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Old 05-08-2016, 06:40 PM   #1
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Wheel bearings?

I’m going to be taking our trailer into a local mechanic this week to have the brakes looked at and the bearings repacked. He said I could put Ez lube on if it has the drilled axles. I have been trying to educate myself on this style but it seems there are mixed reviews on them, like over greasing and the seal letting go and getting grease on the brakes. I’m wondering if I would be better off just getting him to inspect the brakes and repack the bearings every two years, which I probably should do regardless and forget ez lube.
Any thoughts?
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Old 05-08-2016, 06:50 PM   #2
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If you have a good, trusted mechanic, are OK with what he charges, and you don't put on a ton of miles every year, then having him look at the brakes and repacking the bearings every 2 years sounds reasonable to me.
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Old 05-08-2016, 07:03 PM   #3
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The biggest problem with the EZ Lube setup is that when the person pumps the grease into the fitting, they apply to much pressure which will blow out the rear seal... some automotive places use a compressor with the grease gun, and you can bet that they have the pressure adjusted to high. It took me a couple hours to do all 4 wheels, turning the wheels and slowly pumping the grease into the fitting... you can't be in a hurry...

Dexter has some good videos on their website on how to do it properly, you may want to watch them to get a better idea as to how they work.

Don
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Old 05-16-2016, 03:47 PM   #4
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Well I had the trailer in for brake/ bearing inspection and new Maxxis tires installed as well as a new spare. Bearings were getting low on grease but they were okay, he said it didn’t look like they had been done so he cleaned inspected and repacked them and added buddy bearings on the axles as they were not drilled for ez lube, so that way I could add a little grease between repacking intervals. He said the brake pads were at 75 % so he cleaned and adjusted them. When the tires were removed you could see cracks in the tread grooves but nothing visible on the outside of the tires, the date code was 2009, still lots of tread but breaking down none the less.
We feel better about hitting the road now.
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Old 05-16-2016, 06:13 PM   #5
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This weekend I replaced the brakes and repacked the wheel bearings on 12 year old Ez Lube axles, mine for only six months. The inner bearings had lots of grease, the outer not so much but enough, as the grease had not moved back down toward the outer bearing. The outer's really needed repacking. I will be repacking the bearings every 12 months or 12000 miles as per the manual.
The problem with Bearing Buddies is they push grease into the hub until it is full, then it can only come out past the inner seal and gets flung all over the inside of your brake drums. If you have disc brakes the grease ends up on the inside of the wheel not on the brakes. Take a look at a boat trailer with Bearing Buddies.
Just my 2 cents worth.
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Old 05-18-2016, 04:46 AM   #6
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This weekend I replaced the brakes and repacked the wheel bearings on 12 year old Ez Lube axles, mine for only six months. The inner bearings had lots of grease, the outer not so much but enough, as the grease had not moved back down toward the outer bearing. The outer's really needed repacking. I will be repacking the bearings every 12 months or 12000 miles as per the manual.
The problem with Bearing Buddies is they push grease into the hub until it is full, then it can only come out past the inner seal and gets flung all over the inside of your brake drums. If you have disc brakes the grease ends up on the inside of the wheel not on the brakes. Take a look at a boat trailer with Bearing Buddies.
Just my 2 cents worth.
The way the mechanic explained it to me was that the new style of bearing buddies have a relief port at the front to prevent over greasing and exiting out the rear seal. He told me I still need to have them inspected and repacked. I plan to have the brakes looked at and bearings repacked every two years as we don’t put on a lot of miles.
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Old 05-18-2016, 06:45 AM   #7
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EZ-Lube does not replace the need to annually or every couple of thousand miles disassemble, inspect, repack, reassemble and properly adjust the spindle nut.


I love my EZ-Lube to insure fresh grease a couple of times a year. But the bearings still have to cleaned and checked. Replaced when needed!


I wouldn't waste money adding a system that isn't needed and may cause problems if the user doesn't understand exactly what he/she is doing.
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Old 05-18-2016, 03:03 PM   #8
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i have a question. I just replaced all bearings today. Took it for a test drive about 5 miles and stopped and felt the hubs, they were warm. drove back home and parked it and felt the hubs again and they are hot. I would say they might almost burn my thumb if I left it on there for 5 seconds.
How hot should they get to the touch? I seated the bearings and then backed the nut off and finger tight.
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Old 05-19-2016, 06:23 AM   #9
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Hot hubs

Could be that your brake controller was set to tight. The heat will transfer to the rum and hub. If u packed them properly u shouldn't get that heat.
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Old 05-19-2016, 06:44 AM   #10
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i have a question. I just replaced all bearings today. Took it for a test drive about 5 miles and stopped and felt the hubs, they were warm. drove back home and parked it and felt the hubs again and they are hot. I would say they might almost burn my thumb if I left it on there for 5 seconds.
How hot should they get to the touch? I seated the bearings and then backed the nut off and finger tight.
How well-packed with grease were the new bearings?

The spindle nut should be tightened while spinning the wheel until light drag is felt.

Yes, the bearings will get beyond hot-to-the-touch. But not from 5 miles of driving local roads. Double-check your work. Including the brake adjustments and function. Just for chuckles, how's the breakaway switch working?
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Old 05-19-2016, 06:44 AM   #11
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Thanks, I was thinking the same thing. My breaks are set to strong and it was hottest when I got home with a lot of breaking.
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Old 05-19-2016, 09:17 AM   #12
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I feel I got the grease in the bearings very good. I did tighten while turning hub and then backed the nut off and finger tight. I controller is set to strong and will turn it down. How do you test the breakaway switch? I've always woundered that.
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Old 05-19-2016, 09:30 AM   #13
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I feel I got the grease in the bearings very good. I did tighten while turning hub and then backed the nut off and finger tight. I controller is set to strong and will turn it down. How do you test the breakaway switch? I've always woundered that.
Test the breakaway switch:
1. Hitch up and move the trailer a few feet
2. yank the lanyard to pull the pin
3. try and move the rig.

If #3 requires way more pressure on the gas pedal than usual, everything is OK. Put the pin back in the switch and drive off. Confident that if you have 2 failures (drop off the ball AND the chains break) the trailer will stop.

If you can move the rig the same as always, something is not doing it's job! Get it fixed as soon as possible.

If you can't do #2 (that didn't come out right) then replace the switch and re-test.
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Old 05-27-2016, 06:16 PM   #14
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Not to hijack the thread but...

I was planning on using the ez lube to refresh the grease in my bearings. I ordered a grease gun and grease online. Ended up ordering Lucas x-tra heavy duty grease. Now that it is here I am realizing that it is not a lithium grease but something else that is green.

Should I be concerned about compatibility issues? I am not sure what type of grease is in there currently-most likely factory grease.
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Old 05-28-2016, 05:27 AM   #15
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Not to hijack the thread but...

I was planning on using the ez lube to refresh the grease in my bearings. I ordered a grease gun and grease online. Ended up ordering Lucas x-tra heavy duty grease. Now that it is here I am realizing that it is not a lithium grease but something else that is green.

Should I be concerned about compatibility issues? I am not sure what type of grease is in there currently-most likely factory grease.
That grease should be just fine. Rated for everything including high speed bearings.
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Old 05-28-2016, 06:30 AM   #16
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You should be concerned about compatibility. Both the base oil and the thickener must be compatible. You can't typically mix mineral oils and synthetic oils. Also, mixing different thickeners is generally an issue. You can find compatibility charts online.
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Old 05-29-2016, 06:05 PM   #17
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Not to hijack the thread but...

I was planning on using the ez lube to refresh the grease in my bearings. I ordered a grease gun and grease online. Ended up ordering Lucas x-tra heavy duty grease. Now that it is here I am realizing that it is not a lithium grease but something else that is green.

Should I be concerned about compatibility issues? I am not sure what type of grease is in there currently-most likely factory grease.
If you can get a sample of both greases and mix them together. They should mix completely to a smooth consistency of the same color. If they don't they are not compatible.
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Old 05-30-2016, 08:49 AM   #18
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If you can get a sample of both greases and mix them together. They should mix completely to a smooth consistency of the same color. If they don't they are not compatible.
This is very helpful. Thanks!
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