# Ez-Lube Wheel Bearings



## elkhntr44 (Mar 21, 2008)

I downloaded the proceedure from Dexter EZ-Lube bearings, it says all you have to do is pump new grease in until you see the new grease come out??? But then it says becareful not to blow out the rear seal because the grease will get on the brakes?? So how do everyone else do bearing repacking, how do you get the castle nut off?


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## Bill & Kate (Apr 28, 2012)

There are lots of threads on this and other forums about the EZ-Lube style axles. You do have to be careful not to blow out the seal, and you should disassemble, clean, inspect, and repack every 10,000 miles or so, or every couple of years at least. On these types of axle, the grease goes through the grease fitting, through a passage drilled down the center of the axle all the way to the inner side of the inside bearing. There the pressure forces it back toward the outside, through the inner bearing into to space between the bearings. Once this space fills up, the grease is forced outward through the outer bearing, and eventually you see it come out around the grease fitting.

I have dealt with these things for many years on boat trailers, and there are some things to remember:


These usually come greased in the "conventional" manner from the factory. Therefore, it takes a lot of grease - a half a tube or more, depending on the size of the bearing - to fill it up the first time.
Most manufacturers recommend jacking up axle so you can spin the wheel as the grease gets pumped in. This helps distribute the grease evenly as it flows through the bearings.
Be gentle. To much pressure, or too much grease too fast could rupture the inner seal making a mess of the brakes. A hand powered grease gun is prefered, and I like to do it when the grease and weather is hot to help the grease flow more easily.
Remember that the used grease from the inner bearing gets forced into the space between the bearings, and after several applications of new grease, the old grease will have traveled all the way through the void space and start going into the outer bearing. You can keep pumping until all the old grease gets through, but .....
At this point it is best to take everything apart, clean, inspect, and hand repack the bearings. Always replace the seal, and make sure you get the proper seal for your hub. Most manufacurers use a double lipped seal to resist the extra grease pressure.

Just my 2 cents .....


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## OutbackKampers (Mar 25, 2012)

Bill & Kate said:


> There are lots of threads on this and other forums about the EZ-Lube style axles. You do have to be careful not to blow out the seal, and you should disassemble, clean, inspect, and repack every 10,000 miles or so, or every couple of years at least. On these types of axle, the grease goes through the grease fitting, through a passage drilled down the center of the axle all the way to the inner side of the inside bearing. There the pressure forces it back toward the outside, through the inner bearing into to space between the bearings. Once this space fills up, the grease is forced outward through the outer bearing, and eventually you see it come out around the grease fitting.
> 
> I have dealt with these things for many years on boat trailers, and there are some things to remember:
> 
> ...


Bill & Kate, I'd say that is a perfect response to this question.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

I'll just add a couple more points.

I had read posts about some trailers not having all the brakes working, due to disconnected wires, or poorly adjusted brakes. I decided to pull my drums and make sure all four brakes were working, and repack the bearings while I was at it. Everything appeared fine, which was good to see, and now I'm not wondering about that. The only problem that I discovered, was that one wheel was missing the dustcap on the hub. I called Keystone, and they sent me four new ones, even though I only asked for one. I did that when the trailer was about a year old. This year I just plan to squirt a little more grease in the Ez-lubes, then repack next year.

You asked about the castle nuts. With the weight off the wheel, remove the cotter pin, then remove the castle nut. When you re-install the nut, tighten while rotating the wheel. Once the castle nut is tight, back it off about an eighth turn, then insert a new cotter pin.
I mentioned "with the weight off the wheel". A friend of mine tried to check his wheel bearings without jacking up the trailer. He decided they looked fine, and reinstalled the castle nut, with the trailer resting on the wheels. He ended up with two hubs loose, and not knowing that, drove 500 miles to meet us. That's when I noticed a problem, and tightened them properly. He was lucky the trailer didn't fall on him while he worked on it , and also that he didn't have a wheel fall off during the trip. This proves that if you don't know what you're doing, it would be best to take it to someone who does.
P.S. I told him he should take it to a mechanic, and have all the bearings checked and properly repacked, as soon as he got home. As far as I'm aware, he never has, and that was in 2009. What can you do!


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## Brooklinite (Aug 17, 2011)

^^^ Wow.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

Brooklinite said:


> ^^^ Wow.


You would have met him at Emily Park, but now his Avalanche is out of commission, due to needing more maintenance work than it's worth. At this point they have a trailer, but nothing to tow it with. Not sure where things will go from here.


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