Repacking Axle Bearings

Bgkirk

Today I went to the garage to repack our Nov 2014 (2015 Model Year) TAB Axle Bearings and found a little surprise.  I was not aware that our trailer had the Ultrulube option on it allowing periodic lubrication of the bearings from a zerk fitting on the end of the axle.  I had never seen it discussed here so assumed it had the standard axle.  I included the portion of the manual related to this option below.  I repacked everything the old fashion way as you still need to inspect the bearings and parts etc annually.  Just thought I would share my surprise.

jkjenn

I confess, I have not closely examined the axle manual. Now I will go take a look, today. If this is the case, it seems it would be helpful to do this on a long trip.

Bgkirk

One fitting on the end of the axle greases both bearings.  The grease travels down the center of the inside of the axle and exits on the backside of the inner bearing between the bearing and the grease seal.  When the grease is pumped in, the grease moves through the inner bearing toward the outer bearing through the hub space.  The caveat to this is that all that hub space must be filled with grease to get the grease to move through the outer bearing.  When Al-Ko installs the bearings (or bearing are repacked) the inner and outer bearing are loaded up with grease and some additional grease is applied to the bearing races.  This leaves the hub space between the inner and outer bearings empty.  This is not an issue for the performance of the bearings.  However, if you are going to use the zerk fitting to lubricate the bearings you will need a lot of grease the first time (almost an entire tube) to get the hub space filled so that the grease coming from the inner bearing pushes grease out the outer bearing.

I hope this helps describe the system.  Should have taken a couple of picture but the hands where filled with grease. 

Bgkirk

One additional note.  The center plastic hub cover on the wheel has a removable cover (on ours).  There is a slot for a flat blade screwdriver to pop off the outer cover.  This would allow access to the zerk without removing the wheel.

John_and_Kris

We have a 20116 T@B Max S and we asked Ed at the factory about service and he sent the following

"""The one they used is called ultra-lube and you would need to take your wheel of and then you should be able to see a rubber plug in the center of the hub cap pop it out and you’ll see the grease zerk just pump grease in until you can see grease starting to push thru the outer bearing. (be sure to use Synthetic auto wheel bearing grease)"""

Hope this helps; we have not done ours yet as.

Nomad

Wow, a 20116 - Where'd you find that? ;-)

Photomom

How often do you need to do this? I've never done anything like this before.

Nomad

Can't recall exactly but something like every 5-6,000 miles.
I stop along the way and either have an RV place or utility trailer shop do mine. Costs me $45-65 depending on the place. Last time was in Kingman at Trotters RV Service. Took less than an hour. Didn't even unhook.

ChanW

Removing, inspecting, and repacking is recommended annually.

I usually will pump the grease zerk before a long trip, or after an especially flooded one. Might be overkill, but better safe...

ChanW

For the removal and inspection, I recommend PXL's method. It's a messy job.

Nomad

ChanW - Doesn't it have to do with mileage or time, whichever comes first? There was a previous thread about bearings and that mentioned mileage, not time.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

ChanW - Doesn't it have to do with mileage or time, whichever comes first? There was a previous thread about bearings and that mentioned mileage, not time.

The manual recommends based on mileage, but I would do this annually  if you don't hit the mileage mark as the grease can dry out or become dirty, especially if you go through any deeper mud puddles.

In terms adding extra grease, it might not be a bad idea to do this if on a long trip, especially if conditions are hot and dry or if there is a lot of sand or dry dirt - think forest service roads.

Bgkirk

The manual indicates 12,000 miles or 12 month.  Our T@B was right at the 12,000 mile mark and 12 months.  When I repacked the bearings everything looked great without even a hint of wear.  I plan on doing as ChanW does and giving a couple pumps of grease after/during long trips (after the initial charging of the system until grease comes out the outer bearing).

ChanW

Yeah, I'm just doing it 'by feel' I guess, which isn't very helpful advice.

PXLated said:

ChanW - Doesn't it have to do with mileage or time, whichever comes first? There was a previous thread about bearings and that mentioned mileage, not time.

But, as Jenn says, at least once per year, and more often in 'harsh conditions' (dusty, wet), and as Brian says, at least every 12000 mi. (which we haven't reached in a year yet!).

So, I might be overdoing it, but that's good too. (ex. Wet conditions: we drove through about 20 miles of 6-12 inches of water in the Outer Banks last autumn, maybe salty... Definitely worth greasing about).

Nomad

I guess I chose 5-6,000 miles way back when the discussion first took place as I'm out in the boonies in all kinds of conditions - wet, mud, dry, dust, etc. - so much.
The last time I had it done, they had to replace the rear seal on the passenger side as it was leaking.

Photomom

Is this something a trailer repair place could do? We don't do car things.

Verna

Photomom said:

Is this something a trailer repair place could do? We don't do car things.

I have mine done at a utility trailer place. Less expensive than an RV place. 

Nomad

I've had mine done by both - The trailer places were cheaper as Verna mentions. But (as mentioned above) I didn't find Trotters in Kingman too much higher.

ChanW

Photomom, repacking wheel bearings is as old as wheels (well, pretty much). Any mechanic can do it. I wouldn't say there's anything at all special about the Tab's wheels that a regular mechanic wouldn't be confident handling. 

Nomad

Just make sure that they jack it up properly - not on the axel itself.

ChanW

Ahhh, good reminder PXL. Have those trailer shops you've been to, known not to put a jack under the axle? Bears repeating....

The axle shaft on the Tab is actually an eccentric tube, with rubber cushions inside to provide the suspension (spring action) for the wheels. The manufacturer sez not to jack it under the axle cuz the tube could be crushed by the weight of the Tab. Spread the weight on a 2x4 block, if you must, or put the jack under a different spot.

Nomad

ChanW - The RV place knew not to but the utility trailer shops didn't.

Michigan_Mike

Bgkirk said:

The caveat to this is that all that hub space must be filled with grease to get the grease to move through the outer bearing.......However, if you are going to use the zerk fitting to lubricate the bearings you will need a lot of grease the first time (almost an entire tube) to get the hub space filled so that the grease coming from the inner bearing pushes grease out the outer bearing.

I will have to respectfully disagree with your statement above as too much grease in the void between the hub and bearings could create heating problems and potentially damage the wheel bearing seal, blow it out and allow the grease to escape.  I've greased a few bearings and have never ever used a full tube of grease in the process.  You certainly do not have to have the void or cavity between the bearings jammed full of grease and Dexter's EZ-lube video doesn't allude to it either.   

For those planning to do your wheel bearings Dexter's interval (differs from the LG owner's manual) for maintenance is annually, or every 12K miles.  And as PX notes above, never place a jack beneath, nor lift the trailer via the axle or any axle component welded to the trailer frame.  When you look at the axle it does have a natural bend or camber to it and this is the way they are designed, which initially shocked me until I asked the factory.  

If you do use the grease Zerks to pump grease into the bearings make sure that you rotate the hub by hand while pumping grease into the bearings.  

As for which grease to use you should use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product with a minimum dropping point of 440 F.  And you shouldn't mix different grease types as it could end up damaging the bearings via grease degradation and heat.  

I normally take the hub apart, inspect the bearings, bearing races and axle spline and repack my bearings by hand.  I did find a handy bearing tool at AutoZone that I really like and it has come in handy for my bearing inspections/repacking the bearings.  

Note:  I had a wheel bearing go out in Arizona about three years ago and got a quick education on all of the above.  Little Guy hooked me up with Tom's Camperland in Phoenix, they pulled a new axle off of one of their trailers, I drove it back up to Dead Horse Ranch SP in Cottonwood and changed out the axle as the spline was damaged beyond repair and was back in business.  I'll admit, there's nothing worse than encountering a problem like this when you are 2K+ miles away from home...  Whew!  



The video below gives you good pointers on inspecting the bearings and repacking them properly.  If you follow it to a T you should have no problems.  I repacked the bearings on my former Silver Shadow prior to leaving for Alaska in July 2015, drove 10 K miles there and back to Michigan and inspected/repacked the bearings when I returned home and could find no damage. This after travelking 1400 miles up the ALCAN highway, back down the Cassiar  Highway, back across Canada and home to Michigan.  Knock on wood!    

Ratkity

Thanks Mike! I've heard horror stories about ALCAN. I've never repacked bearings myself, but perhaps I've made the process too complicated in my head (just fear). Your information is much appreciated!

Michigan_Mike

We spoke to many people along the way prior to hitting the ALCAN and they warned us of the dust, fast approaching trucks throwing rocks, ending up with cracked and broken windshields and punctured tires via the sharp gravel.  Luckily none of us experienced any of that.  When a truck approached I would get over to the right as far as possible to eliminate catching a rock and it worked.  I never carried a spare, other than the donut for my Equinox and knew that would suffice. I'd certainly recommend carrying a good spare as up in that area you certainly would NOT want to leave a trailer unattended as it might not be there when you return.   I saw a beautiful silver Audi parked on the shoulder of the road in Alaska and it was sitting on cinder blocks!    

Also had a fellow camper who'd experienced credit card fraud after gassing up in Dawson Creek at a local station and having them use his credit card to pump about $125 worth of diesel into another vehicle!  But other than that we had no issues with any of it....  Make sure you take a credit card that has a chip (I'm assuming that most credit card companies have them issued by now?) as all the stations up in Canada do use the chip readers and otherwise you will have to go inside and run your card inside the station.  No eggs or citrus allowed across the Canadian border (e.g., because of avian flu, etc.).  And if you have a concealed carry permit from the US expect a long delay and interrogation as you have no rights there and they will spend considerable time interrogating you and looking through your trailer and gear.  

Bgkirk

Mike,

Respectfully, the only way the grease can get to the outer bearing is via the hub space between the inner bearing and the outer bearing.  I think it is important for people to know you must "pump until new grease begins to appear" as indicated in step 3 of Al-Ko instructions in my first post in this discussion.  In my case, a little less than one tube per axle in every trailer I have ever owned with this type of system.  If you just pump a few times (with no new grease showing from the outer bearing) you have done nothing to lubricate the outer bearing.  This is shown on the video link you provided where the grease is filling the hub space in the graphics (pictures from video below).

I felt it was important to note that it takes a lot of grease to get the system started as I didn't want people to think they were lubricating their bearing without seeing grease coming from the outer bearing or be surprised at how much grease it takes to get grease to come out the first time.

If the Ultralube system/zerk is not used to lubricate the bearings (inner and outer) then the standard bearing grease packing procedure is all that is needed and disregard all this stuff.

Thanks for all you do regarding this forum Mike.

Michigan_Mike

Thanks Kirk, I appreciate the kind words and agree that the old grease has got to be pushed out and replenished with new grease.  I've been vigilant with these bearings since the lucky Arizona incident, finding the bad bearing and damaged spline at my campsite in Cottonwood.  I was also with a buddy stranded out on interstate 80 out in Wyoming back in the early 70s with two Harleys on the back of a snowmobile trailer when the wheel came off and went sailing across the interstate.  

I would emphasize for those who have never done bearings to have it done professionally if you are not familiar with this type of project.  I like to take the hubs apart and inspect the bearings as they are cheap enough to purchase and it is no fun to be stranded in a desolate place out in the middle of nowhere. I always carry an extra set of bearings and races with me just in case!

Ratkity

^^^ Mike, can I just clone you and take you with me (plus tools and parts)?

Nomad

boo - I have no real clue, I had the pros do the greasing but the jacks are on the corners of the frame in back. My T@B was still hooked up to my TV so it was suspended in front on the hitch. I would think jacks on all four corners would do it but I'm no expert.

jkjenn

Verna said:

Photomom said:

Is this something a trailer repair place could do? We don't do car things.

I have mine done at a utility trailer place. Less expensive than an RV place. 

Ditto. It was literally less than 1/2 the cost. I did advise them that the T@b needed to be jacked via the frame, not axle.

Michigan_Mike

Ratkity said:

^^^ Mike, can I just clone you and take you with me (plus tools and parts)?

Certainly!