E-Z lube hubs

[jmckinle1]

Thanks in advance for the great ideas.

We looked at a new Clipper PUP this week that has E-Z lube hubs.  I couldn't find any information about the hubs on the net.

My question is this - are the hubs vented so the grease can flow through and push some old grease out?  Or are these hubs sealed so there is no replacemant of grease?

Thanks,

[wavery]

Thanks in advance for the great ideas.

We looked at a new Clipper PUP this week that has E-Z lube hubs.  I couldn't find any information about the hubs on the net.

My question is this - are the hubs vented so the grease can flow through and push some old grease out?  Or are these hubs sealed so there is no replacemant of grease?

Thanks,

If there is an air gap in the hub it will escape until the hub is full of grease. However, this is really not necessary. The grease that is in the hub will be distributed by centrifugal force as you tow down the road.

The E-Z Lube hubs are really designed for boat trailers so that water can be replaced with grease. They have very little value on a camper trailer.

It is important to inspect your wheel bearings periodically. That entails completely removing the bearings, cleaning them and inspecting them and the races for discoloration and/or blemishes. If all is fine, re-grease the bearings and re-install them. If any blemishes or discoloration is detected, the bearing and race must be replaced.

The less that you use your trailer, the more frequent the inspections should be. If you only use it once a year, it may be a good idea to inspect the bearings before each use. If you use it twice a month, you may be able to go 3 or 4 years without inspection.

I make a habit of moving my trailer once a week just to keep the grease distributed and avoid metal to metal contact.

[chip]

Thanks in advance for the great ideas.
 
 We looked at a new Clipper PUP this week that has E-Z lube hubs.  I couldn't find any information about the hubs on the net.
 
 My question is this - are the hubs vented so the grease can flow through and push some old grease out?  Or are these hubs sealed so there is no replacemant of grease?
 
 Thanks,

Info on E-Z Lube hubs,which shouldn't be confused with Bearing Buddies.

Neither system will completely eliminate the need to periodically inspect and clean the bearings.  Like Wavery says, it's good to roll the wheels once in a while.  Best way to do that:  go camping.

[jmckinle1]

Thanks guys - that's a big help.

[ventura67]

How do I know if I have the EZ lubes or the bearing buddy?  Is there usually a name imprinted or can you tell by their appearance?  

'04 Starcraft 2107.

Thank you

[flyfisherman]

The bigest difference between the two is that Bearing Buddies were primarily designed for boat trailers that were being submerged in water. Real important around these parts as the boat trailers are used in salt water and the need to keep that out of the inner hubs.

Although I do not have the E-Z Lube hubs on my Starcraft I can sure see the positive use for them, say on a long cross country run during the hot summer. To be able to give the hubs a little extra "shot" while enroute or even, maybe, mid season, between re-packing.



Fly

[flyfisherman]

How do I know if I have the EZ lubes or the bearing buddy?  Is there usually a name imprinted or can you tell by their appearance?  

'04 Starcraft 2107.

Thank you

There will be no mistaking between the two once you see them. The Bearing Buddy does have the name (although very small) on the outer ring.

[dthurk]

We've had the E-Z Lube hub on both campers we've owned so far.  You can inject new grease and have that force out old grease.  I usually add grease a time or 2 through the season, making sure the hubs are full and we have fresh grease moving through the bearings and hubs.  I'm also checking hub temps during my quick walk-around inspection every time we stop.  It's been sitting for 3 months at this point, time to move it a few hundred miles, but it is due for a bearing inspection and repack before then.  If we could get some decent temps here I might get to that.

[McCampers]

I decided this year that part of my yearly prep for the season would be a bearing check and repack.  I camp once a month in season, so I don't worry too much about the bearings in season, but it sits for 3 months off season.  I send it in for a complete shakedown of all the water lines, electrical, and now bearings/tires.  When I roll I like to know its right.  I hate surprises!

[oreo57]

How do I know if I have the EZ lubes or the bearing buddy? Is there usually a name imprinted or can you tell by their appearance?
 
'04 Starcraft 2107.
 
Thank you

EZ lube is a Dexter item and will have a rubber plug on the hub with the zerk fitting recessed as where bearing buddy's have a zerk fitting on the hub cover.IIRC

[ventura67]

Thanks all, I have the EZ Lubes!!!  Think I'll grease 'em up before we leave for Tennessee next week!

[ventura67]

So I pumped about a dozen pumps of grease into each EZ lube and I did not see any grease moving out or moving around at all.  They were repacked last year so I can't imagine they were that dry.  Should the old grease be displaced as I pump in the new?  I didn't want to keep pumping it in, it already seemed like alot that I was putting in!

Also, the grease in there was blue, the grease in my gun was red.  Any problems mixing the two?

[wavery]

So I pumped about a dozen pumps of grease into each EZ lube and I did not see any grease moving out or moving around at all.  They were repacked last year so I can't imagine they were that dry.  Should the old grease be displaced as I pump in the new?  I didn't want to keep pumping it in, it already seemed like alot that I was putting in!

Also, the grease in there was blue, the grease in my gun was red.  Any problems mixing the two?

OMG.....you mixed red & blue?? :yikes:

Do you have any idea what you've done?? :yikes:

You now have purple grease.....do you know what purple grease does?.....

OMG............ :yikes:  :yikes:

[PattieAM]

My 06 Fleetwood Niagara has the EZ-Lube hubs, and I have the Dexter Axle Maanual.  If you don't have your manual, you might find the info at: //www.dexteraxle.com

[TheHomelessGuy]

Speaking of Dexter Axle E-Z Lube hubs, I' have an interesting little problem y'all might want to check out.

The bearing clearance freeplay increases as the bearings/hub heat up. So much so that you can grab the top of the tire and move the wheel back and forth on the spindle. I talked with the techs at Dexter about this and they thought maybe it was mismatched bearings/races. So I replaced them last weekend only to find out the numbers all matched what Dexter specs.

Dexter's assembly process for tightening the spindle nut is suspect. After torquing it down, they want to back it off and then make it just finger snug. After putting on the nut retainer (no cotter pin), the nut should have a bit of freeplay in it - in other words, not tight. I think this is why the hub gets loose as everything heats up.

My solution was to preload the (tighten the nut) just a bit past what Dexter specifies. I don't like doing this with tapered roller bearings, but I don't see any other solution.

So if you have Dexter E-Z Lube hubs, the next time you're out on a trip, stop somewhere after you've put on some miles and see if your hubs are loose. Just grap the top of the tire and see if you can rock it in/out. In the meantime, I'll see if preloading the bearings solves this issue.