Zerc/grease amount

[TeJay]

My Flagstaff does not have cotter pins either. What it does have is something that I had never seen and I thought I'd seen a lot and I have but nothing exactly like this. I have looked for about fifteen minutes on the net to get a name but I can't find anything. so here's what it is. There is a flat spot on the axle. The nut retainer looks like a washer with 6 tabs bent over and about 1/4" long. They fit right over the hex nut. Once you set your wheel bearing clearance you just place the retainer over the hub nut aligning one of the tabs with the flat spot on the axle and the nut won't move. My axles are Dexter so maybe their sight would have a picture. It works very well and you don't have to move the nut, which would change the bearing clearance that you just so carefully adjusted, to get the retainer to fit.
Ditto the NAPA recommendation. I've visited those stores around the country. They usually have one guy in there that really knows his stuff instead of having a bunch of young kids still wet behind the ears. If you don't know this it takes years and years to be a really good part counter person.
JMTCW
TeJay

[dwaynerz]

if you are really lucky, you will have an "old time" automotive speed shop not too far away. i am lucky in that regards as i have 2 within 15 minutes of my house. those guys also know their way around a cross reference book as well. some of those guys have probably forgotten more than some know. try an agriculture dealer too or farm and home, tractor supply, farm and fleet etc. they also have a trailer dept.

[prairiecamper]

Originally Posted by TeJay

My Flagstaff does not have cotter pins either. What it does have is something that I had never seen and I thought I'd seen a lot and I have but nothing exactly like this. I have looked for about fifteen minutes on the net to get a name but I can't find anything. so here's what it is. There is a flat spot on the axle. The nut retainer looks like a washer with 6 tabs bent over and about 1/4" long. They fit right over the hex nut. Once you set your wheel bearing clearance you just place the retainer over the hub nut aligning one of the tabs with the flat spot on the axle and the nut won't move. My axles are Dexter so maybe their sight would have a picture. It works very well and you don't have to move the nut, which would change the bearing clearance that you just so carefully adjusted, to get the retainer to fit.
Ditto the NAPA recommendation. I've visited those stores around the country. They usually have one guy in there that really knows his stuff instead of having a bunch of young kids still wet behind the ears. If you don't know this it takes years and years to be a really good part counter person.
JMTCW
TeJay

Hi, those type of locking tab washers are quite common in aviation. I'll try to post a pic!
No joy
https://www.google.ca/search?q=locki...w=1600&bih=787

[TURBS]

Btw whether it does or does not have a spindle locking mechanism forest river does not make build or assemble the axles.
They buy them pre assembled most likely already on the frame and or install them.
Blame lci or dexter not forest river.


Turbs

[TeJay]

From all I've heard over the last three years there are two major manufacturer's of TT axles, Lippert and Dexter. I'm sure there are others but those are probably the major contributors. Mine is a Dexter, which I like better than Lippert and I've had both. Most prefer Dexter. I really like their Tor-Flex Independent axle system. And it seems that they come standard with self-adjusting brakes. Lippert does or did not.
TeJay

[dwaynerz]

i wonder whatever happened to a good old castle nut.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by dwaynerz

i wonder whatever happened to a good old castle nut.

Greased mine today
Castle nut and a pin in all four.

[Dualsportist]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Btw whether it does or does not have a spindle locking mechanism forest river does not make build or assemble the axles.
They buy them pre assembled most likely already on the frame and or install them.
Blame lci or dexter not forest river.


Turbs

True, I thought about that after yesterdays post. Forest River is Golden regarding this issue. I do love my Stealth toyhauler. Forest River is Golden with me.
My axles are marked ALKO. A german based company. German manufacturers are typically known for outstanding performance, but not reliabiliity. ie: BMW amd Mercedes.
I pulled off and packed the second wheel today, (Right rear. Yesterday was right front), and there WAS a kotter pin installed.
Of course, I am the guy who finds the only piece of cherry pie with the pit in it. And I had to pull off the only wheel without a kotter pin in a production of prolly 2 thousand axles!

[Dualsportist]

Originally Posted by howellma

i bought a 2013 Solaire TT and after the first trip i decided to look at the grease in the bearings. Popped the little rubber cap off and looked inside. What i saw was in my opinion, a lack of grease, the outer bearing didnt looked to e fully immersed. no problem get out the grease gun, right? Wrong! in the end i had two BAD Zerk fittings! my old trailer was always kept greased and yearly i pulled and checked the bearings. I actually carry a full set of bearings/seals with me in case something happens (my teenage years and first car and no grease cap! imagine that!) I like being prepared, my wife calls it being anal!

Ha! My friends call me anal too but they always come to me for help when some part fails and they need advice or want to borrow tools.

Actually, I don't plan on ever using the zerks on my trailer's hubs. I have seen the pnuematic pressure of grease and I know of no known seals that will withstand the pressure required to push old grease out of old bearings.

[moondog2000]

I just went through this a couple of weeks ago after posting on it a couple of months ago I jacked each tire up and spun it while I pumped the grease gun. I used Lucas xtra green tube . I felt no resistance pumping and I pumped till new grease came out the outer bearing. If a seal was to pop out grease would stop flowing out the front bearing. I consider the bearings packed now. I have 4 camping trips planned this summer, 2 at the Grand Canyon which relates to a couple thousand miles traveled mostly in triple digets. After the trips I will repete spining the tires and pumping grease till fresh comes out the front bearing. In my opinion giving the zircs a couple of pumps would just put a little fresh grease in the rear bearing and push some old grease into the front bearing.I don't think they would engineer a system that would fail so easily, After all their name is on it and think of the possible lawsuits.Next spring I will tear the drums down and if they are china bearings I will replace them with the best american bearings money will buy and the very best seals also. Bearing buddies on boat trailers keep grease under pressure while when I stopped pumping any kind of pressure went away. I think these hubs are great as I can have fresh packed hubs before every long trip. It only took 1 and a half tubes of grease to do this.If I have grease on my brake shoes you can bet I will be contacting them for a solution.

[bakken]

Originally Posted by Dualsportist

Actually, I don't plan on ever using the zerks on my trailer's hubs. I have seen the pnuematic pressure of grease and I know of no known seals that will withstand the pressure required to push old grease out of old bearings.

There is little pressure required, unless you are trying to grease them in sub-zero weather. The bearings are open to the outside of the hub, so the grease just flows through the rear bearing, filling the center cavity, then out through the outer bearing.
Of course, the warmer the grease the better.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by moondog2000

In my opinion giving the zircs a couple of pumps would just put a little fresh grease in the rear bearing and push some old grease into the front bearing.

If the hub is filled with clean grease initially, a few pumps will push the "dirty" grease out of the rear bearing and into the middle raceway. The clean grease in the raceway will push the front bearing's "dirty" grease out the front.

For a complete flush, you would continue pumping until you saw both "dirty" globs get pushed out.

[moondog2000]

The first time you pump it a few times your right, some new grease will flow into the rear bearing and the new grease in the hub will flow into the front bearing. Now you have some dirty grease in the hub possibly contaminating the rest of the grease. For a few bucks you can put fresh grease in the bearings and hub and be good for a long time. I believe that is what the engineers had in mind when they developed this system.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by moondog2000

The first time you pump it a few times your right, some new grease will flow into the rear bearing and the new grease in the hub will flow into the front bearing. Now you have some dirty grease in the hub possibly contaminating the rest of the grease. For a few bucks you can put fresh grease in the bearings and hub and be good for a long time. I believe that is what the engineers had in mind when they developed this system.

This is why you need to fill the hub just after the bearings are packed and installed. If you wait till the bearing grease is dirty, you will need a complete flush out of all the dirty grease and fill the hub at the same time.
It will use about a quarter tube per hub.

[moondog2000]

Pumping grease through the bearings to me is the same as repacking the bearings. I have seen the diagram of the hub with the little red arrows showing how the grease travels. My packing the bearings by hand and then filling the hub would just push the grease out that I just packed in the rear bearing and some of the front bearing.when I finally tear the hubs down in the spring next year I will make sure all bearings and seals will be american and the best money can buy and I set the bearings to how I want them I will not tear them down for a long time. I will check the temps of the hubs during my trips with a heat gun and check the grease I push out.This is how I will decide when to tear them down again to check them for wear or damage.I love this system as I can have fresh grease in the bearings before a long hot trip.