Wheel Bearing Question

My take on this. Most cars do not require repacking bearings yearly, if ever. They do however use high quality bearings and often use synthetic grease. Yes there are different grades of bearings. I replaced the Chinese originals in our Dexter with SKF and properly packed them with Amsoil synthetic. Over packing can lead to over heating (the BIG fault of EZ lube). I will adjust brakes and check hub temps and I carry the old bearings and a set of seals properly packed as back up.
I think the redo yearly is a CYA.

ssemalone wrote:
Wheel Bearings are 1 year old. Discovered I have the Dexter axle EZ Lube system. So will I need to repack the bearings every year or is the EZ Lube system sufficient. Thanks in advance for the help...

Just my opinion...I was looking at same set of questions when we bought our latest TT couple months ago. Here is what I ended up doing after reading all the horror stories.

Totally replacing all bearings and cups every year would be the best way but not very practicable and crazy IMO.

I jacked up trailer... remove dust cap... remove cotter pin...pulled hub and gave good inspection...everything looked OK...squirted grease in at same time rotating wheel until I saw my new grease that was different color (not grease type, just color) and when I saw grease move. I called it good. Lots of youtube vids on the subject.

When hub was off got the numbers off from the bearing and picked up spare set of bearings and new dust cover for one wheel. Have owners manual printed out and filed with other manuals for TT.

WHY... because even though I know I have grease in the bearings of every hub, I don't know if any galling or abnormal wear has taken place. But now I can replace a bearing or cup on road if need be.

So lots of choices and opinions of what to do. Not saying my way is the best just what I do.

And very strongly recommend carrying new grease of your choice in its un-opened sealed container and then put that inside a plastic bag. I already bring along disposable gloves and paper towels. I used to buy a fancy high temp grease, good up to 1200 degrees or some high temp. But was something like $17.00 a tube. Then it dawned on me. If my bearings are running that hot I've got a problem no matter what type of grease I use. Called manufacture and found out what they used for grease and found Walmart has the same spec's and compatible but different color and is available nation wide in there stores. "Super-tech" is good up to 400 degrees or something like that. My bearings temps using a IR gun have not gone over 130. So I don't need expensive high temp grease for wheel bearings. And I run a small bead of cheap silicone around dust cover and have not hard any problems with any leaking.

When I do an annual inspection and see grease on brake pads or small metal filings mixed in with grease then I'll do a complete hand re-pack of bearings, but not until then.

OK your mileage will vary, but that's what I do.

I've never been able to figure out why manufacturers put EZ lube fittings on anything other than boat trailers. You do not consume grease in the bearings. Anytime you inject grease into the cavity, you need to know how much volume is available vs. how much you are injecting. If you put excessive grease in the bearing cavity, it will have to escape. The easiest escape path is through the axle seals.

Once grease leaks past the axle seals, it can enter the brake chamber (drum brakes). This will cause braking problems. Here's a picture of a brake drum with a leaking seal and contamination from the grease. In this case, the seal was defective and grease had not been injected into the EZ Lube, but it still conveys the point:



My Opinion: Adding new grease through an EZ Lube fitting does not remove worn and contaminated grease from the bearings, and can possibly result in leaks and contaminated brakes. Periodically, the bearings should be cleaned and packed with fresh grease. While doing so, always install new grease seals. And while your at it, it's a good time to check your brakes too.

I used the EZ Lube hubs on my boat trailer but never on my TT. I pull the wheels and repack manually every other year and check the brakes then too. If your trailer sits unmoved a lot you probably need to do it every year. Less use needs more inspection.

My Montana has the EZ Lube axels but I pull the wheels and manually repack bearings each spring. This way I can visually inspect the brakes and bearings. There have been many complaints that wheal seals have blown out using the EZ Lube system. Also rally no need to fill the entire hub with grease which is what ultimately happens. Tim

You will get answers saying both ways. I personally repack mine every other year by hand and use the EZlube on the other years. So far everytime I have disassembled them they have been in great shape. When using the grease fitting I jack up the wheel and spin as I squirt grease in. So far so good for me

But you DO need to jack up the axle and spin the tire while greasing.

Your choice. My 10 year old fiver has ezlube axles, and a couple pumps of grease twice a year is all I have ever done.