charlyhors Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 I have an open range 31 ft fifth wheel, new, still under warranty for a few weeks. A few weeks ago my wife noticed the dust cover on one of the wheel hubs had popped off and the underneath grease cover cap was loose at an angle under the hub. See the pictures in the link. I took off the wheel and inspected the Hub and grease cover. I did not see evident dust or dirt in there, so I straightened out the bent edges of the grease cap and inserted it back into place after putting in additional Grease. Since the dust cap was missing I just duct taped over the round plastic hub cap. I have two questions really. One - should I take our live in fifth wheel to a shop and have them repack that bearing and check it out? Two - how would I go about getting another grease cap as the edges of that one are damaged and it doesn't hold in super tight. And how would I get the round plastic dust cap that fits in the hub https://goo.gl/photos/9McTySds4vCEeeVT8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlyhors Posted August 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 I'm not crazy about taking the RV into a shop as it is our home for us and our cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobi and Dick McKee Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 It appears that you have ez lube axels. Just put your grease gun on the zerk fitting and pump until you see clean grease coming out of the hub. Turn the wheel slowly as you pump in new grease. The metal caps are fairly common. Go to a large auto part store with the old one and match it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 56 minutes ago, charlyhors said: ,,,should I take our live in fifth wheel to a shop and have them repack that bearing and check it out?...how would I go about getting another grease cap as the edges of that one are damaged and it doesn't hold in super tight... If the grease was low or dirty, I would just have the bearing replaced. They are not that expensive and if you are paying for labor by the actual time, the old bearing will not have to be cleaned before repacking. Many recommend that the rear seal should be replaced whether the bear is or not. The grease caps with the rubber inserts should be readily available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsallyh Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 Charlyhors, If it were mine, I'd go to auto parts, match the cap, although being a Dexter Easy Lube cap, a trip to a good RV parts store may be necessary. Then I'd simply tap the new cap on to the hub. I wouldn't fill the new cap with grease. No new grease in the EaysLube system should be necessary. But I'm very opinionated on Dexter Easy Lube. If you don't feel comfortable with it, don't take it to an RV repair shop. Go to a tire/alignment shop. They will be cheaper and get you out the door a whole lot quicker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCClockDr Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 2 hours ago, trailertraveler said: If the grease was low or dirty, I would just have the bearing replaced. They are not that expensive and if you are paying for labor by the actual time, the old bearing will not have to be cleaned before repacking. Many recommend that the rear seal should be replaced whether the bear is or not. The grease caps with the rubber inserts should be readily available. Bearings for our unit are $37.00 per wheel. Add the seal & grease and you are looking at $45.00 per. If you are absolutely certain what grease is already in use, then adding grease is an option. I would pull the hub get the bearing # from the outer bearing and the seal #. Call the axle manufacturer with this info and the axle # if you can find it. Ask for the inner bearing # and both race #'s. Now call Timken customer service. Give them the bearing & race # for each bearing set and get from them the SET NO. Now go to Amazon and see if they offer what you need. I got 1 tub and 3 tubes of Timken Red wheel bearing grease with my order. (1 tube may do 2 hubs) That is how I did it. Otherwise you will need to purchase the bearing and its race separately. (They will NOT be matched & likely China made) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted August 19, 2017 Report Share Posted August 19, 2017 Lots of repair shops besides a dealer can do this work. Napa shops can. I had a major axle problem and was towed to a Napa shop that did great work. In this case I needed a whole new axle and due to the location of the shop I was able to stay in the trailer for 3 days until the new axle was delivered and installed. I had a grease cap stolen once at a Walmart and purchased a new cap at an autoparts store and tapped it on. If you are not used to doing this it is not hard but if it is a good tight fit you can bend it up trying to install. I had not done it in years so I installed it right in the parts house parking lot in case I messed up and needed another one. I have had the best luck taping them on with a rubber headed mallet. Get it lined up good and tap lightly at first until you get it set. A block of wood between the cap and a regular hammer can work too. If you have any doubts just get an independent shop somewhere to clean the beariings and repack and reinstall with new seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlyhors Posted August 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Thanks for the advice. I did find a good bearing cap and also hubcap at a true value Store How often would you recommend I lube the wheel bearings through the EZ Lube Grease zerk. It's a new 5W and we've been using it full time for a year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 I wouldn't put any grease in through the zerk for a couple of years. The grease won't evaporate........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57becky Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 The slightest imperfection in the grease seal will allow grease to contaminate your brakes if you decide to use the not so easy lube feature. It is intended to be for boat trailers where the axle is immersed in water. If you are regularly traveling with your rig, you should be checking the brakes, annually if you follow Dexter's service interval, and that requires pulling the drum and inspecting the brakes, and then repacking the bearings and installing a new seal. This is prudent insurance to maintain your brakes and helps keep from having a bearing failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 I agree with almost everything 57 becky says except these are not the same as the set -up for boat trailers and the 2 are not interchangeable. At least all the older ones. Boat trailer may have been updated someway since I last owned one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobi and Dick McKee Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 I too disagree with Becky. I believe she has the spring loaded boat bearing caps confused with ez lube. The boat trailer unit is spring loaded to keep pressure on the grease to keep water out, and with too much grease being pumped in will go out the back seal. EZ lube is actually a hole in the middle of the axle that goes to the back of the bearing and then out to the bearing. Once the cap is removed the front of the bearing is exposed. While slowly rotating the tire, you simply pump in grease and allow the old geese to escape out the front until you see clean grease. The system has been around for years. I do it every spring when I lube the disc brake pins. That equates to about every 6 to 8 thousand miles. It's tough getting old. The light just went off and I remembered the name of the boat trailer bearing caps...Buddy Bearings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlyhors Posted August 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 I watched a video on replacing or repacking trailer bearings - doesn't look too hard, but messy. I'm hearing different things here on the easy lube bearings - don't put any grease in for a couple of years - pull the wheels and repack or put in new bearings every year, along with a new rear seal, along with inspecting the brakes. I'm curious why they bother with Easy Lube zerks if repacking is needed yearly? On a one year old unit like mine, what would you recommend for maintenance? Also, one of my rims does show significant grease near the hub - would that indicate the rear seal needs replacing? https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPN4jI6Tg0KSqnFzeO2Mr9jJjZda9OdMBOsShTsrNtooHUZtJACXI22-9S25zIFeA?key=clN6UVFLUzRITVNONEo3OTFHTG1Ldnh1VDNVelVn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 Charley, have you ever owned a rear wheel drive car or a two wheel drive truck? If you did, how often did you pull the wheels and re-pack the bearings? The same schedule will work for the trailer too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlyhors Posted August 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 Good point Mntom!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat & Pete Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 9 hours ago, Bobi and Dick McKee said: I too disagree with Becky. I believe she has the spring loaded boat bearing caps confused with ez lube. The boat trailer unit is spring loaded to keep pressure on the grease to keep water out, and with too much grease being pumped in will go out the back seal. EZ lube is actually a hole in the middle of the axle that goes to the back of the bearing and then out to the bearing. Once the cap is removed the front of the bearing is exposed. While slowly rotating the tire, you simply pump in grease and allow the old geese to escape out the front until you see clean grease. The system has been around for years. I do it every spring when I lube the disc brake pins. That equates to about every 6 to 8 thousand miles. It's tough getting old. The light just went off and I remembered the name of the boat trailer bearing caps...Buddy Bearings... Maybe you meant to say : Bearing Buddy ? Goes around , comes around . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCClockDr Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 @charlyhorsit appears from your photo you have drum brakes with EZ-Lube spindles. The drum brakes pretty much defeat the advantage of EZ-Lube spindles if the hub & drum are one piece. If the drum slips over the lug bolts then the advantage is retained as the brakes can be inspected without removing the hub. Grease staining on the center visible portion of the wheel indicates grease is escaping from the dust cap not the seal. A seal failure will distribute grease into the drum, fouling the brakes. If the failure is significant you might see grease staining the bead portion of the rim and tire never the spokes or center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobi and Dick McKee Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 old and dyslexic to boot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat & Pete Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 33 minutes ago, Bobi and Dick McKee said: old and dyslexic to boot! I'm both , too . I figure as long as you know that^ , you have a chance . Goes around , comes around . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57becky Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 Just as an FYI for those interested, this is copied from the Dexter 600-8K Complete Service Manual, page 58 5. Rotate hub or drum while adding grease. Note: The E-Z Lube® feature is designed to allow immersion In water. Axles not equipped with E-Z Lube® are not designed for immersion and bearings should be repacked after each immersion. If hubs are removed from an axle with the E-Z Lube® feature, it is imperative that the seals be replaced BEFORE bearing lubrication. Otherwise, the chance of grease getting on brake linings is greatly increased. I also wonder, when the hub needs to be removed for any reason, what do any of you do with all the grease that is inside the hub cavity? I used the EZ Lube once early on, and did it exactly as described in the manual, and ended up losing three brake assemblies due to greased brakes from failed seals. I had one major mess with all the grease that had to be removed, that was doing nothing to lube the bearings while it was in there. Annually, I can repack all the bearings with one can of grease and use four new seals, and cost is less than $40, with some rags and solvent to clean the bearings. If you follow the EZ Lube procedure, you pump grease until all the old grease has been cycled through the hub, which will take most of a cartridge per hub, and then you have to dispose of all that grease. I find it much easier to just pull the hubs, and do the service, and never have to worry about losing the brakes due to grease leaking past seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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