How to Grease Trailer Wheel Bearings with EZ Lube Grease Cert
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- How to grease trailer wheel bearings with Dexter's E-Z Lube grease fitting. The Dexter E-Z Lube system uses a tube from the grease cert to the back of the bearing so that the fresh grease pushes the old grease out from the back toward the front. Many grease cert bearing buddy do not have this type configuration and thus only the front bearing is adequately supplied with fresh grease.
I would like to add a comment, some people do not understand the difference between a "bearing buddy" and what is on this trailer "Dexter easy lube spindle" The man in the video did in fact follow the correct procedure for a Dexter easy lube spindle. Bearing buddy's are generally for use on boat trailers, they allow you to pump the entire hub full of grease to expel any water. They can be very messing and if your trailer is equipped with brakes the shoes will often be saturated with grease. The grease has nowhere to go so it will force out through the rear hub seal. In the application show in this video, you can see the grease coming out of the front of the hub, exactly what it's supposed to do. It's fine to use this method, but you should pull your hubs, inspect the bearings and replace the rear seal about every 12,000 miles or so just for peace of mind IMO although the Dexter easy lube spindles can extend this. Before you make foolish comment on the man's video how about you research it first. Google is at your fingertips. Good video.
vegasfordguy yes I this is the best answer . If you pump a lot of grease & you have drum brakes on this axle you will push grease past the rear seal and will contaminate your brake shoes. It is correct to jack and spin the wheel while adding grease just don’t go craze. I carry a complete bearing kit with me in my travels less than $20 in MOST cases on eBay
Desert Explorer 302 Thank you for further info! I have a vintage 1965 Trotwood trailer. Need to redo tires, and re do bearing.
I thank you also,Jim. Clear and to the point. No wasted commentary. Actually unusual for a TH-cam video. Well done!
Thanks Mr. Hennessy !
I'm getting ready to go on a long trip. I was planning on disassembling the wheel to repack the bearings. When i popped the cover off I was surprised to find a grease zerk. That sure made my job a lot easier.
Marine grease is designed to be extra tacky to resist water wash-out and is most commonly used on boat trailer and 4x4 applications. For heavy trailers such as RVs look for a grease that is rated for "extreme-pressure".
Bravo; thank you so much for a non-runaround informative video like this. I value people as straight forward how to videos. Great teacher!!
Agreed. I "liked" for that reason. Just the facts that we need without showing his kids, cats, dogs, backstop, products in link...
Thanks for a clear concise video. Don't read bad comments, there will always be some no matter what.
Thank you for your concise video. You showed more information than the manufacturer's site.
good job!
Thanks! Straightforward and to the point! Excellent communicator!
In advance, I apologize if this comes off as rude but, I just asked what it was, I didn't ask how the watch works. In other words.....something so simple doesn't need to be soooooooo drawn out. Btw, it's a grease zerk not a grease cert.
The grease will distribute better when the wheel is rotated - more of the old grease will be pushed out and refreshed by the new grease.
I wouldn’t pump a whole tube of grease into the hub, if the back seal leaks a bit, you will be injecting grease into the brakes. You definitely don’t need a whole tube per wheel. I was told to pump a few pumps of grease until it starts getting pushed out the front and not to over grease the cavity
The cavity would have to be full for the grease to come out the front of the bearing. The grease comes through the inner bearing , fills the cavity and then through the outer bearing.
Ditto
If you put a whole tube of grease per wheel, you better check the backside of that bearing for the seal not pushed off
I was always told to add grease before each use and stop when it pushes grease out. Never had an issue in 7 years.
Me too. Why push ALL the old grease out every time? How old can it be if you do maintenance?
The problem with this method is that the hole is behind the inside bearing.
As you pump the new Grease and it clears the old grease out of the inside bearing pushes it inside the Hub. The clean grease and dirty Grease in the hub ends up getting into the outside bearing.
I just had to replace the bearings on a trailer because the person servicing it only put two pumps of grease in and then smeared grease around the castle nut to make it look like they pump grease all the way through.
Not to mention to feel that entire Hub full of grease is going to take half of 14 oz cartridge per hub.
Not to mention that the grease seals dry out and you need to check them. The only way to check them is to remove the cotter pin castle nut and pull it off.
The grease fitting is fine for the inside bearing so you don't have to remove the seal, but I think you need to remove the castle nut and hand pack the outside bearing and reinstall.
If you don't have a dust jacket, make sure you buy a plastic bearing bra to cover the rubber insert. It can be damaged by sun, or blown out by heat
Sir, your video was clear and very well explained. Thanks for creating this, I learned a lot.
"put it in just an old peanut butter jar or something" - Great video, sir. I will be using this quote whenever I'm able :)
Holy smokes, they do make a grease fitting for trailer hubs 🤯
My utility trailer has the same grease fitting zerk. If you have this style of grease cap it works!
there is no way you would need a whole tube per hub maybe one for all 4
I absolutely agree. You just put lub in until the lub coming out looks clean. 1/4 tube at most
@@haug0099 hmm. For #3,500 axels, I find it’s more like 1/3rd of a 14 oz grease cartridge per wheel hub.
@mmbengs The effectiveness depends on the type of grease fitting. In this case, Dexter's E-Z Lube grease fitting feeds the grease thru a tube all the way back behind the back bearing and so is able to push all the old grease out the front. Other simple type wheel bearing caps that have a grease fitting don't do very well with flushing out the back half of the grease - so hand packing would be more effective.
The bearing buddies that you speak of are not designed to grease the bearings😳
They have a spring in the cap and the ONLY THING it’s designed to do is when you fill that chamber with grease and then put an extra pump or two in it …..until that spring comes back halfway.
it pre-loads the grease so there may be one or two psi inside the bearing assembly❤️
so when you drive to the boat launch your bearings generate heat that warms the grease and expands it, as the grease expands it pushes out on that spring a little more….. THEN when you take and dunk the ENTIRE bearing assembly in the COLD water it quickly contracts the grease in the hub and without the BEARING BUDDIES that grease could create a negative pressure while underwater! The seals on the bearings are slanted in towards the bearing because job is to KEEP GREASE IN🙂 so if there becomes negative pressure in the bearing assembly it will SUCK WATER INTO THE BEARING ASSEMBLY 🤮
and of course that water can turn into steam as you’re driving home and OVER TIME DEVELOPE’S RUST overtime ruins the back or the inner bearing. The bearing buddy is an excellent tool for boaters but most people don’t understand the
BEARING BUDDIES PURPOSE🌹
I am going to attempt to use both of these because I think changing the grease halfway through the season in eight minutes would be a great benefit for me.
❤️GOD Bless our America🇺🇸
Great video! I’ve been trying to figure this out for some time. This is the best video on the subject. Thank you so much. God Bless!
I love old, short, simple how-to TH-cam videos like this. Looks like I have to buy a couple tubes of grease to avoid Neapolitan ice cream in my bearings 😂.
Thanks Jim. Great video, concise and well-explained. Very helpful!!!. Thanks for posting mate. Nice, simple advice that's easy to understand...
Thanks for posting this, very helpful for a first time trailer owner.👍
I use this method all the timeon my 2013 Jayco - no seal problems here
Did you say one tube per wheel?...are you using a little gun or big one?
How do you remove a wheel hub out when there are no cotter pin or bolt on a Leonard?
Do I need a special tool to take out to replace new wheel bearing (will need part # for this)?
Thank you, I learned something new today!
Thanks Jim. Great video, concise and well-explained. Very helpful!!!
Thanks for the well-done demo. Very useful. Was wondering if this is as effective as repacking bearings by hand. Sure is easier!
Good video
With a fairly light load my trailer should be able to go 3000 to 5000 miles or 2-3 years between re-packing. But if I am constantly hauling heavy or submerging in water then every 1000 to 2000 between repacking would be better.
Turning the wheel just helps evenly distribute the grease so, I don't think it matters which way the wheel is turned.
Ya cant turn a fixed axle wheel !
You didn't mention how you cleaned the parts. With gas? My horse trailer needs it done. I think I can do this!
You said you recycle the grease? What can you use old grease for? Looking for ways to be a little more cost efficient around the yard
Bike and motorcycle chains, trailer hitches and the paper towels help start damp brush piles on fire. Also, used motor oil mixed two parts diesel to one part motor oil, makes pretty good wood preservative when sprayed onto a trailer deck (top and bottom). In the summertime, the wood really soaks it up.
perfect video - lets me know I'm doing the right thing - thx
Straight forward video. Very useful!
Well explained video. Thank you
You mentioned not to get grease into the trailer brakes,, how do i know if that is happening when I'm pumping new grease in,,
What type or brand of grease do you use
Thank you for commenting.
Thanks for posting mate. Nice, simple advice that's easy to understand..
Real glad i found this video. Thanks for the tip!
Great job Jimbow T Finally an informative video on youtube!!!
I'm sorry. How do you know that you got all the old grease out of there? Hardly any came out in your demonstration.
The old grease will be somewhat runny like warm Jell-O whereas the new grease will be firm and perhaps a different color from the old grease.
How do you get that fitting off so you can get to the castle nut and remove/repack or replace the bearings ?
The Fitting in the end of the Spindle is called a ZERK not a Cert👍
How often do you have to do it?
Actually, I only use paper towels and old news paper to clean the bearings. But in this video I am only greasing them, not taking them out and cleaning them. Take a look at a video called "How to Pack / Grease Trailer Wheel Bearings" if you want to see how to remove the bearings. But yes, gasoline would act as a solvent and help clean the bearing. Best wishes !
It was a LONG time ago, but how do you know when to replace the bearing vs. replace the grease? Thanks. 'nother Jim
Just visually inspect them, If there is metal shavings in the grease or if when clean the balls look worn, then it would be time to replace them.
I have easy lube fittings on my camper but it seems like the grease just comes out around the nipple. Is there a particular type of grease gun needed to get a tight fit.
What about the rear bearing?
how does it get on your brakes?
Should I have any play on those trailer wheels?
Is this the same for travel trailer campers?
Excellent video!
All trailer use the same adapter pump? Thanks
No, I don't think so.
those are grease "ZERKS" not breath mints "certs" , please.
There is no substitute for yearly bearing service . Pull the hub , clean and inspect bearings . Replace the seal . Repack with a good quality synthetic high temperature grease . Keep pumping grease and your brakes will fail .
Good input. Thanks for taking time to comment !
Hold on. I am pretty damn sure that if you pumped a tube of grease into that hub 95% of it is going to be inside the brake drum and smeared all over the brake shoes brake drum and magnets and the first time you go to stop you’ll be wondering why they don’t work. Just pull the hub off and do it right and at the same time you can check everything else in there.
Is it normal to have 2 axles but only 1 axle with brakes?
Yes, usually brakes on both axles is another option.
can you tell me how to tell if its bearing buddy or these one I have a dust cap like yours but I bought trailer with them installed bought trailer from US. though
+littletoy01 If they are on a utility trailer chances are that it s not the Dexter E-Z Lube, but if they are on a RV then look inside the RV cabinets and see if you can find a manual on the axels. If there is no manual, then it is probably just buddy bearing.
Good video! ...but it is a zerk not a cert!!
Any grease gun should work. It may be that your grease cert is clogged up or the tiny little ball bearing in the cert is rusted closed.
Dude it ain't a CERT!!!! THATS A BREATH MINT. ZERK!!
ZERK you nerd
@@donschlonski2936 Minty fresh.
Can you tell me the specs of the grease gun you're using in the video? How many psi, how many ounces are in the grease cartridge, do you recommend getting one with a bleeder valve?
Not sure of the PSI but the cartridge is 14 oz. I have never used a gun with a bleeder valve but most of my problems I have with my grease gun are from getting air bubbles that cause a failure to feed, so a bleeder valve might help... but I'm not sure. Best wishes - BTW Cute thumbnail Lisa !
Thanks!
Jim, when installing a new cartridge pack the head of the gun with grease from the bottom of the new cartridge, I find that it eliminated 90 percent of air pockets on my gun and starts pumping right away. Hopefully not telling you something you already know
What's a cert? Is it like a welding cert, or a certainly, cert?
Ha ! I was 53 years old before I realized my hearing (or lack there of) had me thinking that fitting was called a sert, as in "insert grease here". If I hadn't made this video and had people correct me, I'd probably still be calling it a Cert !
Jim Thomas yea it's a zerk! And I advise people not to use it unless you take out the outer bearing first, if not the seal just usually comes out, due to the large air gap between the two bearings not letting you see grease flow.
How’s that grease fitting in there? I want to convert my bearing buddies to this. I got those same caps with the black little center
Look up Dexter EZ Lube online and see what you can find out about the system.
Jim Thomas thank you
How often should you add new grease ?
Depends on the load and the mileage - hauling heavy loads like heavy machinery on long haul trips, then every 3000 miles would be about right. .. lighter loads 4000 + ought to be OK
You are only replacing the grease with and 1 inch into the housing, you're not replacing all of the grease to prove my point if you took the wheel off you will see that there are still old grease closer to the inside bearing.To do it correctly you have to take the wheel off and repack the bearings.
Yes, with a regular grease zerk but this grease zerk is different. The Dexter E-Z Lube system uses a tube from the grease cert to the back bearing so that the fresh grease pushes the old grease out from the back toward the front.
Where would you find a replacement for those dust jackets?
Armando Perez most trailer supply stores have them or also utility trailer supply stores
Also amazon
Armando Perez they sell them on Amazon. Pack of four is like less than $5
will this method take care to the rear bearings?
Joe Rasberry With an EZ Lube axle, yes. You should still repack the standard way periodically to make sure everything still looks good.
Thanks, great video.
What brand and type of grease do you use? Thanks for the video!
I usually just get my grease at Walmart but I try and go with "High Pressure" for my RV trailer and larger utility trailer or "Marine" grease for the boat trailer.
NLGI #2
Thanks for your help.
Wouldn't you blow out the seals?
The way it is engineered, the pressure of the grease just pushes thru a center straw to the back and then it flows from the back thru the bearings to a open portal in the front, so not much pressure is allowed to build up.
10-4 learn something new , thanks
Thank you
Very helpful thank you
Wow, thanks! That was very informative. Happy travels :-)
Thank you,that was,very helpful:)
Thanks again Jimbow
Great video thank u
Thanks
Thanks for the video!
Far too many people pump more grease in time and time again, overfilling the hub and blowing out the rear seal instead of repacking the bearings periodically.
Here's another useful video on EZ Lube Hubs: th-cam.com/video/1B_E7khBenQ/w-d-xo.html
Bearings really still need to be "repacked and inspected" periodically.
It doesn't Sen8 that you answer questions when followers send them to you
Thanks again!
Theyre called ZIRC fittings not CERTs ,
A “cert?”
zerk
A whole tube per wheel is entirely to much. You'll ruin your brakes doing that. You only do 5-10 pumps per wheel.
What the hell is a grease "cert" Are you sure you don't mean a grease "ZERK"...??? (as in the nipple connection for a standard grease gun...???)
Ha ! ... and all these years I have been calling it a cert ! Funny what being half deaf can get started ;-) Thanks for the correction !
@Joe Casson people that print manuals are often idiots anyway. The circle of life
Never use this technique unless it's needed for a trip and you have not repacked the bearings. Take them out and do it right.
why are trailer wheel bearings such poor quality that they need to be greased regularly? how often do you have to grease your wheel bearings in your car or truck? Those last for 200k miles. Why not just produce quality wheel bearings that are sealed and designed to be replaced?
The bearing are top quality, this is for a boat. Your bearings go under water every time you launch a boat. YOU HAVE TO OCCASIONALLY REPLACE THE GREASE DUE TO THIS. It's very important. Otherwise, I replace mine once every couple/few years with a regular trailer
bearings are all made in China now
YEG Drone Photography - the video you just watched was for a boat trailer. Boat trailer go under water all the time. They go out extremely father than a Car you are comparing to.
@@Dojautlopez Haug009 - this is a camper trailer, NOT a boat trailer. It says Jayco on the fender. Plus you would never put a dust cover over your lug nuts on a boat trailer.
mdees88 you are correct. Idk why I thought it was a boat trailer.
Another video say's don't over grease your bearings. th-cam.com/video/HWf5CirpbW4/w-d-xo.html Grease can get on your breaks. I'm confused??? I do like the idea of not getting grease on my brakes.
Watch it again, this is a different system. Clearly explained and proper cautions given regarding not getting grease on your brakes.
mr nightmare
Too funny this type of bearing pack makes Me Lots of money every year...There is no substitute for cleaning and visually inspecting bearings Period...adding grease to grease does nothing and If you have a bearing failing the grease coming out cannot report that too you.. Dont waste your time with the grease gun GREAT MARKETING by dexter for an assembly line time saver..Not designed for bearing Care ..
Better to have bearings packed than to run a trailer on bearings without grease.
Kirk Klag you missed the guys point completely
Not true. You simply feel the bearings/hub after driving a while, they will be hot if bearings going bad. Mechanics have been doing that for 50+ years for a reason
@@Dragon_Camp_Cooking_ No he didn't. Zerg fitting are there to add lub so you don't have to repack it. You don't have to tear out the bearings every time you add lube
This usually just pushes the seal out anyway.
You skipped the manufacture of the hub? You skipped the recommended inspection interval, usually once/year or every 12,000 miles. You skipped cleaning, inspecting, adjusting bearings. You skipped how grease gets on the brakes by doing it the way you are doing it. You skipped how to do it the right way, not the short cut version.
Meanwhile its just blowing the seal out the back side smh. Not the right way to do it really.
With the Dexter technology, the grease follows the path of least resistance and is easily pumped thru the center soda straw tube to the back bearing and then the fresh grease pushes the old grease out the front. There is very little pressure on the back seal.
You are a nerd
its called ez, but there is nothing ez about it
You've never disassembled a hub and cleaned & repacked the bearings, have ya Gavno? This is much faster and easier if you have the E-Z Lube system installed.
@@jcwoods2311 so what is the point of having ez lube system if you still need to "disassembled a hub and cleaned & repacked the bearings", eh?
This is so wrong....if you do this you are going the have brake failure and seals are going to be ruined ..
This is possibly the worst thing you could do. When you use the EZ lube if fills the hubs 100% full of grease. The is no air there for no room for thermal expansion. Greasing your axles this way will guarantee that with a few uses, when heat expands the grease it will hydraulic past the seals and contaminate the brake linings & you will need to replace the backing plates. Break those grease fittings off so they can't be used.
Brian Schmidt I have found with mine that any thermal expansion is outward into the rubber plug making it expand outward. After parking and hubs cool it contracts the plug inward
Dumb ass. Then why do the manuals of Dexter axles say to pump until you see some old grease?
This is not the way to properly grease trailer bearings. Does nothing for the rear bearing and seal. Do it properly by disassembling the whole thing and check it all.
Lazy mans way is disaster on the highway.
check out the dexter EZ Lube website Rick
You have no idea what you're talking about...
Dave Maple I was talking to Rick...
Rick. I can see your concern. A buddy bearing / easy lube / grease cert is not the best way to deal with the back bearing. I will change the name of this video and add a more appropriate description to reflect the difference between this type lube system and the "proper" method... which can be seen in my other video called " How to Pack / Grease Trailer Wheel Bearings". I appreciate your comment. Best wishes - Jim
Rick Drysdale All I can say is that I am glad I did not follow the directions in the above video. I am getting ready to take a 7,000 mile road trip and though since I have been greesing my bearings using the above method I better do a complete teardown and inspect the inside of the assembly. Upon taking the hub off thee first think I noticed was that greese was everywhere. Zon the brake pads, all over the backing plate,all over everything,what a mess. I completely disassembled everything and greesed the bearings with a $10 bearing greese tool and cleaned everything up and put it all back together and they are good as new. Rick Drysdale is right folks, don't follow this video as it may mean trouble down the road.
speak up next time.