Repacking Axle Bearings

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.

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

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 - 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.

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 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. 

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. 

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.

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!    

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.  

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!

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.

Ratkity said:

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

Certainly!