|
05-26-2020, 01:56 PM
|
#1
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: utah
Posts: 24
|
Dexter EX lube Axles.
I have seen a bunch of conversation about these online. Some people swear by them and some people swear at them. I talked to the RV center I bought mine from and they would not give a straight answer either way. So I figured I would take a look at mine. I only have about 3K miles on the trailer but plan on doing a bunch of driving this year. I pulled off each wheel this past Saturday and found one wheel with a bad rear seal. Appears the factory damaged it. I went ahead and replaced and repacked that one. I then proceeded to use the EZ lube on each wheel, pulling the hub after about 20 slow squeezes on the grease gun. Then again once the grease started coming out of the front pours. I found that with a constant tire spin and slow filling I did not get any grease coming out of the rear seals. The job was time consuming and tedious but I feel pretty good about using them in the future.
Any feedback from this great community would be cool.
__________________
Daveow
Sunset Trail Grand Reserve 2017
|
|
|
05-26-2020, 02:07 PM
|
#2
|
Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: mo
Posts: 2,097
|
This is what i do---
When i De-winterize i pull the brake drums and check the brakes and repack the bearings by hand then use "double lip seals" put it all back together. Then depending on miles i will raise the wheel and while turning "slowly" add grease till it starts to come out the front. I have yet to have a wheel seal leak.
__________________
2009 Seville VF32KS
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Crew Cab Denali.
6.6 Diesel standard box.
|
|
|
05-26-2020, 06:33 PM
|
#3
|
Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 5,715
|
__________________
Mark & Susan
Lehighton, Pennsylvania
EAGLE HT FIFTH WHEEL | 30.5CKTS - '13 Ford F150 SCREW - PullRite Superslide - Roadmaster Active Suspension
Member - "Northeast Adventures RV Rally Group" & "Mason-Dixon Bunch"
|
|
|
05-27-2020, 12:47 PM
|
#4
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Belle River , Ontario
Posts: 1,753
|
Along with raising the tires and spinning slowly ,make sure the hubs are warm as grease flows easier . Take it for a ride to warm up. Leave grease gun in the sun for a while too.
__________________
It was a rainy few days at Algonquin Prov park...tarps kept us dry.
Wayne --Belle River (Windsor), Ontario
2013 Sunset Trail Reserve 25RB..(just sold it)
2015 White Chev Silverado 2500HD 4x4 (6.0 l gasser)
2003 Mountain Star 890SBRX Truck Camper
|
|
|
06-04-2020, 02:24 PM
|
#5
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SC
Posts: 679
|
You guys have it right, in my opinion. Lift and turn the wheels while greasing. It takes me about 20 pumps to see old grease come out, and about 80 or more to new, fresh grease come through. I believe the horror stories come from not raising the wheels, and by using a pneumatic gun. I finally took mine in with about 20,000 miles, after EZ Lubing them three times. The grease, seals and bearings were all just fine.
__________________
Marty and Martha
2015 Z-1 211RD
2012 Nissan Titan
Dalzell SC
|
|
|
06-04-2020, 04:26 PM
|
#6
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: TX
Posts: 35
|
I just repacked the bearings on my 2014 Crossroads Rushmore “Franklin” and did just like you. I pumped the old grease out of the spindle with CRC “Sta-Lube” grease before remounting the drums and after reinstalling the drums and before mounting the wheels I pumped new grease in while turning the drum every 2-3 pumps. It took approximately 175 pumps before grease started appearing, but remember only a tiny bit of grease comes out with each pump. In total I used 3 14oz. tubes which included packing the inner & outer bearings of all four wheels. I worked great. One word of warning...you must turn the drum/tire often while pumping in the grease or you do risk blowing the rear seal.
|
|
|
06-04-2020, 06:33 PM
|
#7
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: ca
Posts: 574
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by NEVER2LATE
I just repacked the bearings on my 2014 Crossroads Rushmore “Franklin” and did just like you. I pumped the old grease out of the spindle with CRC “Sta-Lube” grease before remounting the drums and after reinstalling the drums and before mounting the wheels I pumped new grease in while turning the drum every 2-3 pumps. It took approximately 175 pumps before grease started appearing, but remember only a tiny bit of grease comes out with each pump. In total I used 3 14oz. tubes which included packing the inner & outer bearings of all four wheels. I worked great. One word of warning...you must turn the drum/tire often while pumping in the grease or you do risk blowing the rear seal.
|
If you hand packed the bearings you would have used a 1/4 of 1 tube of grease and probably a better job
__________________
2015 Redwood 36RL pushing a 2015 Denali DRW
|
|
|
06-04-2020, 06:40 PM
|
#8
|
Site Team
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: WI.
Posts: 9,154
|
I have never repacked my bearings using the EZ lube.
I pull the drums and inspect the bearings. Them repack them by hand. While I have the drums off I check the brakes and all else that's inside the drums.
Replace the grease seals and put it back together. Then adjust the brakes.
Now I realize some of you guys use the EZ Lube zerk and apparently from the postings here, you have been successful doing it that way. It would seem others that have had issues using the EZ Lube were not doing it correctly. BUT, doing it that way even if you are successful, you still don't know what things look like inside the hub and drum.
One thing I see absolutely no sense to is pumping that hub plumb full of grease. If you hand pack the bearings you don't need to fill that hub with grease.
Not trying to talk anybody into doing it either way. Just stating how I see it.
|
|
|
06-04-2020, 07:12 PM
|
#9
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: TX
Posts: 35
|
To Woodwalker. My comment was to support DaveOw’s post, not to look for approval of how I did the work. I’m not so sure you’re way is the best either. Concerning one or three tubes of grease, who cares? As long as I am working on my RV and not yours. Do it your way on your RV and I’ll do it my way on mine.
|
|
|
06-04-2020, 08:51 PM
|
#10
|
Full Time Camper
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: WI
Posts: 563
|
EZ-Lube is Bad.... Maybe.
EZ-Lube is Bad?
There are just too many variables to know why some EZ-Lube spindles work fine in one case and not in the other.
The first time I pulled our wheels from the EZ-Lube spindles there were multiple problems that may have originated straight from the factory. There was no grease between the front and rear bearings. The EZ-Lube feature had never been employed. BUT all the rear seals had failed and contaminated the brake drums and linings. (Bad Seals? Over Greased?)
The area between the bearings was covered with crusty rust. Some of that rust had reached the bearings and they were all lightly scored and needed replacement. (Poor Workmanship? Poor Quality Control?)
At the time I unfairly blamed the EZ-Lube system. I removed the grease fitting and plugged the hole.
Now I continue to disassemble, clean and repack bearings and replace the seals annually. WHY? Because as a kid I replaced the front wheel bearings and seals on my 1950 Buick and twice the rear seals failed. It was centrifugal force and too much grease. Maybe that’s it.
__________________
2010 CROSSROADS CRUISER CR31RE
2012 RAM 3500 ST + CHROME
|
|
|
06-07-2020, 09:10 PM
|
#11
|
Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: mo
Posts: 2,097
|
Lloyd as to filling the hub with grease - it was they way i was taught years ago when you had to repack the wheel bearings on your car. Yes i am that old .
Just to reinforce everyone should pull the hub and pack by hand and check the brakes. I just use the zerk to add a little between times. Kind of like on my mower deck. I figure it cant hurt.
__________________
2009 Seville VF32KS
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Crew Cab Denali.
6.6 Diesel standard box.
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 09:24 AM
|
#12
|
Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 393
|
Think about this.
As you pump grease into the EZ lube you are pushing used grease out of the rear bearing to the front into the outer bearing.
The outer bearing will never see new grease.
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 10:18 AM
|
#13
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: TX
Posts: 35
|
I don’t think you are right. The old grease has no where to go except through the outer bearings.
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 10:31 AM
|
#14
|
Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 393
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by NEVER2LATE
I don’t think you are right. The old grease has no where to go except through the outer bearings.
|
I believe that is exactly what I said. The outer bearing will never see new unused grease.
Take a look at this:
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 11:01 AM
|
#15
|
Seasonal Camper
Join Date: May 2014
Location: TX
Posts: 335
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcflyer
Think about this.
As you pump grease into the EZ lube you are pushing used grease out of the rear bearing to the front into the outer bearing.
The outer bearing will never see new grease.
|
The new grease forces the old grease through the outer bearing and out.
Eventually, new grease will flow through the outer bearing and out.
__________________
John (USAF Ret) & Cheryl
San Antonio, TX
2014 Hill Country 32FR
2011 Ram 2500 4x4 6.7 CTD
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 11:05 AM
|
#16
|
Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 393
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4kids2dogs&RV
The new grease forces the old grease through the outer bearing and out.
Eventually, new grease will flow through the outer bearing and out.
|
I suspect you did not look at this diagram carefully.
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 11:22 AM
|
#17
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: utah
Posts: 24
|
Hey Rcflyer. Not sure what you'r seeing on that diagram. From my understanding if you follow the grease flow it moves across both bearings and out the front of the spindle. As you spin the tire the grease is getting spread around the whole inner workings. The diagram is missing the weep hole in front of the spindle that allows grease to escape. Can you explain why the grease would not get to the outer bearings to get to weep hole?
__________________
Daveow
Sunset Trail Grand Reserve 2017
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 12:19 PM
|
#18
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: TX
Posts: 35
|
There is no outer “weep hole”. The grease is pushed through the outer bearing.
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 01:37 PM
|
#19
|
Weekend Camper
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: utah
Posts: 24
|
Ah yea your right.
__________________
Daveow
Sunset Trail Grand Reserve 2017
|
|
|
06-08-2020, 03:30 PM
|
#20
|
Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: mo
Posts: 2,097
|
It comes out around the washer and nut into the end cap then out of the hole by the zerk. On my utility trailer with no brakes i just take the cap off and keep pumping till i get fresh grease while turning the wheel. THIS IS NOT HOW I DO MY CAMPER.
__________________
2009 Seville VF32KS
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Crew Cab Denali.
6.6 Diesel standard box.
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|