Far easier to break loose the lug nuts by pushing down on the tool instead of lifting up. You can use your body weight instead of throwing out your back. Also same technique when tightening up with your torque wrench. Lay down some scrap cardboard under the end of the axle to catch the old grease. Saves a lot of paper towels. The grinding noise was from the brake shoes grinding on the drum. Time for new 'shoes' all the way around to keep them all even.
I already commented on the recent video about bearings but I've been watching your others. Simply as an old time RV-r I'd comment: I use about a tube per wheel with my EZ Lube axles pumping very slowly & turning the wheel to avoid blowing the rear seal. I'm a tool nut and carry a lot of tools (& loaded grease gun) when out. One thing that has been VERY valuable for me is my Milwaukee 18V - 1/2" Impact wrench. I carry a few Impact sockets as well (regular sockets will not work. They won't take the torque ) I carry a breaker bar as well but changing a tire on the truck or trailer is so much easier & quicker using one of these. I have changed several others for people stranded as well. Last time out on BLM ground I was approached at our site by a person asking for help with a flat tire. Their jack would not work & she couldn't loosen the lug nuts. I carry two 6T bottle jacks as well. Had it up and changed in about 30 minutes. If I see someone hand cranking their stabilizers I let them use it as well. Up & down in seconds.
Just a pro tip. From working on 100s of trailer s. The biggest reason for blown out grease seals. Is leaving that cab on while you grease the bearings. Because when the bearings heat up they start to push the grease. An if the cap is all ready full of grease from you doing the service. It has no were to go an its going to take the path of least resistance an that is the seal. Just knock the cap off with a rubber mallet. An clean out all that grease in the cap. Your rear seals will thank you.
You're totally right. This was the last time we used the EZ lube feature. Going forward, we repacked by hand with much better results. We really appreciate the comment and you following along. Wishing you well!
Whenever you hear that sound from a hub, that's a BIG warning signal worth paying attention to. You may have had a brake pad separate from the shoe and could be riding inside the hub, which renders the brakes on this wheel useless.
Since that day of shooting this video, we have learned so much, including how to repack by hand. We also replaced the brakes shortly afterwards because you were right about the brake pad separation. Appreciate you taking the time to comment and following along. Wishing you well!
I agree learn to do your own maintenance you save a ton of money especially labor cost. RV general maintenance is usually pretty simple and if you’re not sure just go to TH-cam great job 👍
Good evening to you all!! This is a very educational video! Thank you for filming and sharing your experience! Great tips for using and carrying a torque wrench too! I will need to bring the one I have. I also need to get a new grease gun. Happy Thanksgiving to your whole family!!! And....Safe Travels!
Thank you Alan and same to you two. I believe we'll also need to torque our bearings. We'll video everything we do and keep you posted. Happy Thanksgiving!
Nice video. You probably know by now since this is a year old but the noise is actually the braking pad thouching the wheel hub. This is usually a sign a well adjusted pads. Maybe the brakes need to be adjusted on the 3 silent wheels! Lots of videos for how to adjust pads depending on the model you have (manual or self adjusting).
After replacing the breaks a little later on, we found the auto adjust spring mechanism to have broken. A replacement solved the problem and that's the last time we injected the bearings. We repacked by hand going forward. We sincerely appreciate you following along and wish you well!
My trailers axles were not as heavy duty as that. But I would say since you are putting a higher amount of expected miles on the trailer, it may not be a bad idea to shove grease into them every few months. The barrings on my trailer were repacked the year before we left on our 2 year adventure, and in that year they saw little use. However on the road I would squish a bunch of grease into them every 3-4 months or so. And that was from my concern I was pushing the load rating of the trailer to its limits. I did have a modified suspension with an extra lief spring and upgraded shocks and tires, but the rest was original of course. And I did not bother repacking them the whole 2 years we were out. And when I did eventually do this some time after we got home, the scoring was very minimal. I could have gotten a lot more out of them I figure. And I did replace the full race as the parts were pretty cheap, but the spline was perfectly fine. When I would re-grease them, because I did them so often I didn't bother pushing through until I saw clean grease. I just pushed through until I saw a small amount come out. If it looked really really bad I would push through more, but mostly I put in about a 1/4 tube. (keeping in mind my trailer was using much smaller assemblies and would use just under a full tube on a repack). And through the winter months when it was really rainy I would get it in my head I needed to grease them after a shorter period of time, but the result was usually the same. The grease that came out was often only dark brown and not black. I think in the end I was overkill, as the cost to repack them was not more expensive than how much grease I used, but i like to think it saved me a bit of gas in them rolling better. And saved the time of repacking them at least once.
It sounds like you applied your expertise to stay ahead on the preventive maintenance. And no doubt it paid off. When we owned our gym, I was a bit overkill on all the PM for our equipment. But it allowed me to catch every problem before it became a problem. And that could be a serious problem when you're dealing with the potential liability from a client being injured. All of that said, I only had to have one elliptical and one cable machine repaired in 20 years. That "overkill" likely saved the business many thousands of dollars. And it all still looked and functioned like new when we sold the business. The systems on travel trailers and generators are new to me, but I'm quickly learning. Honestly, I'm enjoying the education and growth of doing it all on my own. The grease and grease gun are now along for the ride. All great advice. Thank you!
Since we were able to lock that brake on that wheel (while it was lifted), I'm assuming the bearings are bad. Sound about right? A bearing replacement will be easier and cheaper than new brakes for both wheels. But I will do whatever necessary. Thanks again!
@@ResetYourJourney My best guess would be the bearings to be a bit loose for sure. Breaks tend to make a slightly different sound, and if they are rubbing slightly then you would most definitely feel that when turning the wheel while its raised. Get someone to drive the rig ahead at a slow pace while you walk next to the wheel in question, and get a sense of how it sounds freewheeling and with the breaks lightly applied. Depending on how the sound changes, this will tell you for sure. That is assuming you know the breaks are applying. A reasonable and temporary fix is to very *very* slightly tighten the center hub nut which will keep things from binding and scoring the center spline. And pull things in just a little bit. I did do this once in 2 years on my trailer. But only to put them back into spec and not correct a rumbling wheel. Be sure to figure out if this may be reverse thread too. This can possibly buy you a couple months when you are ready to do them all. If things are really loose, then you would feel slack by just lifting up on the wheel and hearing for a clunk from the hub, while it is elevated. If that is the case, then it isn't the end of the world, and tightening the center hub will work, but a repack is very recommended sooner than later. Good luck.
Great advice! Thank you. I had a feeling and I'm bummed that I did not check the lateral play in the wheel while I had them up. Regardless, we'll follow this step by step and do the necessary work. We'll do this as soon as we return from CT. We took a detour without the rig to visit Rose's family for the holiday. Sadly, our trailer does not fit anywhere in that part of CT. Thank you again!
This is just a question for those pack their trailer bearings every year how often you pack the bearings on your pickup truck or your car drives to work every day
Since most, if not all newer vehicles (even my older ,05) don’t have serviceable wheel bearings I will bet that nobody does. Autos have moved to sealed wheel bearing hub assemblies
This is an awesome video on how to lube up the EZ fittings. A couple of questions if you don't mind? You said you used about 1.25 worth of grease tubes on each axle. I couldn't tell by the video. Did that much actually come out of the old bearing/axle? That is a lot of grease. Where did it all go? Also, I have seen on other videos that people say you can blow the seal out by greasing your bearings this way. What's your opinion about this? Again, great video!! Keep 'em coming!!
Thank you for commenting Gary! I was astounded at how much grease came out of each wheel. Despite the total amount used, some remained in the grease tube and some was wasted to make sure all of the old grease was circulated out. I suspect it was more like one tube per wheel. I did a full brake replacement after this video and was able to confirm that the seals where intact. It was surprisingly easy to change the brakes and confirmation that I might as well repack the bearings by hand next time. All of this said, it's easy to check the seals and repair if necessary. Thanks again Gary!
Eventually the outer bearings failed on one wheel and one of the other wheel leaked around the seal. Ultimately, all new races and bearings packed by hand. Hoping for "smooth" sailing going forward (pun intended). You can catch the bearing fail in our most recent video. Thank you so much for commenting and we wish you well.
90 ft lb for steel wheels 120 ft lb for aluminum wheels they're two completely different metals different density react different with temperature therefore the difference and the torque spec it should explain it in the manual some do some don't
You didn't service anything. You don't know the condition of the bearings or brakes. Lazy Lube is basically a joke. Hub should never be packed more than 50%.
We stopped using that method immediately afterwards. We switched to repacking by hand within 4 months. We'll never use the ez lube system again. Appreciate you following along and commenting. Wishing you well!
Far easier to break loose the lug nuts by pushing down on the tool instead of lifting up. You can use your body weight instead of throwing out your back. Also same technique when tightening up with your torque wrench.
Lay down some scrap cardboard under the end of the axle to catch the old grease. Saves a lot of paper towels.
The grinding noise was from the brake shoes grinding on the drum. Time for new 'shoes' all the way around to keep them all even.
Noted. Thank you for commenting and following along!
I already commented on the recent video about bearings but I've been watching your others. Simply as an old time RV-r I'd comment: I use about a tube per wheel with my EZ Lube axles pumping very slowly & turning the wheel to avoid blowing the rear seal. I'm a tool nut and carry a lot of tools (& loaded grease gun) when out. One thing that has been VERY valuable for me is my Milwaukee 18V - 1/2" Impact wrench. I carry a few Impact sockets as well (regular sockets will not work. They won't take the torque ) I carry a breaker bar as well but changing a tire on the truck or trailer is so much easier & quicker using one of these. I have changed several others for people stranded as well. Last time out on BLM ground I was approached at our site by a person asking for help with a flat tire. Their jack would not work & she couldn't loosen the lug nuts. I carry two 6T bottle jacks as well. Had it up and changed in about 30 minutes. If I see someone hand cranking their stabilizers I let them use it as well. Up & down in seconds.
Hey Herb! Great to hear you're feedback. All in agreement. Enjoy your weekend!
Just a pro tip. From working on 100s of trailer s. The biggest reason for blown out grease seals. Is leaving that cab on while you grease the bearings. Because when the bearings heat up they start to push the grease. An if the cap is all ready full of grease from you doing the service. It has no were to go an its going to take the path of least resistance an that is the seal. Just knock the cap off with a rubber mallet. An clean out all that grease in the cap. Your rear seals will thank you.
You're totally right. This was the last time we used the EZ lube feature. Going forward, we repacked by hand with much better results. We really appreciate the comment and you following along. Wishing you well!
Whenever you hear that sound from a hub, that's a BIG warning signal worth paying attention to. You may have had a brake pad separate from the shoe and could be riding inside the hub, which renders the brakes on this wheel useless.
Since that day of shooting this video, we have learned so much, including how to repack by hand. We also replaced the brakes shortly afterwards because you were right about the brake pad separation. Appreciate you taking the time to comment and following along. Wishing you well!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see you and your boys working on your RV together! Keep up the Family time, and keep enjoying Life! May God Bless your Journey!
Thank you Bernard. We most certainly will.
Ha! Glynn made it look too easy! He was dancing with, not thrown to the wolves! 😂🤣😎 Great training video
Thank you! Had to laugh at that one. Fortunately, injecting grease took less time than the full length movie!
Getting the kids involved. ❤👍
It's so rewarding having the kids help and learn the ropes as we go. Thanks so much for commenting!
I agree learn to do your own maintenance you save a ton of money especially labor cost. RV general maintenance is usually pretty simple and if you’re not sure just go to TH-cam great job 👍
It really pays off in so many ways! Thanks again for the great feedback!
Didnt need to remove the wheel to do this. In fact, drum/hub is easier to turn with the wheel on.
We've learned a lot since doing that video and now only repack our bearings by hand. Appreciate you commenting and following along. Wishing you well!
Good evening to you all!! This is a very educational video! Thank you for filming and sharing your experience! Great tips for using and carrying a torque wrench too! I will need to bring the one I have. I also need to get a new grease gun.
Happy Thanksgiving to your whole family!!! And....Safe Travels!
Thank you Alan and same to you two. I believe we'll also need to torque our bearings. We'll video everything we do and keep you posted. Happy Thanksgiving!
Nice video. You probably know by now since this is a year old but the noise is actually the braking pad thouching the wheel hub. This is usually a sign a well adjusted pads. Maybe the brakes need to be adjusted on the 3 silent wheels! Lots of videos for how to adjust pads depending on the model you have (manual or self adjusting).
After replacing the breaks a little later on, we found the auto adjust spring mechanism to have broken. A replacement solved the problem and that's the last time we injected the bearings. We repacked by hand going forward. We sincerely appreciate you following along and wish you well!
My trailers axles were not as heavy duty as that. But I would say since you are putting a higher amount of expected miles on the trailer, it may not be a bad idea to shove grease into them every few months. The barrings on my trailer were repacked the year before we left on our 2 year adventure, and in that year they saw little use. However on the road I would squish a bunch of grease into them every 3-4 months or so. And that was from my concern I was pushing the load rating of the trailer to its limits. I did have a modified suspension with an extra lief spring and upgraded shocks and tires, but the rest was original of course. And I did not bother repacking them the whole 2 years we were out. And when I did eventually do this some time after we got home, the scoring was very minimal. I could have gotten a lot more out of them I figure. And I did replace the full race as the parts were pretty cheap, but the spline was perfectly fine.
When I would re-grease them, because I did them so often I didn't bother pushing through until I saw clean grease. I just pushed through until I saw a small amount come out. If it looked really really bad I would push through more, but mostly I put in about a 1/4 tube. (keeping in mind my trailer was using much smaller assemblies and would use just under a full tube on a repack).
And through the winter months when it was really rainy I would get it in my head I needed to grease them after a shorter period of time, but the result was usually the same. The grease that came out was often only dark brown and not black. I think in the end I was overkill, as the cost to repack them was not more expensive than how much grease I used, but i like to think it saved me a bit of gas in them rolling better. And saved the time of repacking them at least once.
And yup, wheel number 2 is shot.
It sounds like you applied your expertise to stay ahead on the preventive maintenance. And no doubt it paid off. When we owned our gym, I was a bit overkill on all the PM for our equipment. But it allowed me to catch every problem before it became a problem. And that could be a serious problem when you're dealing with the potential liability from a client being injured. All of that said, I only had to have one elliptical and one cable machine repaired in 20 years. That "overkill" likely saved the business many thousands of dollars. And it all still looked and functioned like new when we sold the business.
The systems on travel trailers and generators are new to me, but I'm quickly learning. Honestly, I'm enjoying the education and growth of doing it all on my own. The grease and grease gun are now along for the ride. All great advice. Thank you!
Since we were able to lock that brake on that wheel (while it was lifted), I'm assuming the bearings are bad. Sound about right? A bearing replacement will be easier and cheaper than new brakes for both wheels. But I will do whatever necessary. Thanks again!
@@ResetYourJourney My best guess would be the bearings to be a bit loose for sure. Breaks tend to make a slightly different sound, and if they are rubbing slightly then you would most definitely feel that when turning the wheel while its raised.
Get someone to drive the rig ahead at a slow pace while you walk next to the wheel in question, and get a sense of how it sounds freewheeling and with the breaks lightly applied. Depending on how the sound changes, this will tell you for sure. That is assuming you know the breaks are applying.
A reasonable and temporary fix is to very *very* slightly tighten the center hub nut which will keep things from binding and scoring the center spline. And pull things in just a little bit. I did do this once in 2 years on my trailer. But only to put them back into spec and not correct a rumbling wheel. Be sure to figure out if this may be reverse thread too. This can possibly buy you a couple months when you are ready to do them all.
If things are really loose, then you would feel slack by just lifting up on the wheel and hearing for a clunk from the hub, while it is elevated. If that is the case, then it isn't the end of the world, and tightening the center hub will work, but a repack is very recommended sooner than later.
Good luck.
Great advice! Thank you. I had a feeling and I'm bummed that I did not check the lateral play in the wheel while I had them up. Regardless, we'll follow this step by step and do the necessary work. We'll do this as soon as we return from CT. We took a detour without the rig to visit Rose's family for the holiday. Sadly, our trailer does not fit anywhere in that part of CT. Thank you again!
This is just a question for those pack their trailer bearings every year how often you pack the bearings on your pickup truck or your car drives to work every day
Since most, if not all newer vehicles (even my older ,05) don’t have serviceable wheel bearings I will bet that nobody does. Autos have moved to sealed wheel bearing hub assemblies
This is an awesome video on how to lube up the EZ fittings. A couple of questions if you don't mind? You said you used about 1.25 worth of grease tubes on each axle. I couldn't tell by the video. Did that much actually come out of the old bearing/axle? That is a lot of grease. Where did it all go? Also, I have seen on other videos that people say you can blow the seal out by greasing your bearings this way. What's your opinion about this? Again, great video!! Keep 'em coming!!
Thank you for commenting Gary! I was astounded at how much grease came out of each wheel. Despite the total amount used, some remained in the grease tube and some was wasted to make sure all of the old grease was circulated out. I suspect it was more like one tube per wheel. I did a full brake replacement after this video and was able to confirm that the seals where intact. It was surprisingly easy to change the brakes and confirmation that I might as well repack the bearings by hand next time. All of this said, it's easy to check the seals and repair if necessary. Thanks again Gary!
When you grease bearings pump it slowly or it will push out the seal
Eventually the outer bearings failed on one wheel and one of the other wheel leaked around the seal. Ultimately, all new races and bearings packed by hand. Hoping for "smooth" sailing going forward (pun intended). You can catch the bearing fail in our most recent video. Thank you so much for commenting and we wish you well.
90 ft lb for steel wheels 120 ft lb for aluminum wheels they're two completely different metals different density react different with temperature therefore the difference and the torque spec it should explain it in the manual some do some don't
You are correct Wesley. Appreciate your input.
You didn't service anything. You don't know the condition of the bearings or brakes. Lazy Lube is basically a joke. Hub should never be packed more than 50%.
We stopped using that method immediately afterwards. We switched to repacking by hand within 4 months. We'll never use the ez lube system again. Appreciate you following along and commenting. Wishing you well!