take?
I use Mystik JT-6 Hi Temp grease. One of the greases recommended by Dexter. It is dark red in color and you can tell when it has pushed the old grey colored grease out and the red starts coming out.
fj12ryder wrote:
.......
4. From the diagram it would appear that adding grease to the front zerk will adequately supply grease to both front and rear bearings. In many cases, too much grease can cause excessive heat buildup. However I cannot say that you're wrong because I've only had my toyhauler 5 years and haven't had the wheels apart to check............
Adding grease to the zerk only supplies grease to the front (or outer) bearing if you pump enough grease in to push the grease thru the inner bearing, thru the hub cavity, and out thru the outer bearing. And it does take a LOT of grease to do that as it must fill the inner cavity before it reaches the outer bearing.
BB_TX wrote:
...Adding grease to the zerk only supplies grease to the front (or outer) bearing if you pump enough grease in to push the grease thru the inner bearing, thru the hub cavity, and out thru the outer bearing...
I think you're thinking about those cheap end caps you buy from Harbor Freight.
This is how they work:
Clicky
John&Joey wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
...Adding grease to the zerk only supplies grease to the front (or outer) bearing if you pump enough grease in to push the grease thru the inner bearing, thru the hub cavity, and out thru the outer bearing...
I think you're thinking about those cheap end caps you buy from Harbor Freight.
This is how they work:
Clicky
Apparently you are not familiar with the Dexter EZ Lube axles and how they work. They have a zerk at the outer end that ports grease to the inner bearing, thru the hub, to the outer bearing. If you watched the video you posted the link to you would see what I mean.
BB_TX wrote:
Cecilt wrote:
OP here. Seems to be differences of opinion which it to be expected. I watched a video on applying new grease through the zerk on the EZ lube to push out the old grease. I think I may do this. My question is what grease and as important I would like to use a color of grease that more than likely was not used by Dexter when they packed the bearings so I can definitely tell when the old is fully out. Also, how many of the tubes will this take?
I use Mystik JT-6 Hi Temp grease. One of the greases recommended by Dexter. It is dark red in color and you can tell when it has pushed the old grey colored grease out and the red starts coming out.
Thank you. I will go with this. To be clear, using the zerk will not cause excess grease to blow out a seal or cover the brakes in grease. Appreciate all the replies.
Cecilt wrote:
Thank you. I will go with this. To be clear, using the zerk will not cause excess grease to blow out a seal or cover the brakes in grease. Appreciate all the replies.
There is no guarantees concerning leaking seals. There are a couple extra holes in the backing plates on my FW, that I can look through to view the seals. I use an LED piston light in one small hole, and view through the other. I can clearly see if they are leaking or not.
Jerry
BB_TX wrote:
John&Joey wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
...Adding grease to the zerk only supplies grease to the front (or outer) bearing if you pump enough grease in to push the grease thru the inner bearing, thru the hub cavity, and out thru the outer bearing...
I think you're thinking about those cheap end caps you buy from Harbor Freight.
This is how they work:
Clicky
Apparently you are not familiar with the Dexter EZ Lube axles and how they work. They have a zerk at the outer end that ports grease to the inner bearing, thru the hub, to the outer bearing. If you watched the video you posted the link to you would see what I mean.
Read what you wrote. You started with the outer bearing first gets greased then pushes to the inner.
OK, I re-read what you wrote a few times, what you're trying to say is you need to see grease come out to insure the outer bearing is lubed. I got what you meant, and yes you are correct if nothing comes out then you are not guaranteed the outer bearing is lubed.
John&Joey wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
John&Joey wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
...Adding grease to the zerk only supplies grease to the front (or outer) bearing if you pump enough grease in to push the grease thru the inner bearing, thru the hub cavity, and out thru the outer bearing...
I think you're thinking about those cheap end caps you buy from Harbor Freight.
This is how they work:
Clicky
Apparently you are not familiar with the Dexter EZ Lube axles and how they work. They have a zerk at the outer end that ports grease to the inner bearing, thru the hub, to the outer bearing. If you watched the video you posted the link to you would see what I mean.
Read what you wrote. You started with the outer bearing first gets greased then pushes to the inner. The very opposite of what happens. You're changing your song now that you watched the video.
You need to reread what I wrote. I said grease ONLY gets to the outer bearing if you use enough grease to push it thru the inner bearing, thru the hub, and out the outer bearing. You even highlighted it in red!
* This post was edited 04/27/16 04:37pm by BB_TX *
You are correct, and some may not know that.
Frank
Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.
Slownsy wrote:
And many including me has followed dexter so instructiens only to find grease on one wheals brakes
Frank
Curious to know if you knew for sure there was no grease on that brake before you used the EZ Lube.
The Lost Travellers,
Bruce and Connie
The Lost Travellers
Bruce and Connie
Lost Traveller wrote:
Bought a 2002 Fleetwood Prowler 1 1/2 years ago. This is our first RV. Everything was in very good condition. Never thought to check the bearings or brakes. Seemed to stop ok and when I would check the hubs at rest stops, they were never hot. Wanted to check it all out before we headed out this year. Since I wasn't too sure how to do it, I had a friend of mine come over to show me how to check and grease bearings. All of my bearings were fine. But my brakes were a different story. The rear axle brakes basically fell apart when we pulled the drum off. Springs were broke on one side with no pad whatsoever. The magnet was not connected and one of the pads fell off on the other side. Wiring was also broke in the axle, which was a good thing, other wise they would have been working and could have made a real big mess. Front axle brakes seemed ok, but we went ahead and put new brakes all the way around. Now, I will check my bearings/brakes every spring before I head out. Taking a day to do this will be worth it to me.
The Lost Travellers,
Bruce and Connie
If 2002 is what you meant and not 2012 as the year of your TT then you probably faired okay with what you found for a 16 year old TT. Wonder if those bearings were ever touched
Bruce and Connie
Source: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28849904/print/true.cfm
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