EZ Lube Axles- Never Again

PhyerPhyter · 07-14-2012, 11:47 PM

So this spring I bought a 2006 Jayflight 27BH. Seller says he has never checked the brakes or bearings as he only used the trailer half a dozen times. Just gave the EZ Lube axles 6 shots of grease every year. So after towing my trailer almost 3000 kms I figured it would be a good idea to check the brakes and wheel bearings before I take it out for holidays in August. To make a short story long I pulled the right side first, all is good - a little wear in the bearings nothing requiring replacement. Noted hubs are full of Moly grease and rather runny - (like warm margarine in the tub). Pull the left side apart. Left Front brakes full of grease, Left rear brakes contaminated with grease but not as bad as the L/F. Crap -- Now I will be replacing all the brakes on the trailer. You will never clean all the grease out of the shoes. When doing brakes on one wheel you have to do the brakes on the other wheel on the same axle so that you have even braking side to side. (Old shoes vs new shoes will not brake the same) Soooo contaminated brakes on both axles means all brakes get done.

I understand the intent of EZ Lube or Bearing Buddys or what ever the brand is. They do not replace having to clean and repack your wheel bearings. Filling your hub full of grease does nothing for the bearings. Pumping grease in through the axle does not really push new grease into the bearings sufficiently. How do you know how much grease is in your hubs so that you dont over fill them and force grease past the seals and contaminate the brakes? You dont.

If feel you need more grease or fresh grease then the bearings should be taken out cleaned inspected and re-packed. Regular maintenance is the only way to go. Blindly pumping grease into your hubs accomplishes nothing AFAIAC. New grease has to displace old grease to be effective. Where does old grease go? All over your brakes. If my trailer did not have the EZ lube axles I would not be replacing all the brakes today.

Macrosill · 07-15-2012, 05:48 AM

I just purchased a '07 27bh and read about the EZ Lube axles. I have not done it yet, only read about it and I thought it said that when you lube the axles that you will see the old grease come out as you pump the new grease in. Like I said, that is only what I have read. If there was not a way for the old grease to come out then everyone would wind up just over packing in the grease and everyone would have the same issue with grease all over the brakes. On a side note, if the previous owner did not lube the axles every year, due to it being so easy, then you might just be replacing the axles themselves and not just the brakes.

Grumpy · 07-15-2012, 10:24 AM

They just over greased them. We had them on 2 fifth wheels and never had a problem. The grease does come back out the front if you do it right.

He may have used the wrong grease too.

RVhiker · 07-15-2012, 11:47 AM

I've never understood what problem or issue EZ Lube Axles are supposed to solve. Without EZ Lube Axles, properly greased trailer bearings are good for at least 12 to 24 thousand miles, after which time you need to pull your drums and look at your brakes. The grease that is on the bearings is not going to go anywhere. Unless you drive your trailer through high water and get water into your bearings, what is the point of EZ Lube axles?

Grumpy · 07-15-2012, 02:54 PM

Most axle manufacturers recommend once a year.

Quote from DEXTER:

BEARINGS - How often should I grease the bearings?
Along with bearing adjustment, proper lubrication is essential to the current function and reliability of your trailer axle. Bearings should be lubricated every 12 months or 12,000 miles.

clutch · 07-15-2012, 04:58 PM

I have no use for the EZ lube system. Our last trailer (used) had them and when we had the bearings packed there was grease slipping past the seal in two wheels. On our new Jayco three of the brakes were full of grease from the factory. We will get our bearings packed every 5 or 6 years and have new seals installed at the same time. There is no reason that they won't go 30,000 to 40,000 miles between packs.

exjay1 · 07-15-2012, 06:18 PM

first thing I did when I got my TT home was remove drums to inspect and clean the brakes/repack bearings. They were pumped full to the point of almost bursting the rear seas out. I never trust what the PO or dealer says about routine maint on a used TT unless I can verify it for myself.

PhyerPhyter · 07-15-2012, 07:53 PM

The red circle shows where the grease comes out. Between the inner bearing and the seal. The arrow indicates where the grease goes in. You can see that when the grease is pumped in it comes out one hole on the inboard end of the spindle. It will not flush the grease out of the inner bearing let alone work its way down the spindle and push the grease through the outer bearing. It really doesnt do much as far as getting the grease into the bearings where it is needed. Grease anywhere else in the hub is just waste. So really it is rather ineffective. It is not a replacement for proper regular maintenance which makes it pretty much useless.
There is no way of knowing how much grease is in your hub or that it is not coming out the seal - so really - what good is it? Just blindly giving it a few shots every so often? and then what? Replace your brakes when you actually do repack your bearings.

skymutt · 07-16-2012, 05:51 AM

Your post infers the grease exits the shaft prior to the bearing. It actually flows to the back side of the bearing through a channel in the center of the shaft and then is allowed to exit the shaft after being forced through the bearing.

The red circle shows where the grease comes out. Between the inner bearing and the seal. The arrow indicates where the grease goes in. You can see that when the grease is pumped in it comes out one hole on the inboard end of the spindle. It will not flush the grease out of the inner bearing let alone work its way down the spindle and push the grease through the outer bearing. It really doesnt do much as far as getting the grease into the bearings where it is needed. Grease anywhere else in the hub is just waste. So really it is rather ineffective. It is not a replacement for proper regular maintenance which makes it pretty much useless.
There is no way of knowing how much grease is in your hub or that it is not coming out the seal - so really - what good is it? Just blindly giving it a few shots every so often? and then what? Replace your brakes when you actually do repack your bearings.[/QUOTE]

PhyerPhyter · 07-16-2012, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skymutt

Your post infers the grease exits the shaft prior to the bearing. It actually flows to the back side of the bearing through a channel in the center of the shaft and then is allowed to exit the shaft after being forced through the bearing.

The red circle shows where the grease comes out. Between the inner bearing and the seal. The arrow indicates where the grease goes in. You can see that when the grease is pumped in it comes out one hole on the inboard end of the spindle

I am not sure how it infers that the grease comes out before the brg when I show in the picture (see red circle) and state that it comes out between the bearing and the seal.

Grease is injected at the zerk at the end of the spindle. It then has to travel through the spindle and then pass through the inner brg push the old grease down the spindle and through the outer brg so that new/fresh grease can get to the outer brg. or it can squeeze past the seal right beside where it comes out of the spindle. Like water it will take the path of least resistance. Also of note... the instructions state that when lubing the axle the EZ lube way you must be rotating the wheel. I am willing to bet that most people are not rotating the wheel when pumping in the grease.

As Ive stated before - if you're performing regular maintenance, inspecting your brakes and bearings at proper intervals then EZ Lube is moot anyway. There is no substitute for proper regular maintenance. Thats my professional opinion and I am sticking to it.

Seann45 · 07-17-2012, 07:10 AM

Many of the people that have problems have used a power grease gun... dont do that it puts too much stress on the rear seal... some are just plain UNLUCKY and had a defective seal...

clutch · 07-17-2012, 11:48 PM

I do know the cost of grease getting into everything. It cost us $1,100 to have everything replaced that had grease on it on our new trailer. Jayco did reimburse us something like 4 months later. After the warranty period it is all on the owner. After having the EZ lube axles on two trailers now and having grease getting past the seal on the first trailer (caught it before it got into the brakes) and then having three out of four wheels full of grease I now have a motto. EZ Lube my a$$.

PhyerPhyter · 07-18-2012, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clutch

I do know the cost of grease getting into everything. It cost us $1,100 to have everything replaced that had grease on it on our new trailer. Jayco did reimburse us something like 4 months later. After the warranty period it is all on the owner. After having the EZ lube axles on two trailers now and having grease getting past the seal on the first trailer (caught it before it got into the brakes) and then having three out of four wheels full of grease I now have a motto. EZ Lube my a$$.

This is exactly my point and why now I will not be using it on my trailer. I also have a 3000lb trailer with out brakes w/EZ Lube and I still won't bother with the EZ Lube. proper maintenance is the only way to go.

EZ LUBE is a feature of Dexter axles. All it really does is generate more sales for Dexter and its dealers. If my trailer did not have the EZ Lube system all I would have needed to do was repack my bearings. Instead I had to replace all my brakes. More sales for Dexter - of course they're gonna put it on every axle they sell.

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