Repack wheel bearings

[Jkwilson]

https://youtu.be/XT0RKDGgDm8
I am a fan of the E Z lube hubs. I asked before my purchased, seems a lot of trailers have them standard!

I don’t see what you gain. You still have to disassemble and service the bearings the same way, and unless the hubs are being immersed, the grease that’s in there doesn’t go anywhere.

[bironacad]

I don’t see what you gain. You still have to disassemble and service the bearings the same way, and unless the hubs are being immersed, the grease that’s in there doesn’t go anywhere.

If you watch the video it shows no disassembly required. That is a plus in my books and an easy pre trip service. We are heading to the Yukon from southern Ontario this summer and a bearing lube that is easy is ideal.

[Jkwilson]

If you watch the video it shows no disassembly required. That is a plus in my books and an easy pre trip service. We are heading to the Yukon from southern Ontario this summer and a bearing lube that is easy is ideal.

You can inspect the bearings for signs of overheating without disassembling them? That would be a trick. There is no need to change grease, but there is a need to inspect the bearings and races. That’s why I see no benefit to them.

[Cate&Rob]

bironacad
I am with Jkwilson John on this . . . injecting new grease blindly into a bearing is a false sense of security. The grease does not need to be replaced . . . unless it is deteriorating due to a failing bearing. In which case the bearing needs to be replaced. The only way to be sure about the condition of your trailer wheel bearings is to follow the manufacturer's service recommendation which is usually disassembly and inspection at least annually or every 12,000 miles.

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Let's not forget that if improperly greased, it can push the grease seal out the back which leads to an extremely bad day.

[Bob P]

Bob P
Information@dexteraxle.com

Thank you!

[familytruckster4]

If you watch the video it shows no disassembly required. That is a plus in my books and an easy pre trip service. We are heading to the Yukon from southern Ontario this summer and a bearing lube that is easy is ideal.

Adding grease to the hub is not "repacking the bearings" it is simply blindly adding more grease to a hub that may not even benefit from more grease. It is a common misconception that utilizing the EZ lube is a substitute for a bearing service. It is not. The EZ lube system was designed for boat trailers and has unfortunately found its way into the RV world. Dexters national training manager, Bill Snider, stated this at the GD rally in September. A properly serviced and packed hub does not require additional grease to be added between services.
Unfortunately the RV dealer world is to blame for a lot of the confusion. In the 4 PDI's that I have done on the trailers we have bought, I have never once been told the correct information on servicing the bearings on a Dexter axle.
The Dexter manual has all the facts, I believe the link is in an earlier post(s)

Scott

[Guest]

Adding grease to the hub does pack the bearings since the grease has to pass through the rollers of both inner and outer bearings to reach the hub rubber cap. But I am not in agreement in using the EZ Lube in place of cleaning, inspection and hand packing or using a bearing packer. The inspection process is critical where bearings, races, seals and brakes all gain the benefit of the inspection. The EZ Lube could be a good solution for marine applications where the flow of new grease would purge any water that may have entered the hub. Water cannot realistically enter the hub on an RV.

Jim

[Skilletface]

I have not read every comment on this thread so please forgive if this has been already stated. I embrace the EZ-Lube system as preventative B maintenance item and not intended to replace the required annual A maintenance. Let’s not forget how often the RV gets used. When grease is injected correctly into the wheel bearing via the EZ-Lube while on a 5 - 10 thousand mile trip or a couple times a year with moderate use, for sure when the A PM comes due the only thing that will be needed is time, more grease and maybe a seal.

[Guest]

If done properly, the EZ lube system can be used but there is no real benefit. If we consider the cars and trucks of old where the front bearings were of similar design, these vehicles did not have grease fittings at each wheel. The marine environment makes these types of hubs useful in an attempt to keep water out of the hubs since they are commonly submerged.

Jim

[familytruckster4]

I have not read every comment on this thread so please forgive if this has been already stated. I embrace the EZ-Lube system as preventative B maintenance item and not intended to replace the required annual A maintenance. Let’s not forget how often the RV gets used. When grease is injected correctly into the wheel bearing via the EZ-Lube while on a 5 - 10 thousand mile trip or a couple times a year with moderate use, for sure when the A PM comes due the only thing that will be needed is time, more grease and maybe a seal.

I would add that a new seal is not optional if pulling the hub for a repack. It is never a good idea to attempt reuse of the old seal even if you could get it out to pull the inner bearing without destroying it (which I have never seen done successfully)
I echo MidwestCampers thought on the system.
I did hear Bill Snider (Dexters national training person) say at the GD rally in September that he wishes the RV industry would stop spec'ing EZ lube on RV trailer axles.

I should also note that my last 3 trailers, 2012 Open range JT340FLR, 2018 Imagine 2600RB and our current Reflection 337RLS all were delivered to me with the seals on all 4 hubs blown out by overzealous greasing via the EZ lube system. Both my Grand design trailers required replacement of the brake assemblies due to gross grease contamination. All on Dexters dime which I suspect is hard on profits.
The 337 was the worst of the 3. The dealer rep even stated during the PDI that if I added some grease using the EZ lube then I should be good for a couple of years, that was a head slapper for sure but I just laughed to myself and moved on. You would think that a dealer who has the exclusive territory on Lower Michigan would have better trained people, but you would be wrong.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

I did hear Bill Snider (Dexters national training person) say at the GD rally in September that he wishes the RV industry would stop spec'ing EZ lube on RV trailer axles.

I kind of like the easy lube hubs over standard. But only for one reason. I like the removable rubber plug. Couple times a season I pull them off and check the grease that I can see. If I see something I don't like...I pull the hubs apart.

[Jlawles2]

The Dexter E-Z lube manual is very specific in stating that manual grease gun only, and the wheel must be rotated while slowly pumping the grease in. NOW, how many people have actually read the manual????

[Guest]

The Dexter E-Z lube manual is very specific in stating that manual grease gun only, and the wheel must be rotated while slowly pumping the grease in. NOW, how many people have actually read the manual????

Good point Joseph. Most greased brakes back in the day most likely resulted from the EZ Lube system being greased with a pneumatic gun either on the line or at PDI. Rotating the wheel while greasing with a hand held gun will not result in greased brakes.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Several years back, an LCI axle manufacturing rep told me that their manufacturing process used the same spindle for RV axles and boat trailer axles. They never intended the zerk fitting to be used on an RV axle with electric drum brakes. The proper bearing service procedure is clearly explained in their owners manual . . . but many owners (and even dealers) never get that far. They see the zerk fitting and assume it must be there for a purpose. LCI (and Dexter) could save a lot of customer problems and probably save themselves some money by using solid spindles without zerks on RV axles.

Rob