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Old 07-07-2014, 05:15 AM   #1
johncamtravel
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EZ Lube Bearings Service

Can you use the 6 Point Level Up to raise one side of the trailer up
to rotate the tires to grease the bearings?? Or do you have to use
a jack?? If so what size jack do you need??
 
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Old 07-07-2014, 05:51 AM   #2
rohrmann
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Don't know if the lawyers agree with this, but I raised the entire rear end with the jacks. Figured it was less stress by raising both sides at the same time. Just used the one button and had no problem. I was careful to make sure the ground was stable before doing so and I don't advise getting under the rig without jack stands.
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Old 07-07-2014, 06:23 AM   #3
bigred715
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Just be real careful using he easy lube zerts. If you put too much grease in it can get on your brake shoes and ruin them. Peoplehere on the forum suggest no more than a couple of pumps from your grease gun. A lot of us have the wheel bearings packed and brakes checked at a dealer or Camping World. Maybe you are one of those who is capable of doing all this yourself.
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Old 07-07-2014, 06:28 AM   #4
1retired06
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I just purchased a 2015 with the LCI hydraulics, and the tech guy cautioned me that they are not designed to hold the weight of the trailer and to not use them as a jack. Over the years I have found the only way to maintain bearings is to pack them the old fashioned way.
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Old 07-07-2014, 07:51 AM   #5
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It is not a matter of too much grease. The potential problem is pumping too fast and causing too much pressure on the rear seal. Dexter recommends slowly pumping in grease with the wheel turning until you see new grease coming out the front. And believe me it takes a lot of grease. About half a tube per wheel. If you look at a cutaway view on the Dexter web site you can see the grease goes thru a port to the rear of the hub, then passes thru the inner bearing, then fills the void in the center of the hub, then passes out thru the outer bearing. Pump slowly with the wheel continuously turning and the system works fine.

I use Mystik JT6 Hi Temp grease which is a dark red and one of the ones recommended by Dexter. It is pretty easy to see when the new red grease starts coming out the front to show that it has displaced most all the old darker colored grease.

Putting only a couple pumps in does nothing for the outer bearing.
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Old 07-07-2014, 08:42 AM   #6
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Some of the "old timers" do not trust the EZ lube system but I have done it MANY times with no problems, alot of times I am in a un-level site and one side is off the ground anyway with no ill affects ,in my experience being a Fulltimer for 3 years and thousands of miles with the level-up and EZ lube bearings they work great just like was said before use a HAND pump and rotate the wheel slowly and yes you will use a lot of grease for all four keep pumping slowly till grease just starts coming out the front
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Old 07-07-2014, 09:05 AM   #7
bncinwv
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

I just purchased a 2015 with the LCI hydraulics, and the tech guy cautioned me that they are not designed to hold the weight of the trailer and to not use them as a jack. Over the years I have found the only way to maintain bearings is to pack them the old fashioned way.
The tech guy is going to have to do some explaining here???? Each jack on the Level-Up system is rated at 5,000 pounds from what I understand. Six jacks = 30,000 pounds of lifting capacity by my math. Rig weighs in at 16,000 pounds. How in the world can he state they are not designed to hold the weight of the trailer???? There is a disclaimer in the product literature regarding not using them as jacks, but based on this simple math, I would say that statement was inserted by a product-liability lawyer in the event that you are under the rig and the system blows apart completely. Just my opinion based on simple math and not to be taken as a recommendation!! Personally, I have no problem using the system as a jack, but I would add some crib blocks beneath the frame purely from a safety aspect!
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Old 07-07-2014, 09:55 AM   #8
johncamtravel
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Thanks guys for the info so far. I just want to raise the trailer so I can turn the wheel. I know enough not to crawl under the trailer without using jack stands under the frame if I'm removing the wheels.
If I'm pumping the grease I just want to turn the wheel without using
a jack. Thanks again for the replies.
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Old 07-07-2014, 10:00 AM   #9
rohrmann
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I had our rig completely off the ground for almost 4 days this past winter when I replaced all four brake assemblies due to grease on the shoes. I greased the EZ lubes once, followed the directions perfectly, and still got grease past the seals. I decided that $4 per seal and a little time to pull the wheels off and grease the bearings by hand is much better than risking greased shoes. Besides, this allows an inspection of the brakes and bearings. So, maybe $20 to hand pack the bearings, or $400 to replace the brakes assemblies...I'll hand pack from now on.
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Old 07-07-2014, 10:35 AM   #10
scott-pati
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Yes, I used the level system for maintenance of the wheels and for lube. Spin the wheels slowly while again slowly feed it grease. If not comfortable with that then use a bottle jack to lift up 1 wheel at a time and placing the in between the u-bolts.
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Old 07-07-2014, 01:35 PM   #11
Virginia Young
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We lifted our 3900FB with the level-up system, when we changed our Marathons for G614s. Raised it, took off all 4 wheels/tires, went to the shop and had new tires mounted on the rims, returned home and put them back on. No problems.
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Old 07-07-2014, 01:37 PM   #12
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by bigred715

Just be real careful using he easy lube zerts. If you put too much grease in it can get on your brake shoes and ruin them. Peoplehere on the forum suggest no more than a couple of pumps from your grease gun. A lot of us have the wheel bearings packed and brakes checked at a dealer or Camping World. Maybe you are one of those who is capable of doing all this yourself.
They don't come with zerts. In fact, I have no idea what a zert is, unless you meant Certs, which is a breath mint. The system comes with Zerk fittings.
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Old 07-07-2014, 01:40 PM   #13
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by rohrmann

I had our rig completely off the ground for almost 4 days this past winter when I replaced all four brake assemblies due to grease on the shoes. I greased the EZ lubes once, followed the directions perfectly, and still got grease past the seals. I decided that $4 per seal and a little time to pull the wheels off and grease the bearings by hand is much better than risking greased shoes. Besides, this allows an inspection of the brakes and bearings. So, maybe $20 to hand pack the bearings, or $400 to replace the brakes assemblies...I'll hand pack from now on.
I'll give you $20 to do mine.

I'd be willing to bet that even though you did the procedure properly the seal was bad to begin with and would have leaked either way.
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Old 07-07-2014, 02:29 PM   #14
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Heck I will give him 40 clams and have a glass of Wine and watch
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Old 07-07-2014, 04:18 PM   #15
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I figure, being retired, my labor is so high in price, can't put a price on it. Yes. the seals were probably bad from the get go, but like I said, we should be looking at the brakes at least once a year, unless the trailer isn't used much. For those of us that tow a lot, the time we spend, or the money spent to have someone else do the job, is like insurance, pay now or pay later. If I spend the time during a non-travel period, to service the important things, the risk of breaking down at a bad moment is slight. Just like putting good tires on, torquing lug nuts and u-bolts, and all the other little things, they all help us enjoy this life style with less stress and much more safety.
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Old 07-08-2014, 02:51 AM   #16
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Every one has their own way and reason for that way. I hand pack mine as I don't believe the entire cavity should be filled with grease. Your front wheel bearings on your truck aren't.
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Old 07-08-2014, 03:17 AM   #17
Tom S.
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quote:Originally posted by psomers

Every one has their own way and reason for that way. I hand pack mine as I don't believe the entire cavity should be filled with grease. Your front wheel bearings on your truck aren't.
The front bearings on your truck are sealed and can't be hand packed. Dexter offers those sealed bearings if you want them. As one who has replaced several of those sealed truck bearings, I'd rather have the E Z Lube.
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Old 07-08-2014, 04:17 AM   #18
jcurtis934
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As Bingo says hydraulic units are 5000 lb each. But Bingo...isn't all of the hydraulic lines rated at 3000 psi max instead of 6000 psi like they should have used? I haven't read what is on my lines so I don't know. Please tell me that the jacks use something more than 3000 psi hose. John
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Old 07-08-2014, 04:54 AM   #19
bncinwv
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quote:Originally posted by jcurtis934

As Bingo says hydraulic units are 5000 lb each. But Bingo...isn't all of the hydraulic lines rated at 3000 psi max instead of 6000 psi like they should have used? I haven't read what is on my lines so I don't know. Please tell me that the jacks use something more than 3000 psi hose. John
I am not a hydraulic engineer, but from my hydraulics class (years and years ago), the hose rating does not directly relate to the lifting capacity. If that was the case, the footprint of each jack would only be a square inch to reach the 3000 pound capacity (less friction losses and other factors). Simply put it is a function of the actuator capacity combined with the cross-sectional area of the lifting cylinder, not the hose rating. In my opinion (definitely not warranted or guaranteed as I have not stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in a while), I would say the engineers have a sufficient safety factor designed in and a 3000 psi hose is adequate. As always, I can be further educated since I know there are some more qualified hydraulic gurus here on the MOC.
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Old 07-08-2014, 04:57 AM   #20
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Tom S ... I know you are a staunch supporter of EZ lube and have had success at all junctures of use of said system ... others have not and would rather go old school way ... someday you may even experience failure because although your wheel was already jacked up, you didn't want to remove a dust cap, locking washer, and nut. All of us don't have sealed wheel bearings either, so (psomers) thought on grease in the spindle cavity holds value. My F-350 doesn't have sealed front wheel bearings either ... been in there, packed them, got the T shirt. Additionally, my rear wheel bearings are open bearings that are initially packed, but are slosh lubed from the differential oil.
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