how to properly grease and maintenance a trailer axle
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- In this video I will show you how I grease and how torque the axle nut on my camper axle.
If you would like to purchase a grease gun or wheel bearing grease here is a link below.
Grease Gun amzn.to/321LP1P
Wheel Bearing Grease amzn.to/2HoAj93
This is the torque wrench I use. Craftsman 9-31425 20-150 ft lbs 1/2" Drive MicroTork Torque Wrench amzn.to/35YHyiv
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Good job Kevin! Well presented and important information. When towing a trailer I always carry a FULL grease gun. After the day’s ride I’ll put a few pumps of grease in each wheel. Hi speed with those small tires causes a lot of heat and breaks down the lube.
Also, some torque wrenches are rated to loosen fasteners. Check on your owners manual.
Thanks and keep up the great job.
I think most people would say if you think your bearing has been adjusted to your liking, and you try to put the cotter pin in and the nut holes are not lined up to allow it, better to loosen the nut to the first avaiable hole, not tighten to the next hole. Your mileage may vary.
More very useful information Kevin. There must be hundreds of people that you have helped, and countless dollars saved. You and your family are a wealth of information, and you all have such a pleasant way of sharing it. Thanks, and be well my friend.
Thank you Hatch I said if can help one I did my job.
Kevin you did that job just the way I do every year. Well done.
Thank you Jim.
Thanks for another great helpful tutorial. I was just telling my wife I need to do this to my trailer and then you posted your vid. Thanks
Thanks for the comment Mark time to get her done.
Awesome video. I learned a lot on this video. I never knew to purge out the old grease. Thanks so much for taking the time to make and post this video!
Thank you John for the comment and watching.
Very well done. Thanks for taking the time to put this out for us. Happy trailering.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent job, very precise, and deliberate actions. Dexter axles manual says to torque, loosen, finger tight and if the pin is misaligned, to back nut off slightly for the pin to be inserted. I like to wipe out the old grease as I'm greasing, makes it easier to see the new stuff. I've heard some recommend spinning the wheel while greasing also.
Great tips Ed thanks
What a great explanation and video, Kevin. I had no idea how to do this prior, but now I do thanks to you.
Thanks for the comment and watching glad to help.
I need to put new boards on my lawn care trailer when it cools off this fall, I will do this job also. Thanks foe the video.
Once a year works thanks for the comment frank.
When a guy goes crazy, some say he "lost his bearings". Now Dr. Robinson has shown us exactly how to prevent that. Thank you, Kevin. Only Kevin's immediate family would have benefitted from his knowledge, if it wasn't for RUclips. Again, thank you Kevin. Love your vids.
LOL thanks for the comment Bent.
Bent agree but I think that reference is to a different use of the word 'bearing,' as in your position relative to where you are going, direction. As in navigation, right?
Thank you for this amazing tutorial
My dad was old school and I learned how to do this from him, for better or worse. He would always grab hold of the wheel with both hands to check for play.
If he felt there was too much, it's time to tighten and add grease. He would snug up the castle nut and then back off slightly. Then he would completely fill the cap with grease and put it back on.
Done.
This is the way I've done it for over 30 years with no issues.
Very smart.
Hey thanks for this video!! My son and I are going to tackle this project tomorrow!!
Good luck! John
Great tutorial Kevin! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the comment Paul.
Great video sir!! Thanks for taking the time to make it
Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.
Very nice job.I will have to service my trailer the same way
Thanks
Thanks Farid
Thanks for the video Kevin! I have a 2016 boat trailer with the zerk fittings-awesome way to grease them.
Karavan corrected one little glitch I found bothersome, the grease would come out around the cotter pin and the rear holes.
They now have the zerk offset in the axle so the grease does not have to push through the cotter pin.
Thanks for the info!
Great work. Your video helped me out a lot.
Thank you glad to help.
Nice job Kevin, only thing I do different, be sure to put an air gap in the greese cap or the rubber end cap will pop out when grease heats up... Just wipe out as much as u can through that little whole... With paper towel... It works for me...
Good info Joel thank you.
oh man you just saved me so much time. Thank you so much!!!
Thanks for the comment and watching glad to help my friend.
This was extrememly helpful.IT was an eye opener...
Jerry, glad i could help,thanks for watching
Very helpful. Thank you from New England.
Thank you so much for the comment and watching Jay.
Very helpful. THANKS!!!
Thank you for watching.
Great video. Thank you kevin.
Very welcome glad to help.
Excellent video. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the comment and watching.
Nice video. You demonstrated and explained each step well. Should you spin the wheel while pumping in the grease to better work the grease into the bearings?
Thank you for sharing your video!! This is a must to do! I am extremely grateful for your time to share a how to do this. I feel like I can attempt it, how do you know the lbs though?
Thank you so much for this video
Thanks for the video, helpful
Thank you for the comment glad to help.
Like the hand tightening. Was expecting to see the bearings pulled and repacked. Maybe not necessary in this instance? Once you've had a bearing failure you never forget it.
Just what I needed. Thanks.
Glad I could help! Thanks for the comment and watching.
Excellent and thanks!
Thanks for the comment and watching Tom.
Thanks Kevin
Thank you for the comment William.
Hello Kevin I seen a guy take his washer off behind the castle nut and grind the thickness off a little to be able to make the pin hole line up also without the extra nut tightening
Thanks for the comment and watching.
Very helpful! Thank you!!!!!
Your welcome Dan
Thank you bro great video 👍
Thank you so much for the comment and watching.
thank you!
Thank you for the info!!!
Your welcome my friend.
Hey! I think you may want to review Dexters maintenance instructions for greasing and bearing torque!
Thanks Donald.
Great video, Thanks!!
Glad you enjoyed it Jeff.
Great stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks👍
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching
Thanks man!
Your welcome
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Thank you so much for the comment and watching.
Awesome!
Thank you glad to help.
Hello Kevin - Nice video, well done and explained. What specific grease did you use and is there any specific info on the grease that people should know? Thanks again !
Thanks Johnny, i used wheel bearing grease that can be bought from the local auto parts store.
I was taught to rotate the wheel as you pump in the grease.
that is a good idea .
is the socket a special socket or a regular socket
thank you
Thanks for watching Tony
Tighten the spindle bolt?, am I missing something?
Thank you
Thanks for the comment glad to help.
Wheel bearings must have 001" - 005" end play. Bearings must have room to expand when they get hot. EZ Lube is for emergencie use only.
Well said I wasn’t for sure
I did exactly what you did and proceeded to blow the brand new seal out of the brand new hub and bearings.. I bought a new seal and hand packed the bearings. I will never rely on ez lube again.
Thanks for the comment
Great information Kevin. One question, what is that black part that you took the silver cover off that ran in the center of the wheel? Does that protect anything? Thanks!
I think that's part of the dust cover.
@@Robinson-Homestead ok thanks!
New subscriber here.
Thank you hope you enjoy the channel I will do my best to give you good clean videos.
Great resource. Hey Kevin, where did you get that grease gun?
Daryl auto parts store have them. But check at yard and garage sales and flea markets.
I will also leave a link to amazon in the description below thanks Daryl.
.👍
Stay well, Joe z
Thanks for watching Joe.
Most instructions say to back off the nut one quarter turn. I just did mine and backed it off a little. Should be enough I hope.
Should be fine hans Hart thanks for the comment and watching.
How big is that socket you're using on the bearing spindle?
1-1/2"
should turn the wheel as you are putting it in or you could disloge the greas seal
Thanks Howard.
Question: I see the way you force the new grease in and I like that, but i have buddy bearing and don't think the grease would flow like you do here. What are your thoughts? ty
You may want to pull them out and pack them.
@@Robinson-Homestead I did as these are new hubs but I pulled the buddy bearing and will fill like you did, I think that is a better way. ty
I wonder if it might be best to buy new pins. Do you think it would be easier to get the pin in if it were new?
New pens are always easier but if you don't have them old pen works too.
@@Robinson-Homestead thanks man!! This is my first attempt and I feel pretty good about it now. Sure beats paying a mechanic!
I put a brand new hub assembly on a spindle, pumped it full of grease through the trailer buddy, drove it and grease came out the rear axle seal. Think I fucked up the axle seal when I put it on or can you put too much grease in?
I think I would just clean it off and see if it comes out more
Should be ok.
@@Robinson-Homestead thanks for the reply. It was my first time doing it, like the thing is still packed full of grease so I don't see the harm as long as I keep it full.
Did you know if you loose dust cover on axle ,(you can use Vienna can temporarily to keep grease in and dust out
Thanks for the info.
Do you mean an empty Vienna sausage can?
One can also use the butt-end of a 7-up can...I assume any pop can will work, but I did see my trailer partner cut a 7-up can and cram it on for temp purposes.
You should never reuse a cotter pin, I am guilty of this too. Other than that, awesome and very helpful video.
Thank you so much for the comment and watching.
Thank's for posting that, I think a lot of people overlook it and bad things happen. Curious why you torqued it before instead of just after?
It would be to tight and it would damage your bearings.
Actually you snug the bearings up a little to make sure the bearings are seated then back them off and then hand tighten or a little more
What size socket did you use??
Sorry I can't remember Cole.
You are supposed to turn the wheel slowly when greasing ez-lube or posi-lube hubs or you will blow the seals out of the back of the hub.
If you don’t turn the wheel, you won’t get new grease right in the rollers in the bearings
Turning the wheel is good Thanks for the comment and watching
Turning the wheel is good Thanks for the comment and watching
was wondering why i had that happen a few times - thanks for the info
I had a camper service tech tell me to not put more than 5 zerks in there. I had always thought you were supposed to make sure the bearing cavity inside the hub was full of grease like Kevin is doing here. Any thoughts?
I don't think this method is proper. Over greasing tapered bearings makes them overheat
@@MrCorynick there is no such thing as over greasing. This is the right way to do it
@@cumminsbayou Yes, there is. Any real mechanic will tell you that. But anyway.
@@MrCorynick and any real millwright will tell you it’s not. Bearing life can only be prolonged by living in grease
@@cumminsbayou you can push the seal out .
can you recommend a quality grease?
Lucas Red and Tacky #2. Can't beat it!
Just curious what is the purpose of torquing to 50 lbs if you're ultimately only going finger tight anyway? If its torqued, and you back it off, its not torqued anymore. What am I missing?
There is no need to torque it at all. And I can tell you from experience looser is better than tighter. You should have some play in the wheel or else they will heat up. And heat is what destroys stuff
@@nickbass1776 just commenting on the technique used in the video. The question was for the person who posted the video.
After 6 months without a reply I don't think he's going to respond
@@nickbass1776 Thanks for letting me know… six months after my question I was still wondering if he was ever going to answer. I can barely sleep.🤣 all joking aside, it was more of a rhetorical question, I didn’t really expect him to actually answer. That being said it is still idiotic to torque something and then back it off. At that point why bother using a torque spec at all? Again, rhetorical.
I’ve seen this technique recommended before, by hub manufacturers. The 50 pound torque “seats” the bearings, or snugs them up against the race. When you back it off, grease should keep those bearings snugged up against the race so that when you hand-tighten, you’re actually tightening up the bearing ring against the race and it’s not loose and off-kilter. When I’m re-tightening my hubs, I don’t re-torque again as the bearings have been running good and I know they’re snugged up. I just tighten one hand tight, find the hole and put the cotter pin in. I did notice that he didn’t keep the cotter pin head tight against the castle nut when he re-bent the cotter pin. I make sure that head is tight against the castle nut and put some additional tension on it when I bend the cotter pins so it’s held in there tightly. A new cotter pin is a good idea, but with all things mechanical, a new cotter pin can fail, too (many are cheaply made) so unless mine are nicked or bend too easily I keep the old ones. Just my two cents…
Yeah but when you do it this way doesn't the grease spew put in the back and gets all in the brake chamber? get all in the brakes?
No there seals in there.
Did you have the tires balanced?
No i didn't Frank
How often do you grease?
Once a year or after a long trip
What size socket are you using on your torque wrench?
It depends on the size of you axel bolt, they might not all be the same size.
Normally 1.5” socket, deep. It’s a special socket, not in many big box stores
Legend
Thanks for the comment.
Should probably replace the cotter pin.
Good idea to Wayne thanks.
I have always been told to never use the old cotter pins. Use brand new ones. They do not cost that much. It is good to carry some extras in your tool box.
Thanks for the comment Robert.
An air or electric grease gun doesn't have any more pressure than a hand one btw
How much do you think someone would have charged to do that?
I've seen up to $125
I would know that one.
Sorry but not quite correct. Only reason to torque is if it wasn’t torqued after new races were installed in the hub. Torque after new races are installed to make sure they are seated and aligned. Needless torquing and over torquing can damage both races and more often the rollers. Wheel bearings need a minimum clearance to allow for expansion and believe it or not, they need a slight bit of play to allow for lubrication. For the same reason you don’t have crank bearings in an engine with zero clearance, same for wheel bearings. In decades of experience I have never had a job come back on wheel bearings, but I sure have seen a lot of damage come into the shop from improper lube packing and prep, as well as over tightened bearings from the back yard jobs! On easy lube axles, always best to pop the grease cups and clean off the old grease you pump out and allow an air space. Just leave the nut covered in grease and good to go. I’ve had all sizes of trailers and never an axle failure from coast to coast multiple trips. All of my trailers have about 1/16 to 3/32 play on the outside of the tire. That may seem like a lot but remember that’s on the outside of the tire and when there is weight on the bearing, it’s going to prefer to settle in the bearing races and stay straight on it’s own. Play measured at the wheel flange will be almost non existent. After the bearings warm up, that clearance closes up a little so there will be less play as measured at the outside of the tire. For wheel bearings, always a little to loose than to tight (or no clearance at all). So if I haven’t replaced the races in the hub, I rotate the hub and finger tighten the nut and back it off to the first available full slot/notch. Usually at least 1/16 to 1/8 turn and generally no more than 1/4 turn lose. Done. And use a new cotter pin or block (tab) washer, I’ve seen so many broken tabs and cotter pins laying in the cups. Not worth a failure for a few cents on a cotter pin. Cheers...
Thanks for watching.
Why torque it? Why not just hand tight until you dont hear any noise?
Better safe than sorry i guess.
You need to rotate the wheel as you pump grease in
Good info Eric
Never reuse the cotter pin, always use a new one.
Good information thanks for the comment.
I believe you coold have just slid the tire off, removed the bearing, cleaned, regrease, then put back together. Could have done it in half the time and been sure all old grease was replaced.
Thanks for the comment
Hay Kevin how you been bro, I see you travel all the time now. Are you retired or is you tube being kind enough to you so you can quit working.
This is the RIGHT WAY to remove the dust cap. Too many videos show someone beating off the cap with a hammer. That bends it. Gentle screw driver loosen is correct.
Thanks for the comment and watching
Four things I personally question having watched how you did your grease job. But that's the beauty of RUclips and information via the Internet in general. You get the good and the bad. One has to be smart enough and compile enough good and bad information to figure out which is which. Now I'm thinking one of the reason you posted this video is to help others. My advice would be to actually remove the video, learn how to properly do the job, and only then think about reposting a proper informational video. Three of the four problems could actually be eliminated by getting rid of the first 3/4th of the video. Just trying to help.
Thanks for watching.
Good job maybe not a textbook job ,but if people do what you just did in your video they most likely will not have any problems
I use to design multi spindle drill heads for a living . You can ruin these DB mounted tapered bearings without using the manufacturers specified torque value. DB means mounted back to back double. The preload is of two directions on this type of spindle . Radial and axial . Radial is achieved by the tight tolerance on the bearing bore or pocket. The axial is achieved by torque values for any given set of double tapered bearings such as these . You have the right idea to preload through the inner race to remove the play but your guessing on the axial force.
Just a friendly suggestion. never loosen any nut with a Torque wrench
Thanks
Oops, you're supposed to be rotating the wheel while you apply the 50 ft-lb pre-load. That's pretty important...
John, yes you are right i should have done it that way thanks for watching.
What! What! What!
Thanks for watching
better to spin the tire when adding the grease
Good info thank you for the comment.
Just a tip, never loosen anything with a torque wrench!
Thanks for the info B-Rad.
How come? And what should be used instead
With old torque wrench’s yes but any new quality torque wrench are fine to loosen things as long as you turn the dial to max.
I am using an air grease gun ($20 Harbor Freight) and it won't push the old grease out. Stupid grease gun.
Maybe your grease fitting is plugged up.
I really don't get it, why torque it to 50 pounds then breaking it loose, and tight it with your hands, you might as well torque it to 75 pounds, then breaking it loose then tight it with you hand, it will be the same ???
It just compacts everything inside Tony.
@@Robinson-Homestead That I understand, no issues there, what I have issues with is the 50 pounds of torque to be applied, it's irrelevant, as I looked to another 2 videos that night, nobody used a torque wrench, you just tighten it, then break it loose, tight manually, validate that rolls freely no play and you are done.... But it was still bothering me, so this afternoon I called a mechanic, the son of one of my friend, and asked him, because he worked in a RV dealership in his first job, and he told me it was much simpler than that, if there was no loose on the wheel, so not needing adjustment, you just lift the RV, put the grease gun on the zert, spin the wheel and let the grease flow, when you see the new grease coming around, stop the grease, spin the wheel another one or 2 turns, clean, put the cap on and NEXT!...He also told me that this procedure was done on old trailers that had no greasing fitting.
@@tonyioannoni4951 Tony, on greasing old trailers with no grease fitting: Wonder where / how / why your friend was able to pump grease into the bearing, right?
50ft-lbs, NOT lbs.
Thanks