EZ lube hubs and cold water

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Mwitthuhn

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So my new boat trailer has the EZ lube system on it. Seems like a great idea until the other day I noticed I was leaking grease out of two hubs. Took into the shop and I had two blown out seals. The tech said I put too much grease in however I never touched them. The only thing I can think of is that I got water in them when I launched in ice cold water the other day. So my question to everyone is has anyone had problems with water getting in them when launching in cold water?
 
Alumarine

Alumarine

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Welcome.
I've never had trouble.
Did the grease show signs of water penetration?
It would have looked milky if so.
 
dingbat

dingbat

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Mwitthuhn said:
So my new boat trailer has the EZ lube system on it. Seems like a great idea until the other day I noticed I was leaking grease out of two hubs. Took into the shop and I had two blown out seals. The tech said I put too much grease in however I never touched them.
Click to expand...
You must rotate the wheel while pumping grease in the hub. Failure to do so will blow the seals out every time.

Also check to make sure the right seal is installed. One size fits all isn’t the case here. Couples seals just 0.002” apart
 
Lou C

Lou C

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I have had these hubs over 20 years on 2 different axles & never had water in them. I’d look to see if the correct seals were used, yes you should rotate the wheel when greasing but there really isn’t much pressure on the seals when greasing because the excess grease can freely escape. I wonder if a power grease gun was used at the factory.
 
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airshot

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Mine have little pressure ports for excess grease to escape so over greasing should not be an issue, but...in regards to the original question....my hub mfgrs recomend letting the hubs cool down slightly before dunking in cold water. When I arrive at the ramp, I put a hand on my hubs right away, if overly warm, that means they need attention, being a little warm but not uncomfortable to touch is good. By the time I unhook and load everything up the hubs have cooled slightly and ready to dunk. If the hubs are hot enough to draw water, then they need attention asap. In my 60 yrs of boating, I have had numerous hub issues, most time the seals were worn or the axle was rough causing undo wear on the seal, cheap seals, or using hubs with no oressure relief.
 
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Mwitthuhn

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I forgot to mention that when I took the hub caps off the one dust cap was laying in the hub cap and the other one pulled right off in my hand. Unlike normally you need a rubber mallet to get them off.
 
dingbat

dingbat

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Lou C

Lou C

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to the OP post up a pic of what you've got
With the easy lube system it is possible for those rubber caps to leak. I usually coat the groove where it fits onto the tin cover with grease, that keeps out the water. Also recently I got a pair of bearing buddy bras to put over the tin covers & rubber cap. Coat on the inside with good old Lucas Marine grease, I pulled them off after I pulled the boat and no moisture at all got past em. So that is one more way to keep water out of these.
I have had great luck with this system. I never had to change the bearings that were in my original axle used from 2004-2021. I changed the seals a couple of times because I had the drums off to change the backing plates. That's it.
 
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