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Old 07-22-2003, 02:09 PM   #1
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Bearing lubes

I just figured up that I have put slightly under 10,000 miles on my '03SD Casita since I picked it up at the factory in December '02. Those miles added up quickly! I couldn't find any lube interval in the Dexter reference I got from Casita, so I called a local RV shop. They said the Dexter shop manual "suggests" every year, but thought I should get it in for a lube right away. I agreed and set it up.

What kinds of intervals are other folks using for their bearing re-packs?



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Old 07-22-2003, 02:17 PM   #2
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I suggest you do it often. I had about half that mileage on mine when
a bearing froze up and scored the axle shoulder, eventually requiring
complete axle replacement.

My old Jayco with bigger axle said annually or 3K miles, whichever
came first.

Pete in the RatHaus



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Old 07-22-2003, 02:21 PM   #3
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Thanks, Pete

for the quick reply.

3000 miles seems a mite stingy to me. Do you really suggest such short intervals for the Casita Dexter (the new 3500# axle)? If so, I guess I better learn to do it myself!



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Old 07-22-2003, 02:23 PM   #4
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It must be because these trailers use smaller bearings than our cars. I mean, how often do you repack the wheel bearings on your car? Certainly not twice for every oil change. I know I do the ones on my 4x4's every year but I drive through rivers on a regular basis.



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Old 07-22-2003, 03:36 PM   #5
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wheel bearings

Periodic removal, clean and repacking is good........

........but (on Casitas) underneath the rubber plug in the hub is a grease zerk. Very handy for keeping em from runnin dry. :)

(It's not a spring loaded 'bearing buddy' which is not good for brake equipped hubs).



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Old 07-22-2003, 03:47 PM   #6
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zerks

Don, what's the relation of the grease zerk to repack times? Does having it give you some extra miles?



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Old 07-22-2003, 03:59 PM   #7
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Robert ... I use the zerk fitting to shoot a little grease in every 3,000 miles or so.

Unlike the instructions given at the factory, I just hook up the grease gun and give it 3 or 4 pumps ... not pumping until you see clean grease coming out.

Seems to work.

I get the wheel bearings professionally (???) packed at Bubba's every other year.

Now, please, please don't follow my schedule of doing things. Decide for yourself.

Like Pete says, a frozen bearing can really mess up your axle ... and your day.



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Old 07-22-2003, 11:30 PM   #8
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Bearings

Howdy, Well like Herb said...How often do you do the bearings in your car...Probably about 30,000 miles when you get your brakes done... I`ve never had a bearing seize up on me on any of my vehicles...I guess if you have 8 or 10 inch rims on a small tent trailer and the wheels are heating from the high rotation speeds then yearly bearing checks and repacks are desired but with 13, 14 and 15 inch wheels the speeds are much slower...The most critical thing would be proper bearing clearances...but then I guess there is such a thing as peace of mind...Benny



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Old 07-23-2003, 10:54 AM   #9
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bearings

''Don, what's the relation of the grease zerk to repack times? Does having it give you some extra miles?''

Well........if ya keep the bearings from going dry, you're not slinging any grease (which usually means the seals are good, which means there's no dirt entering the bearing area), check the adjustment occassionally (jack up the wheel and see if it wobbles), spin the wheel, and if it's OK......

....I leave it alone! :)

==========

However I don't trust any trailer to have 'well greased bearings'. I recently bought a new utility trailer and removed the hubs. Just enough grease there to coat the bearing surface, I repacked em!



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Old 07-23-2003, 12:27 PM   #10
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Part of the problem that I had on my old axle was probably water intrusion which wrecks grease (the waterproof greases don't seem to have the heat resistence that the good greases have). When I checked the side that hadn't failed yet, the grease was water-contaminated (I presume it entered past the inner seal when the trailer was parked in one place for a long time).

With the new EZLube axles, putting some new grease in is much less of a chore than an entire repack job; just jack it up and spin the wheel while you pump in some new grease. Said it before, but the new seals that come with the EZLube are Dexter's 10-60, not the old 10-9, and have a double lip on the seal in addition to the tension spring. If you have your bearings repacked by others, be SURE they use the 10-60s as some of the so-called replacements (i.e., NAPA) do not have parellel lips like the Dexters.

Pete in the RatHaus who carries an infrared thermometer from RS and shoots the tires and hubs very often, esp in hot conditions



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Old 07-30-2003, 05:30 AM   #11
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Rubber Plugs

Upon repacking our bearings last year on our 99 17' Casita, I took off the driver side grease cup, only to notice the factory OE grease had become discolored and was deterioating in the outer bearing.

Come to find out, I had inadvertantly punctured the rubber plug while prying it off in past months in order to shoot/pump grease throught the zerk.

As a result, water was entering the plug, working its way to the outer bearing, when I washed our EGG's wheels or traveling through rain.

Had I not decided to do a compete repack, I would never had noticed this condition.

Mike



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Old 08-16-2003, 10:01 AM   #12
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E-Z lube

Just last week, I decided to adjust the breaks on my 1999 Casita 16' SD before heading out on my next trip. When I removed the plug from the adjusting slot, I noticed a small amount of grease around the hole. I removed rubber plug on the E-Z lube cap and discovered that the grease was a milky color. Not a good sign. If grease can get out, water can get in. I got out my Dexter manual for the first time and after determining that my Casita had the 10X2 1/2 hubs, I want to www.dexteraxle.com and ordered everything that I needed. The prices were about that same or less than I expected to pay at my nearest RV store and I saved the ninety mile trip.

Bearing Cup and Cone - K71-390-00 15.88
Bearing Cup and Cone - K71-306-00 13.38
Seal - K71-303-00 (2 per kit) 2.63
E-Z Lube Plug - K71-320-00 (2 per kit) 1.47
**Spindle Nuts & Washers Kit - K71-335-00 (2 each per kit) 2.57
Shipping 12.86
Tax 3.36
** This kit contains the spindle nut locking tang that prevents the nut from coming loose. The E-Z Lube hub does not use a cotter key. Never attempt to use these more than once. I can think of nothing worse than having your trailer tire and wheel pass you on a mountain road.

My Dexter manual has a 12 month or 12,000 mile lube recommendation for conventional hubs but nothing specific for axles equipped with E-Z Lube. It just says that bearings can be "periodically lubricated". The instructions say to pump grease until new, clean grease can be observed. As a retired GM service manager, I would ad that rotating the hub slowly as you pump will insure a more even distribution of the new and a more complete replacement of all the old grease. Pete's recommendation to use a hand grease gun is a valid one. I have seen seals actually inverted by using the air powered guns.



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Old 08-22-2003, 07:12 AM   #13
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Robert:

I recommend you repack both wheels, then you will know what you have got...quality grease and a job done right. I would also use new bearings and races, allowing you to save the old ones for emergencies. You can use that as a base line and count forward for period lubrication.

Like has been said, never count on a factory lubricating things right all the time. As mentioned by Pete, make sure they use the right seal with the double lip. Watch them do the job.

Do some research and buy the highest quality bearing grease you can find. It is only usually $2.00 or so per can more than cheaper grease, but with much higher dropping points/degrees. And you willl have enough left over for your grease gun to lubricate the EZ lube axle when needed.

Happy Trails

Mike



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