Wheel bearing grease how to do it

[Mayao]

Hi,
Probably a simple question but I dont know being new to trailers. The trailer a Zepplin z271 has dual axles and as i just got this spring wanted to grease the wheels. My son said he thinks what appears to be a cap would pop off. The center has a rubber like dimple that compresses if you push on it lightly. So do I pop off that cap? Then does it require a grease gun. Is there a fill nipple or is it more extreme to degrease? Any advice be appreciated.

[ChuckS]

You’ll get varied opinions .. some will say yea stick a grease gun on thise axle end fittings and pump grease.

Others will say yea you can use the axle end fitting and pump grease as long as you lift tire and rotate slowly while pumping grease...

The issue with both methods above is.
1. You can’t see condition of wheel bearings and races
2. You can’t see condition of brake shoes, attach hardware, etc

The proper way is simply to remove the hub, remove the bearings and clan them and inspect races and bearings.

Clean the brake shoes and such and inspect condition

Hand pack bearings and install and apply correct initial torque to bearing nut and back off nut to finger loose and install cotter key or EZ lube lock clip

If down properly once a year is all that’s required and you will know the condition of above items.

And while your at it inspect the suspension .. spring hanger brackets, bolts and bushings for wear and grease suspension of bolts are wet bolt type
YMMV

[BrooksFam]

Good suggestions above and youtube has lots of info.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...trailer+axles+

[Laredo Tugger]

Mayao,
Congrats on the new (to you) trailer and welcome to the world of "trailer maintenance and repair". Don't let this scare you, it is not rocket science and between the wealth of knowledge (on this forum) and explained procedure videos on you tube there is not too much that you can't do to your own trailer.
I just did the above procedure(s) to my trailer. It was not complicated, just follow the steps explained and you will be fine. And you will be rewarded with the satisfaction that you learned a new mechanical skill and saved the labor cost to hire someone.
And kudos for asking how to and getting ahead of a problem while on the road.
It's one thing to do the work in your driveway with a cold beer and the stereo playing some tunes, it's another thing (dangerous thing) to do "maintenance" on the side of a busy interstate with drivers swerving like drunks when they try to text and drive (big rigs included). Don't get me started.
Good luck
RMc

[sourdough]

OP as has been suggested, do the bearings properly and pull them. I've used the little grease zerks years ago when lazy and didn't have a problem, but, I didn't travel much at all and the trailer weighed maybe 3000lbs. With a 14 year old trailer pulling those wheels/bearings and checking them will be invaluable to you since you have no idea what of shape the bearings or any other components are in. Plus, as was mentioned, you will learn a new skill that can come in very handy. Good luck.

[MarkEHansen]

One problem with using the EZ-Lube zerk fittings which wasn't mentioned above is how easy it is to have the grease blow past the rear seal and contaminate the brake components.

I also advocate pulling the hubs, cleaning everything out, including cleaning all the grease out of the bearings. You can then inspect the bearings to make sure they still look okay before repacking and then re-installing them.

To clean the bearings out, I just got little plastic jars with screwtop lids and put the bearings in a bath of Diesel fuel. I shook them every once in a while to agitate the grease and then rinsed them out using the Brake Kleen spray you get at the auto parts store. They come out clean as a whistle and ready for inspection.

Remember not to try to reuse the rear seal - so make sure you have new ones before starting the job (plus a couple spares, just in case).

You'll need to know which axles you have before you can purchase the correct parts. My axles were labeled 4400lb, so I assumed that's what they were. After checking with Dexter, I found they were actually 5200lb de-rated to 4400 - so I needed parts for a 5200lb axle Oh well.

Good luck and ask if you have any questions.

[Canonman]

Tony,
Here's a little tool that makes greasing the wheel bearings a little easier and less messy.
It's called a Wheel Bearing Grease Packer:
https://locknlube.com/products/lisle...BoCuUUQAvD_BwE
You'll have to judge by watching the you tube videos if you want to tackle this job yourself. Plan on about 4 hours. I'd bet your '06 will need new bearings and seals and would have these ready in case the originals have not been replaced. It's not a huge job, but the going rate around here is about $250 to have it done plus parts if the bearings need to be replaced. This may be a smart option if all this is new to you. Make sure if you hire this done that they inspect your brakes at the same time.
Definitely DO NOT use the zerk fitting on the axel to add grease.

[ehidle]

If you just bought your trailer and/or your bearings are brand new, you can prolong the life more or less indefinitely by shooting some grease through the fitting before every trip. I use a Ryobi battery-powered grease gun. I have a 4 year old cargo trailer I've been doing this with since new and after 40K miles or so the bearings have no issues.

Do jack up each wheel once in a while to make sure there is not excessive play.

If you bought a trailer used, or don't know the condition of the bearings, just replace them. There is no reason in the world to remove bearings for "inspection." If you go through the trouble to pull the bearings and races to inspect them, just install new ones. They're too cheap not to, and it's the cheapest insurance you can ever buy.

Remember to never replace a bearing without also replacing its race.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by ehidle

If you just bought your trailer and/or your bearings are brand new, you can prolong the life more or less indefinitely by shooting some grease through the fitting before every trip. I use a Ryobi battery-powered grease gun. I have a 4 year old cargo trailer I've been doing this with since new and after 40K miles or so the bearings have no issues.

Do jack up each wheel once in a while to make sure there is not excessive play.

If you bought a trailer used, or don't know the condition of the bearings, just replace them. There is no reason in the world to remove bearings for "inspection." If you go through the trouble to pull the bearings and races to inspect them, just install new ones. They're too cheap not to, and it's the cheapest insurance you can ever buy.

Remember to never replace a bearing without also replacing its race.

I'd suggest that "if your trailer is brand new" you have no idea whether the bearings are properly installed, greased to specifications or even if the rear seals were even installed at the factory/axle manufacturer...

Further, according to the Dexter, Al-Ko and Lippert instructions in their axle manuals, to "properly use the EZ-lube system, the wheel should be "off the ground and slowly turned while injecting grease into the fitting"... It's not a "once in a while check to see if there's excess play".

There have been recalls on many trailer brands based on "axle factory errors'. Keystone has recalled trailers because bearings were not properly lubricated before leaving the factory (axle factory or trailer factory). For the end user (trailer owner) to simply "shooting some grease through the fitting before every trip" would not identify a loose bearing, a missing retainer clip, a damaged bearing from being towed from the factory to the dealership nor would it identify a grease saturated brake lining caused by an improperly installed or missing grease seal...

I'd submit that any "process to lubricate bearings" (short of disassembly, cleaning, inspecting, repacking and reinstalling them) is a venture into "hope" that the factory actually did the job properly. Recalls by the factory suggest that they don't always "get it right"....

It's incumbent on any trailer owner to "know the condition of their trailer" not to "rely on the factory to have done it correctly" .... YMMV.

[travelin texans]

IIRC the instructions for EZ Lube specifically state to not use a pnuematic or battery powered grease gun, slowly pump with a hand pump grease gun while spinning the wheel. This system is great for any trailer that does not have brakes to worry about filling with grease.
But as others have stated the absolute best method is removing & hand packing so that all components can be inspected, repaired or replaced.
FYI if you discover brakes are worn or contaminated it's best to just order new backing plates that all brake parts are already assembled, remove 4 or 5 bolts to replace.

[LewisB]

Originally Posted by ehidle

If you just bought your trailer and/or your bearings are brand new, you can prolong the life more or less indefinitely by shooting some grease through the fitting before every trip. I use a Ryobi battery-powered grease gun. I have a 4 year old cargo trailer I've been doing this with since new and after 40K miles or so the bearings have no issues.

Do jack up each wheel once in a while to make sure there is not excessive play.

If you bought a trailer used, or don't know the condition of the bearings, just replace them. There is no reason in the world to remove bearings for "inspection." If you go through the trouble to pull the bearings and races to inspect them, just install new ones. They're too cheap not to, and it's the cheapest insurance you can ever buy.

Remember to never replace a bearing without also replacing its race.

I disagree with almost everything in this post. It does not adhere to the Dexter recommendations for use of the EZ-Lube system in multiple aspects. If you are going to use the EZ-Lube system, at least follow the Dexter recommendations to the letter. Never use a powered grease gun. Always jack up the wheel and rotate the wheel assembly while slowly adding grease.

Regardless of the age of a trailer (new vs used, etc.), the fact remains that unless you pull the hub and actually do an inspection, you DON"T know the condition of the bearings and seals and brakes. After a couple of short trips with our brand new 2018 Keystone Raptor, I pulled the hubs and found that the factory had dropped a "spare" backing plate nut into one of my drums. It had destroyed the auto-adjuster and was just a matter of time before all the loose parts locked up the wheel. I would never have found this problem if I were using the EZ-Lube system.

I recommend you pull the hubs and inspect everything yourself. Yes, you can pay someone $250 or more, but are you going to stand there and watch them? If not, how do you know they actually did a thing to your rig? You may have a great dealership, but how much do you trust that junior technician-in-training working out back that is servicing your trailer? It just makes sense to invest a little time & do this yourself when possible. I know that won't work for many of us, but just sayin...

[ehidle]

I never suggested not jacking up the wheel and greasing the bearing per the guidelines. Shame on me for assuming that would go without saying.

The reason for not using a powered grease gun is to avoid exceeding max pressures, but this one is slow and very low volume and does not exceed common hand-pump pressures (I have this one dialed down to 6000 psi). It's no different than pumping by hand.

The situations you guys are describing are outliers.

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by ehidle

I never suggested not jacking up the wheel and greasing the bearing per the guidelines. Shame on me for assuming that would go without saying.

The reason for not using a powered grease gun is to avoid exceeding max pressures, but this one is slow and very low volume and does not exceed common hand-pump pressures (I have this one dialed down to 6000 psi). It's no different than pumping by hand.

The situations you guys are describing are outliers.

The situations they describe are real world, from real experiences. Do not discount them.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by LewisB

I disagree with almost everything in this post. It does not adhere to the Dexter recommendations for use of the EZ-Lube system in multiple aspects. If you are going to use the EZ-Lube system, at least follow the Dexter recommendations to the letter. Never use a powered grease gun. Always jack up the wheel and rotate the wheel assembly while slowly adding grease.

Regardless of the age of a trailer (new vs used, etc.), the fact remains that unless you pull the hub and actually do an inspection, you DON"T know the condition of the bearings and seals and brakes. After a couple of short trips with our brand new 2018 Keystone Raptor, I pulled the hubs and found that the factory had dropped a "spare" backing plate nut into one of my drums. It had destroyed the auto-adjuster and was just a matter of time before all the loose parts locked up the wheel. I would never have found this problem if I were using the EZ-Lube system.
Attachment 30304Attachment 30305
I recommend you pull the hubs and inspect everything yourself. Yes, you can pay someone $250 or more, but are you going to stand there and watch them? If not, how do you know they actually did a thing to your rig? You may have a great dealership, but how much do you trust that junior technician-in-training working out back that is servicing your trailer? It just makes sense to invest a little time & do this yourself when possible. I know that won't work for many of us, but just sayin...

My brand new '13 Redwood had about 6000 miles when I decided to check the bearings, brakes, etc only to find that apparently the factory or the dealership had pumped grease through the EZ lube thereby filling all 4 hubs full of grease. I was reimbursed for the new backing plates & I furnished the labor, removed the EZ lube zerks so that it could never happen again.
My recommendation is NEVER use the EZ lube, HAND PACK ONLY!

[ehidle]

Originally Posted by Bill-2020

The situations they describe are real world, from real experiences. Do not discount them.

They must have awful luck. In all of my experience I have had exactly zero bearings go bad on me. YMMV I guess.

[ChuckS]

Right out of Dexter Axle service manual.......

Anything less than removal and using your eyes to see is a recipe for issues most would not want.....

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by ehidle

They must have awful luck. In all of my experience I have had exactly zero bearings go bad on me. YMMV I guess.

Well, I suppose you’re luck can vary as well. Take it as you will and best of luck with that.

[Billod]

I thought I would share my recent experience with bearings, brakes & grease.

Great insight above from everyone else. In addition, I discovered while replacing the bearings the electric brake shoe pads were very thick and thought they we perfectly fine with a lot of material left. I suggest a good inpection of the brake drums and magnet surface mating area in addition to the brake shoes, while servicing the bearing. Upon closer inspection of the magnet mating surfaces, I noticed the brake magnet contact point to the brake drum was worn past its wear indicator holes at a surprising angle, causing limited braking when the brakes applied (I had adjusted the brakes). I was further surprised to discover the brake drum were also worn at the same angle and had limited contact between the new magnet, and drum surface. As a result, I had to replace the drums, bearings, rear brake plate, etc.

Also, I used Lucas Red and Tacky wheel bearing grease (3 tubes about $5 each) and a bearing packing tool "Performance Tool Universal Bearing Packer" for about $8.

It was well worth the time and investment to ensure we did not have a breakdown on the side of the road with the family. It took me a weekend to complete the maintenance for our 3K mile round trip. IMHO when I thought how important it was to stay rolling down the highway without issue it is well worth the investment of time and money.

I hope this helps. Also, I am have not performed bearing and brake replacements on a trailer before. Youtube has terrific repair videos.

p.s. My trailer has the Dexter Ez-Lube axles and I was able to see the concern of others greasing bearings using the grease zerk fittings and overfilling with grease. In a pinch, I would use it very sparingly. I will probably never use them, and grease the bearings the old fashion method.

Best,
Bill

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by Billod

I thought I would share my recent experience with bearings, brakes & grease.

Great insight above from everyone else. In addition, I discovered while replacing the bearings the electric brake shoe pads were very thick and thought they we perfectly fine with a lot of material left. I suggest a good inpection of the brake drums and magnet surface mating area in addition to the brake shoes, while servicing the bearing. Upon closer inspection of the magnet mating surfaces, I noticed the brake magnet contact point to the brake drum was worn past its wear indicator holes at a surprising angle, causing limited braking when the brakes applied (I had adjusted the brakes). I was further surprised to discover the brake drum were also worn at the same angle and had limited contact between the new magnet, and drum surface. As a result, I had to replace the drums, bearings, rear brake plate, etc.

Also, I used Lucas Red and Tacky wheel bearing grease (3 tubes about $5 each) and a bearing packing tool "Performance Tool Universal Bearing Packer" for about $8.

It was well worth the time and investment to ensure we did not have a breakdown on the side of the road with the family. It took me a weekend to complete the maintenance for our 3K mile round trip. IMHO when I thought how important it was to stay rolling down the highway without issue it is well worth the investment of time and money.

I hope this helps. Also, I am have not performed bearing and brake replacements on a trailer before. Youtube has terrific repair videos.

p.s. My trailer has the Dexter Ez-Lube axles and I was able to see the concern of others greasing bearings using the grease zerk fittings and overfilling with grease. In a pinch, I would use it very sparingly. I will probably never use them, and grease the bearings the old fashion method.

Best,
Bill

Great follow up report... you can travel down the road knowing things were done right and with the bearing packer it does make it easier... I’ve just always used my hands.. my Dad taught me how to hand pack bearings when I was 10... that’s 55 years ago...still do it the same way...

As added insurance later on get you a set of inner and outer bearings and races and rear grease seal.. carry a brass punch, hammer and block of wood.. with these crude tools you can remove and replace the races and bearings on the road in under an hour...

Once a year or every 12K miles should be all the attention your RV axles and brakes will need now that you know their condition

[Hoopy Frood]

Originally Posted by Billod

...

p.s. My trailer has the Dexter Ez-Lube axles and I was able to see the concern of others greasing bearings using the grease zerk fittings and overfilling with grease. In a pinch, I would use it very sparingly. I will probably never use them, and grease the bearings the old fashion method.

Best,
Bill

FWIW, you can't "overfill" the EZ-Lube axles as it isn't a closed system, excess grease comes out the front past the grease zerk. While I don't use the EZ-Lube system anymore, I also don't repack bearings every year. I've done it twice in the 10 years I've owned the trailer. Both times everything looked fine, but I've probably only put a touch over 20,000 miles in that time. If you're putting in that kind of mileage in a years time, every couple years might be a better schedule.

And personally I feel that more issues with grease getting past seals is caused by poor assembly, and damage to seals at the assembly point, not with an inherent issue with the EZ-Lube system, per se.