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08-03-2016, 06:30 AM
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#41
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Senior Member
Name: Ginny
Trailer: '09 Scamp 13' w/ Bath
Oklahoma
Posts: 137
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Dave hit the nail on the head for me... while I am sure I may eventually get lazy enough to pay someone else to do this, I feel it is super important to understand how to do it myself. On the side of the road, cars wizzing by is NOT the place I want to be watching you tube videos and attempting this for the 1st time lol. Besides, I never would have figured out I actuslly have brakes!!
Off to work for me now... I will pick up the gaskets I forgot yesterday, and work on the project more this evening, more pics to come. Thanks all!
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08-03-2016, 07:05 AM
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#42
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Senior Member
Name: Jack L
Trailer: Sold the Bigfoot 17-Looking for a new one
Washington
Posts: 1,561
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I went back and looked at your brake photos and you may just need a good cleaning. I did not see anything alarming in the photos. Dirt and rust accumulate on brakes and they need occasional maintenance. You can buy a complete new brake assembly for about $33 per wheel from Etrailer.com or your local Dexter source should have them for a reasonable price. Either way, it's not a complicated fix.
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08-03-2016, 07:23 AM
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#43
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Senior Member
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 1,704
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One last piece of advice (for now), ask for "Seals" and not "Gaskets". Two different beasts even though Dexter throws in "gasket". A gasket as most of us know it is a flat piece made from different materials that is sandwiched in between usually two flat parts and bolted together. Example: The head on your tow engine bolting to the engine block- yep, called the 'head gasket'. Go figure.
Dont blame you for wanting to learn. THEN, later on if you have someone to do the work, you will at least know what to look for or the tell-tale signs should you feel like something is going wrong inside your drums whether it be brakes, bearings, etc. For me, there's simply one or two people I know around my area that I would even THINK about trusting to do this job! Do NOT take it to a Camping World- EVER (unless you personally know a mechanic there that would be working on it!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by fieldphoto
Dave hit the nail on the head for me... while I am sure I may eventually get lazy enough to pay someone else to do this, I feel it is super important to understand how to do it myself. On the side of the road, cars wizzing by is NOT the place I want to be watching you tube videos and attempting this for the 1st time lol. Besides, I never would have figured out I actuslly have brakes!!
Off to work for me now... I will pick up the gaskets I forgot yesterday, and work on the project more this evening, more pics to come. Thanks all!
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08-03-2016, 08:23 AM
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#44
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Senior Member
Name: Ginny
Trailer: '09 Scamp 13' w/ Bath
Oklahoma
Posts: 137
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Ok, since we have had to include brake maintenance into this wheel bearings conversation, I'll dig in off of Jack's comment.
While I have the wheel off and the brakes exposed, I can do a little light cleaning and inspection of the brakes. The question is, how, and how much?
I will post clear, bright pictures of the brakes this afternoon so we can all get a better look at them (last nights blur-fest doesn't help much!). To me, they look like a solid piece of rust lol, but I don't know how much of that is acceptable. I also don't know what to lubricate and what not to. I did find a good .pdf from Dexter that had some helpful info.
http://www.dexteraxle.com/i/u/614960...ric_Brakes.pdf
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08-03-2016, 10:51 AM
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#45
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Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 2010
Posts: 5,185
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How electric brakes work
With the drum removed you will notice an arm between the two brake shoes with a magnet attached. When you hit the brakes your controller supply's electricity to the magnet. The magnet grabs the rotating drum which causes the arm to move. This movement forces the brake shoes to spread and contact the drum.
If you push the arm to either side you will see how it works. To lubricate I use brake caliper grease. A little on the pivot points is all you need. Don't get any grease on the brake shoes or inside the drum. Buy a spray can of brake kleen in case you do. Raz
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08-03-2016, 11:10 AM
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#46
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Senior Member
Trailer: Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
Posts: 1,279
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After all is said and done - there's a lot more said than done.
Being "handy" is one thing, but being skilled is another.
Replacing and repacking bearings is a messy job, and if not done right can lead to more trouble. Go to a reputable trailer shop, and let them do it.
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08-03-2016, 11:12 AM
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#47
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Senior Member
Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
Posts: 1,890
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For someone repacking bearings these are your best friend.
Nitrile Gloves. Regular latex wont hold up to chemicals. These thin gloves come in different sizes, textures and even colors. And not too hard to find. Especially important for those sensitive to dirty nails. If doing particular nasty jobs double up on them. Makes it easy to peel off a really nasty glove and still have your hands protected. Like the phone rings while your deep into the mess.
Grease Monkey Nitrile Large Disposable Gloves (100-Count)-23890 - The Home Depot
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08-03-2016, 11:19 AM
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#48
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Senior Member
Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
New York
Posts: 5,413
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne Collins
After all is said and done - there's a lot more said than done.
Being "handy" is one thing, but being skilled is another.
Replacing and repacking bearings is a messy job, and if not done right can lead to more trouble. Go to a reputable trailer shop, and let them do it.
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I agree, some jobs should not be attempted if you have no knowledge of how to do it or what to look for. Best way to learn is to have someone that knows how, there with you. I've seen many times where the advice is good, but misunderstood by the recipient.
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08-03-2016, 11:56 AM
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#49
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Senior Member
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fieldphoto
I will post clear, bright pictures of the brakes this afternoon so we can all get a better look at them (last nights blur-fest doesn't help much!). To me, they look like a solid piece of rust lol, but I don't know how much of that is acceptable.]
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A lot will depend on the age of the trailer as to how much rust is to much. On a newish trailer (less than 10 years old) it may simple be surface rust that needs cleaning up off the brake parts and hubs. On an older trailer that has not had much done to it to in regards to brake and wheels over the years or has been pulled in the winter months in places that salted the roads, it could be more than that.
When I first took a good look at the brakes and hubs on my then new to me 16 year old trailer it was pretty clear due to the amount of rust on the brake springs and other parts and the hub itself that the brakes had not been set up or working correctly for a LONG time. A lot of rust & pitting on the brake assembly - springs magnets etc so I decided to just replace with a whole new brake assembly rather than just cleaning them up and doing an on the road experiment as to how long before something failed due to excessive rust.
It did not cost all that much to do - about $25 per side for the whole new brake assembly (including new pads). Some might have argued they could have been just cleaned up as the pads appeared to still have lots of wear on them (due to lack of use) but when it comes to safety items I feel there are some things just not worth messing with if they are relatively inexpensive to replace.
I also took the hubs themselves into a local shop as they where also seriously rusted and had a scoring marks on them as well - which was funny as the brakes clearly did not look like they had made much contact with the hub in a long time. They polished up the hubs and they looked nice and shiny and new for about $20 per hub. The up side of having the pros look at the hubs was they were able to confirm to me that none of the score marks on the hubs where bad enough to warrant the purchase of new hubs. They were able to polish them out. For me the benefit of starting out clean was it made it easier to spot any new issue that may be developing when the inspection was done each year.
One of the other benefits of pulling off the wheels and doing a bearing inspection each year is you also get to take a good look at the state of your brake pads and magnet. Depending on how many miles you pull the trailer in a year its not uncommon for the brakes to need adjusting. If your having to set your brake controller fairly high in order to get them to grab thats a sign they need adjusting. Another clue they need adjusting is if the hub is covered in rust with little to no sign the brakes or magnets have made much if any contact.
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08-03-2016, 02:18 PM
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#50
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Senior Member
Name: john
Trailer: Compact Junior
Michigan
Posts: 237
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When i bought my Compact Jr......
which is about 40 years old, I pulled the hubs and brought them to a nice nearby shop that specializes in horse trailer sales and service.
since I brought in the hubs they only charged about $20 to inspect and repack the bearings. it's considerably more expensive if they have to jack up the trailer and remove them.
easy on the wallet and gives me peace of mind.
on my boat trailer I would look more often. but now I have a tilt trailer and can launch my boat with the hubs above the water.
I also pay AAA about $15 more per year for a gold card that covers road service for the trailer too.
And I also belong to Boat U.S. for their roadside coverage for boat trailers.
I've found youtube videos to be very helpful at times.
I have a confusing multiple filter water gizmo in my basement. since the filters are changed yearly I usually forget what's what. but the filter company has a nice video on the way to do it.
and a few years ago I had a failure on my outside water spigot.
The spigot maker had a nice video on how to replace the offending small pieces in the faucet.
where youtube videos have done a disservice is on my golf swing......
"too much analysis can lead to paralysis!"
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08-03-2016, 04:36 PM
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#51
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Senior Member
Trailer: U-Haul VT16
Posts: 982
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Those are EZ Lube covers. Buy a greese gun and just change the greese.
Go to u tube several videos on how they work.
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08-03-2016, 07:07 PM
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#52
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Senior Member
Name: Ginny
Trailer: '09 Scamp 13' w/ Bath
Oklahoma
Posts: 137
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Ok, I have some better, clearer pictures of the brakes in daylight. Check them out in this album:
Google Photos
The magnet seems in good shape. Should I be able to pull the calipers out a bit and make the brakes move as if I were applying them? if so, they seem pretty stiff/locked up. Not sure if they should be that stiff normally. Basically I really can't get anything to really move but the little swing arm that the magnet sits on. This swings pretty freely.
Thoughts before I re-assemble the wheel on this side?
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08-03-2016, 07:22 PM
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#53
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Senior Member
Name: Joe
Trailer: 2013 EggCamper & 2011 Silverado Reg Cab 4x4
Ohio
Posts: 496
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I mentioned this earlier - now after seeing the pictures of your axle, I feel I may want to bring it up again.
The Dexter website says that when lubing the EZ lube axle that you have, pump grease slowly into the zerk. Once clean grease comes back out the cap - its full.
So after a disassembly and packing the bearings - new grease should be pumped in the zerk until the axle then is completely full of grease - no air. That's how the Dexter manual says to do it, and its how I do mine.
Page 57 and 58
http://www.dexteraxle.com/i/u/614960...ice_Manual.pdf
The nice thing about this axle is you can jack up the RV in the winter and add grease as you spin the wheels - essentially replacing the old grease with new. Not saying that's as good as a repacking - but its a great feature, to give it a few more pumps before a trip to get fresh grease in the bearings (and old out the end).
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08-03-2016, 07:29 PM
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#54
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Senior Member
Name: Ginny
Trailer: '09 Scamp 13' w/ Bath
Oklahoma
Posts: 137
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Excellent, thanks for the info!
I am sure this will stir a whole different debate, especially since there appears to be conflicting info even within Dexters provided info. The 'how to video' i posted from Dexter is EXACTLY the same axle that I have. Yet, in the video they do not do any sort of grease gun fill? They only apply liberally to certain areas, and otherwise leave space... as others have recommended. And yet, if you have an EZ-Lube Axle, according to Dexter, you're supposed to 'fill 'er up' (for lack of a better phrase).... so... which is it?
*steps back slowly* Let the debate begin!!
(after you all answer my brake question above! lol)
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08-03-2016, 07:41 PM
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#55
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Senior Member
Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
New York
Posts: 5,413
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Another thing to check is; can you turn the adjusters. Sometimes they will seize.
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08-03-2016, 08:35 PM
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#56
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Senior Member
Trailer: 2004 13 ft Scamp Custom Deluxe
Posts: 8,520
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fieldphoto
Do I need to call scamp to find out the axle manufacturer in order to get correct grease?
Floyd, no brakes.
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nothing that new was likely to have had anything but Lithium based grease in it.
Your trailer came with lithium based grease and it is almost difficult to find anything else in use in the last couple of decades in this application.
I would stay away from pure synthetic. Use what ever good brand name you find that is labeled Lithium.
Here is what I like best... (cause it is a purdy blue )!
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08-03-2016, 08:39 PM
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#57
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Senior Member
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 1,704
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Let me clear the air on one thing about Dexter....you can talk to their own engineers and get different "opinions"! I've done it.
Anyway, one thing from their conversations has come out is this: The EZ-LUBE was designed exclusively for BOAT TRAILERS! They're continually backing in water and will get water eventually into the hubs.
What does EZ-lube do? You pump the grease in until the new comes out- the idea is that you're going to push out any "water" that has gotten in there as well. Does it work? That I cannot tell but Dexter said it will help.
About the cavity being filled? I WOULD NOT take a grease gun and fill the cavity AFTER installing new bearings/seals!! I repeat, I WOULD/WILL not do that!! Ask any professional mechanic (and I've talked to many on this subject) and they simply clean/replace, pack (bearings AND cones) and reassemble. A cavity full of grease is simply going to cause the hub and bearings to run hotter. (Dexter will also tell you this when you do the grease replacement with the EZ Lube.) Most likely, you will see the rubber cover puff out and possibly blow some grease out. I had mine puff out when I had some brake shoes sticking before I figured out what was happening. The hubs were only going to apx 125 deg and caused this! You would be SHOCKED at the temps Dexter told me the hubs/bearings/grease could get up to and not hurt them...so the extra grease-caused temps should be ok...but the temps will increase slightly.
On the temps, i know what my Scamp ran brand new from the factory- over 1100 mile trip. I use and WILL use that as a benchmark as they age. I have not greased nor repacked my bearings since buying the trailer new in 2010. The wheels are not loose, they spin freely and still run the SAME temps as they did from day 1 coming home from Backus. I take mostly short trips and am not worried about breaking down on the interstate. My trailer now has nearly 10,000 miles on it. I keep the Scamp up on jacks and spin the wheels regularly when not in use. I dont recommend this practice for anyone else, but it's worked for me and I feel comfortable with it based on my experience in the mechanic and machine shop world in which I was raised and am still a part of. But as I said earlier too...a 13' is MUCH easier on it's axle system so keep that in mind!
A word of caution: DEXTER DOES provide a chart on "compatible" grease!! It's imperative you go by this if you're going to use the EZ-LUBE system. When questioning them exactly WHAT grease they used....they admitted it depended on what year the axle was made and what they were using at the time....sheesh...... Go by their chart!
EDIT: and yes they recommend the "Kendall Blue" that Floyd mentions. So did my Bro-in-Law who is a local mechanic here in our town.
This axle/bearing/tire business can be VERY confusing and frustrating.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fieldphoto
Excellent, thanks for the info!
I am sure this will stir a whole different debate, especially since there appears to be conflicting info even within Dexters provided info. The 'how to video' i posted from Dexter is EXACTLY the same axle that I have. Yet, in the video they do not do any sort of grease gun fill? They only apply liberally to certain areas, and otherwise leave space... as others have recommended. And yet, if you have an EZ-Lube Axle, according to Dexter, you're supposed to 'fill 'er up' (for lack of a better phrase).... so... which is it?
*steps back slowly* Let the debate begin!!
(after you all answer my brake question above! lol)
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08-03-2016, 09:02 PM
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#58
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Senior Member
Trailer: 2004 13 ft Scamp Custom Deluxe
Posts: 8,520
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darral T.
Let me clear the air on one thing about Dexter....you can talk to their own engineers and get different "opinions"! I've done it.
Anyway, one thing from their conversations has come out is this: The EZ-LUBE was designed exclusively for BOAT TRAILERS! They're continually backing in water and will get water eventually into the hubs.
What does EZ-lube do? You pump the grease in until the new comes out- the idea is that you're going to push out any "water" that has gotten in there as well. Does it work? That I cannot tell but Dexter said it will help.
About the cavity being filled? I WOULD NOT take a grease gun and fill the cavity AFTER installing new bearings/seals!! I repeat, I WOULD/WILL not do that!! Ask any professional mechanic (and I've talked to many on this subject) and they simply clean/replace, pack (bearings AND cones) and reassemble. A cavity full of grease is simply going to cause the hub and bearings to run hotter. (Dexter will also tell you this when you do the grease replacement with the EZ Lube.) Most likely, you will see the rubber cover puff out and possibly blow some grease out. I had mine puff out when I had some brake shoes sticking before I figured out what was happening. The hubs were only going to apx 125 deg and caused this! You would be SHOCKED at the temps Dexter told me the hubs/bearings/grease could get up to and not hurt them...so the extra grease-caused temps should be ok...but the temps will increase slightly.
On the temps, i know what my Scamp ran brand new from the factory- over 1100 mile trip. I use and WILL use that as a benchmark as they age. I have not greased nor repacked my bearings since buying the trailer new in 2010. The wheels are not loose, they spin freely and still run the SAME temps as they did from day 1 coming home from Backus. I take mostly short trips and am not worried about breaking down on the interstate. My trailer now has nearly 10,000 miles on it. I keep the Scamp up on jacks and spin the wheels regularly when not in use. I dont recommend this practice for anyone else, but it's worked for me and I feel comfortable with it based on my experience in the mechanic and machine shop world in which I was raised and am still a part of. But as I said earlier too...a 13' is MUCH easier on it's axle system so keep that in mind!
A word of caution: DEXTER DOES provide a chart on "compatible" grease!! It's imperative you go by this if you're going to use the EZ-LUBE system. When questioning them exactly WHAT grease they used....they admitted it depended on what year the axle was made and what they were using at the time....sheesh...... Go by their chart!
EDIT: and yes they recommend the "Kendall Blue" that Floyd mentions. So did my Bro-in-Law who is a local mechanic here in our town.
This axle/bearing/tire business can be VERY confusing and frustrating.
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Sounds complicated!
http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6149609/f/produ...s/E-Z-Lube.pdf
I find that the EZ-LUBE system works as advertised, however...
Notice the CYA disclaimer which could be construed as contradictory.
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08-03-2016, 09:02 PM
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#59
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Senior Member
Name: Ginny
Trailer: '09 Scamp 13' w/ Bath
Oklahoma
Posts: 137
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I did follow the grease chart provided by Dexter, and I bought NLGI #2 Mystik JT6 Hi-Temp Multi-Purpose Grease.
I am going to fidget with the breaks a little bit tomorrow to see if they are OK... any suggestions on how to confirm they are not seized up would be great. Also, any suggestions on how, if at all, to clean the pads would be great. They are a little rust covered. I dont know if I should just use a dry cloth, a damp cloth, or any sort of solution?? I know not to use any oil/lubricant.
I am concerned the actuator arms are seized up- they don't seem to move at all if I pull outward on the brakes a bit, but I don't know if this is a good measure.
There is some good info in this .pdf I plan to follow on brake maintenance.
http://www.dexteraxle.com/i/u/614960...ric_Brakes.pdf
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08-03-2016, 09:06 PM
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#60
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Senior Member
Trailer: 2004 13 ft Scamp Custom Deluxe
Posts: 8,520
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fieldphoto
I did follow the grease chart provided by Dexter, and I bought NLGI #2 Mystik JT6 Hi-Temp Multi-Purpose Grease.
I am going to fidget with the breaks a little bit tomorrow to see if they are OK... any suggestions on how to confirm they are not seized up would be great. Also, any suggestions on how, if at all, to clean the pads would be great. They are a little rust covered. I dont know if I should just use a dry cloth, a damp cloth, or any sort of solution?? I know not to use any oil/lubricant.
There is some good info in this .pdf I plan to follow on brake maintenance.
http://www.dexteraxle.com/i/u/614960...ric_Brakes.pdf
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friction will take care of the rust on the braking surfaces, Springs and such use Brakleen and a little WD40.
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