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Old 09-19-2019, 04:15 PM   #1
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4 1/2 Years of EZ Lube Bearings

Since we bought the Z-1 in Jan 2015, I have been an advocate of using the EZ lube axle bearings, and greasing them that way. Approximately every 5K miles, I've been pumping grease all the way through until new grease comes out the front. It takes about 120 pumps on the hand pump to flush out each wheel. (For those who haven't read my earlier threads, the zerk pushes grease all the way back to the rear bearing, comes forward through the rear, then then cavity, then the front bearing and out the front. You keep pumping until you see new grease). It takes almost 2 TUBES of grease to do all 4 wheels.
Today, after 4 1/2 years and over 17,000 miles, I am pleased to report:
a. The bearings and middle cavity were full of grease
b. The bearings were in great shape
c. The brakes only needed a minor adjustment (that was my worry going in - I had never seen the brakes, the drums had never been off the vehicle!)
d. There was no grease pushed out of the cavity, nothing in the brake area.
e. My team of mechanics agreed the system worked well. They cleaned and inspected the bearings, hand-packed them, but still pushed lube through the EZ-Lube until all old grease was gone.

I am, however, going through tires:
In those 17K miles, I replaced the "China Bomb" tires at 7K, and now at 17K, the "new" Carlisles are showing sign of wear. Two mild, two ready to replace. Even so, I'm going to replace all four tires next week. We use this camper to visit our kids in Kansas and Nebraska, so we put a lot of long miles on this.

In summary, I just wanted to add this update to the EZ-Lube discussion. Put me on the side of the believers!
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Old 09-20-2019, 05:57 AM   #2
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Thanks for the report. There has been so much negativity about easy lube probably due to user error that I have been afraid to try it so far.
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Old 09-20-2019, 06:53 AM   #3
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Great report, do you rotate the tires while you pump grease into them? I used them in the beginning and was not rotating the tires. Had some grease blow by, go in to the drum cavity, contaminating the brakes. I guess I got a little gun-shy, to use them again.
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Old 09-20-2019, 08:19 AM   #4
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I have not had any problems with the EZ Lube bearings. But i pull the brake drums and check the brakes and seals every years as part of my de-winterizing process. I also have them on my utility trailer but it does not have brakes. I think maybe some of the problems may come from not raising the tire and rotating it while pumping in the grease slowly. Dont know but it works for me.
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Old 09-20-2019, 09:52 AM   #5
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Great report, do you rotate the tires while you pump grease into them? I used them in the beginning and was not rotating the tires. Had some grease blow by, go in to the drum cavity, contaminating the brakes. I guess I got a little gun-shy, to use them again.
Yes, even though it is a bit of work, I do raise up each tire, and turn it while pumping. The video I saw said that was important. From the responses here, I can understand.
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Old 09-20-2019, 12:21 PM   #6
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I'm in the "hand pack only" on this!
It only takes a couple hours & you have the opportunity to inspect brakes & other suspension components at the same time.
If you have replaced the OEM cheap a## Chinese seals you might get away with using the EZ lube, but if not I'd pass.
If you are confident it's not contaminating your brakes then by all means use it, but the only way to know you haven't blown the seal is to tear it down & look.
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Old 09-20-2019, 09:41 PM   #7
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Good report Marty. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 09-21-2019, 06:45 AM   #8
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Love the EZ's also.
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Old 09-26-2019, 04:49 PM   #9
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EZ-Lube

Are those the caps with the grease nipple on the outside?

They are some what spring loaded?

Are those the ones you are talking about?

I have known those as "Bearing Buddies".

I never put more than about 5 pumps of grease, and do not think that the rear bearing actually gets greased.

if you are talking something different can you snap a picture and draw a picture as to the flow of grease and how the rear bearing is greased.

I would be worried obut a seal leaking and then grease all over the brakes

Thanks
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Old 09-26-2019, 05:13 PM   #10
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Are those the caps with the grease nipple on the outside?

They are some what spring loaded?

Are those the ones you are talking about?

I have known those as "Bearing Buddies".

I never put more than about 5 pumps of grease, and do not think that the rear bearing actually gets greased.

if you are talking something different can you snap a picture and draw a picture as to the flow of grease and how the rear bearing is greased.

I would be worried obut a seal leaking and then grease all over the brakes

Thanks
No, these have the grease zerks under the cap. There is no spring. Yes, you are talking about Bearing Buddies. Years ago, I worked in a boat trailer manufacturer, and installed those. The springs on those was to exert a positive outward pressure, to keep the water out. THESE ARE NOT BEARING BUDDIES. These are made by Dexter. Here's their video on how they work. Notice the banner caution at the beginning: Do Not Use Pressurized Grease Guns! (1:15)
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Old 09-26-2019, 05:34 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egrum View Post
Are those the caps with the grease nipple on the outside?

They are some what spring loaded?

Are those the ones you are talking about?

I have known those as "Bearing Buddies".

I never put more than about 5 pumps of grease, and do not think that the rear bearing actually gets greased.

if you are talking something different can you snap a picture and draw a picture as to the flow of grease and how the rear bearing is greased.

I would be worried obut a seal leaking and then grease all over the brakes

Thanks
Bearing Buddies are not the same thing at all as EZ lube hubs. A Bearing Buddy is simply a cap with a zerk in it, and is all but worthless from a maintenance standpoint.
The EZ lube hub actually has a channel that runs to the rear (inside) of the hub, and lubricates from the inside out. A potential problem can stem from the pressure exerted on the seals from pumping grease into the hub. You must be careful not to blow out the seals, and the method of jacking up the wheel and rotating it while pumping grease seems to be the proven method. You aren't really able to tell if you have a seal leak until you have ruined your brakes, so periodic inspection would be appropriate.
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Old 09-26-2019, 05:57 PM   #12
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Bearing Buddies are not the same thing at all as EZ lube hubs. A Bearing Buddy is simply a cap with a zerk in it, and is all but worthless from a maintenance standpoint.
The EZ lube hub actually has a channel that runs to the rear (inside) of the hub, and lubricates from the inside out. A potential problem can stem from the pressure exerted on the seals from pumping grease into the hub. You must be careful not to blow out the seals, and the method of jacking up the wheel and rotating it while pumping grease seems to be the proven method. You aren't really able to tell if you have a seal leak until you have ruined your brakes, so periodic inspection would be appropriate.
Then while doing the "appropriate periodic inspection" hand pack the bearings while you have the drums off then your good for about 10k miles til your next periodic inspection & then there's no worry about blowing out the seals contaminating the brakes using the EZ lube.
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Old 09-26-2019, 06:38 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
I'm in the "hand pack only" on this!
It only takes a couple hours & you have the opportunity to inspect brakes & other suspension components at the same time.
If you have replaced the OEM cheap a## Chinese seals you might get away with using the EZ lube, but if not I'd pass.
If you are confident it's not contaminating your brakes then by all means use it, but the only way to know you haven't blown the seal is to tear it down & look.
I stand with Travlin Texan.

I suspect that all of my rear seals were in installed improperly or were just trash to begin with.
Either way I had one heck of a mess with grease throughout the electric brakes. Never again.
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Old 09-28-2019, 07:42 PM   #14
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Just to be extra careful, I'd drive my rig at least a half hour to heat up the grease to help ensure it wouldn't blow a seal. Of course, no guarantee but felt better when everything was warmed up a bit.
It worked for me because I had to park the trailer a ways away from home and could feel comfortable all was warm.
I never went "Full Monte", pumping all the old grease out as I too, was afraid of seal failure.
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Old 09-29-2019, 05:20 AM   #15
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This is informative. When we did our walk through I asked about them and was simply told to give 4-5 squirts of grease before every pull and I will have no issues. That is what I have done and probable have about 12,000 miles. That’s also still with the original Chinese tires that are showing no signs of problems.
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Old 09-29-2019, 09:03 AM   #16
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This is informative. When we did our walk through I asked about them and was simply told to give 4-5 squirts of grease before every pull and I will have no issues. That is what I have done and probable have about 12,000 miles. That’s also still with the original Chinese tires that are showing no signs of problems.
The problem with greasing every pull is you will not ever notice they've been over greased til you remove the hub or have no trailer brakes. If you have done this numerous times not jacking it up & spinning the wheel while pumping, I'd bet a coffee & donut you have at least 1, probably all 4, brake drums full of grease.
This not necessary to do every time you pull, nor is torqueing the lug nuts.
The tires you mentioned will not show signs of wear for them to blowup, most RV tires that fail the tread looks brand new. They don't wear out nearly as fast as they age out. If they're 3-5 years old & you have 12k+ miles on the China bombs I'd be looking to replace them before your next trip.
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Old 09-30-2019, 11:03 PM   #17
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The problem with greasing every pull is you will not ever notice they've been over greased til you remove the hub or have no trailer brakes.
If the seals are leaking you can probably notice it without removing the hub. The drums and/or backing plate will be wet with grease. The wheels will probably be wet, and the area under the tires will probably be oily.
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Old 10-01-2019, 05:22 AM   #18
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When I say 4-5 pumps it is with a small handheld. I have not noticed any leakage or issue. I recently pulled off my tire to inspect and adjust my breaks and all was well.
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Old 10-01-2019, 09:55 AM   #19
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If the seals are leaking you can probably notice it without removing the hub. The drums and/or backing plate will be wet with grease. The wheels will probably be wet, and the area under the tires will probably be oily.
Maybe on some, but mine had all 4 drums packed full of grease, apparently whoever pumped the grease didn't get any into the bearings it all went into the drums & there was no evidence of it around the drum, axle or wheel. YMMV!
Whether it can be noticed or not I'll NEVER use that feature again!
The amount of time you'll spend raising the rv spinning each wheel while giving each 4-5 squirts each time you pull the RV you could've easily hand packed them, tightened the brakes, greased the suspension once a year & been confident it was properly done & will have good brakes.
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Old 10-06-2019, 03:39 PM   #20
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To TEXANS POINT,
Why would you shoot that much grease into your bearings each trip when your 2 wheel drive front truck bearing only get repacked usually with a brake job and that could be 100,000 miles plus.
Just saying...
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