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greig00183's avatar
greig00183
Explorer
Sep 23, 2013

HELP! Dexter Torflex with EZ-Lube

HELP! I have dexter torflex axles with the ez-lube on the end. Have the trailer about 2 years now and 10,000 miles I never greased the wheel bearings. So I decided to grease them and first I used a pneumatic grease gun and started greasing 2 wheels on one side but no grease was pushing back out at me. Than I watched video on youtube (which I should have done first DUH!) from dexter on how to grease them and not to use a pneumatic grease gun so I did the other side with hand gun and lifted wheels off the ground and rotated tires as I greased. Still no grease pushing back out at me like it should. On my boat trailer just 1, 2, pumps of grease and it starts moving old grease back out towards me, but not on this one, boat trailer is about 8 years older. It seems like the hubs are taking the grease but I don't know where it is going??? is it pushing out the back seal????? are the hubs just not full enough yet??? I bought trailer brand new. How do I know if I pushed grease out back seals on to brakes?????
  • Passin_Thru's avatar
    Passin_Thru
    Explorer
    Sep 24, 2013
    It seems like the bearing will be loose but don't worry about it. I'm an Aviation Mechanic and that's the way you do it on a small airplane.
  • gmw_photos's avatar
    gmw_photos
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    greig00183 wrote:
    Where can I find what bearing tension is suppose to be???


    from the dexter website:

    Bearing Adjustment and Hub Replacement
    If the hub has been removed or bearing adjustment is required, the following adjustment procedure must be followed:
    1. Afterplacingthehub,bearings,washers,andspindlenut back on the axle spindle in reverse order as detailed in the previous section on hub removal, rotate the hub assembly slowly while tightening the spindle nut to approximately 50 lbs.-ft. (12" wrench or pliers with full hand force.)
    2. Thenloosenthespindlenuttoremovethetorque.Donot rotate the hub.
    3. Fingertightenthespindlenutuntiljustsnug.
    4. Backthespindlenutoutslightlyuntilthefirstcastellation lines up with the cotter key hole and insert the cotter pin.
    5. Bendoverthecotterpinlegstosecurethenut.
    6. Nutshouldbefreetomovewithonlyrestraintbeingthe cotter pin.

    .....and yes, I see the formatting of the text got confused, but it's easy enough to read thru it....
  • StewB's avatar
    StewB
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    One more tip is to make sure you use double lip seals. Very important
  • greig00183's avatar
    greig00183
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    Just pulled the wheel and hub I suspected was leaking. All looks good and seals are doing their jobs. THANKS for the help!
  • Pauljdav's avatar
    Pauljdav
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    Dexter has an online PDF for instructions on the bearing tension. It is super easy to do.

    Paul
  • StewB's avatar
    StewB
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    Each hub should take about 1/4 tube of grease if they were empty. If you have not pumped grease in since new, then they are would be empty as manuafactur only packs the bearings and does not fill the hub.
    If you can it is best to fill the hubs when the bearings are warm. I pump grease until I push two or three pumps out the front. Alway raise the wheel off the ground and rotate when pumping. Never use a air powered grease gun. Even after you have filled the hubs, they are not actually full. There are often voids. This means that the next time you pump grease in you will add a few pumps before the grease comes out the front. Some people think this means the seals are leaking. I thought this as well and have pulled suspect drums off only to find the seals were doing their job.
  • lbrjet's avatar
    lbrjet
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    Bought my trailer new and the cavity was not filled. Used a quarter tube on each wheel until grease came out.
  • 69_Avion's avatar
    69_Avion
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2013
    You have to rotate the hub to get the grease to go around the bearings. If you don't rotate the hub you can blow the double lip seal. If you have pumped a lot of grease, and you don't see any coming out the front, then it is time to pull the hub. It isn't that big of a deal, but you will need a new seal and make sure you set the nut (bearing tension) properly. You don't want it too tight or too loose.

    Besides, it is good to check the brakes while you are in there.

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