lubing axle

azjeffh wrote:
What does Dexter suggest about checking your brakes? Since the hub must be removed to do it, a front bearing pack/inspection is worth the little extra effort. Since you did the front bearings, why not the rear along with new seals?

See, no need for EZ-Lube :) BTW, I also have them on my trailer and found them to be useless.

I just give mine a few shots a couple times a year and it works for me. :-) FWIW, I had Lewis Hitch replace my bearings/seals and adjust the brakes last year. < $200, including the bearings, and =they= got dirty, not me. :-)

Lyle

Allworth wrote:
Of course, if you have Dexter disk brakes, it is NOT necessary to pull the hub.

How are you going to inspect those cheap Chinese bearings?

BB_TX wrote:
The hub is designed for the old grease to be pushed out the front of the hub as the new grease goes in the rear of the hub. That is how it purges the old grease. There will be a lot of old grease come out the front before you start seeing new grease. Look at a cut away view of the hub. Or watch the utube video.

Well, designed to work that way, but how do you know grease is not getting past the seal????
Back in the day of repacking cars front wheel bearings, never packed the entire cavity full of grease, just packed the bearing full, gooped up the race and put back together, a new seal of course.

azjeffh wrote:
What does Dexter suggest about checking your brakes? Since the hub must be removed to do it, a front bearing pack/inspection is worth the little extra effort. Since you did the front bearings, why not the rear along with new seals?

See, no need for EZ-Lube :) BTW, I also have them on my trailer and found them to be useless.

X2, Old school for me, how do you "Inspect" the bearings without taking apart???:h

Make sure you have the right grease too. It needs to be compatible with the old and also thin enough to flow thru the small orifices.
I have them on my axles but have never lubed my bearings that way. I just did a tear down of one axle at a time. Checked out my brakes and anything else you can't see when the tires mounted. I will go 2 years before doing it again.

Of course, if you have Dexter disk brakes, it is NOT necessary to pull the hub.

I am with Learjet too much grease is as bad as too little. Do a search of too much grease in bearings.
Too much
Grease failures

What does Dexter suggest about checking your brakes? Since the hub must be removed to do it, a front bearing pack/inspection is worth the little extra effort. Since you did the front bearings, why not the rear along with new seals?

See, no need for EZ-Lube :) BTW, I also have them on my trailer and found them to be useless.

Please OP....

Lyle's last sentence is the take home lesson....worth repeating.

" You certainly don't want grease out the back as it will eventually wind up on the brakes, and will make life =real= interesting for you

Charles

The hub is designed for the old grease to be pushed out the front of the hub as the new grease goes in the rear of the hub. That is how it purges the old grease. There will be a lot of old grease come out the front before you start seeing new grease. Look at a cut away view of the hub. Or watch the utube video.

BB_TX wrote:
It takes a LOT of grease. Done right it basically purges all the old grease out of the hub thru the front of the hub. I use a red hi temp grease (one of the ones recommended by Dexter). When I see red grease coming out vs the old darker grey colored grease I know it is done.

Pump slowly with a hand pump. Don't pump too fast. Don't force it. All while continuously turning the wheel. And it will work well. Some have had a problem pushing grease thru the rear seal and ruining the brakes.

I agree. Jack up each wheel and turn while slowly pumping the grease in. Make sure it's =quiet= when you do so. After several pumps, you're likely to start hearing some "cracking" or "popping" of grease. STOP PUMPING! At that point, you're starting to pump grease outside the bearing, and it will usually either be coming past the rear seal or, in a worst-case situation, will actually start pushing the seal out of the hub. I've never seen grease come out the front of mine, though there may be a "vent", as the front of the hubs were always filled with grease. You certainly don't want grease out the back as it will eventually wind up on the brakes, and will make life =real= interesting for you.

Lyle