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Old 01-15-2014, 06:37 PM   #1
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bearing packing

I have a 2012 Salem Cruise Lite with the zerk fittings to grease the bearings.
This is our first trailer and our first winter storage.
Planning a 2K mile trip in April this year.
Is it worth 200 to actually have the bearings repacked or is just using a grease gun and pumping grease in them enough?

Thanks in advance for the help
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Old 01-15-2014, 06:46 PM   #2
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Do you know what type of grease or how much they are packed in now?

I plan on repacking mine as soon as the weather allows because I do not know what or how much is in there.

Cheap peace of mind.
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Old 01-15-2014, 06:49 PM   #3
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They were packed last May when we bought the trailer.
have about 500 miles on it since we purchased it.
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Old 01-15-2014, 07:23 PM   #4
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why would you pay someone to grease/pack your bearings? it is not that hard to do. 500 miles is not really any miles on the bearings. You have the zerks on there, just gently pump one or two handles in it and sleep well. Use grease that is made for what you are doing. My last camper I had for more than 16 years (averaged about 5-7,000 miles per year )and only pulled the bearings out twice in that time and hand packed them. Never had a problem with bearings.
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Old 01-15-2014, 07:34 PM   #5
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When you don't know how to do something, you pay someone to do it for you or you learn.
"learning" on my trailer is not what I consider to be a good thing to do. The consequences of me doing it wrong are too high.
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Old 01-15-2014, 07:56 PM   #6
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If I lived in Missouri i would swing by and do it for a case of beer...Very easy and im sure you could get a auto shop to do it for much less.
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Old 01-15-2014, 08:28 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markb5900 View Post
I have a 2012 Salem Cruise Lite with the zerk fittings to grease the bearings.
This is our first trailer and our first winter storage.
Planning a 2K mile trip in April this year.
Is it worth 200 to actually have the bearings repacked or is just using a grease gun and pumping grease in them enough?

Thanks in advance for the help
You might try going to youtube.com and do a search for "ez lube hubs". You will find it worth $200 to do it yourself. Just find the correct type of grease from the axle manufactures booklet. I have an Aluma utility trailer that also has ez lube hubs and grease them once a year whether they need it or not. Hope this helps.
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Old 01-15-2014, 09:10 PM   #8
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Very Eazy to do. Before we left on 3,000 mile trip with new trailer, we greased it up in 45 minutes

Steps we took

Mystik red JT-6 grease ( I think that is what we bought) as recommeded Dexter axle manual
Jack up TT wheel on frame one wheel at a time
Gently pumped grease into zerk while rotating wheel till grease was visible
On to next wheel.

Great peace of mind and 2,200 mile into our 3,000 trip we seemed to have lower temps at bearing hubs. Used 3 tubes of grease with 4 wheels ...don'tm know if this is typical
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Old 01-15-2014, 09:22 PM   #9
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At one time RVGUY posted some very detailed instructions on wheel bearing maintenance, don't know where to find it at this time, but wish I had it to view one more time, preparing to do this the first warm weekend:
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Old 01-15-2014, 09:31 PM   #10
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EZ-Lubes are awesome! very easy to do, just make sure you are using the grease that axle/frame MFG recommends. S.L.O.W.L.Y. pump the grease in, especially if it is cold out. When our last trailer was brand new I used over half of a tube in the 4 axles when I got it home, factory (either Lippert or Rockwood) did not fill them as EZ-Lube recommended, if I had not checked them I feel they would have been destroyed rather quickly, also, two of them had the zerk fittings loose and one was off laying inside rubber cap.
GoodLuck!

Info library from Dexter on the EZ-Lubes

http://www.dexteraxle.com/resource_library_
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Old 01-15-2014, 10:34 PM   #11
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bearing grease

How does one know who the axel manufacturer is. The information on the included paperwork is no help. At least the Coachmen information is not. Is it stamped somewhere?

Thanks,

jim
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Old 01-15-2014, 10:41 PM   #12
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If you still have original paperwork it will list who made all of your equipment, frame, axles etc etc. Original Owners packet/paperwork will also have paperwork from frame builder talking about warranty an such. You should also be able to call Coachmen and find out with a VIN Check, they may even be able to send you a copy of the build sheet.
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Old 01-15-2014, 10:59 PM   #13
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bearing grease

Thanks RhoZeta,

I'll check my paperwork again. I probably didn't pay attention. There was a ton of it.

Appreciate the quick response.

Thanks,

Jim
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Old 01-22-2014, 04:54 PM   #14
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Hand packing the bearings does three things. 1. You know they are packed correctly, 2. it gives you a chance to inspect brakes and drums, 3. you can adjust the brakes properly.
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Old 01-22-2014, 05:10 PM   #15
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I used the EZ-lube zerk for 5 years and 25,000 miles. Didn't worry about what grease was in there from the factory. Just bought NAPA's best wheel bearing grease and pumped until new grease came out. Finally had the bearings checked and packed at 25,000 miles. Zero trouble. Don't over-think it.
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Old 01-22-2014, 05:32 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markb5900 View Post
When you don't know how to do something, you pay someone to do it for you or you learn.
"learning" on my trailer is not what I consider to be a good thing to do. The consequences of me doing it wrong are too high.
Yes - if you have the tools, the space, and the experience of doing it frequently, re-packing the bearings is fairly easy. Teaching yourself on the job can indeed be very costly. If they are saying $200 to re-pack them, may be well worth it to avoid the hastle and the worry.

At 500 miles, all you probably need is to add a little grease through the fitting - not a re-pack. That is a DIY job - just make sure you have the recommended grease and don't over-grease. After your 2,000 mile trip it might be time to re-pack - depends on what the mfg recommends.

One other thought - don't know about where you are, but our dealer's service manager told me that if we brought the trailer to them for its annual state inspection, they pull one wheel to look at the brakes. He said I was welcome to stand there while they do it, as they also look at the bearings and make a recommendation on whether they think its time to re-pack the bearings. That gives me a chance to get their opinion and it saves me the hastle of pulling the wheel - which is more work than re-packing the bearings.
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Old 01-26-2014, 10:22 AM   #17
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Thanks
I am trying to find the right paper in the paper work to figure out what grease to buy.
Appreciate all the responses.
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Old 01-26-2014, 10:26 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by markb5900 View Post
Thanks
I am trying to find the right paper in the paper work to figure out what grease to buy.
Appreciate all the responses.
There should be a sticker or a plate on the axles somewhere stating the manufacturer, along with the capacity and serial number of the axle.
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Old 01-27-2014, 07:10 PM   #19
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Just make sure you use a good high temp. bearing grease.
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Old 01-27-2014, 07:25 PM   #20
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Thanks
I am trying to find the right paper in the paper work to figure out what grease to buy.
Appreciate all the responses.
On this forum at the top of the page in the first green bar are links, third from the left is one called Library. Clicking on it will take you to an area full of useful information on axles and running gear!
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