Axle Grease Fittings

kbrown1075 · 11-21-2010, 04:15 PM

I was doing a thorough pre-trip on the TT today, we are about to go on a 600 mile trip over the T-day holiday. I decided to grease the axles as per the instructions as we got the TT new in June and I hadn't greased the bearings after the several short trips we have been on. So I went to the auto parts store and bought the lithium bearing grease and a new grease gun just for the bearing grease. I start trying to put the grease into the grease fitting and it just keeps coming out from the end of the hose. I cleaned out the excess grease around the fitting and I see the problem, there is a piece of metal (not sure at this time what it is), so I use the screw driver and push it aside so I can fill it with grease. No problem, grease goes in. At the next wheel the metal is not in the way but grease is still coming out around the fitting (I'm thinking I got a bad grease gun). I push harder and the grease goes in. Now I move to the other side of the TT and pop off the cap and the grease fitting has fallen off and is laying in the bottom of the cap and there is very little grease around the inside of the cap. I got out the 5/16 socket and put it back on and tightened it up and put a good amount of grease in before it was full. BTW, I have now figured out what that piece of metal was I saw on the other side, it was the tail of the cotter pin for the axle. How did they get grease in after assembly? On to the last wheel, checked for tightness first and the grease fitting was also quite loose. Tightened it up and put in grease. Rechecked the tightness on the side I already greased and one on that side was loose and the other was tight. So out of 4 grease fittings on the axles, 2 were loose, one had fallen off, and one was tight. I could have averted a major failure on our first long trip by doing the checks outlined in the manuals. Please take a few minutes and check yours. I am not pointing fingers as maintenance is ultimately my responsibility.

kz08h5 · 11-21-2010, 06:13 PM

I had similar problems with mine. I could not get any grease into the hub through the grease fitting. I remove one grease fitting and found that it would not accept grease. I bought new one and replaced all 4, grease went in with no problem. All the fittings were hand tight at best and one had come out completely. I now know that I need to look at them at least yearly if not more often.

bill and theresa · 11-21-2010, 06:38 PM

I looked at mine and the cotter pin is off center but I think it has a hole to screw in a fitting. I repacked my bearings but I am going to remove one wheel and put in a fitting and see if it takes grease. My book says if it has fittings it has a plug to remove to get to the fitting. Mine has the normal metal cap to remove to get to the cotter pin and nut.

**Herk7769** · 11-22-2010, 07:36 AM

My experience was:

1 fitting lying in the cup
1 fitting so loose there were one one thread holding it in.
No grease at all in all four hubs (other than assembly grease in the pre-packed bearings)

I used 1 full sized tube of grease the first time I greased them.

I think the dufus at the factory did not know they were the new "flow through" spindles. Someone must have just told him to screw on the zerk fittings and not knowing why he was doing it, just put them on hand tight.

My right front hub ran cool for the first time after I filled the hubs correctly.

My mistake was assuming:
1) The factory serviced the trailer prior to shipment
2) The dealer actually LOOKED that the hubs had been serviced as part of the dealer's acceptance inspection (I know it was "free" but jeeze they could have actually DONE one).

The_Stuff · 11-22-2010, 10:25 AM

and people wonder how these trailers make the journey to the dealerships in one piece!

Round Mound of Sound · 11-22-2010, 02:54 PM

I had an RV shop check and fill the axle fittings. I still cooked one. I then had to get a whole new axle ($500 insatlled). So had the a new tailer dealer check the other side, suprise "no grease". So I asked to check the other axle, suprise "no grease". I shall not return to the first RV shop or dealer. So the real story is not to trust RV shops or Dealers unless you are standing on their shoulders.

gktsuda1956 · 12-10-2010, 12:24 AM

I picked my new 2011 Flagstaff V-lite up 3 weeks ago in Oklahoma. Pulled it home to Longview, WA. The dealer assured me wheels had been torqued and during the trip I bought a new grease gun and lithium grease. Pulled off the grease covers and found presence of grease so didn't bother to add any more. Last weekend I pulled off the grease covers and greased the fittings. I also found the cotter pins bent over the grease nipples and also found the rubber covers over the grease nipples torn open by the cotter pins. I also found one nipple forced in cocked to one side (probably stripped or thread damaged). And several of the nipples where very hard to pump grease into. I will pull them tomorrow and replace and grease again. Also buy set of buddy bearing covers to protect bearings. Otherwise LOVE my new Flagstaff and the RV community.

**Herk7769** · 12-10-2010, 08:13 AM

This is a production line problem.

Also a dealer problem.

Thinking the acceptence inspection is just pure profit for the dealership to offset what they could have made on the sale in a hot economy.

M109Rrider · 12-10-2010, 10:56 AM

The Prime Time is the first trailer I've had with grease fittings. How do I tell if it's full?

**Herk7769** · 12-10-2010, 02:15 PM

Some rules with these things

1) MANUAL guns only. Slow pressure on the handle so you do not blow out the rear seals.

2) Pump until you see the old grease push through the bearings. If you, or any one else, has not done done this before; it will take a LOT of grease.

3) Wipe off excess old grease that was pushed out. Replace rubber boot.

jimh · 12-10-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M109Rrider

The Prime Time is the first trailer I've had with grease fittings. How do I tell if it's full?

it will come back out of the bearings next to the Zerk.
seems like the manufacture recomends tearing them down and hand repacking them (i believe monthly...i know it is more often than every six mos). i know...who does that? makes u wonder why the Zerk.
if the seals are bad, it will go into ur brake area. add slowly.

M109Rrider · 12-10-2010, 06:09 PM

Thanks for the info, I haven't even pulled the center caps off and looked at them yet.

jimh · 12-10-2010, 11:59 PM

i hate to say it, but i didn't pump grease or go into mine until this year (8 yrs). whoever had the job of packing mine did their job. reading some of the other comments, it doesn't always happen. by the way, change break to brake in my last post....

**Herk7769** · 12-11-2010, 11:49 AM

I moved my post here and made it a "sticky":

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ures-9666.html

**Herk7769** · 12-21-2010, 04:28 PM

Their response follows:

Thanks for the information, we take the emails seriously. This was not an item we were checking here regularly at our plant. There are a lot of components installed on the units and we too expect them to be correct and in working order. A lot of our vendors will come in and do periodic inspections on their products and we expect them to keep us informed. We are passing this information on to our vendor and we have started inspecting them.

The axles manufacture is AL-KO Kober and there is no recall on them.

Again thanks for the information.

Sincerely,

Doug Fought

Warranty Manager
Flagstaff / Rockwood Divs. of Forest River

kbrown1075 · 12-21-2010, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herk7769

Their response follows:

Thanks for the information, we take the emails seriously. This was not an item we were checking here regularly at our plant. There are a lot of components installed on the units and we too expect them to be correct and in working order. A lot of our vendors will come in and do periodic inspections on their products and we expect them to keep us informed. We are passing this information on to our vendor and we have started inspecting them.

The axles manufacture is AL-KO Kober and there is no recall on them.

Again thanks for the information.

Sincerely,

Doug Fought

Warranty Manager
Flagstaff / Rockwood Divs. of Forest River

Thanks for passing this issue on, Lou. It is apparent that FR needs the consumers input. We tend to be quick to blame FR when something goes wrong, but they are counting on their vendors to do a quality job also. Learned something today.

MightyMike · 12-22-2010, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimh

it will come back out of the bearings next to the Zerk.
seems like the manufacture recomends tearing them down and hand repacking them (i believe monthly...i know it is more often than every six mos). i know...who does that? makes u wonder why the Zerk.
if the seals are bad, it will go into ur brake area. add slowly.

One of the best ways I found to not blow the seals out is to raise the wheel off of the ground and spin it while you are pumping the grease. Helps if the DW doesn't mind giving you a hand. Just make sure she doesn't touch anything GREASY

!!

MtnGuy · 12-22-2010, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MightyMike

One of the best ways I found to not blow the seals out is to raise the wheel off of the ground and spin it while you are pumping the grease.

That is the way I do mine.

And don't use anything but a hand operated grease gun.

**Herk7769** · 12-22-2010, 08:08 AM

Spin and only hand pump is mandated.

The attachment follows:

jimh · 12-22-2010, 11:04 AM

i went back and reread akko's recommendations, they recommend inspecting seals and bearings every 12 mos or 12000 miles which ever comes first. they also say lifting wheel unescessary.
the way the system is made, u shouldn't be able to blow the seal unless the seal is bad. now the real world...i will rotate the wheels while pumping..can't harm anything.
alko owners manual.pdf

with that said, go slowly and rotate the wheel. better safe. if it leaks, just read the manual to it.

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