Wheel bearing question

sheldons65 · April 9, 2023

Related to a 5er Montana with Dexter axles. Shortly after we bought a few years ago I replaced the Chinese bearings, races and seals with USA made Timkens. The difference in quality and even weight was obvious.

Annually, I repack by hand the bearings correctly with the specified grease using one of those tools you can connect to a grease gun. This is after properly cleaning and inspecting the bearing, races and hub. Use a new Timken seal each time. Also tighten the hub bolt according to the proper procedure. I learned how to pack a bearing totally by hand years ago but the repacking accessory for a grease gun is easier and I think actually does a better job of pushing all the old grease out.

My question: is it necessary to also apply a grease gun to the hub zert and fill up the inside hub using the EZ Lube system, spin the wheel, until you see grease, etc? I’ve not been doing that.

EZ Lube hubs burned me once years ago so I like the peace of mind of repacking by hand.

Kirk W · April 9, 2023

8 hours ago, sheldons65 said:

My question: is it necessary to also apply a grease gun to the hub zert and fill up the inside hub using the EZ Lube system, spin the wheel, until you see grease, etc? I’ve not been doing that.

I have quit repacking bearings myself so I do take advantage of the zerks on our EZ Lube system. I have found that you need to be careful about over greasing as it can get on to the brake drum and lube them too.

oldjohnt · April 9, 2023

My yearssssssssss long method which never caused any problems I'm aware of, was to: Pack the bearing (like the grease gun attachment myself),,,,,,,,,,Coat the race,,,,,,,Coat the seal and shaft (ever so light film) so it slides on easy,,,,,,,,THEN PUMP JUST ENOUGH GREASE TO FILL THE CAVITY (best i can tell) BUT NOT TOO MUCH TO FORCE ANY PAST THE SEAL............

Worked for me at least, see what any true professionals or the manufacturer may have to say??

John T Happy Camper back home again in Indiana. Now it's all the regular routine maintenance and any RV repairs and upgrades, which I enjoy doing

Happy and Blessed Easter everyone, He is risen

Edited April 9, 2023 by oldjohnt

rollinbrian · April 9, 2023

Converting to oil bath and Timkins in the next couple days because of issues like this.

3,000 miles on the bearings that came with my disc conversion kit and and one of the outer ones is disintegrating. Can't trust any of them, they all have to be replaced.

Lots of Pro's and Con's back and forth, many old wives tales and anecdotes energetically expressed, but for me it came down to this:

The only time you know your greased bearings and seals are good is when they are in your hands.

Having to re-pack every 6 months and worrying about if the seal blew out when I used the zerk is not fun for me.

Ray,IN · April 9, 2023

Fact, Dexter and other axle mfgrs. say to inspect axle bearing annually or 12,000 miles, whichever happens first. To me this made my E-Z lube jerk fitting useless and a waste of time. In reality they were designed for boat trailer axles according to Dexter. IMO they are a waste of money installing them on a trailer not intended to be submerged in water hub-deep.

reference: https://www.dexteraxle.com/Resources/Learning-Library/Informational/5198/proper-bearing-lubrication-type

I've owned trailers with standard axles and E-Z lube axles, both require removing the hub and bearings to inspect electric brakes, again annually. If I were to buy a new trailer again, it would not have E-Z lube hubs.

Edited April 9, 2023 by Ray,IN

ddm502001 · April 10, 2023

Bearings set properly after inspect and repack regardless the E-Z Lube fitting, on my equipment get the center cavity filled BY HAND. That is a lube well where as the grease warms due to friction becomes fluid to a point and feeds to the bearings. Just insurance. As to inspect and repack annually, would depend of hours of service, miles and speeds against loads. Heavy trailer can see it, smaller trailers under lighter loading or less use, no. RV being towed 65 mph across the US, Yes, that became severe duty, to drag a RV in a few neighbor to home state over one to two years, again no. Brakes malfunction, get hot, Inspect as inspect/repair brakes.

hemsteadc · April 10, 2023

Just to start a firestorm, I haven't serviced my wheel bearings in 16 years. I check hub heat at nearly every stop, and my TPMS reports temperature. No problems.

Edited April 10, 2023 by hemsteadc

Tulecreeper · April 10, 2023

27 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

Just to start a firestorm, I haven't serviced my wheel bearings in 16 years. I check hub heat at nearly every stop, and my TPMS reports temperature. No problems.

A man after my own heart. We don't need no steenking badges!

GlennWest · April 10, 2023

I can't see yearly packing bearings either.

GeorgiaHybrid · April 11, 2023

I clean and pack my bearings once every 5 years or so whether they need it or not. As long as you have them adjusted correctly and the seal isn't leaking, you should be good to go.

Tulecreeper · April 11, 2023

17 hours ago, GlennWest said:

I can't see yearly packing bearings either.

I tow a lot, mostly boats, but I feel the same. I tow probably 6000 to 7000 miles per year and I give them a few shots of grease about 3 or 4 times a year, and a couple times a year I jack the wheels up and give them a good tug to check for wobble. I have had 4 boats in my life and I have changed wheel bearings I think twice in 40 years.

Anawilliam850 · April 11, 2023

the EZ Lube system can be a useful tool if used correctly and if you have confidence in the quality of the grease that you are using.

The EZ Lube system is designed to allow for easy lubrication of the wheel bearings without having to remove the hub and bearings. The system works by using a grease gun to inject grease into the zerk fitting on the end of the axle spindle. This forces the old grease out of the hub and into the grease cap, allowing for new grease to be added.

While the EZ Lube system can be a convenient way to add grease to your wheel bearings, it is important to note that it should not be used as a substitute for proper maintenance. Repacking the bearings by hand is still the best way to ensure that the bearings are properly lubricated and inspected for wear.

mike5511 · April 11, 2023

On 4/9/2023 at 12:33 PM, rollinbrian said:

Converting to oil bath and Timkins in the next couple days because of issues like this.

3,000 miles on the bearings that came with my disc conversion kit and and one of the outer ones is disintegrating. Can't trust any of them, they all have to be replaced.

Lots of Pro's and Con's back and forth, many old wives tales and anecdotes energetically expressed, but for me it came down to this:

The only time you know your greased bearings and seals are good is when they are in your hands.

Having to re-pack every 6 months and worrying about if the seal blew out when I used the zerk is not fun for me.

I've got oil bath hubs that were grease packed from the factory, 9000 lbs Dexter axles. I spoke with Dexter about changing over to oil bath when I replaced all the bearings with Timkins. Great idea if you roll often, bad idea if it sets for months at a time. We were new with big plans to stay on the go all the time, but it didn't exactly work out like that. So, I'm glad I went back with the grease packed. Like someone said above, I packed them, they aren't leaking out, I plan to repack at the next bearing change, or as often as I do my vehicles............