EZ Lube - When?

artgpo · 01-15-2010, 10:14 PM

How often do you lubricate the hubs on your RV?

Is it a given that the seals blow out on EZ Lube hubs or urban legend?

Hunter11 · 01-15-2010, 10:51 PM

I lube mine once a year usually in the Spring.

It is not a given that the seals blow out. When we got our trailer I pumped grease into the fittings until I felt the pump handle start to get firm (they were far from being full from the factory). Then each year I put 4 to 6 pumps in each fitting. Below is what I found on the Lippert site for SuperLube axles and the procedure for lubing.

http://www.lci1.com/OwnersManuals/Tr...%20ADD-Web.pdf

**Lloyd** · 01-15-2010, 10:54 PM

Art, I never grease my hubs using the easy lube.
As far as the seals blowing out, it just stands to reason if you push to much grease in there with the easy lube, the seal is going to blow. With out taking them apart there is no way to know if they are in need of grease or have already been pumped full and on the verge of blowing.

FB1965 · 01-16-2010, 04:35 AM

I do the same as Hunter11.Spring and maybe a pump or two before a long trip in middle of the summer.I think most people that talk about blowing out the seal don't understand what the easy lube is really doing.Its putting the grease to the bearing and not into a big pocket to be foreced to the bearing.Sure if you lay into the grease gun and pump and pump you could get grease out the seal,but don't do that way.

artgpo · 01-16-2010, 05:41 AM

Once again you guys have proved that Rvers are the BEST!

Thanks for the information.

Hunter, thanks for the link to the directions. I could not bring them up on my desktop when I tried. Your link worked well.

rcflyer · 01-16-2010, 10:11 AM

Never!! Buy the time the bearings need grease you shoud be doing a brake and bearing inspection. A good time to do a hand pack grease job. The grease seal should also be replaced and not reused.

pulpwood007 · 01-16-2010, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FB1965

I do the same as Hunter11.Spring and maybe a pump or two before a long trip in middle of the summer.I think most people that talk about blowing out the seal don't understand what the easy lube is really doing.Its putting the grease to the bearing and not into a big pocket to be foreced to the bearing.Sure if you lay into the grease gun and pump and pump you could get grease out the seal,but don't do that way.

Help me understand this. It appears that by inserting grease into the fitting you are pumping grease into the cap, filling it and then on into the outer bearing, then pushing it on into the cavity between the bearings, then to the inner bearing.

It has always been standard practice to lub the bearings but leave the cavity between them (over the spindle) empty. A fully packed cavity leaves no room for heat dissipation.

How does the EasyLub lubricate the bearings without filling the middle cavity??

Hamops · 01-17-2010, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pulpwood007

Help me understand this. It appears that by inserting grease into the fitting you are pumping grease into the cap, filling it and then on into the outer bearing, then pushing it on into the cavity between the bearings, then to the inner bearing.

It has always been standard practice to lub the bearings but leave the cavity between them (over the spindle) empty. A fully packed cavity leaves no room for heat dissipation.

How does the EasyLub lubricate the bearings without filling the middle cavity??

Filling the cavity is exactly what happens. The grease is actually pumped beween the back bearing and the seal, into the back bearing. The old grease in the back bearing is forced into the cavity and to the front bearing. You need to pump enough grease on the first occasion to force all the old grease out of back and front bearing. You can easily clean away what is oozing out of the front bearing. Heat dissipation isn't really the issue for cavity being filled. It is the pressures that can build up if the grease has no place to relieve that pressure to. In the case of the Easy lube system the grease pressure it relieved through the front bearing. If you read the greasing instructions for greasing, it calls for using a hand pump greasing, and not power greasing like in an garage.

**Lloyd** · 01-17-2010, 02:35 AM

The way I understand the ez lube is------- the spindle is drilled length ways,tapped and threaded on one end for the grease zerk. Then they have two holes down through the spindle in some proximity by each bearing. This is where the grease is suppose to come out and grease the bearings.
I still intend to pull my hubs off and visually inspect everything, repack my bearings and install new grease seals. Without pulling the hubs you have no way of knowing if you have a seal leaking on the inside or not. Many times a seal can and does get nicked on installation. Plus being a lippet part, in my opinion, that is another good reason for pulling and inspecting.

cwit · 01-17-2010, 08:01 AM

I'm with old farmer I want to know what is in there. Noway would I use a greese gun. It may be just us but don't think so. This is a system that should only be used on axles without brakes.

Ridgeman · 01-22-2010, 08:39 AM

I posted on this a couple of months ago. After I had to replace one complete brake assembly and had some minorgrease leak through on the other 3 wheel seals after following the instructions provided by the mfg.I will not use theEZ Lube again!

There is only onehole in my spindles and it is exactly as Hampos discribed. There is no grease hole to the outer bearing. Only to the inner bearing! The only way to get grease from the zerk fitting to the outer bearing is by completely filling the void between the two bearings forcing the grease throughthe inner and then to the outer bearing. I will neverfill that void again with grease asit not only expands and forces the excessthrough the outer bearing into the hub cap but it also pushed some of the grease through theinner seal and into the brake drum.

Having said that I will say that if you insist on using the EZ lube I would modify the processto just give the zerk fitting a few pumps ( maybe 5-6 depending on the output of your grease gun) to lube theinner bearing ONLY. Then I would pull the outer bearing and handpack it. This would be easy to do without having to pull the drum off and and potentiallydamaging the seal. But if you're going to pull the drum to inspect the brakes then just replace the seals and handpack the bearings and forget the EZ Lube.

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