EZ Lube/Ultra Lube

NinerBikes wrote:
I have, I believe, Al-Co hubs on my axles. Trailer weighs 4200 lbs. Rated with 5000# axles.

Ultra Lube and EZ Lube axles work the same way. Dexter bought out AL-KO. Your description of the greasing mechanism you use is that of a Bearing Buddy, not an EZ Lube or Ultra Lube Axle.

I have, I believe, Al-Co hubs on my axles. Trailer weighs 4200 lbs. Rated with 5000# axles.

If TT bearings are removed, thoroughly cleaned and flushed and repacked with a very good grease like CHEVRON'S Red Grease, or LUBRICATION ENGIN'EER'S Almagard 3752, a properly performed repacking should last ten years minimum. A friend has an automobile transport trailer that is rented out constantly. It has surge brakes. He repacked the bearings in the year 1988. Five brake jobs without turning the drums. Good grease is entirely a different animal than run of the mill grease. I lubed a Willys Jeep pickup with this grease in 1974, and submerged the vehicle so many times in fresh water, it could have grown gills. In 1982 I tried to lube the zillion fittings and the least amount of Almagard pumped into a zerk fitting forced an equal amount of the red grease out. The stuff is amazing. Chevron came out with it's Red Grease 18 years ago and it has the same properties. The lubricity is so good, seals do not wear out. I lubed a friend's boat trailer bearings back in 1974. He passed away and in 1995 the new owner inspected the bearings, called my friend's wife and asked "These bearings were recently repacked by whom?"

The "issue" of bearing repacking should not be an issue at all IMHO

ScottG wrote:
Well I'm with you Bill.
I used to go through the whole repacking process every year. That was until I got this TT.
When it was new I made sure the bearings were adjusted correctly but these bearings are no different than those used on rear drive cars of yesterday and they sure didn't need repacking that often.
So while I check them every spring, I let them go for 10 years and about 40~50K miles before repacking.
When I finally did it, they didn't need it.
I firmly believe the "every year" thing is just a CYA deal for the manufacturers.

X3. I was once reading a thread about how often a fuel filter in a diesel engine should be changed. The mileage/time intervals became shorter and shorter as the thread progressed. It was as if each poster wanted to impress others with how seriously he took his maintenance responsibilities, not to mention the dedication he had to the well being of his truck. The thread ended when one guy wrote, "I change mine every fillup. Can't be too careful." It's a lot like how often should you repack your bearings.

NinerBikes wrote:
The EZ lubes on my 21 ft TT tandem axle are spring loaded cups that basically are a grease reservoir under pressure, pushing grease at all times towards the back side of the axles, and the seals there. You can watch the cup move outwards radially towards the grease gun as you pump them up, taking up the spare spring space. I fill mine with the grease gun every couple of years. I managed about 20,000 miles from when bought new to just this last April when I hit them for the first time with the grease gun.

How far do you drive on your car bearings without repacking them with grease? Same principle.

These are not EZ Lubes, they are Bearing Buddy's which are used a lot on boat trailers because the slight pressure keeps the grease packed which keeps air and water out which makes the bearings last longer and helps to prevent a bearing failure. The zerk fitting is not tapped into the axle as is the case with EZ Lubes, it is a part of the cap. Here is a link to the Dexter site which explains EZ Lube:

EZ Lube

Here is a description of Bearing Buddy found on Amazon:

Bearing Buddy Outer Bearings - Model 1980SS - Boxed Pair - When backed into the water for launching, boat trailer wheel hubs, heated by travel, are suddenly cooled. Air inside the hubs contracts and a vacuum is created. Water and dirt are sucked into the hubs through the inner seals and corrosion sets in immediately. Bearing failure can be expected within two seasons in fresh water - one season in salt water. When properly installed and maintained, bearing buddy prevents wheel bearing failure and eliminates bearing repacking. Boat trailer wheels can be completely submerged. Bearing buddy also prevents bearing failure on motorcycle, utility, snowmobile, camping, and other trailers by eliminating moisture build-up in hubs and providing proper lubrication. A wheel hub does not have bearing protection unless a slight positive pressure is maintained inside the hub. If pressure is not maintained, water will enter and corrode bearings. Bearing buddy creates this pressure, which is limited to 3 psi. features The original product proven in 25 years of service keeps water and dirt out of hubs makes boat trailer wheels safely submersible, ends the mess of repacking bearings. Pressure relief feature protects hub seals, prevents over filling, quick, positive lubricant level check. Made of steel and 100 percent inspected for long term tight hub fit quality construction. Heavy stainless steel barrel, stainless steel internal parts, clam shell packaging.

And a link:

Bearing Buddy

Well I'm with you Bill.
I used to go through the whole repacking process every year. That was until I got this TT.
When it was new I made sure the bearings were adjusted correctly but these bearings are no different than those used on rear drive cars of yesterday and they sure didn't need repacking that often.
So while I check them every spring, I let them go for 10 years and about 40~50K miles before repacking.
When I finally did it, they didn't need it.
I firmly believe the "every year" thing is just a CYA deal for the manufacturers.

I bought a used trailer and the guy said it had never lube on it, worry free. Had it a year and pulled a wheel to check the brakes. It had Eze lubes. Grease zerks never had a gun on them. I'm the third owner and the OEM tires were worn out so I don't know how many miles were on it but it had to be quite a few. Second owner hade it five years and it's seven years old so I'm assuming it's never been serviced. It's at the trailer shop get the axles service as I write. I pull it 3000 a year. I'm not going to do the once a year deal and won't use the grease gun if that is the kind of life it's been through with no problem.

I'm not blaming the EZ lube fittings for my seal leaks. It could very well have been that all four seals were defective in the first place. This is a picture from my 10 month old FW that has EZ lube fittings. This is after approximately 10K miles. I had not used the EZ lube fittings to inject grease, but it is possible that the delivery driver did. There were two indications that there was a problem. 1. I noticed grease on the inside of the wheels. 2. My braking was not adequate, even with properly adjusting the brakes.

I cleaned the drums, replaced the brakes with the self adjusting variety, hand packed the bearings, and replaced the seals with new seals from e-trailer. I put a lot of miles on my FW, so I plan on pulling the drums once a year, inspecting the brakes, hand packing the bearings, and putting in new seals. With that in mind, there is no reason for me to use the EZ lube fittings.

DougE wrote:
Random thought - can the Dexter EZ lubes be converted to oil bath?

I have looked into this and some can be changed. The problem is they only have kits for some of the heavier axles.
Mine are 5200# rated and there are no kits. I *think* there are kits starting with 7000# axles or something like that.

FWIW, a heavy equipment mechanic buddy of mine does not think oil baths are a good idea for trailers that sit for a week or more between trips.
(He also has a TT)

My and a couple others actual experience with EZ lube is they leak a percentage of the time. SO with 4 of them the odds are it has leaked. Even when the directions are followed to a tee and all the care in the world is taken, they allow grease to slip past the seals.
The thing is you wont know it has leaked. The brakes still work but may run a bit warmer and they may grab - but they work surprisingly well with grease on them.
So when I read someone saying it has worked fine for years, They don't really know unless they take the drums off - and if your going to do that to check, you may as well grease them by hand.