Experience with EZ Lube axle lubrication

[etcmss]

So I decided to grease my wheel bearings. On removing the first wheel found out I had EZ Lube system. (Didn't know until now) Went to UTube to understand the greasing method, it also is the same as the Dexter manual. Pretty straight forward. Add grease until old comes out, just like the norm using a jerk fitting.
So I removed the outer wheel cap and the rubber axle plug, found very little visible grease around the outer bearing. Added quite a bit of new grease and it seemed to take forever to see the grease expel from the bearing. When it did it looked like new grease only. Continued to pump grease in to fill the cap and then put plugs back in place.
Rotated the wheels and seems quieter, but have no experience with what I found-----hardly any visible grease on the outer bearing.

Anyone have EZ Lube experience? Just looking for some confirmation.
It seemed to go as planned without the old grease coming out---almost as if I had no grease in the lines.
Gary

 

[Bob&Patty]

I have always been told to jack up the trailer so you can spin the wheels while using the grease gun. I did do this for a few years. Now I have the bearing hand packed/inspected and replace the seals. Trying to jack up the trailer by the frame is more trouble than paying someone to pack the bearings the correct way. One common problem using a grease gun is...you can blow out the seal and get grease all over the brake lining. Then it gets expensive.

 

[Gaffer]

Ditto.

I have always been told to jack up the trailer so you can spin the wheels while using the grease gun. I did do this for a few years. Now I have the bearing hand packed/inspected and replace the seals. Trying to jack up the trailer by the frame is more trouble than paying someone the pack the bearings the correct way. One common problem using a grease gun is...you can blow out the seal and get grease all over the brake lining. Then it gets expensive.

 

[etcmss]

I did get the wheels off the ground and rotated during grease add.
Don't believe the inner seal gave out since the grease add resulted in ooze at the outer bearing and zerk fitting.
My concern was having to add so much before I got the ooze. And no old grease in the ooze.
Gary

 

[GOTTOYS]

The first time you grease them using the EZ Lube system you are pushing grease through the backside of the rear bearing toward the front. If they have never been done this way you need to fill the cavity between the rear bearing and the front bearing which will take about 1/2 tube of grease before it starts to come out the front. It's important to rotate the wheel while doing this so it goes through the inner bearing evenly. After you have filled the cavity, the next time you grease them should only take a few pumps. With all this, I prefer the old way of removing the wheels and hand packing the bearings. This way you get to check the brakes, clean everything out, properly pack both bearings with no chance of getting grease into the brakes and install new seals. JMHO....Don

 

[jnbhobe]

I did get the wheels off the ground and rotated during grease add.
Don't believe the inner seal gave out since the grease add resulted in ooze at the outer bearing and zerk fitting.
My concern was having to add so much before I got the ooze. And no old grease in the ooze.
Gary

Gary please stop back and let us know how that works out for you.

 

[Jim.Allison]

It takes a lot of grease to fill that hub. If you look at the amount that can be squeezed through the zerk you can see how many strokes it might take to fill it if it is empty.

Someone said that old grease never came out!!!! I had a similar problem, but did eventually identify some old grease. It is disconcerting. I doubt that you had a dry bearing because it would have burned up. I think I would pull that bearing and inspect it. At a very minimum it was under lubricated.

 

[rxbristol]

Rotated the wheels and seems quieter, but have no experience with what I found-----hardly any visible grease on the outer bearing.

Because the wheels seam "quieter" when you spin them you have now have grease on your brakes.

 

[etcmss]

I was concerned enough to pull one hub and look for a loss of seal. After pulling one of the right side wheels I was able to see no grease got out of the hub, lots of grease now inside at both bearings. used about more than 2 but less than 3 tubes of grease.
So I have successfully greased all 4 wheels, filled the lubrication channel for the EZ Lube zerk from outer to inner bearing, have good confidence the grease is inside and not on the brakes and I do believe the wheels are quieter by having somewhat more grease than they did.
and I will also pull the hubs to check brakes, put them back on and maybe use the EZ lube to grease the bearings in the future--may actually pack by hand, better confidence.
Learned a bit more with this one, mostly wondering why Dexter put this one the axle but didn't fill the lube channel from outer to inner after assembly.
added EZ Lube tech flyer. the seal would be difficult to loose.
the Dexter axle web site says... "E-Z LUBE - What is the E-Z Lube option?
The E-Z Lube option was designed specifically for the marine application where the axles are constantly being immersed in water. This feature provides a convenient method for purging the water from the hub cavity without having to pull the hub every time. The hubs should be removed every 12 months or 12,000 miles to inspect the bearings and it is imperative to replace the seal at this time to assure that the grease does not leak out the back onto the brake linings rendering the brakes non-functional."
Gary

 

[JanAndBill]

After what seemed an eternity of pumping, I quit, pulled the hubs and packed them by hand. All the bearings were in good condition despite the fact that there was only a little bit of grease at each bearing. The center of the hub was completely empty. It took only a a little bit to pack the center before I reinstalled the outer bearing. Now a couple of pumps is sufficient to move a little grease through the outer bearing. I realize that the grease in the center doesn't do much but the EZ Lube function doesn't get grease to the outer bearing unless it's there, and the outer bearing is the one most likely to fail. Seems to me that Dexter would fill this void at the factory.

 

[Bob&Patty]

What would make me wonder about the bearings is....why are they quieter now. Are they pitted or been hot? With out pulling the grease caps....how is the pre-load on the bearings. Just thinking out loud.

 

[MTPockets]

I spent my entire working life/career in the bearing business. Involved application, teaching proper handling, maintenance, lubrication, etc. .. As was mentioned, the only purpose for EZ lube type systems is to purge water intrusion. A hot wheel when immersed into cold water, like a boat trailer, will try to suck water into the hub. If the hub is full of grease, there's not room for water, but moisture can still penetrate. Occasional purging can expel that water/moisture. With Other wheel applications it's a waste of grease to fill that cavity. Grease is actually like a sponge. That sponge holds the oil in place that provides the lubrication to the bearing which is a very very fine film of oil between the rollers and raceway. The "sponge" holds extra oil for the lubrication. That sponge can also hold any contaminants. That's why it's very important to keep hands clean, rags, bearings, hub, spindle, etc. .. The smallest particle can start bearing failure. Sort of like a small scar in road pavement. Once it starts, as traffic rolls over that spot, it will increasingly grow until it fails. So, if you use the EZ lube system, you "may" purge any contaminants that were present, but you also may introduce contaminants via a dirty zerk fitting or grease gun tip. Besides, it's still a waste of grease as the amount of grease applied with hand packing is more than enough. Even with the EZ lube, annual inspection is still recommended, which is the best method.