EZ Lube Axles - Lubrication

[bigmurph]

To clarify what I was speaking of. I'm talking about the style axle that has a zerk fitting on the end of the axle and a passage for the grease to travel behind the inner most bearing and then be forced through to the outer most bearing. The bearing buddy set up is more for boat trailers because it allows you to keep pressure on the grease cavity to help keep water out when backing in the water. I use those on my boat trailer but I still pull them apart often because of the environment that they are used in.

[Sterlingsilver]

I use synthetic grease only. Then I pretty much forget about them. A properly greased bearing hub shouldn't need attention for 100,000 miles. IMHO

[bob caldwell]

One skirt will do nothing, imo.....lol

[dieselguy]

I spin wrenches on RV's on the side as do a couple of my friends. Although there are a few no matter the brand of RV that tout the EZ lube ... for most others, the best thing to do with the EZ lube is remove the zerk on the spindle and plug it so it can never be used. Half a dozen pumps twice a season is a placebo and is pretty useless. As said the first use will take near a full tube of grease per wheel while slowly spinning it. After that much less ... however you'll never know for sure if you blew grease past the rear seal or not until your brakes start acting funny. Furthermore ... think about this ... why would you want to pump the used grease from the rear bearing eventually into the outer bearing?? Ask about any RV tech what one of the most common work orders they perform is ... the answer will be addressing wheel seal and brake issues due to the owner using the EZ lube thinking they are doing great preventive maintenance. I know a few of you are all for using the EZ lube and can claim success. I applaud you, but since you already have the wheel jacked up per instructions ... there is nothing that beats pulling the wheel, popping the bearings out, cleaning, and hand packing them ... plus you have a chance to look over your brakes and what have you while the wheel is off. Let the barrage begin .....

[raytwntrvlr]

Subject for sure.

I'm only on my 2nd RV but I have a hard time believing that it's not unusual for new axles to come with too little grease. I would say it's very unusual but on the other hand going 100K miles WO servicing bearings is really rolling the dice.

I have the EZ lubes on my TT and a couple months ago and after putting 6000 miles or so on the outfit I decided to do some bearing service. On the first wheel I pulled I discovered the bearings were fine but I went ahead and installed a new set of inner and outer Timkin USA bearings with fresh grease and a new seal of course. Took me quite a while and was pretty messy.

The other three wheels I just went the EZ lube way. Followed the manual instructs, except that I took off the wheel&tire so I could be closer to my
work and clean the old grease up better.

From the amount of grease it took to do the 3 EZ lube wheels, I think all left the factory with the same amount of grease. BTW 1 large tube of grease got all three and it's pretty clear to see when the new grease begins to flow.

So I have bearings and seals for the remaining three positions and I plan to do and annual replacement of one at a time and do the EZ lube on the others, unless I detect any sign of heat buildup while out and about.

I bring all the tools and parts needed to do emergency repairs while traveling should it be required.

In your case with under 2000 miles.... I would not do anything until you get at least 5000 miles other than to monitor the wheel heat while you are towing.

Everyone has a different comfort level on this subject.... very controversial for sure.

Happy Camping to all

[cheewilson]

Some of the newer units are coming out with sealed bearings. I talked to one owner that had sealed bearings and I believe it was a Hitchhiker but could be wrong. Has anyone had experience with sealed bearings. They seem to work well on our autos. We don't inspect sealed bearings except for signs of failure. A properly packed wheel bearing will have no grease in hub. Grease in the hub is only a heat sink and is bad for the bearings and seals. This is based on many years of aauto repair work. IMHO..

[johnruff]

Dexter, I asked the same question and my dealer said to not try it because I would push the seals out. Told me not to even worry about it for at least 5k miles.

[rvdoctor]

After working over 30 years on RVs, inspecting and packing bearings on axles, the major flaw I encounter is over-lubed bearings on axles. The cause is pumping too much grease using bearing buddies or ez-lube style axles. Most times seal is blown out and brakes are ruined. I recommend pulling wheels to inspect, clean, and pack bearings. There are times when a bearing is showing signs of wear and it is best to replace prior to a catastrophic failure. Never use a grease zerk fitting or some day you will end up blowing the grease seal and ruining the brakes. Would rather use this method and not spend hundreds of dollars on replacing brakes prematurely. The choice is yours.

[Jim in Halifax]

My spring shackles have grease fittings......Some would not take the grease.....I removed the grease fitting and put a wire coat hanger thru the hole and moved it around and in & out....Put fitting back in and ass'y took grease Old grease must have gotten hard

[Too Tall]

A few things I learned about ezlube axles and grease guns.

https://youtu.be/3B93s6g92-k

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by Jim in Halifax

My spring shackles have grease fittings......Some would not take the grease.....I removed the grease fitting and put a wire coat hanger thru the hole and moved it around and in & out....Put fitting back in and ass'y took grease Old grease must have gotten hard

What happens with cheap grease.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by Too Tall

A few things I learned about ezlube axles and grease guns.

https://youtu.be/3B93s6g92-k

Good stuff to know. Thanks...

[Restcure]

Originally Posted by bigmurph

The best way to grease them is to jack up the wheel and pump the grease gun while you or someone else spins the wheel slowly. This helps the grease get through the bearings. Don't pump too fast so that you don't overload the rear seal. The reason that they get pushed out is because the grease gets pumped in faster than it can move back through the bearings towards the front (outer) bearing. It will take a lot of grease to do this the first time. Next time, you will only need to put a few pumps in to push out some old grease. That is the biggest advantage to these axles. It allows you to replace the grease basically. They still require maintenance.

+1.

This is the way we do it. I keep a bucket with a garbage bag handy for disposing of the excess grease. When we did ours the last time it took four tubes to fill the voids... one for each wheel.

[f5moab]

Originally Posted by Too Tall

A few things I learned about ezlube axles and grease guns.

https://youtu.be/3B93s6g92-k

Can someone tell me how would spinning the wheel loosen a zerk fitting that is installed into the spindle end of the axle? The spindle does not turn it is stationary, at least on my trailer. The axle is a solid shaft with machined spindles on each end. The brake drum spins on the bearings that are between the drum and the spindle.

[SidecarFlip]

If it has a bearing buddy, the bearing buddy and grease fitting rotate (other style).....

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by f5moab

Can someone tell me how would spinning the wheel loosen a zerk fitting that is installed into the spindle end of the axle? The spindle does not turn it is stationary, at least on my trailer. The axle is a solid shaft with machined spindles on each end. The brake drum spins on the bearings that are between the drum and the spindle.

In my case when I took the wheels off to grease them by hand I found the outer race was spinning in the hub. I would have NEVER known that it was loose in the hub if I had just greased it with the zerk fitting. I would not have known it until the wheel separated from the axle.

I HATE the zerk fittings for that reason and for the reason that most people, mechanics included, put too much grease into them and get grease all over the brake shoes and drum!

[f5moab]

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

If it has a bearing buddy, the bearing buddy and grease fitting rotate (other style).....

It is stated an easy lube system so not a bearing buddy. Unless some refer to a bearing buddy as an easy lube system.
And if bearing buddy, it should not be on this thread which is about EZ lube axles.

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by f5moab

It is stated an easy lube system so not a bearing buddy. Unless some refer to a bearing buddy as an easy lube system.
And if bearing buddy, it should not be on this thread which is about EZ lube axles.

Got dilluted at post Number 4 and went from there. I also state in post 7 I have both types, bearing buddies on my light duty utility trailer and EZ lube on my HD Dexter axles but I still pull the drums and bearings and hand back them on both types as I don't trust the 'automated' method.