Wheel Bearing Lubrication -"Easy Lube Hub"

[jkfoam]

I have a 2009 Sundance 2998 RB with 16 in wheels that have the easy-lube Zerk fitting for lubing the wheel bearings. My questions are; 1. How do you know when you have added sufficient grease, 2. Can you add too much grease, 3. Can you damage things by adding too much grease 4. How often should the wheels be removed and the bearing clraned and repacked>

Thanks in advance for helping a Newbie.

JKFoam

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

JKFoam, Answers to your questions. 1. You really don't know how much is enough. 2. YES. you can add too much grease. 3. YES, you can damage the rear seal and in turn your brake linings by adding too much grease, What happens is, you force grease through the rear seal and it gets into the drum and spreads onto the brakes. Bad News. 4. You should inspect, clean and repack your bearings once a year or 12,000 miles. If you haven't sone that yet, with a 2009 coach, you should get it done ASAP. Once that maintenance is done, and the bearings are properly packed, 1 or 2 shots of grease halfway through the season should do you well.

 

[Duramax1]

Go to this URL for all the answers to your questions from the manufacturer.

http://www.cerka.ca/catalog/EZLUBE.asp

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Go to this URL for all the answers to your questions from the manufacturer.

http://www.cerka.ca/catalog/EZLUBE.asp

Interesting link. The only thing I can say for sure is our OEM seals did not have a spring loaded double lip seal. The replacement CR seals did.

 

[talley]

jkfoam, I had the same questions as you have when I got my 2006 Big Horn. I got the mfg directions and followed them... same procedure outlined on the webpage link proved by a previous post.

Well, I did not use common sense and pumped in the grease, and while I did not know it then... blew out the seals and filled the brakes with grease. On the bright side I got a new set of brakes all around... paid for them too!!

Some have said to jack up the wheel and rotate tire when filling via the zerk fitting. If you do use the fitting and introduce grease... use caution.

Now I follow the advice Ray has given. As a bonus repacking by hand each year allows opportunity to visually inspect the bearings.

 

[jkfoam]

Thank you all for the responses and your help. The link was a big help. I think I'll go out and repack my bearings now. LOL.

JKFoam

 

[jnbhobe]

Thank you all for the responses and your help. The link was a big help. I think I'll go out and repack my bearings now. LOL.

JKFoam

By hand????

 

[caissiel]

I had problems with my trailer axles with the seals pushed in after I took delivery of my trailer.

On the trip south last fall I found that all 4 wheels had been greased enough to push one seal in. and grease got on the brake magnets of all 4 wheels, causing them to stick to the outside face of the hubs. It created uncontrolable wheel locking as soon as I applied the truck brakes.

I stop in a rest area and had to clean all the drum face. lucky the grease never got to the brake lining part of the drum.

There was a seal off, 3 of them were crocked. So I hammered them in place.

I proceded to grease the wheels properly while turning the wheels until the grease came out from the outside bearing.
As I pumped I made sure the pumping was easy, and noticed it worked realy well to make the grease flow out. If the pressure increased I just took it easy and I was capable to keep pumping grease in lowly.

When I got to destination I removed the wheel with the damaged seal and noticed everything was fine. So I changed the seal and greased it like the previous method and so far everything is great.

When I was greasing I tried to stop rotation the wheel and the grease gun pressure had to increase in order to pump so I never allowed any heavy pressure greasing. You can feel it realy well on the pumping not to over presurize the seal area.

While rotating the wheel the bearing will pump the grease thru itself, and if you don't rotate the hub, the grease will flow directly against the seal and try to be forced thru the sationary bearing, the pressure is increased and its then that the grease will be forced thru the seal, or push the seal out like mine was.

If greased with light pressure, I have complete confidence that the hub can be filled, after servicing, by using the wheel turning procedure as I did with success.

 

[Duramax1]

From your explanation, it sounds to me that those people who experience problems with using the easy lube hubs are not rotating the wheel while lubricating the hub and/or are applying too much pressure via the grease gun.

I found your comments to be quite helpful

 

[lwmcguir]

Laurent has it right. We have used these hubs since they came out many many years ago. Never had an issue and we have some older trailers with over 20 years on the same hubs, seals, and bearings. Mostly stock and flat beds that carry a lot more weight than the largest HL made. Do it like the book says and as Laurent has noted and you will get more miles out of them than the never lubes.

 

[RollingHome]

Laurent & Lwmcguire, wow, you two sure are making me re-think my opinion of the easy lube system, I've had them on several trailers and I was condeming them, looks like I was wrong ! I was always chicken to use them for fear of blowing seals and greasing brakes. Laurent, thank you for taking the time to fully explain THE RIGHT WAY. Lwmcguire, you do this professionally for a living. How can one argue with experience ? You two have given me confidence to at least try using the easy lube way, it sure is easier ! Maybe I'll try the easy lube on one side and hand pack the other side. Later when I pull for inspection I can see what happened, again, really thanks. Tom

 

[caissiel]

The Ford and Dodges 4 x 4's now have the never lube bearings on the front axles. There is a kit advertised that replaces the never lube units at a cost of around $2K. The discussions on these replacement is that the neverlube are being used for cheaper assembly at the plant, and not for best service life. The bearings are closer together and it makes them weaker on side way forces.

I had to replace one bearing on my truck and some places they quoted me over $700. So I my openion its much safer to have the Easy lube units, and peace of mind if maintained properly like lwmcguir has said.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I think since the subject has been covered pretty well, I'll move this out of the "ask the factory " into a more appropriate area. Great response from all. Thanks!

 

[talley]

Went back and re-read the steps for lubrication with the Easy Lube Hub... missed step 5. Shame on me! May give the system another try, being sure to rotate the wheel while pumping the grease.

Thanks for info. This forum is great!

 

[caissiel]

I my opinion step 5 should be ahead of step 3,
I never would pump any grease until I rotate the wheel.

The writers of the instructions should read this.

 

[JohnDar]

Being somewhat lazy, inexperienced at repacking bearings, and no place suitable to do it, I opted to let the dealer repack my bearings last fall. Probably do the same the end of this season. Even though I don't put a lot of miles on, the every 12 months schedule works for me. I managed to blow grease out the seals on our TT with the zerk fittings because I didn't really know what I was doing.

 

[MC9]

With all the posts lately about greasing and balancing, I started to feel a little negligent. So, I got out the air wrenches and pulled two wheels and took them to be balanced. While the wheels are off I did the easy lube thing and torqued the u-bolts. When the Ultra-Fab levelers arrive this week and I install them, if SWMBO says "lets go" I will be on my way.
The factory tires weren't badly out of balance.

 

[MC9]

An update. Got the Ultra Fab levelers installed, mounted the switch right above the front jack switch. What the heck, "in for a penny in for a pound" as long as it is in the air I installed "wet bolts" from Trail Air along with the 1/2 in. shackles. Now I really am ready for the MI Rally.

 

[Dmaxcc6spd]

All this discussion of lube, and I didn't see what the proper lube for the bearings is. Please enlighten me. I should get up to speed and repack my bearings - it has been about 2.5 years since we received the unit and I haven't touched the bearing yet. Shame on me!

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

All this discussion of lube, and I didn't see what the proper lube for the bearings is. Please enlighten me. I should get up to speed and repack my bearings - it has been about 2.5 years since we received the unit and I haven't touched the bearing yet. Shame on me!

I don't normally go to extremes with bearing grease. I use a basic, high temperature, waterproof wheel bearing grease. I'm not even sure waterproof is necessary but that's the way some lubes are so... Lithium is a good way to go.