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Old 09-07-2013, 07:59 PM   #1
bbnkansas
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M.O.C. #13594
Grease fitting on axle hubs for 3400RL's

Greetings everyone. My question pertains to a beat up subject here on MOH...but my question is different.

My wife and I purchased a 2008 3400RL several months ago and are about to make our first lengthy trip. While doing my pre-trip maintenance and checks I was applying one squirt of grease to each hub when I encountered a problem that has not been discussed.
I have a normal pistol grip grease gun with a normal grease coupler. I was able to apply the coupler to the grease fitting and give one squirt of grease just fine. However, my problem happened when I tried to remove the coupler from the grease fitting...I could not without applying great (I mean great) force.
Does anyone know what the normal size for the grease fitting is so I can purchase the correct sized coupler? I think it is 1/4" but not sure. BTW...I plan on getting the wheel bearings hand packed before our next trip in December.
Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can give me.
 
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Old 09-08-2013, 01:55 AM   #2
HOOK
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Bob,
On the tip of your grease gun there should be an adjustable piece. There should be a division that can be turned to adjust. Just turn the end piece away from the collar in small increments until you have a comfortable fit.
Also be very careful adding grease to your hubs. Grease is not consumed and when the hubs are full it will leak on to your brakes and cause big problems.
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Old 09-08-2013, 06:56 AM   #3
bbnkansas
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Thank you! I will look at my gun to see if I can make the adjustment.
I was very careful to not overgrease or put more than one squirt in. I saw where it can become very dangerous and/or expensive to overgrease.
To me it does not make much sense why the requirement to grease is there when greasing can do more damage than good....
Wish I had more mechanical ability when it comes to brakes and wheel bearings.......
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Old 09-08-2013, 08:05 AM   #4
Irlpguy
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bbnkansas, Hook is correct you do need to be careful in how much grease you put in the hub, however one shot from a pistol grease gun would be equivalent to about a large bird dropping.

I would read your Dexter axle booklet on greasing these type of hubs, they are designed so that grease goes through the center of the spindle and enters near the rear bearing, grease then comes from the back to the front through the inner part of the hub to grease the outer bearing, and displace old grease within the hub, or that is the design theory.

In order for the grease to get into the drum/brake area the rear axle seal has to be pushed out or the grease must get past the double lip on the seal.

Unless you know your newly purchased unit has had the bearings repacked by hand recently, I would recommend you have that done and the rear seals replaced at the same time. It would likely cost you around $150.00 but would give you peace of mind for at least a couple of years down the road.

I had to replace both my axles on warranty because they were not sufficiently greased from the factory and the outer bearing spun on both of them.

Visual inspection and manual repacking are still the best insurance.


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Old 09-08-2013, 11:08 AM   #5
mach111
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Okay, I pulled my bearings on our 09 unit to check the bearings since I had no clue what the former owner did. Luckily I found plenty of grease and good bearings.

I think I read from some post or info from Dexter that the wheel should be turning slowly while greasing through the grease zerk on front of hub. I do not have confidence in the zerk fittings so I will continue to pull wheels and hubs and use a bearing packer to fully grease bearings. Yes it is a greasy mess but I love to service my own Monty. My philosophy is I can service at home better than repairing on side on interstate.
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Old 09-09-2013, 06:40 PM   #6
bbnkansas
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I was able to adjust my grease gun to where I could fit it over the zirk's on my hubs. However, I did not put any more grease into the hubs. I really, really do not want to break that back seal.
Like I said earlier, I am not a mechanic and do not have the expertise to pack the bearings myself...therefore, I will hire someone to pack the bearings when I get to Dallas later this month. I hope to get a Montana dealer to do the work so I can make sure the work is done correctly and I can actually see/watch what they do.
Thanks to everyone for all your help and advice. I will post my findings when I get the work done. Have a great day and don't forget to "Have fun"!
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Old 09-10-2013, 01:26 AM   #7
8.1al
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I wouldn't worry about finding a Montana dealer to pack your wheel bearings. Any competent mechanic can do it
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Old 09-10-2013, 04:40 AM   #8
BB_TX
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As noted above, one shot of grease (or two or three for that matter) will not do any good. Looking at a cut away view of the Dexter EZ Lube axle (see link below) you can see that the grease goes in thru the outer port, thru a channel to the inner bearing, thru that bearing into the center of the hub, fills that void, and then exit out thru the outer bearing. Takes a lot of grease to do that. Unless you see grease exiting thru the outer bearing around the tip of the grease gun, you have not greased the outer bearing at all.
There are two schools of thought regarding the EZ Lube axles. One is do not use the grease zerk at all. Only hand pack.
Second is to very carefully follow the Dexter lubing instructions. The instructions say to very slowly pump grease into the zerk while constantly turning the wheel until you see grease come out the front. Turning the wheel allows grease to more easily flow thru the inner bearing and less pressure on the seal. Continue that until you see new grease come out the front indicating all the old grease has been replaced by new grease. Done carefully the grease does not go thru the rear seal. I have done that with no problem. Others have reported grease getting thru the seal on the brakes.
Hand packing is the best idea since the bearings need regular inspection anyway.
EZ Lube Axle
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Old 09-10-2013, 05:49 AM   #9
1retired06
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Strongly agree, hand packing is the best way to go.
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Old 09-10-2013, 05:54 PM   #10
steelpony5555
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I agree you don't really need a Montana dealer. Here in Texas we have lots of trailer sales and most of them handle large goose neck or multiple horse trailers. There is no difference in working on the running gear of a Montana or a 4 horse trailer.........oh wait yeah there is a difference, it's a whole lot cheaper...lol lol I paid $100 to have mine greased and brakes checked...
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Old 09-10-2013, 05:54 PM   #11
bbnkansas
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Thanks for sharing the Dexter document showing how the greasing is supposed to work. That is truly a great way to keep the bearings greased if it worked as marketed. However, from what I have read here on this forum too many times the grease goes out the back and ruins the brakes. So, how can a person trust the system to do as it is marketed???? We cannot...
I am too scared to put a lot of grease into the hubs...I would rather pay for bearings to be packed than a set of 4 new brake kits! So, hand packing it is until a better, trustworthy method is developed.
We are leaving Colorado for Dallas on the 18th...there are many, many RV superstores and wheel/brake/tire stores in Dallas. So, I will get my wheel bearings packed in Dallas (cost will be less than here in Pueblo).
Thanks to everyone again. I cannot believe how helpful everyone is here on this website. It is truly my pleasure to be part of all this!!!!!
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Old 09-10-2013, 05:58 PM   #12
bbnkansas
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WOW!!! $100 to get the bearings packed and brakes checked??!??!?!? I got a quote today for $150 per axle and that is not counting anything that may need replaced....just packing and looking.
Now I know I will wait till I get to Dallas! LOL
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Old 09-11-2013, 01:33 AM   #13
Tom S.
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by bbnkansas

WOW!!! $100 to get the bearings packed and brakes checked??!??!?!? I got a quote today for $150 per axle and that is not counting anything that may need replaced....just packing and looking.
Now I know I will wait till I get to Dallas! LOL
For $100, I'd be happy to let someone repack the wheel bearings - IF I can watch. I've had experiences of not getting what I paid for (like car dealers failing to grease certain zerks), and with wheel bearings, you wouldn't know until it was too late.
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Old 09-11-2013, 08:02 AM   #14
01RAMer
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by bbnkansas

WOW!!! $100 to get the bearings packed and brakes checked??!??!?!? I got a quote today for $150 per axle and that is not counting anything that may need replaced....just packing and looking.
Wow, I must have been in the wrong business. When we did an inspection, we would pack the bearings as a courtesy because we had the wheels off anyway. About $30 for an inspection.
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