Oil filled Hubs

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:wave It seems my puns on Hot Boxes for bearings did not get many laughs. Maybe everyone took it all to seriously?
But something good came out of it all. A good suggestion to use better quality bearings when you go to re-pack. But waity there's more.
Dexter makes an oil filled hub for the Casita axle & is available in a kit form. Dexter also makes another axle that comes with oil filled hubs.
Why oil filled? It provides total lubrication & cooler running bearings. End re-packing forever. Never worry again about wheel bearings! The hub has a clear sight glass too so you can see the oil level at a glance.
My friend owns East Coast Trailer. You don't want to see all the problems they have with grease packed bearings. Ground up bearings & spindles & ruined hubs from poor lubrication. And even ruined axles with frozen on bearings that burnt up from heat. Endless problems.
But oil filled is totally maintenance free never a problem. So thats the way to go. Weather it pays to put these hubs on or not is up to you? Or maybe you feel grease is good enough for you?
But just thought it was worth mentioning Dexter oil filled hubs. So'oo take it from there. MANZI

[Legacy Posts]

Joe-

Are you sure Dexter's Nev-R-Lube hubs are available on our little spindles? I had the impression that they were only on the bigger axles.

Don't overlook the downside of oilhubs. According to Dexter's WebSite, if you park your trailer for long periods of time, the oil drains down and the bearings and races can rust. That's not a problem with greased bearings.

For bearings in daily commercial use, oil hubs are a godsend, but for seasonal and occasional use they might not be the cat's meow...

Pete and RatLadies

[Legacy Posts]

Dexter's specifiic recommendation is that during "prolonged storage", you should "revolve your wheels periodically (every 2-3 weeks)" for maximum bearing life.

Pete and Rats

[Legacy Posts]

Pete, like you, I don't think there is any way to retro Dexter's new Nev-r-lube ... and here's what Dexter says about it:

NEV-R-LUBE - Can I upgrade to the Nev-R-Lube option on my existing axles?

No, the two bearings were moved closer together and combined into a single sealed cartridge with only one spindle journal size. This required different spindle and hub-drum designs to accommodate the Nev-R-Lube cartridge. In order to upgrade to this option it will require purchasing new axles, hubs-drums and possibly new wheels. The Nev-R-Lube option can only be used with certain wheel offsets.

Thing is, I'm not sure Joe is talking about Nev-r-lube .. hope he'll jump on and explain what kind of retro-kit he is talking about.

[Legacy Posts]

Here're results of my conversation a few minutes ago with Mary at Dexter's Plant 15:

1. Nev-R Lube cartridge bearings are an option on Dexter's #9 Torflex axle; factory add-on cost is $28.

2. Due to differences in both spindles and hubs, it is NOT possible to retrofit an existing axle to Nev-R Lube.

So Joe was right that it's an option, but any inference from Joe's post that the option is still open after you have the axle would be wrong.

Likewise, due to spindle differences, one cannot retrofit a standard axle to an EZ Lube.

For Luddites with EZ Lube axles, one can ignore the feature and continue to remove and handpack the bearings. Luddites with Nev-R Lube are out of luck.

Additionally, as I already mentioned, if your existing axle does not have the brake flanges installed, you cannot upgrade to brakes.

With regard to brakes and lube systems, whatever you have is what you have. Fortunately, Scamp (and Casita???) order all axles with brake flanges so upgrade is possible.

Pete and Rats with standard fat-ingestion lube system