8k axle and electric over hydraulic upgrade

[Second Chance]

OK, just got off the phone with Kodiak (which, by the way, has been acquired by Dexter - big surprise... not). I asked a brake and hub specialist about the advisability of going oil bath with the Kodiak disc brake hubs. He says that, though they've had many people who have done it and had good results, they've also had a significant number of "leakers" - either via the inside seal or the outer cap. He said that, when this happens, "... people see their trailer wheel passing them on the highway" and it trashes the spindle/axle. He said, "Grease is very forgiving" and that the new synthetic greases are so good that 10,000 - 12,000 mile service intervals on bearings are very safe. Just another data point. Do with it what you will.

Rob

[huntindog]

In my 30 years of towing RVs I have had two bearings fail. On one the tire blew alerting me to the problem. On the other one, We lost the wheel after the bearing welded itself to the spindle Those both had greased bearings

So IMO, greased bearings do not have a good track record with me. So it is time for a change.
What I like about oil bath is that you can check the condition just by walking by them. To check on a problem in the making with greased bearings, you gotta pull the hub. A heat gun may alert you to a issue with either type.