Greasing Trailer Wheels

Bill and Carole, I would not use the ez-lube system as it is too easy to push the grease past the seals. I would remove the drums and repack the old fashioned way and check the brake linings and components at the same time. I have this system and I am not impressed with it because it failed the first time I used it and yes I was rotating the wheels and applying the grease slowly.

I'd grease them. I greased mine when I originally bought it simply because I didn't trust the factory to make sure there was enough grease in there. I figure it falls under the category of "Better Safe than Sorry".

Or you can disassemble and hand pack the bearings like some people recommend. Just whatever you feel is the right thing to do. But neglecting them is never the right thing to do.

So looking at my easy lube set up, I remember pumping grease in without spinning the wheel as I was at a kal tire while one of our group bought some new tires during a trip, so now am wondering if I should grease them up before we leave on our trip this saturday, I took the plug out and it is not full of grease like when the dexter video guy showed how he spun and pumped till new grease showed, so maybe should give it a go and do it till the new grease shows up, did not use rig last year at all, but year before all hubs felt okay to the touch, and with an infrared temp guage they seemed all pretty good.
But might be a good idea to try some grease.
What do you think?

ah64id wrote:

Bill & Kate wrote:

ah64id wrote:
The cavity does NOT have to be full to get grease to transfer to the outer wheel bearing, the internal shape of the hub allows grease to travel.

I am afraid that is a misleading statement. On both the Dexter EZ-Lube as well as the similar AL-Ko Ultra Lube hubs, the grease must enter through the grease fitting, and pass through a hole drilled down the center of the axle to the area between the inboard seal and the inboard bearing. From there it is forced outward through the inboard bearing into the space between the inboard and outboard bearings. Once that space is filled up, the grease continues to be forced outward into and through the outboard being and escapes out through the space around the outside of the outboard bearing. The first time the grease fitting is used after hand packing and installing the bearings, enough grease must be pumped in to completely fill that space before any grease will be forced into the outboard bearing. The first grease forced in will be the "dirty" grease that has just been forced out of the inboard bearing, so that is why it is important to pump until you see "fresh" grease. Depending on how big the axle is, this can take most of a big cartridge of grease per each hub. Once the space is initially full, much less is required ....

If your goal is to force grease with the gun to the outer bearing then yes that might be true, but the design of the hub WILL sling grease from the inner to the outer without the cavity being full.

I just had mine apart tues and wed this week, my cavities where NOT full and grease was definitely moving around from the grease rifle to the outer bearing. This is all based on the design of the hub between the bearings. As the grease gets warm it moves the excess grease towards the outer bearing.

Bill & Kate wrote:
At any rate, everything should be taken apart, inspected, hand packed, and installed with new seals every 10,000 miles or couple of three years regardless of how much you pump in between inspections.

Absoloutly, the old grease isn't removed with just pumping new grease in.
Wheel bearings on vehicles where never able to be greased like this, they just took standard maintenance. The design of the hub was also different, it didn't have the machined taper.

"Slinging grease" from the inner thru the outer bearing... Now that's a new thought, (for me at least) had never heard that before... I find these wheel bearing threads fascinating reading..I've read about "churning", where the bearing is so full of grease that the rollers will slide instead of rolling in the race... if the center section of the hub is full of grease, it can't help transfer heat to the wheel and away from the bearings... etc. etc. Guess you pay your fifty cents and state your preference... hear's mine, tear apart, wash with lacqure thinner, hand pack with synthetic grease every two yrs... unless one wheel feels hotter at a reststop than the rest of them. Travel safe :)

Bill & Kate wrote:

ah64id wrote:
The cavity does NOT have to be full to get grease to transfer to the outer wheel bearing, the internal shape of the hub allows grease to travel.

I am afraid that is a misleading statement. On both the Dexter EZ-Lube as well as the similar AL-Ko Ultra Lube hubs, the grease must enter through the grease fitting, and pass through a hole drilled down the center of the axle to the area between the inboard seal and the inboard bearing. From there it is forced outward through the inboard bearing into the space between the inboard and outboard bearings. Once that space is filled up, the grease continues to be forced outward into and through the outboard being and escapes out through the space around the outside of the outboard bearing. The first time the grease fitting is used after hand packing and installing the bearings, enough grease must be pumped in to completely fill that space before any grease will be forced into the outboard bearing. The first grease forced in will be the "dirty" grease that has just been forced out of the inboard bearing, so that is why it is important to pump until you see "fresh" grease. Depending on how big the axle is, this can take most of a big cartridge of grease per each hub. Once the space is initially full, much less is required ....

If your goal is to force grease with the gun to the outer bearing then yes that might be true, but the design of the hub WILL sling grease from the inner to the outer without the cavity being full.

I just had mine apart tues and wed this week, my cavities where NOT full and grease was definitely moving around from the grease rifle to the outer bearing. This is all based on the design of the hub between the bearings. As the grease gets warm it moves the excess grease towards the outer bearing.

Bill & Kate wrote:
At any rate, everything should be taken apart, inspected, hand packed, and installed with new seals every 10,000 miles or couple of three years regardless of how much you pump in between inspections.

Absoloutly, the old grease isn't removed with just pumping new grease in.

Wheel bearings on vehicles where never able to be greased like this, they just took standard maintenance. The design of the hub was also different, it didn't have the machined taper.

Double post ... fat fingers. Sorry!

ah64id wrote:
The cavity does NOT have to be full to get grease to transfer to the outer wheel bearing, the internal shape of the hub allows grease to travel.

I am afraid that is a misleading statement. On both the Dexter EZ-Lube as well as the similar AL-Ko Ultra Lube hubs, the grease must enter through the grease fitting, and pass through a hole drilled down the center of the axle to the area between the inboard seal and the inboard bearing. From there it is forced outward through the inboard bearing into the space between the inboard and outboard bearings. Once that space is filled up, the grease continues to be forced outward into and through the outboard being and escapes out through the space around the outside of the outboard bearing. The first time the grease fitting is used after hand packing and installing the bearings, enough grease must be pumped in to completely fill that space before any grease will be forced into the outboard bearing. The first grease forced in will be the "dirty" grease that has just been forced out of the inboard bearing, so that is why it is important to pump until you see "fresh" grease. Depending on how big the axle is, this can take most of a big cartridge of grease per each hub. Once the space is initially full, much less is required ....

Both manufacturers have good cutaway diagrams on their web pages. Dexter recommends spinning the wheel while greasing, AL-Ko states spinning the wheel is not necessary. Go figure .....

At any rate, everything should be taken apart, inspected, hand packed, and installed with new seals every 10,000 miles or couple of three years regardless of how much you pump in between inspections.

The cavity does NOT have to be full to get grease to transfer to the outer wheel bearing, the internal shape of the hub allows grease to travel.

A few squirts will get thru the inner bearing, ride the hub outward and apply some grease to the outer bearing. If they are properly greased/packed they shouldn't need much, if any, grease between servicing.

My axles, Al-Ko, state that spinning isn't necessary. The grease is cold anyhow, so flow will be slow.

Too much grease will actually make the bearings run hotter, per Timken.

BillandCarole wrote:

Puddles wrote:

BillandCarole wrote:
I have been told that you need to jack up and turn wheels with the center grease fittings as you pump in the grease. Is this true? I've been doing it and its a pain to jack up all 4 wheels.
Thanks
Bill

curious... are you pumping until you see grease come out of the front bearting or just putting a few pumps in there?

I am not quite sure how much to pump in. The instructions are vague. Too much will get on the brakes and too little won't reach all the bearings. Suggestions on how to tell?
Bill

There in is the problem. One is much better off to forget the grease fittings and repack the bears every few years. This gives you the change to inspect the brakes, bearings, races and replace the seals.

Just blindly pumping in grease is a fools journey! Chris

Thank you..