A warning for those in Virginia

[WaltBennett]

Since buying our '10 Monty in '13, I've been following Dexter's EZ-Lube instructions and not had any problems. On the way back from CA last year, I noticed the brakes were getting a little softer - not a lot, just a bit different. I hadn't looked at them myself, so I decided to pull them all this spring and find out what was going on. Lo and behold the first drum I pulled was the same one an older than me VA state inspector had pulled the spring after we picked up our trailer for it's annual inspection. AND guess what, this one's seal had failed probably when we started back from CA, and the shoes were ruined! The other three are down about half-way, and all the magnets are at least 3/4 of original thickness. Since I gave away my drum brake tools many years ago thinking I'd never have to work on them again, and eTrailer sells Dexter replacement assemblies for $85 ea., I'm going to replace them all & keep the old magnets as spares. I'm also never again going to let some idiot pull a drum again without replacing the seal.

Something I noticed though - while I know many prefer to remove the drums and repack by hand, there's a lot of grease that is held between the bearings. Guess that's why it takes about 3/4 of a tube to get all the old out using Dexter's method. If all you are doing is repacking the bearings themselves and not filling the rest of the voids, you're running without the amount you should have. I also noticed that even after 10k miles last year, the grease I had to scoop out was still redish in color, not black.

[halfwright]

I guess I am missing something. You said the grease in the void was still red, signifying it had not been subjected to use. But, you also said that it was needed.
My question is why put it there if it is not used?

[WaltBennett]

No, ALL the grease was still red. Thing is, I'll bet a lot of what gets hand packed into bearings will end up in the space between them. Then your bearings will end up with too little.

[swanny]

use a good grease and it stays were you put it. I've repacked many bearings over the years and just greased the bearings and avoided wasting the grease in wide open areas. I actually clean all the grease out of the area in between the bearings with no ill effect.

[dieselguy]

Walt ... I'm sorry you probably had a guy cause you grief ..... however we'll never see eye to eye on this subject ... Lots of us pull wheels without replacing the wheel seal every time. If you take your time and pull them slowly and align them slowly going back on ... you'll have no issue. The brake shoes help you center so you get the seal over the rear step. You do not have to have the entire void filled on any wheel hub unless you have the "Patience of Jobe" and subscribe to the EZ lube procedure. If you repack your wheel bearings by hand ... after repacking the bearings with new grease ... just wipe a bit more grease on the inner cavity and the spindle to keep it from rusting. As you saw, the grease packed inbetween the bearings seldom gets used unless you need it there to make the EZ lube work. I've pulled a lot of trailer wheels for their first time from the factory ... about half have a bit grease in the cavity and none have the cavity full. Look at a sealed wheel bearing ... the only amount of grease it has is in the roller cage. With the time it takes you to jack up each wheel ... meticulously rotate the tire and push a near whole tube of grease out the front bearing on each of the four wheels ..... using air tools, I could near do a hand pack, not have to worry about grease past a seal, and do a visual on the brakes to boot.

[jcurtis934]

Yep...the two sides of this maintenance issue will never see "eye to eye" and that is okay. We each make our own mind up and try to follow what we believe. Me, I follow the manufacturer's advice as far as using their design. With the level up system, it takes me no time to brin wheels off the ground. I also take temp readings on mt wheels/tires/bearing area whenever I fuel up or stop. I don't pull the hubs every year...I test my brakes...I trust. Don't try to influence anyone into doing what I do...each to his own comfort level. John

[psomers]

If we're choosing sides put me on diselguy's side. Before automobiles went to front wheel drive the front spindles had cup and cone bearings almost forever. No way to grease them except to hand pack. I bet some people went 100,000 miles with out repacking with no problem. The ez lub is for people that otherwise may never grease them. Better ez lub than nothing.

[Dam Worker]

Paul I will say I handpicked bearings in the 70's that crappy car builders (the big three) used to build. I found out it was way faster to have the five gallon jug with a funnel shaped steel piece that I would put the bearings on and then lock it into place and give the handle a couple of pumps and the bearing was packed full of fresh grease.:-) Of course that was after cleaning out the old grease and inspecting the bearings. Oh yeah that is how i made money, called a job. . I think they could come up with a sealed bearing that would do better than what we have now.


Tom Marty

[WaltBennett]

I really don't care which way anyone else does these things. I just know I prefer packing them the way Dexter says to. My complaint was about a state inspector that screwed up one of my seals. What I also said was that there is a void that should also be packed if one is doing it by hand. As a reference, here's the eTrailer video on replacing the brake assembly that also includes replacing the drum. The mechanic packs the new bearings by hand, AND puts grease in the void I mentioned. Then he ALSO does the Dexter method to completely fill the hub. I figure if Dexter, the manufacturer, and eTrailer, a major trailer parts seller, both say to 'use the zerk', then it's got to be the way to go.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Bra...er/23-464.html

[swanny]

so are you going to replace the seals before every grease job? the grease will go to the area of least resistance and if your seals are worn or weak grease will go into the brake shoe area. I guess we all do what makes us happy.

[WaltBennett]

One does not have to replace the seals at all if you follow Dexter's instructions. They only need replacing if some idiot screws them up (like the state inspector did to mine), or you want to just to be safe (as I am doing on the other three wheels that have 6 year old seals).

[psomers]

You can get sealed bearings from Dexter. They sell NEV_R_LUB wheels that never have to be greased. My previous SOB had them.
Bottom line on ez-lub is to do what you feel is correct. Long as they get greased.

[Dam Worker]

Paul thanks for the info. I will have to chat with Dexter and see what I can get. All my newer rigs from 2000 to 2006 have never had an issue with wheel bearings. Oh yeah for the most part they are all sealed bearings. Actually I think they are all sealed bearings just one of the rigs has the bearings back to back instead if the normal gap. Sad to say but I have had rigs with 300K miles on them with out ever needing to have wheel bearings greased. Usually there are better parts available if one can find them.

Tom Marty

[scott-pati]

Whew.... I guess I don't have to worry about it because I don't leave in Virginia .

LOL

Still a good heads up thread!

[dieselguy]

Just a thought to throw out about converting to "never lube" wheel bearings. In theory they'd be great ... in actuality they have drawbacks. Regular greased wheel bearings are pretty easy to be serviced, found, and replaced out on the road should the occasion present itself. The "never lube" assy isn't as easy to be serviced, found, or be replaced out on the road as they require knowlege and skill to be setup on a bench before reinstalling them on your spindle. Many local trailer supply stores carry our greasable bearings and races ... few carry the neverlube repair kits and would have to order them. Sometimes the "never lube" bearing failure damages the hub where the bearings are pressed in to the point you have to buy a whole new one ... $$$$.
http://www.dexterpartsonline.com/fil...20Bearings.pdf

[Phil P]

Hi

I have been using the Ezlub system since new in 2009. I have changed shoes one time and that was because the pivot pin rusted causing break drag. Never had a grease seal fail and have never removed the inner bearings. Approaching 90,000 miles on the trailer at this time and suppose I will have that by the time I get home from this trip.

I must be doing somting wong !!!!

Phil P

[1retired06]

I do mine the old fashioned way, with new seals every time. To each his own way

[Phil P]

Hi

We had a similar discussion here a year or so ago.

I am doing some part time work for an agriculture research facility located on an 11, 000 acre ranch.

They have excessive wheel bearing failures on their equipment that is pulled behind their tractors etc.

I blame this on the fact that the equipment sits idle for 9 months a year and then is used heavily for 3 months.

The trucks and tractors get good mileage on their wheel bearings 100,000 plus. The equipment fails the bearing annually.

I keep a motor vehicle for 10 years 200,000 miles and never change or pack wheel bearing and for the last 15 years or so the bearings are not even removable or have provisions for lubrication. This seems to me to back my theory that sitting idle for extended periods of time causes bearing problems that need attention like most of you recommend and do annually.

At the same time we use our trailer at least once a month and average 13,000 miles a year and don’t have the problems a lot of you experience and don’t do anything except lubricate with the EZlub system once a year. I check the wheel lug torque and the hub temperatures the first 30 to 50 miles of every trip and hub temperatures every fuel stop.

Then to further back my theory I have a little flat bed trailer that I traded a box of spark plugs for in about 1972 that sits most of the time I use it maybe once a year. I have had to replace the wheel bearings several times over the years and the axel once.

So my point is when you do your annual wheel bearing service I DO recommend on trailers that sit thru the winter in storage the wheel bearing be removed and cleaned for inspection. Replace any bearing that has irregular surface or bark spots were the rollers have been sitting. Then repack by hand or using a bearing packing tool.

Phil P

[WaltBennett]

Interesting how this thread quickly changed direction from my warning VA residents about safety inspectors into a debate about greasing bearings. Somehow I knew this would happen . . .

[mlh]

I live in Va but I don't worry about this. In my 30 some years of having an RV I've never had one inspected. If I get caught I'm still ahead of the game.
Lynwood