Hub grease seal.

time2roll wrote:
So at what point do you decide to skip the bearing inspection and repack to just giving the wheel a spin and a squirt into the EX-Lube fitting?

If I had not changed everything out I would have pulled things apart in another year or so. If hub temps stay cool there is no reason to do anything but give it the push/pull and spin test.

Within one year and 10,000 miles i raised my RV and did the pumps. At that time I checked the bearing play by push pull on the outer edges of the tire. They were adjusted fine. Fast Forward at least 3 years and around 25,000 miles did the same. They all felt fine. So 4+ years and 4 tubes of AMZ/OIL grease my system was untouched.

Last Fall I pulled everything apart the bearings looked great, I then proceeded to replace EVERYTHING. Reason, I had two calipers that were binding and caused rotor damage. I had always wanted to go to OIL BATH system. So new rotors, calipers, EBC pads, Timken Bearings, National seals, Fluorocarbon FKM O-Rings and new clear screw on caps with plugs for adding gear lube. I am using AMZ/OIL Severe Gear 75-90.

time2roll wrote:
So at what point do you decide to skip the bearing inspection and repack to just giving the wheel a spin and a squirt into the EX-Lube fitting?

I don't use the EZ Lube zerk anymore. I came to the conclusion it's unnecessary to pump in new grease if the bearings have good grease in them already.

So at what point do you decide to skip the bearing inspection and repack to just giving the wheel a spin and a squirt into the EX-Lube fitting?

It’s all about quality parts. No one wants to spend $10 on a seal when they can get one for $3.

I paid $24 each for oil bath seals. They turn within its self. The seal grabs the spindle and does not spin on it.

ScottG wrote:
My experience on several trailers over 30+ years has been that they leak past the seals about 40~50% of the time. That's even when we spun the wheel and followed the directions religously.
Even if they do happen to work, you have to fill the hub completely before it comes out the front. That means the old used grease in the rear bearings has to be pushed out where it then travels through the hub and into the outer bearing. At that point you have a lot of "used" grease mixing with "new" grease to lube your bearings.
So even when it works, it's a mixed bag.
You're also going to go through about 1/2 tube of grease the first time becasue it takes that much to fill the hub - which they teach you in mechanics school is a bad idea because it causes the hub to run hotter.

Frankly, none of this is needed. Like the wheel bearing they use on many vehicles, they only need to be repacked every 40K miles or more. (They certainly dont need more grease shoved in them periodically). I put that many miles on my last trailer before repacking. When I got in there, I found it was totally unnecessary. Yes, the grease was discolored - it doesn matter. It was still perfectly serviceable.
I would check them one a year for play or roughenss and then let them go another year.

Not willing to trade insults or argue over it. Those are my real life experiences.

I pretty much agree with the above, even though my reasons are different.

I believe many of the seals leak because they are damaged during assembly. After looking closely at the bearing and seal surfaces the last time I had my wheels off checking the brakes, there were nicks abounding near the bearing and seal areas. Personally I was amazed that I had no grease leaks. I don't believe it is a problem inherent to the EZ Lube system, but the fact that the EZ Lube system allows you to add grease that will make it past those damaged grease seals.

And I agree 100% with the frequency of wheel bearing repacking.

My experience on several trailers over 30+ years has been that they leak past the seals about 40~50% of the time. That's even when we spun the wheel and followed the directions religously.
Even if they do happen to work, you have to fill the hub completely before it comes out the front. That means the old used grease in the rear bearings has to be pushed out where it then travels through the hub and into the outer bearing. At that point you have a lot of "used" grease mixing with "new" grease to lube your bearings.
So even when it works, it's a mixed bag.
You're also going to go through about 1/2 tube of grease the first time becasue it takes that much to fill the hub - which they teach you in mechanics school is a bad idea because it causes the hub to run hotter.

Frankly, none of this is needed. Like the wheel bearing they use on many vehicles, they only need to be repacked every 40K miles or more. (They certainly dont need more grease shoved in them periodically). I put that many miles on my last trailer before repacking. When I got in there, I found it was totally unnecessary. Yes, the grease was discolored - it doesn matter. It was still perfectly serviceable.
I would check them one a year for play or roughenss and then let them go another year.

Not willing to trade insults or argue over it. Those are my real life experiences.

Correct - two different systems, for two different uses.
Bearing Buddy systems are designed for boat trailers. The purpose is to keep the water out of the bearings. While driving to the boat ramp, the bearings will heat some, then when immersed in cold water, will cool rapidly. If they are conventional bearings, water will be drawn into the hub. All will be fine, until, on the way home the bearing will overheat as it now contains water... and there goes the wheel(s).
The bearing buddy has a spring & cavity for extra grease; when immersed, it'll contract, but no water will be pulled into the hub.

That all said, I have bearing buddy units on my boat trailer, and have been satisfied with the performance. Next, I've had conventional bearings on all the trailers I have/had over the years, and always installed a new seal & hand packed them after acquisition, then ran for years afterward with nary an issue. I check 'em every 3-5 years. All is good.

12V, yes that is how they are designed, but if you've greased many of them, you know that many times the path of least resistance is out the rear seal. Either due to blockage, cold grease, old seal, weak spring, whatever. Something to keep an eye on.
You know how it's "supposed" to work. Other's just dismiss it as being a bad design with zero understanding and jump to uninformed conclusions.

I have a love/hate relationship with oil bath hubs. Haven't had one bleed out on the road yet, but a couple weepers that had me guessing if I was going to make it home with some oil left in the hub.

Had one start leaking on the boat trailer, over 10 years old, so replaced all 4 seals. Bought "quality" double lip seals. 1 of them didn't make it back out of the garage, was weeping just sitting there. Replaced it quick with an Autozone Chinesium special to get going. 3 years later that one is still holding.
I'm not a fan really, except "re-packing" them is easy. Drain and fill, no mess. Not keen on something that can leave me stranded though. Grease seal leaks or goes bye bye, you can drive a long ways without damage. Oil seal goes, you're done lik edinner.

fj12ryder wrote:

trail-explorer wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Stop pumping and wipe off excess when fresh grease appears.

If you start seeing fresh grease appear out the front of the hub, the hub is overfilled with grease, and has likely already blown out the inner seal.

I've dismantled numerous hubs that use the EZ lube system. The majority of the grease pumped in through the zerk fitting goes BEHIND the inner bearing, and blows out the seal.

Wrong. Grease is supposed to come out the front when the EZ Lube zerk is used. It's not overfilled, that's how it works. If you think it's overfilled, it would call into question the accuracy of the rest of your statements too. I have the EZ Lube system, have used it, and know how it's supposed to work.

X2, have had no problems with the Ez Lube but it needs to be done correctly. As to the poster who posted above about the problems with the boat trailers he worked on; those are Bearing Buddy systems. Nothing close to the Ez Lube system.

Personally think the EZ Lube system is great, BUT this is better. "Oil Bath" US Made National seal with "AS568-230 BV75 Fluorocarbon FKM O-Rings 75 Durometer Brown" "O" from theoringstore.com behind front cap make for a top quality no leak system. These parts are for a Kodiak 8k disk system.