Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-10-2014, 05:42 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
tslarson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 363
Wheel bearing grease is wheel bearing grease-or is it?

I have been a boat mechanic all my life, and now teach the trade. I have probably repacked hundreds of trailer wheel bearings in my lifetime and a while back I had someone ask me what makes a "waterproof grease" waterproof? I didn't know so I did a bit of reading about wheel bearing grease as it applies to trailers. On a very basic level, grease is really just oil suspended in a thickner to keep it in the bearing. There are different thickeners, and some are more prone to being washed away with water than others. The thickeners least prone to being washed away earn the label of being "waterproof, or water resistant".
With that being said, I started wondering why when repacking trailer bearings that sometimes the old grease came out "chunky" and other times it almost just ran out of the hub, as if it was no longer "thickened". In almost all of these cases I could see that there were different colored greases used to grease the bearings as grease was added over time. It turns out that not all greases are compatible with each other, or rather the thickeners used are not compatible, and can cause the grease to no longer be able to do an adaquate job of lubricating the bearing. So what I have learned is to always use greases that are compatible with each other. My trailer has the Dexter EZ lube hubs, and Dexter specifies a Lithium Complex base thickener. I have been greasing my bearings using a grease with a Aluminum Complex base thickener. I started to worry, but found the below chart (stolen off the net) that says I am ok. Probably will repack them this year anyway. So the moral of the story is that not all greases are equal, and to always use the same grease, not just what is handy in the garage. Read the label and make sure it is of the correct thickener base.
__________________

2015 Starcraft Travel Star 299BHU Black Pearl Edition
2011 Jayco X23J (traded in)
2013 Ford F150 FX4 SuperCrew 6.2 Max Tow
7700 GVWR 3.73 E-locker
tslarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-10-2014, 06:12 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
mcfarmall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Kalamazoo, West Michigan
Posts: 1,817
Go to you local farm store and buy a tube of "lithium" grease that contains "moly" (molybdenum disulfide). Pull off the plastic cap on the end and it will most likely be black in color. It will probably run you a whopping $2-$3 and will work just fine. As long as your seals are good and you don't back your travel trailer through water deeper than the axle you'll be fine.

I've owned cars and light trucks from cradle to grave that have NEVER had the front wheel bearings repacked or replaced in their life. I've seen tapered roller bearings in industrial gearboxes etc. that have lasted for years of 24/7 service with precious little grease to keep them alive. As long as the preload/clearance is set right and it gets even a small amount of grease they will last a surprisingly long time. Most people will probably have a lithium complex grease in their posession unless Uncle Fred handed them a tube of polyrex that he stole from work. They don't generally sell the weird stuff at most consumer retail outlets.

And yes you are correct that the thickeners must be compatible. Thanks for attaching the handy chart!!

I recently attended a Noria "Fundamentals of Machine Lubrication" training class in Branson, MO and we covered all that stuff and then some...pretty interesting.
__________________
2006 23B Hybrid with 10k round bar WDH
2011 F150 4x4 SCREW Ecoboost, Max Tow, Integrated TBC, 3.73 LS axle, Firestone Ride Rite airbags.
mcfarmall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 08:45 PM   #3
Lost in the Woods
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: N/A
Posts: 567
What about synthetic?
wwsmith111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 06:07 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
tslarson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 363
Synthetic greases use the same base thickeners as mineral oil greases. For instance Amsoil's Water Resistant Grease uses calcium sulfonate as their thickener. The only difference would be the synthetic oil that is mixed in. I would think the benefits of using a synthetic grease would be similar to using a synthetic oil, better lubrication resulting in reduced heat of components. This should improve the durability and longevity of the bearings.
__________________

2015 Starcraft Travel Star 299BHU Black Pearl Edition
2011 Jayco X23J (traded in)
2013 Ford F150 FX4 SuperCrew 6.2 Max Tow
7700 GVWR 3.73 E-locker
tslarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 07:06 AM   #5
Lost in the Woods
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: N/A
Posts: 567
I have a new Jayco Eagle with the ez-lube axles. Can I start pumping in synthetic grease behind the factory grease? If the synthetic (Valvoline) has a compatible base as you say, then it should be compatible with the Jayco factory lithium grease.
wwsmith111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 02:38 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
tslarson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 363
Quote:
Originally Posted by wwsmith111 View Post
I have a new Jayco Eagle with the ez-lube axles. Can I start pumping in synthetic grease behind the factory grease? If the synthetic (Valvoline) has a compatible base as you say, then it should be compatible with the Jayco factory lithium grease.
There should not be a problem in mixing synthetic with the original grease, as long as the bases are compatible.
__________________

2015 Starcraft Travel Star 299BHU Black Pearl Edition
2011 Jayco X23J (traded in)
2013 Ford F150 FX4 SuperCrew 6.2 Max Tow
7700 GVWR 3.73 E-locker
tslarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 04:02 PM   #7
Site Team
 
norty1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: James Island, SC
Posts: 22,771
Be very careful pumping grease into EZ lube bearings. The grease can ruin your brake shoes.
__________________
Moderator
2011- 351RLTS Eagle, MorRyde suspension/pin box,
2017- F350 6.7 PSD Lariat FX4,SRW, SB,CC
Hughes PWD SP-50A, TST TPMS
Gator roll-up bed cover
B&W Turnover ball, Companion Std hitch
Can't find what you're looking on JOF? Try Jayco Owners Forum Custom Google Search
norty1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 05:28 PM   #8
Lost in the Woods
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: N/A
Posts: 567
Heard that! I have read many other places about greasing EZ-lube axles. We bought a new Jayco Eagle and I have only towed it 17 miles. The bearings were ice cold afterwards. My last TT was a Springdale and the bearings would get a little warm in about 5 miles even after being totally replaced. I plan on only giving a squirt or two on each trip.
wwsmith111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 07:23 PM   #9
Site Team
 
norty1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: James Island, SC
Posts: 22,771
Wheel bearings do not use grease. IMO a few squirts a trip will cause you brake troubles down the road.
My dealer recommends checking them once a season and repackage the old fashioned way.
__________________
Moderator
2011- 351RLTS Eagle, MorRyde suspension/pin box,
2017- F350 6.7 PSD Lariat FX4,SRW, SB,CC
Hughes PWD SP-50A, TST TPMS
Gator roll-up bed cover
B&W Turnover ball, Companion Std hitch
Can't find what you're looking on JOF? Try Jayco Owners Forum Custom Google Search
norty1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2014, 04:14 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
mcfarmall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Kalamazoo, West Michigan
Posts: 1,817
Over greasing a bearing can be just as bad as not greasing it at all. Ideally and depending on the size of the bearing it should be between 50%-80% filled.

The volume of the bearing itself, not the wheel hub cavity.
__________________
2006 23B Hybrid with 10k round bar WDH
2011 F150 4x4 SCREW Ecoboost, Max Tow, Integrated TBC, 3.73 LS axle, Firestone Ride Rite airbags.
mcfarmall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2014, 06:04 AM   #11
Member
 
scalemaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 34
Great information. Thanks
__________________
2007 Jayflight 25RKS- SOLD
2011 Jayflight G2 31 RKS with aluminum wheels- SOLD
2004 Silverado 5.3L with Hypertech and Borla exhaust-SOLD
2011 Silverado LTZ 6.2L Max Tow Package
scalemaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2014, 06:54 AM   #12
Site Team
 
norty1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: James Island, SC
Posts: 22,771
Wheel bearing grease is wheel bearing grease-or is it?

Quick story: my new rig never had great brakes. After mucho headaches fretting between what the rv dealer and the tow vehicle dealer said, jayco agreed to pay them to inspect my brakes. Over a year

The brakes were contaminated with axle grease, rendering them ineffective. I never put a grease gun on the bearings. Both Dexter and Jayco stepped up and replaced all 4 brake assemblies.

No more brake problems.
__________________
Moderator
2011- 351RLTS Eagle, MorRyde suspension/pin box,
2017- F350 6.7 PSD Lariat FX4,SRW, SB,CC
Hughes PWD SP-50A, TST TPMS
Gator roll-up bed cover
B&W Turnover ball, Companion Std hitch
Can't find what you're looking on JOF? Try Jayco Owners Forum Custom Google Search
norty1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2014, 08:12 AM   #13
Lost in the Woods
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: N/A
Posts: 567
It is my understanding that giving a few squirts of grease to the EZ-lube axles will result in old grease being expelled from the front of the spindle thereby keeping the grease "fresh." This is the purpose of the EZ-lube axle system. I also understand that overdoing it is worse than doing nothing at all because too much grease may be forced past the seal thereby ruining the brake shoes. Is this not correct? From what I have read it seems many people are afraid of taking advantage of the EZ-lube axle system because there are potential problems caused by overdoing it. If one follows directions and rotates the wheels while lubing and adding grease very slowly and sparingly I think blowing grease past the seal will probably be avoided. I had an EZ-lube axle on another trailer and never had a problem giving a a couple of squirts from time to time. If one doesn't see grease coming out of the spindle, then maybe one has a problem with grease blowing past the seal. If one has a bad seal then maybe finding this out is a good thing.
wwsmith111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2014, 08:40 AM   #14
Lost in the Woods
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: N/A
Posts: 567
Every time I stop while towing I check the temperature of the hubs and tires. If one is running hotter than the others it may indicate a problem. I had all my bearings replaced before a 2k trip to Key West last Xmas. The tech also checked and adjusted the brakes. It seems that one brake was not adjusted correctly. I found this out 25 miles into the trip as one wheel/hub was very hot. I backed the brake off and solved my problem. Had I just assumed all was well and had not been in the habit of checking tire and hub temps when I stop I could have very well had a catastrophic failure. I had the bearings replaced as I had bought the trailer used and had no idea what state the bearing were in. The trailer was 7 years old and I figured if one was going to go to all the trouble to repack the bearings why not spend a few dollars more and just replace them. I keep the old bears as spares. BTW, the old bearings were fine.
wwsmith111 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:29 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.