Greasing tow trailer axles

[davebr]

I would like to grease the wheel bearings on my 2011 StarCraft TT. It has electric drum brakes. I bought Mystik No.2 Hi-Temp Multi Purpose Grease. Is this OK to use? My TT has the axle grease zerks. Someone told me pump in the grease until it comes out some type of port. Is this OK or should I hand pack the bearings? The trailer is 4 years old and besides an occasional shot of grease no other maintenance has been done on the wheel bearings.

[deltabravo]

fairfaxjim wrote:
I think people give the "EZ Lube" (Dexter's name, lots of copies out there)axles more credit than they deserve. You can't just grab a grease gun and run around your trailer pumping grease into the bearings.

BINGO!!

I also agree / reiterate everything else in Jim's post.

The reason my cargo trailer's brakes got trashed was because the owner just kept pumping more grease in them every year.

EZ Lube hubs are NOT the same as a Bearing Buddy, which are used on boat trailers. Bearing Buddys, the grease goes in on the outside of the outer bearings, and excess will escape.
EZ Lube axles, there's a hole through the spindle. The grease goes in the zerk, through that hole and puts grease in the inner cavity of the hub assemble.

[fairfaxjim]

If they haven't been pulled, inspected and repacked for 4 years, definitely go for that option. Brakes should be inspected and serviced too.

I think people give the "EZ Lube" (Dexter's name, lots of copies out there)axles more credit than they deserve. You can't just grab a grease gun and run around your trailer pumping grease into the bearings. There is a specific procedure and it requires jacking the trailer wheel off of the ground and rotating it while greasing. This allows the grease to distribute evenly and also helps to prevent overpressurizing the inner grease seal and getting grease into the brakes.

Also, The EZ Lube feature is not intended to replace regular bearing maintenance. From the Dexter FAQ section of their website:

E-Z LUBE - What is the E-Z Lube option?
The E-Z Lube option was designed specifically for the marine application where the axles are constantly being immersed in water. This feature provides a convenient method for purging the water from the hub cavity without having to pull the hub every time. The hubs should be removed every 12 months or 12,000 miles to inspect the bearings and it is imperative to replace the seal at this time to assure that the grease does not leak out the back onto the brake linings rendering the brakes non-functional.

[deltabravo]

Agreed on repacking / inspecting.

There really isn't a "port" that grease will come out of. At some point it may squeeze out the front, but it has to come trough the outer bearing. To do that, it requires a lot of grease (and pressure) to get the grease through the front bearing, and at that point, it may very well blow past the rear seal and spew in to the brake drum.

See my story: Brakes contaminated by overfilling the bearing cavity with grease.

[mbopp]

+++ on pulling the hubs and hand repacking the bearings. Here's a link:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/17173784.cfm

[neil57]

If they are Dexter axles, Mystik red is an approved grease to use. I agree that inspecting bearings is a good plan. Always use new grease seals when reinstalling.

[GrandpaKip]

If you know the type of grease used before, you could do that. If you don't know, then you should do as phillyg said. Mixing types is not a good idea. Plenty of Videos online.

[phillyg]

At four years I would pull the hub and inspect the bearings and races, and hand pack and reinstall them if they check out okay.