Where exactly do axles leak grease from?

Op here…..
I printed out couple responses and took down to places where I buy parts and showed him. (I still have a couple parts I'm waiting for on another project). Also looked at the cut away display model again. Yes, I’m wrong about a tube going thru the metal. Looks like a hole about size of ball point pen. The display had some parts painted to show how grease was supposed to work going thru the spindle.

Showed younger guy the printed responses he turned around and got his boss involved.

Here is gist of conversation from well experienced guy.
Ex-lube is good product but not as good as what manufactures plays it out to be. Many people buy bearings and seals from auto part houses and they don’t get very good seals or sometimes end up getting wrong size. Some seal are very close in size and hard to match up laying on top of counter top. Always buy “spring loaded double lip” seals by your make and model number of axle. Not the old seal you put on top of counter. If seal is rubber coated, don’t use any gasket material on it. Rotate hub slowly while tightening spindle nut. And put about 50 ft lbs pressure to “pre-load” then loosen spindle nut some, then finger tight.


Me: OK, I got all that. If you were at home doing your axles in your driveway would you hand pack only or would you also use the ez-lube zerk.

His Answer: Not sure because I have never used them.

Me: OK thanks.




My thoughts...Guess I'm thru using the ex-lube zerk and will only hand pack for now on.

:)Sometimes I wish I was oblivious to all the things I've learn about RV's. Our first trailer we got in early 90's we put a ton of miles on it and never had a problems and never worried about bearings, tires. Hosed off roof maybe twice a year, if no water came inside after hosing off the roof, obviously it was OK:).

Thanks for the input...I was under the impression that the Ez-lube style spindles had problems in the beginning when they came out and problems have been solved with newer models.

fj12ryder wrote:
That top picture doesn't look like an EZ Lube hub.

I've seen reference to a 'super lube' that has a zerk on the back of the hub...maybe it was one of those? Certainly isn't the same as the graphic...

That top picture doesn't look like an EZ Lube hub.

Rear seal prevents bearing grease from getting leaking out back of hub assembly and into brake assembly.

When seal is damaged from too much grease being pumped into br=earing assembly, seal lip damaged from rough spindle surface, torn from improper installation etc........grease goes directly into brake assembly via backing plate

And from what I've seen the bearing/seal surfaces on those hubs stink. Some are beat up pretty good and could easily damage the seal surface causing leaks.

And if someone repacked the bearings and didn't replace the grease seal with a new one, that's just going to make it more likely to fail..

The grease goes thru a hole drilled in the spindle and comes out at the inner bearing where it blows the seal in the back of the hub and runs down the inside of the back plate until it gets on the brakes.

There is no little tube, it is a drilled hole in a solid spindle. It can't break. The grease should hit the inner seal then go through the bearing toward the outer bearing.

The weak point is the inner seal.