Question about installing brakes

[jcassady]

So, we purchased a 1991 13' Scamp a few months ago, and one of the things I really want to get done this winter is install brakes.

I've done a considerable amount of reading on here in the last few days and I am getting myself more and more confused about the next subject, which I understand has been rehashed here several times, but I'm going to pop open the can of worms anyway.

I know I have Bearing Buddies installed right now, I see them attached to the axle and read those words on the cap. From my reading, I know these are not necessary and they will be coming off. Since there are Bearing Buddies on the trailer right now I believe that means this is not an EZ Lube axle, is that correct?

If that is true, and this is not EZ Lube, my next question is will this set of brakes/hub work for me?

Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly for Electric Brakes - 2,000-lb Axles - 5 on 4-1/2 - E-Z Lube Dexter Trailer Hubs and Drums 8-257-5UC3-EZ

TruRyde Electric Brake Assembly - 7" - Left Hand TruRyde Trailer Brakes TRBK-7E-01

The hub mentions it has an EZ Lube cap, and I assume the inner bearing has the hole needed for the EZ Lube system. Will this cause a problem if the spindle is not an EZ Lube spindle?

I'm not much of a mechanic, I can fix the odd thing here and there though. All of this axle, spindle, bearing, brakes, ez lube stuff has got me a bit confused. I don't want to buy new stuff and remove what is currently there until I know I have something that I can put back on. We are planning on taking the trailer out one more time in a few weeks, so this isn't really a project I want to start, then have to wait a couple weeks to get more parts in.

So if any of the great people here could enlighten me I would appreciate it.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by jcassady

.......... Since there are Bearing Buddies on the trailer right now I believe that means this is not an EZ Lube axle, is that correct?

Probably.

If that is true, and this is not EZ Lube, my next question is will this set of brakes/hub work for me?

You need to make sure that the inner and outer bearing sizes match first and foremost. You can often buy the whole kit off eBay for less than buying the drums and brakes separately. Eastern Marine is also a cheap source.

items in R and P Carriages Trailer Sales store on eBay!

The hub mentions it has an EZ Lube cap, and I assume the inner bearing has the hole needed for the EZ Lube system. Will this cause a problem if the spindle is not an EZ Lube spindle?

I don't think it would be a problem, just pack the bearing like you normally do.

........ I don't want to buy new stuff and remove what is currently there until I know I have something that I can put back on. ........

Are you sure that you have mounting brackets on the spindle to mount the backing plates to? Hint, they look like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-Trailer...item5189191183

[jcassady]

Thomas, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Yes the flange is on the axle for mounting brakes, one of the first things I looked at when we went to pick up the trailer.

Thanks on the tip for looking for a complete package, I did a lot of searching on etrailer, but never found a complete kit, so I pieced one together but didn't purchase yet.

You mention matching the bearing sizes, how would one go about doing that? I'm guessing I will need to remove the current ones and measure them. Is is possible to do this without needing to go through the entire repacking sequence? I've never done that and would like to avoid that labor until I am ready to put the whole new system in.

Lastly, you said "probably" to my question about ez lube spindle, I'm guessing I would just need to pop that bearing buddy off and see to confirm then?

[LeonardS]

Just because you have bearing buddies doesn't mean you don't have the ez-lube axle. Someone could have erroneously installed the bearing buddies.

I sort of almost speak from experience. I just bought (and installed) a new axle for a boat trailer. The local trailer shop that ordered the axle for me ordered an ez-lube axle, then told me that my old bearing buddies could be re-used and installed on the new axle. They actually would have fit! But after looking it over, I could see it wasn't the best idea to combine the two systems.

Popping off the bearing buddies is the best way to know for sure.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by jcassady

............
You mention matching the bearing sizes, how would one go about doing that?

See illustration below from eBay link :

I'm guessing I will need to remove the current ones and measure them. Is is possible to do this without needing to go through the entire repacking sequence? I've never done that and would like to avoid that labor until I am ready to put the whole new system in.

Yes, just be careful of the seal.

Lastly, you said "probably" to my question about ez lube spindle, I'm guessing I would just need to pop that bearing buddy off and see to confirm then?

Yes, I don't know why anyone would add bearing buddies if they had EZ lube, but stranger things have happened.

[Brian B-P]

Tom has already answered all the questions, but the one thing that might not be clear is that EZ-Lube has nothing to do with what hub or brakes fit. It is a feature of the spindle which is used for lubrication, but whether EZ-Lube is there or not makes no difference to the correct bearings, hubs, or brakes.

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

... I don't know why anyone would add bearing buddies if they had EZ lube, but stranger things have happened.

I don't know why anyone would use either EZ-Lube or Bearing Buddies on a travel trailer, so why not both? Two sales people or enthusiasts could have both convinced the previous owner that their technology was a good idea.
Cue Donna and Floyd now to explain again why should I want EZ-Lube so I can flush the grease through my Boler bearings... or we could skip yet another repeat of that!

[jcassady]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

See illustration below from eBay link :
Attachment 64903


Yes, just be careful of the seal.

Something seems wrong about that illustration.
It says C will be 1 or 1 1/16, then goes on to say that D will be the same. Looking at the drawing, and the picture right above it on the page those sizes look like they would be different.


I also found a bag of old bearings in the camper last night. It looks like one of the boxes said 1 1/16, but I couldn't find a size on the other. There were clearly two different sizes in the bag though.

[jcassady]

OK well I'm clearly an idiot when it comes to this stuff. The hubs/drums i'm looking at on etrailer have the same sizes in them as well.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by jcassady

OK well I'm clearly an idiot when it comes to this stuff. The hubs/drums i'm looking at on etrailer have the same sizes in them as well.

The bearings can be the same size, inner and outer, or different, thus the measurement. You need to be sure the hub / drum matches the bearing sizes.