pauldridge
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2021
- Messages
- 8
This forum is a wealth of information and I appreciate its existence. That said, I have noticed a common trend for "contributors" who like to pass along rumors/mis-information they have read elsewhere, but have not experienced or observed themselves, and the rumors seem to perpetuate themselves.
Nothing could be more frequent than discussions about wheel bearing maintenance. I respect those who have chosen to remove all 4 wheels and drums, pry out the rear bearing seals, and repack their bearings every few thousands of miles, and who poo-poo the innovative external greasing feature of most all of the axles these days.
But I have to ask.. when was the last time you packed the bearings in your 5,000+ pound Ford truck, in spite of driving 40-50k miles per year? The basic construct of most vehicle bearings is pretty much identical to our trailers.
I almost drank the Koolaid myself regarding rash warnings about using the external grease nipples ("you will blow out the rear seal with too much pressure").
That was before I decided to look at the official company videos from both Lippert and Dexter (not just a video from some shade tree mechanic holding the "camera" in one hand.
If you look at the internal construction of these new hubs, you will see that grease flows through the center of the axle exiting BEHIND the inner bearing, then travels through the bearing along the axle up to the outer bearing, where it comes on through *under gentle grease gun pressure, and finally exists at the front of the bearing and hub.
Here is Dexter's official video describing the greasing process.. Lippert's is near-identical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT0RKDGgDm8
Yes, both companies DO suggest that you jack up (without removing wheel or drum) and turn the wheel slowly while greasing to assure complete propagation, and continue pumping your gun until you see all the old grease exiting the front and new grease pushing from behind.
So.. I submit a few points based on manufacturer's data, not baseless rumor:
1) No, 2-3 pumps of the grease gun will accomplish virtually nothing. It DOES take a good bit of grease to displace the old grease in both bearings and the internal hub housing.
2) It would be extremely unlikely to "blow" a rear seal, since there is never any significant restriction to the grease's path through both bearings before exiting the front. You could pump a gallon of grease through that bearing, and all you would get would be a huge glob of grease coming out around the outer bearing.
The thing is, systems do improve over the years, in many cases making maintenance chores easy. Just because someone has used "old-school" technigues for the past 20 years doesn't necessary validate that practice with new, improved systems.
Sure, I suppose there is some value in "inspecting" the bearings from time to time, just as you could inspect the same on your tow vehicle, or maybe even your driveshaft bearings, but most people don't, and seem to get along just fine.
For me, I'll just follow the axle manufacturer's guidance (sadly missing from any documentation provided by the trailer manufacturer), spend about 5-10 minutes per wheel, perhaps every 10,000 miles or so, and used the saved time for another margarita!
Nothing could be more frequent than discussions about wheel bearing maintenance. I respect those who have chosen to remove all 4 wheels and drums, pry out the rear bearing seals, and repack their bearings every few thousands of miles, and who poo-poo the innovative external greasing feature of most all of the axles these days.
But I have to ask.. when was the last time you packed the bearings in your 5,000+ pound Ford truck, in spite of driving 40-50k miles per year? The basic construct of most vehicle bearings is pretty much identical to our trailers.
I almost drank the Koolaid myself regarding rash warnings about using the external grease nipples ("you will blow out the rear seal with too much pressure").
That was before I decided to look at the official company videos from both Lippert and Dexter (not just a video from some shade tree mechanic holding the "camera" in one hand.
If you look at the internal construction of these new hubs, you will see that grease flows through the center of the axle exiting BEHIND the inner bearing, then travels through the bearing along the axle up to the outer bearing, where it comes on through *under gentle grease gun pressure, and finally exists at the front of the bearing and hub.
Here is Dexter's official video describing the greasing process.. Lippert's is near-identical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT0RKDGgDm8
Yes, both companies DO suggest that you jack up (without removing wheel or drum) and turn the wheel slowly while greasing to assure complete propagation, and continue pumping your gun until you see all the old grease exiting the front and new grease pushing from behind.
So.. I submit a few points based on manufacturer's data, not baseless rumor:
1) No, 2-3 pumps of the grease gun will accomplish virtually nothing. It DOES take a good bit of grease to displace the old grease in both bearings and the internal hub housing.
2) It would be extremely unlikely to "blow" a rear seal, since there is never any significant restriction to the grease's path through both bearings before exiting the front. You could pump a gallon of grease through that bearing, and all you would get would be a huge glob of grease coming out around the outer bearing.
The thing is, systems do improve over the years, in many cases making maintenance chores easy. Just because someone has used "old-school" technigues for the past 20 years doesn't necessary validate that practice with new, improved systems.
Sure, I suppose there is some value in "inspecting" the bearings from time to time, just as you could inspect the same on your tow vehicle, or maybe even your driveshaft bearings, but most people don't, and seem to get along just fine.
For me, I'll just follow the axle manufacturer's guidance (sadly missing from any documentation provided by the trailer manufacturer), spend about 5-10 minutes per wheel, perhaps every 10,000 miles or so, and used the saved time for another margarita!