E-z-lube

[hankpage]

I ran across this photo today. Explains what can happen if you use those zerk fittings on your axles.

[chuckster57]

I don’t see a problem, am I missing something?

[flybouy]

But the bearings will last & last!!!!!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by flybouy

But the bearings will last & last!!!!!

Bearings!?? The shoes, drum, bearings - I bet they'll last forever. That's a great idea....forget about packing the bearings yearly, drum and pad inspections - he's got it covered from now on....ingenious!!

[hankpage]

Bearings look good, a few shop rags and a couple of cans of Brake-Clean and you're good to go. Follow the purple globs of grease on the highway to find your way home.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by hankpage

I ran across this photo today. Explains what can happen if you use those zerk fittings on your axles.

I don’t see the picture in your post.

[tech740]

I am guessing it is this one. Seems to be making its rounds.

[bsmith0404]

Wow!!! I’ll admit I’ve used the EZ. Lube many times (as you guys know from our past discussions) without a single problem/have never blown a seal, but I also have never pumped that much grease into any wheel. That’s just a lack of common sense, the grease has to go somewhere and the hub is not that big. One good thing, I can guarantee they didn’t have a problem with anything rusting.

[JRTJH]

Not to spoil the fun (it's a great photo to illustrate the extreme), but take a look at the bearing on the spindle and try to imagine how that bearing seats with its race and how the grease seal gets past it to the seal surface on the spindle....

I realize the photo is a "setup parody to push a point" but things just don't go together the way they have it illustrated..... They also won't come apart that way either......

[bsmith0404]

Yeah, I’ve never seen a seal blow so bad that the bearing would stay in place when the hub is pulled. In the past, on boat trailers, I used to put the spindle nut back on and pull the bearing against it to pop the seal out the back. Now I just use the seal puller like it was intended.

[flybouy]

Maybe the bearing is galled onto the spindal due to lack of grease, then the owner "fixed it" by greasing it up "real good". I'm hearing my one BIL 's voice in my head explaining this happening to him ........

[chuckster57]

I had to do an axle service last year and the drum wouldn’t come off. It spin real good so I knew the shoes weren’t interfering. Got the drum off and found the inner bearing stuck to the spindle. Had to “work it” off the spindle.

[German Shepherd Guy]

I have EZ Lube on my 26RBPR. Have a good friend who is lead mechanic for our local power company. Maintains lots of trucks, big and small and lots of trailers. He saw no problem with using them, BUT said to never use a power lube gun and to go slow and easy. So far following his advice I have had no problems.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

I have EZ Lube on my 26RBPR. Have a good friend who is lead mechanic for our local power company. Maintains lots of trucks, big and small and lots of trailers. He saw no problem with using them, BUT said to never use a power lube gun and to go slow and easy. So far following his advice I have had no problems.

I do the same thing, been doing it for 15+ years and have never had an issue. I don’t pump grease until it comes out the front, I just give it about 5 pumps to get a little bit of new grease into the rear bearing. I used to pack the wheel bearings every other year and used the EZ Lube in off years. Now I’m retired, putting more miles on the RV each year so I pack the wheel bearings every year and stopped using the EZ Lube.

Most of the guys on here are dead set against using it because it is possible to blow the rear seal and get grease on the brakes. To be honest with you, I’ve never had it happen, but have also done wheel bearings maintenance for people that didn’t have the EZ Lube system, but still had the rear seal fail and grease the brakes.

I guess my point is that rear seals can fail for many reasons. I think the EZ Lube system gets blamed for the majority of them right or wrong. The system does work, but it also has the potential to cause problems. I’ve seen problems like in the pic (nothing that extreme). For most people, it’s probably best to just not use them and minimize the risk.

[flybouy]

Here's the issue I see with the EZ-Lube system. The instructions say do not use an pnuematic or automatic grease gun but only a hand operated grease gun. The instructions tell you to raise the wheel and turn it while applying grease. For an astute experienced person following this proceedure will likely work ok. I know speaking for myself I can feel the difference in the resistance in the handle of a grease gun and know forinstance when a ball joint seal is intact vs blown out or split. I'm 68 and can remember using a grease gun for 60 years. Not everyone has had the experiences that I have had.

Obviously some folks have an aversion to reading or following instructions. Those are the folks that grab the pneumatic grease gun and hold the trigger down until the "new color" of grease comes oozing out around the zerk cap. While pushing grease in under high pressure the person holding down the trigger has no idea that grease is filling the brake drum. They may not have the experience (or common sense) to realize that pumping grease in rapid fire bursts will shoot in a higher volume of grease than the hub cavity can hold and at a higher pressure than the real seal is capable of containg.

The issues I've listed above, combined with not inspecting the brakes if one becomes dependent on using the zero fitting only are why I won't recommend using them to someone that I don't know. If I'm with someone when they want to learn how to properly use the EZ-Lube system and actually do it would be different than telling someone on a social media site.

JMHO, YMMV

[skids]

I admit that I did use the EZ lube system when I brought the camper home new. This was to ensure that there was grease in the system. I had heard horror stories about the lack of grease from the manufacturer (Thor?) The thing about grease is it can harden with age/use and since the camper was new, I knew it would not be an issue. I can tell you that I pumped a lot of grease! This year I will be examining and cleaning the bearings so I will use a packer.

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

I have EZ Lube on my 26RBPR. Have a good friend who is lead mechanic for our local power company. Maintains lots of trucks, big and small and lots of trailers. He saw no problem with using them, BUT said to never use a power lube gun and to go slow and easy. So far following his advice I have had no problems.

Same here, been doing mine by the book (turn wheel slowly, wheel off the ground, manual grease gun) for 8 years now across two rigs, never a problem. Pulled mine this year to check the brakes and all, everything was perfect.

All the people complaining about them blowing out a seal are using anecdotal evidence; if we want to play anecdotal evidence I have seen perfectly hand packed bearings blow out 500 miles down the road; using that logic accordig to some on here you should never hand pack, after all I have seen multiple hand packed bearings blow out too. Obviously never greasing your bearings is a terrible idea as well, but if you use anecdotal evidence of individual failures you would conclude you should never pack bearings.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Gegrad

Same here, been doing mine by the book (turn wheel slowly, wheel off the ground, manual grease gun) for 8 years now across two rigs, never a problem. Pulled mine this year to check the brakes and all, everything was perfect.

All the people complaining about them blowing out a seal are using anecdotal evidence; if we want to play anecdotal evidence I have seen perfectly hand packed bearings blow out 500 miles down the road; using that logic accordig to some on here you should never hand pack, after all I have seen multiple hand packed bearings blow out too. Obviously never greasing your bearings is a terrible idea as well, but if you use anecdotal evidence of individual failures you would conclude you should never pack bearings.

My anecdotal evidence is either the factory or the dealer, you'd think either of those folks would know exactly how the system worked, pumped grease through the EZ Lube system, although not quite as bad as the picture above, but plenty of grease in all 4 hubs.
Not a myth, wives tale or anecdotal, just the facts.
My recommendation is NEVER use the EZ Lube system unless you are 110% confident that the seals are double lip, they're in pristine condition & you're absolutely sure you're not pumping grease past the seal. However there's only 1 way to confirm the seal condition & grease hasn't passed by, pull the hub, if you're doing this hand pack the bearings & skip the EZ Lube.

[mjsibe]

As a retired Master Marine Tech.
EZ lube systems works just fine.
Just be gentle putting grease in.
Remember boat trailers get dunking in fresh & salt water.
Use Marine wheel bearing grease.
It will mix with water & continue to lubricate.
Just keep a look at the rear seal.
Use double lip seals.
Every couple of years or 10k miles do a hand repack
Seals ect.
Seriously how many times do you do Front wheel bearings on a 2 wheel drive truck or car.
Just watch the seals.

[hawghauler]

I use them.never had a problem 3 pumps before every trip