camper axle lube question ?

[maxwell11]

rig maintenance question:

I know its off topic for this section, but most of you guys are in charge of lube and maintenance of your rigs.

new jayco 27 foot bumper pull trailer last year, pulled it about 1000 miles or less.

this year I was going to pull the rubber grease zerk covers off each hub and shoot a few pumps of axle grease in each hub.
per manual: grease flows from end of axle through and up into the cavity of the hub.

would 4 or 5 shots of grease from a manual grease gun be sufficient?

Thanks,
Fred

I plan to carry my grease gun with me and check the hubs at each stop.
but, I know if over lubed grease could get onto the brakes.

[bigtime_077]

This is all some really good discussion. This is my first new camper so I am still learning the ins and outs of buying new. Such as that some dealers charged extra for full propane bottles, batteries, and a spare tire. I had all of that included but never would have given much thought to the axles. Just would have assumed new camper meant that the rig was at least road worthy. I was going to check the hubs anyway before we left but now that I found this thread I may need more than just the 2 tubes of grease I bought for the axles to actually fill the voids between the bearings.

[mooky_stinks]

My Dexter manual that came with my trailer also states the wheel doesn't need to be spun to grease it. Not sure if this is true for all though. Our neighbor lost a tire and axle on the 2nd trip out with a brand new trailer. The shop said the bearings had very little grease and they see it a lot.

[ib516]

I give mine 10 or so pumps of grease at the start of the season. Has worked for me so far (4 years).

[AH64ID]

Grease will move to the outer bearing if the cavity isn't full, and it doesn't take as long as some think. In fact a full cavity, while not bad, will move grease slower as there is nothing to heat the thick grease in the cavity and the hub surface will be cooler. On overfilled inner bearing will sling grease once warm, which goes to the center based on the seal, and will slowly move based on heat/shape to the outer bearing.

[MFL]

My FW bearings had just a little grease from the factory. I agree with Dave, they won't spend the dollars to fill the hubs.

It took about 50 slow easy pumps to fill mine (each wheel), until seeing the grease start to move on the outer bearing.

A few tips: use the proper grease, turn wheel, best time is when bearings are warm, and follow manufacturers instructions.

Jerry

[Dave_H_M]

My advice to the OP would be to read/watch youtubes or whatever to learn his system and then do what he decides. One can see from the posts here that some of this two pump theory is way off base in my way of understanding things.

If me or you were manufacturing axles would we fill the inner cavity with grease? Heck no that would cost a bunch more money and cut profits.

So as others have posted it will take a boat load of grease the first time to fill the inner cavity between the bearings, since it came with mostly air in it.

Just think how many years or times it would take a double pump that just goes on the inner bearing to fill the cavity and eventually make it to the outer bearing. :h

In my opinion, the double pump folks that do not initially insure that the inner cavity between the two bearings are full, are running that outer bearing without a repack for as long as it will take for the inner cavity to be filled - two pumps at as time.

I have to admit that some of the posts here, I agree with, but how does someone who asks the question sort out the wheat from the chaff?

[AH64ID]

Hubs are not required to be filled, just adequate grease in the bearings and it will slowly move to the outer bearing. The bearings are greased at the factory, or you wouldn't make it 50 miles, they just aren't 100% full.

My Al-Ko owners manual states that the wheels do not need to rotate to be filled via the ultra-lube.

A couple pumps every few thousand miles is plenty, the drilled passage points towards the outer bearing and is under the inner bearing.

The ez/ultraa lube is not a fix for good ol fashioned hand packing every few years. I plan to do mine this year, with about 8K on the OEM bearings. I also plan to put better bearings in, the ones I have looked pretty loose/cheap when I inspected one of the wheels last month.

[bigtime_077]

Just went out in the rain to check my hubs. I have been working nights lately so not really up for sleeping yet tonight. My hubs all had grease in them. They weren't packed full but I could definitely see grease all the way out to the end of the spindle. Is it possible that the dealer put the grease in there? I know I haven't touched it yet. Oh maybe doesn't matter but I think a lot of talk on this thread is about Dexter axles. Mine has Lippert axles. Don't know if that makes a difference.

[rhagfo]

bigtime_077 wrote:

popeyemth wrote:
1)you must raise the axle and turn the wheel WHILE you add grease
2)expect to add about a tube per wheel the first time as the hubs are not filled at the factory
Good Luck, Mike

Is this true? The hubs are not filled from the factory. I haven't checked my new camper yet but I have only pulled it home from the dealer. If this is true I better check the axles as I will be doing some more work before I leave next week.

Don't forget it was likely pulled from the factory to the dealer also!!

[bigtime_077]

popeyemth wrote:
1)you must raise the axle and turn the wheel WHILE you add grease
2)expect to add about a tube per wheel the first time as the hubs are not filled at the factory
Good Luck, Mike

Is this true? The hubs are not filled from the factory. I haven't checked my new camper yet but I have only pulled it home from the dealer. If this is true I better check the axles as I will be doing some more work before I leave next week.

[rhagfo]

maxwell11 wrote:
rig maintenance question:

I know its off topic for this section, but most of you guys are in charge of lube and maintenance of your rigs.

new jayco 27 foot bumper pull trailer last year, pulled it about 1000 miles or less.

this year I was going to pull the rubber grease zerk covers off each hub and shoot a few pumps of axle grease in each hub.
per manual: grease flows from end of axle through and up into the cavity of the hub.

would 4 or 5 shots of grease from a manual grease gun be sufficient?

Thanks,
Fred

I plan to carry my grease gun with me and check the hubs at each stop.
but, I know if over lubed grease could get onto the brakes.

Do you ever wonder how the front axle bearings on 4X4's got 50,000 to 100,000 miles on a single packing without adding grease.

The grease in your bearings will not evaporate if the seals are good, really no reason to add grease between re-packing.

Seeing how you can't see inside the drum, to see if you are blowing grease past the inner seal, I feel this is a chancy operation.

If worried about it pull the hubs and repack! Otherwise you will have grease soaked brake shoes, and very grabby brakes, and a big $$$ repair.

[mikeh449]

you are better off taking hub off and packing bearings by hand and forget the ezlube hubs if you put too much grease in the hub with a grease gun you can ruin your brakes

[time2roll]

Give one or two slow pumps while you turn the wheel.
EZ-Lube is primarily made for boat axles so you can fill the hub with grease. This keeps water out or pushes water contaminated grease out. For a TT a couple pumps is fine. But as said if you want to fill the hub and have grease come out the front you may need a tube for each hub. Go slow or the grease can get past the seal and onto the shoes.

Dexter E-Z Lube® System

[45Ricochet]

popeyemth wrote:
1)you must raise the axle and turn the wheel WHILE you add grease
2)expect to add about a tube per wheel the first time as the hubs are not filled at the factory
Good Luck, Mike

X2
5 shots ain't going to get it.
I'm from the old school in doing it manually. A couple of years ago I had to leave with the RV suddenly in the spring. Well I decided to just use the easy lube for the first time in my life. Followed the instructions and was concerned about the amount of grease they needed.
Ol well had to leave and got back home fine. Pulled them off after returning and everything looked great. I still do em manually but not every year now as in the past, depending on mileage.
The bad response to these are most folk's don't follow instructions IMO.

[GordonThree]

I'd like to know too!

I watched a few youtube videos, and they pumped clean grease in until the dirty grease squeezed out.

I have about 10000 miles on my wheel bearings, and it took a lot of pumping, but eventually dark / black grease oozed out, and then it turned lighter and lighter until it was red like the grease going in. Used Valvoline Crimson.

I saved my old grease in a jar, figured I could smear it on the stabilizers and other things that didn't mind a little dirty grease.