AXLE SERVICE

[klaus weihs]

How often to service axles

[dieselguy]

Do you mean how often do you repack wheel bearings and check your brakes? Some do it every year ... I repack every other year as I don't pull but maybe 3K to 4K a year.

[WaltBennett]

quote:Originally posted by dieselguy

Do you mean how often do you repack wheel bearings and check your brakes? Some do it every year ... I repack every other year as I don't pull but maybe 3K to 4K a year.

We've done close to 10k a year for the last two, so I do it every spring. Since ours is six years old now, I'm going to pull the drums and check the brakes as well. By the by, I don't pull them to 'repack', just use the EZ-Lube feature by the instructions.

[1retired06]

I repack every 15K. Do not trust the EZ lube, too much risk. Like the old fashioned way, repack by hand, and inspect.

[DonandJudy_12]

I have the hubs pulled every other year to inspect the brake linings, the magnets, the hubs and the area for grease leakage- Then we clean and repack the bearings- Every other year means approx. 15k- I am not a proponent of using the grease zerk in the end of the shaft to repack the bearings- JHMO- Don

[rohrmann]

If one is not servicing the bearings annually, make sure you are using a high quality grease, as lower quality greases tend to separate the oils from the solids over time, which can cause damage to the bearings. For those that don't do their own work, ask the shop what grease they use, as grease is the least expensive part of the job, even high quality grease.

[dieselguy]

We've rode this horse clear down to the stirrups before, but I just have to admire Walt and a couple of others on the MOC for their tenacity about using the EZ Lube. Unfortunately I can easily pit 20+ failures to his one success just in my small arena of RV servicing in past years. Assuming they do not get grease past the rear wheel seal ... do users not realize after a fashion they are eventually pushing the used grease from the rear bearing right into the front bearing? I know ... just zip it dieselguy ....

[Dam Worker]

I have a question for you Dieselguy as I do not totally understand. If it pushes the clean grease into the rear of the inner bearing forceing the old grease out the front and then into the rear of the outer bearing and then out the front is it not changing out the old grease in both bearings? I think I had that style on my jetboat trailer and I just pumped grease in until I had nothing but clean grease comeing out. Is this the same style? I can see where you would be able to look at the bearings if you removed them cleaned them and inspected them and you might see something that would make you buy a new bearing. Years ago all the cars had a unsealed wheel bearings in them. I did find some bad bearing when doing repacks. Is this the benifit or are you worried old grease from one bearing being shoved into the other bearing. Just trying to figure out what is necessary. I myself wish they were a sealed bearing like the ones on all the cars etc or an oil bath style. I probably won't need to worry about it this year but probably should check.

Tom Marty

[rohrmann]

Dexter does have their Nev-R-Lube bearings, but do not know if they can be used on our standard axles. They are also very expensive compared to the normal bearing assemblies. According to Dexter, the maintenance interval for bearing service is 12,000 miles or 12 months, which I've always understood as which ever one that is reached first prevails.

[8.1al]

Keep preaching dieselguy, some people will listen.

[dieselguy]

Tom ... Like I said, we've rode this horse clear down to the stirrups before ... I truely believe EZ lube is a flawed design ... others don't. The first time you use it, you have old grease shoved out of the rear bearing (assuming you don't blow past the rear seal) into about 1/2 tube of new grease between the bearings which mixes as it moves forward to the outer bearing. Now just how many people are going to sit by each wheel, turn it, and SLOWLY pump a grease gun till better than a half tube of a mix of new and old grease is expelled out the front bearing? I could nearly have the bearings cleaned and hand packed in that period of time. When you mention boat trailer bearings ... Bearing Buddies and EZ lube are two totally different designs. Bearing Buddies work from the outer to the inner and depend on there being some empty space between the bearings ... EZ lube works from the inner to the outer and depends on a fully packed cavity between the bearings ... I yield the floor.

[sambam]

For what it's worth, I'm with you, dieselguy. I don't want to leave an important maintenance item to chance anyway, so I grease the old fashioned way.