Using hand packed greased hubs is the best practice for most all trailers in the 3500-8000 pound axle range. The e-z lube hubs are more convenient but tend to have expansion problems when packed full that cause leaks that often blow out the rear hub seal contaminating the brakes especially when filled incorrectly by not turning the hub as you install the grease through the zerk. I know it is a PITA to conventionally pack the hubs, but it allows you to do the best repack, and affords the opportunity to inspect he bearings and races during the service.
For our ez lube I repack once to twice a year depending on the usage of the trailer, grease is cheap compared to tow bill. Our oil bath is changed every fall after boating season if we used our boat. If notice that the oil has a milky look I change it immediately. The oil bath we upgraded to a aluminium cover with a plastic lens to check for fluid level.
Yes, I agree. I have done trailer maintenance for quite a while and I think grease is so much more forgiving than oil bath. The potential for a fire should be deterrent enough for most. I always say Nev-r-lube and oil bath are about the same. They are great until they're not, then you have a big issue.
On oil hubs, note that refill will take refilling until it is at the point it will spill out. The oil take a few minutes to run through bearings and it will settle and level goes down. You may need to top it up 10 minutes later to be at correct level. I ABSOLUTELY recommend the upgrade caps. Ibrun several trailers with oil bath (I recommend oil bath) and my only failures were clear plastic caps that cracked at thread root and were not overtightened.
I always use full synthetic semi fluid grease O /OO , With the Oil hub cap you can see the oil level without even getting your hands dirty. Also if your pretty red grease looks dirty change it. Assuming your grease is red. I ran that configuration on the front axle of my Peterbilt rated for 12,000 pounds I also ran that configuration on my trailer axles those were rated for 20,000 pounds each. Easily ran 500,000 miles between bearing service usually just pull it down and clean it new wheel seals fill it back up with grease semi fluid of course put the hubcap back on and go on down the road no worries I realize it’s still Oil when you get right down to it but I never had a wheel seal go bad enough to have to change that on the road with the semi fluid grease. But with Oil I had more seal failures than anything, using synthetic oil makes a world of difference using semi fluid grease in place of the oil makes all the difference The wheel bearings in my trailer boy they’ve gotta have over 1,000,000 miles no problems same set of bearings. You don’t have to be nervous about it he just give them an eyeball once in a while make sure no leaks and that the grease is not turning dark or even black you’re good to go. But if someone else is using your equipment or if you’re the guy like Mr. Trailer Smith said just wanna get it done and Service? at once a year he was grease. I had some trailers that were in the fleet in all sorts of different people all sorts of different people pull those trailers, and yes they were supposed to be professional truck drivers. But if you’ve ever lived in that world they’re not the most attentive sort when it comes to taking care of fleet equipment. I’m trying to be nice. But I prefer the semi fluid with the oil hubcaps so you can visually inspect the condition of your grease without tearing anything apart that also holds true for Oil You don’t have to tear it down to see if you need to change your grease you just have to stick your finger in there and if it’s dirty change it if it’s not have a good day. By the way another great video I like watching your stuff it gives me another viewpoint to consider whenever I’m doing maintenance on what is now become light weight equipment not big trucks. Retirement is great😢
I just found your channel last week. I give you 👍👍2 thumbs up on your info and production. Easy to understand, easy to follow on what I have watched so far, Just the Facts from some one that had obviously been doing it a while. Not a bunch of hog wash from some one that thinks they can make a video about brakes & bearings cause they have now done it twice. Great Job I have enjoyed every one I have seen so far. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good video... Very well said... I had MORryde install Independent suspension (8,000 lb) & electric over hydraulic disk brakes on my 17,000 GVWR fifth wheel RV. At the time MORryde gave me the option of oil bath or grease but they strongly recommended grease for many of the reasons you said. Just changing the oil is too convenient when you should be pulling the hub apart to inspect the bearings etc. Just the peace of mind makes it worth it.
With oil no need to pull apart and check bearings, if something is wearing the oil is gonna be silvery. Only have dark kinda burnt smelling oil if u change it once a yr if u use trailer alot. I use mine daily for 12-14k pieces of equipment and never had a bearing issue. In 5yrs I put 160k mi on truck, id say trailer has atleast 100k on it. And that's staying in one state daily
This is a great video and perfect timing. I’m currently dealing with a few issues on my Lippert hybrid axles. I have one wheel that went metal to metal on the brakes and another that is soaked in oil from losing the seal. Trying to find the right replacement drum is proving difficult. I believe the correct drum is a Dexter 8-219-13, could you confirm? They are oil bath hubs 8 on 6.5 with 9/16 studs. Also on the bearings you noted to different ones depending on rating. Everything online notes to use a 14125A outer bearing but the one I pulled out looks to be a 02475. The specs from National appear to be the same with the exception of the cone length. Again if you could confirm proper parts it would be appreciated.
My question is when seating the inner(rear) seal some say you can use prrmatex and some say use a silicone product. Prrmatex is not silicone right? Which is the product to use so thr inner seal will not be blown out if to much grease puts to much pressure on that seal? Thanx
I like oil on my customers units that are in commercial service, because you can look at the cap and see if you have lubricant. People don't do maintenance, not my trailer not my problem kind of stuff. You can get them to do the walk around and look, is there oil in it. Now that said, trailers are not what I do on a regular basis, the customers I get will find a way to smoke it no mater what they were using for lubricant
From what I've found in last 5yrs running a 8k with oil, if it gets milky looking, then the inside seal is failing and it's seeping oil inside the drum. It won't be noticeable for awhile because when using it the heat cooks it off, but when it cools from sitting thats when it let's in atmosphere and oil gets milky looking again. Oil is nice, but u should always watch them cause the amount of oil is minimum vs a OTR class 8 trailer. Oil is nice, but that seal is 20-30$ vs 10$ or less for grease. I'd rather have oil at this point vs grease. Been using synthetic oil 75-130 and it stays cleaner and doesn't get that nasty burnt smell 80/90 gets after a yr
I had a question I’m putting new brakes on my trailer but the wires are not colored does it matter how they’re connected because someone told me that it’s all straight wires to the brakes so it don’t matter
It's good that you remind everyone of the importance of preventative maintainence. To that end, why aren't hubodometers more common? I know newer trucks have trailer odometers, but for shared fleets, etc, it seems PM would be easier to keep up with.
Boat trailer oil I'll do every year, utility trailer or camping trailer with synthetic grease maybe every 3 yrs, camping trailer with oil, every 2 yrs depending on how long it sits for in that period, oil will detiorate a bit faster than grease, and trailer axles can't vent condensation when they heat up like a drive axle can, as they don't have breathers. If the oil is dark or cloudy, not clear, change it. MIleage on the synthetic oil & grease is nearly irrelevant, currrent oils can run to 3yrs, 250,000 miles these days, condensation and time is the enemy.
I switched my semi trailers from oil to grease. I haven't had a single seal leak since switching. I hate to inform you, but both oil and grease are petroleum based, meaning both will burn.
This guy knows his stuff. Very real world ideas about servicing hubs and bearings.
I'm a retired truck driver and always liked the idea of the oil
Thanks for watching!
Man you are the axel professor!
Thanks for that vote of confidence. Thanks for watching!
Using hand packed greased hubs is the best practice for most all trailers in the 3500-8000 pound axle range. The e-z lube hubs are more convenient but tend to have expansion problems when packed full that cause leaks that often blow out the rear hub seal contaminating the brakes especially when filled incorrectly by not turning the hub as you install the grease through the zerk. I know it is a PITA to conventionally pack the hubs, but it allows you to do the best repack, and affords the opportunity to inspect he bearings and races during the service.
For our ez lube I repack once to twice a year depending on the usage of the trailer, grease is cheap compared to tow bill. Our oil bath is changed every fall after boating season if we used our boat. If notice that the oil has a milky look I change it immediately. The oil bath we upgraded to a aluminium cover with a plastic lens to check for fluid level.
Yes, I agree. I have done trailer maintenance for quite a while and I think grease is so much more forgiving than oil bath. The potential for a fire should be deterrent enough for most. I always say Nev-r-lube and oil bath are about the same. They are great until they're not, then you have a big issue.
On oil hubs, note that refill will take refilling until it is at the point it will spill out. The oil take a few minutes to run through bearings and it will settle and level goes down. You may need to top it up 10 minutes later to be at correct level. I ABSOLUTELY recommend the upgrade caps. Ibrun several trailers with oil bath (I recommend oil bath) and my only failures were clear plastic caps that cracked at thread root and were not overtightened.
I always use full synthetic semi fluid grease O /OO , With the Oil hub cap you can see the oil level without even getting your hands dirty. Also if your pretty red grease looks dirty change it. Assuming your grease is red. I ran that configuration on the front axle of my Peterbilt rated for 12,000 pounds I also ran that configuration on my trailer axles those were rated for 20,000 pounds each. Easily ran 500,000 miles between bearing service usually just pull it down and clean it new wheel seals fill it back up with grease semi fluid of course put the hubcap back on and go on down the road no worries I realize it’s still Oil when you get right down to it but I never had a wheel seal go bad enough to have to change that on the road with the semi fluid grease. But with Oil I had more seal failures than anything, using synthetic oil makes a world of difference using semi fluid grease in place of the oil makes all the difference The wheel bearings in my trailer boy they’ve gotta have over 1,000,000 miles no problems same set of bearings. You don’t have to be nervous about it he just give them an eyeball once in a while make sure no leaks and that the grease is not turning dark or even black you’re good to go. But if someone else is using your equipment or if you’re the guy like Mr. Trailer Smith said just wanna get it done and Service? at once a year he was grease. I had some trailers that were in the fleet in all sorts of different people all sorts of different people pull those trailers, and yes they were supposed to be professional truck drivers. But if you’ve ever lived in that world they’re not the most attentive sort when it comes to taking care of fleet equipment. I’m trying to be nice. But I prefer the semi fluid with the oil hubcaps so you can visually inspect the condition of your grease without tearing anything apart that also holds true for Oil You don’t have to tear it down to see if you need to change your grease you just have to stick your finger in there and if it’s dirty change it if it’s not have a good day. By the way another great video I like watching your stuff it gives me another viewpoint to consider whenever I’m doing maintenance on what is now become light weight equipment not big trucks. Retirement is great😢
I just found your channel last week. I give you 👍👍2 thumbs up on your info and production. Easy to understand, easy to follow on what I have watched so far, Just the Facts from some one that had obviously been doing it a while. Not a bunch of hog wash from some one that thinks they can make a video about brakes & bearings cause they have now done it twice. Great Job I have enjoyed every one I have seen so far. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good video... Very well said...
I had MORryde install Independent suspension (8,000 lb) & electric over hydraulic disk brakes on my 17,000 GVWR fifth wheel RV. At the time MORryde gave me the option of oil bath or grease but they strongly recommended grease for many of the reasons you said. Just changing the oil is too convenient when you should be pulling the hub apart to inspect the bearings etc. Just the peace of mind makes it worth it.
With oil no need to pull apart and check bearings, if something is wearing the oil is gonna be silvery. Only have dark kinda burnt smelling oil if u change it once a yr if u use trailer alot. I use mine daily for 12-14k pieces of equipment and never had a bearing issue. In 5yrs I put 160k mi on truck, id say trailer has atleast 100k on it. And that's staying in one state daily
@@kwmikedIs that 100k on the trailer on the same bearings?
Your videos are very informative.
Thank you! The feedback is appreciative. Mostly, we are glad the information is helpful. Thank you for watching!
This is a great video and perfect timing.
I’m currently dealing with a few issues on my Lippert hybrid axles. I have one wheel that went metal to metal on the brakes and another that is soaked in oil from losing the seal.
Trying to find the right replacement drum is proving difficult. I believe the correct drum is a Dexter 8-219-13, could you confirm? They are oil bath hubs 8 on 6.5 with 9/16 studs.
Also on the bearings you noted to different ones depending on rating. Everything online notes to use a 14125A outer bearing but the one I pulled out looks to be a 02475. The specs from National appear to be the same with the exception of the cone length. Again if you could confirm proper parts it would be appreciated.
My question is when seating the inner(rear) seal some say you can use prrmatex and some say use a silicone product. Prrmatex is not silicone right? Which is the product to use so thr inner seal will not be blown out if to much grease puts to much pressure on that seal? Thanx
I like oil on my customers units that are in commercial service, because you can look at the cap and see if you have lubricant. People don't do maintenance, not my trailer not my problem kind of stuff. You can get them to do the walk around and look, is there oil in it. Now that said, trailers are not what I do on a regular basis, the customers I get will find a way to smoke it no mater what they were using for lubricant
Thanks for explaining everything from top to bottom, inside and out!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Always good information! Very helpful.
Great explanation. Thanks
And now I can start my day by saying I've learned something new. I've heard of oil hubs, but never learned about them. So, thanks for the education.
I see dexter has sealed bearings for trailers . 🤔
The problem I have with grease is. They pack them then never does ant maintenance
From what I've found in last 5yrs running a 8k with oil, if it gets milky looking, then the inside seal is failing and it's seeping oil inside the drum. It won't be noticeable for awhile because when using it the heat cooks it off, but when it cools from sitting thats when it let's in atmosphere and oil gets milky looking again. Oil is nice, but u should always watch them cause the amount of oil is minimum vs a OTR class 8 trailer. Oil is nice, but that seal is 20-30$ vs 10$ or less for grease. I'd rather have oil at this point vs grease. Been using synthetic oil 75-130 and it stays cleaner and doesn't get that nasty burnt smell 80/90 gets after a yr
Regarding grease, the other pro is you're able to inspect, clean, and adjust your brakes at the same time.
The other pro regarding grease is, you're able to inspect, clean, amd adjust your brakes at the same time
Great information. What brand bearings do you recommend? Koyo, Timken, etc?
What is the rationale for changing out wet or oil bath every 12k miles as you would repack grease?
When using the Mistik Jt6 high temp. Does it have to specify for wheel bearings or not.
I had a question I’m putting new brakes on my trailer but the wires are not colored does it matter how they’re connected because someone told me that it’s all straight wires to the brakes so it don’t matter
Is the Mystic JT6 grease for marine use as well ?
No. We use a separate marine grease.
What do you recommend for marine ? I’m running tandum axle 3.5k each. Is oil or grease better ?
It's good that you remind everyone of the importance of preventative maintainence. To that end, why aren't hubodometers more common? I know newer trucks have trailer odometers, but for shared fleets, etc, it seems PM would be easier to keep up with.
Can you convert 16k axles over to grease?
I converted my oil into grease. Now, it gets a little bit hotter. Can you explain why?
Out here in the west I guess we don’t have rubber gators to be concerned about. Thanks for the great instruction
They are everywhere, specially the hot states!
I need to pack the bearings on my utility trailer. Is there a specific grease type?
I use Lucas Oil Red "N" Tacky NLGI No. 2 Lithium Complex
Oil for sure?
Use 25581 instead of 25580 for inner wheel bearings
Great information thank you so much Don
👍👍
Keep it greasy and it'll stay easy!
Boat trailer oil I'll do every year, utility trailer or camping trailer with synthetic grease maybe every 3 yrs, camping trailer with oil, every 2 yrs depending on how long it sits for in that period, oil will detiorate a bit faster than grease, and trailer axles can't vent condensation when they heat up like a drive axle can, as they don't have breathers. If the oil is dark or cloudy, not clear, change it. MIleage on the synthetic oil & grease is nearly irrelevant, currrent oils can run to 3yrs, 250,000 miles these days, condensation and time is the enemy.
I see them crooks at 107 have taken your advice. Please don’t waste your time and money leasing on with those folks
Not sure what you mean here?
This guy is a clown, semi uses oil it says it all and no it does not catch on fire.
I switched my semi trailers from oil to grease. I haven't had a single seal leak since switching.
I hate to inform you, but both oil and grease are petroleum based, meaning both will burn.
They also hold 3x as much. It's really surprising that a 8k lasts with only 4-6oz of oil