Trailer Issue... What to expect??

[ahicks]

Bruce, when it comes to "dealers", there are very good reasons many/most RV owners eventually become very motivated to do their own work. Dealer tech help are blowing seals for the same reasons inexperienced owners are. Dealer tech competency is a well known issue, perhaps even more widely accepted as "fact" on the forums.

I'm not trying to sell you on this system. If you don't like it, don't use it. My point is the design is a good one. MANY people use it and find it reliable. Giving fair warning about the potential to blow the seal is good info. Condemning the design completely for that potential is supplying an opinion that should not be taken as fact - bad info you might say.... To put this to bed, maybe we'll need to "agree to disagree" here.

jbuote - the best tip I can pass on, is 10 miles into any long trip, pull over and check the temp of your wheel hubs and your tires. If luke warm, you're good to go. If much warmer, you have an issue that needs immediate attention.

 

[bruceb58]

In theory it's good. Probably works as it's designed over 90% of the time. It's better suited for RV trailers. Bearing Buddy is better for boat trailers as long as you stop putting grease in once the piston starts moving.

As far as agreeing to disagree...that is fine...This discussion is all for the OP to make his decision. I know you happen to think it's the best thing since sliced bread. I certainly don't.

 

[redneck joe]

Even the dealers were having issues. Maybe they weren't doing it right either I guess. Some of these dealers would never touch anything I own.

Bottom line...there is a risk...If you don't mind taking the risk, go for it.I chose not to take the risk with a trailer with drum brakes. If you have an idler hub or disk, you can see if the seal gets blown so less risk to do this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ez+l...utf-8&oe=utf-8

from your link, went to THT where i've been a member since 2007 not that it means anything..



from Dexter. This list everything to NOT do that has been mentioned here in this thread. Only thing I would add IMO that is not on this vid is to add rubber cabs that you would use on bearing buddys and make sure you use marine grease.

The person that mentioned running a few mile prior to pumping again IMO a good idea; warm is better.

Also to the person that mentioned 10 miles and pull over and check; i can vouch that is never a bad thing to do and if long haul every pee/fuel/sightseeing stop as well. Since I've lost a wheel on two separate occasions for different reasons, I now religiously do that and keep grease gun in the truck box.

BTW my boat trailers have one of each of the described system, hte Carver is my first ezlube. I've had 18 boats on trailers.

 

[bruceb58]

Kind of interesting that in their video, they don't even follow their own directions. It says to rotate the wheel while pumping in the grease yet in the last part where they are still pumping in the grease, they have stopped rotating the wheel.

 

[jbuote]

Well thanks for the pics, i was hoping for......

now is the time to add brakes if you want them .

​LOL.. Yeah, I know.. Not the pics you were hoping for... :laugh:

Not sure if I'm going to add brakes...
It's a 15' boat, with a Johnson 50 on it.

​Boat/engine/trailer combo weighs in around 1500-1600 lbs MAX. (That's with 6 gal. gas tank full, and battery installed.)
​I don't put any equipment in the boat while travelling. That stuff is all in the back of the truck and I transfer into boat at launch parking lot, then back to truck when done for the day.

​Tow vehicle is a 2003 Chevy Tahoe, so half the time it doesn't feel like there is anything behind it.. lol

​Trailer doesn't have inertia tongue for braking, and don't have the electronic brake controller in tow vehicle.

​Legally, I don't need brakes, and personally, I don't know if the extra expense of adding brakes and controller is all that justifiable in my particular case.
​Will research more on it though before I get the axle.

​As you said, Now IS the time, if I'm going to add brakes to it... LOL

 

[redneck joe]

yeah that rig skip it.

 

[Maclin]

I was wanting to "nee" (sorry redneckjoe!) pics of those bearings mentioned that have the grease nipples.

 

[dingbat]

Kind of interesting that in their video, they don't even follow their own directions. It says to rotate the wheel while pumping in the grease yet in the last part where they are still pumping in the grease, they have stopped rotating the wheel.

and they cut away just as the rear seal was about to let go....lol

Next on the YouTube.....easy in home lobotomies and extremity amputations….

 

[redneck joe]

I was wanting to "nee" (sorry redneckjoe!) pics of those bearings mentioned that have the grease nipples.

no worries on my forum it is an ongoing challenge to decipher my posts. I'm on tablet and I drink more when i'm there...

 

[Maclin]

My new to me trailer this year has the ez-lube. Axle uses a D shaped spindle and washers, with a keeper tabbed type thin washer instead of a cotter pin. One of my hubs came off, not due to any lube problem. The washers had not been not installed in correct order, so the keeper was not keeping, and the left side eventually unwound the spindle nut right off. So, to the OP, on any unit, just be sure all the parts are correct and get installed in correct order, just sayin'. I had driven it 150-200 miles before this happened with no issues.

 

[Fed]

This thread still has a long way to go.

What about pre-load, my current thinking is yes.
What about seal types, car or marine? Marine gets my vote.
What about Speedi Sleeves from the get go? If I had car type seals I'd fit them.

 

[Fed]

My new to me trailer this year has the ez-lube. Axle uses a D shaped spindle and washers, with a keeper tabbed type thin washer instead of a cotter pin. One of my hubs came off, not due to any lube problem. The washers had not been not installed in correct order, so the keeper was not keeping, and the left side eventually unwound the spindle nut right off. So, to the OP, on any unit, just be sure all the parts are correct and get installed in correct order, just sayin'. I had driven it 150-200 miles before this happened with no issues.

That's a worry, you'd think they would have cross drilled them + split pins. I had a trailer with greaseable centre roller shafts cross drilled and they hardly leaked at all while pumping them. Sign of the times I guess, did they give it some spin to make it sound better.
"Our Ez-Lube axles are now fitted with NASA designed Nut-Lockers (TM) made of pure unobtainium"

 

[Maclin]

No need for cross drilling or pinning, the spindle with D shaped threaded area design is fine as is. Whoever did the work before me did not execute properly. They put the tang washer on before the thrust washer, and the tangs are not long enough to reach the spindle nut. Install order should be Outer Bearing, Thrust Washer, Tang Washer, Spindle castle nut. Torque the bearing, adjust spindle nut to where one of the tangs lines up and bend tang into the nut. They had done both sides in the same incorrect order, but the right side tends to keep the tightening motion going. The left side just the opposite, the nut will overpower the too-short tang soon enough. When the tang washer is next to the nut it works fine.

Here is the thrust washer...






Here is the keeper washer with the tangs. The spindle castle nut is supposed to tighten against this one, and the tangs then are bent out from the inside of the nut into one of the castle slots after the bearing has been torqued in.

 

[Fed]

Gotcha, not exactly how I envisioned it but similar set up, looks like you get double positions to fine tune your adjustment.

 

[Maclin]

Fed "looks like you get double positions to fine tune your adjustment"

Exactly! Each tang is exact size needed for one notch in the castle nut. You can be more precise than with a cotterpin.

For more clarity, here is a pic of a spindle end with the D shape threaded area, not my rig...:

 

[Lou C]

Interesting discussion. The Dexter system and the Load Rite system are different in that on the Load Rite system has the zerk in the axle dust cap and the grease flows through the outer bearing, through the inner bearing and then into the axle tube itself. At least that's how it was on the original axle on my '94 LR. I replaced this axle in 2004 with one made by Champion Trailers. This has the Tie Down Spindle Lube system which is similar to the Dexter system. Since then I have never had a problem with seals leaking and because I have drum brakes it would be obvious if they were due to brake problems. I replaced the seals once about 7 years ago as a precaution. I wonder if the size of the grease orifice used by Tie Down is larger than Dexter's so there may not be a pressure build up that blows seals. At any rate I have found this particular system trouble free and easy to maintain....

 

[Trevor H]

LOL...have a picture?

Sure, will send you a private message!

 

[jbuote]

For any other "Newbies" that may be reading through this, here's yet ANOTHER reason to check your hubs, bearings etc.. when you first get your trailer..

​After taking measurements to be able to order my new axle as I've decided is best through this thread, it would seem I have something not so common..

​With the inner bearing gone on one side, I can't get a hub face to face measurement directly and accurately, so what I did was measure the spring center to center, the spring center to good hub face, and also spring center to spindle tip.

​Using the above figures collected, I can calculate the overall length, Hub face to face, and pretty much any other measurement required.

​With that, I have a Spring center to center of 43", Spring center to spindle tip of 8", and Spring center to good hub face of 5.75"...

This gives me:
​Spring C to C : 43"
​Overall Length: 59"
​Hub face to face: 54.5"

​iBoats doesn't sell full axles (that I have found anyway), the e trailer site doesn't have it listed, and when I called, they confirmed they don't carry anything with my specs.. They gave me a phone number to call Dexter directly and ask them...

​I haven't looked everywhere yet, but this just shows me it isn't going to be as easy as I thought to find the right axle, and probably not quite as cheap as I thought either..

​If finding an axle fails (not available, or cost prohibitive) I'll have to look at trying to fix existing spindle base and put new hub assemblies on it, or worse yet, having to find another trailer altogether...

​SPARE yourself all this fun and excitement, and just check it out when you get it!!
​If you haven't checked out the bearings etc yet, DO IT NOW!!! LOL... :facepalm:

​Till next update.... (sigh....)

 

[bruceb58]

Call Champion trailer

https://www.championtrailers.com/

 

[jbuote]

Will check them out!!

​Thank you bruceb58