Community Forums

Highway 4x4 · 07-15-2015, 10:42 PM

This has been talked about here before by Id Bob. If you put grease in the zerk that is for the EZ lube bearings it will end up on the brakes. The chanel that the grease goes to comes out between the inner bearing and the seal. The grease will come out the seal and be on the brakes. There are some new people here and just wanted to restate this for them.

J Birder · 07-15-2015, 10:53 PM

Thousands of people use the grease zerk on EZ Lube bearings without ever getting any grease on the brakes. If you get grease on your brakes, you must not be doing it right.

Joel

cb1000rider · 07-16-2015, 12:07 AM

Joel,
I think it's pretty common to do it "wrong". Darn grease guns aren't exactly super-reliable in terms of producing consistent volumes of grease. When we bought a 5th wheel one of the service guys said the same thing - they do not recommend using the EZ-lube, but they pull them and pack them by hand...

Can you do it without teardown? Sure. But too much grease ends up on the brakes and you can't really tell how much grease you actually got in there...

Rickeoni · 07-16-2015, 12:20 AM

You need to jack up the trailer and spin the wheels when using the zero fitting. Pain in the rump to do, so most people pack me stationary which leads to the trouble. Been doing it that way for years never had an issue. Now on the new 5er will have the shop do an annual spring checkup including bearing repack, getting lazy in my old age I guess.

Highway 4x4 · 07-16-2015, 09:03 AM

Yes, jacked up the TT and only added 3-4 pumps with a hand gun. I suspect I will catch some heat on this. You do as you want. I know what I'll do from now on. There are probably thousands out there going just fine. There are probably many out there that don't even know they have an issue. If you have used the EZ lube feature it could be you, unless you pull the drum and inspect the brakes.

J Birder · 07-16-2015, 09:26 AM

Just doing a few pumps has far more risk of eventually destroying the bearing, than does doing it the right way risks getting grease on the brake drums.

The proper procedure is to pump until grease oozes out around the zerk. That will be the old grease. wipe it away and dispose of it. Keep pumping until only new, clean grease is oozing out. All the while your are pumping, you need to be rotating the wheel.

All of the grease that comes out, is on the outside of the wheel. There shouldn't be any on the inside, where the brake is.

Joel

cb1000rider · 07-16-2015, 09:50 AM

J,
I'm not clear on that... The zerk is a one-way valve. How does old grease get out unless you're depressing it?

NHRA225 · 07-16-2015, 10:19 AM

Been doing this exactly for many years on EZ Lube hubs, Never had grease on the Brakes ! If you don't raise the wheel and spin while greasing you may push Grease past the Inner seal into your Brakes
>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6ndN_9NQL4

cb1000rider · 07-16-2015, 10:22 AM

So why isn't a solution to this to use a "bearing buddy" like system that essentially has a spring that can show you:
1) That you've got enough grease
2) That provides a means for expansion that shouldn't blow past a seal

NHRA225 · 07-16-2015, 10:26 AM

It's not a matter of just greasing the hub but replacing the old grease with new as demonstrated in the video.

J Birder · 07-16-2015, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb1000rider

J,
I'm not clear on that... The zerk is a one-way valve. How does old grease get out unless you're depressing it?

Look at the drawing below. Remember that you will have removed the rubber cap.

Joel

schrod · 07-16-2015, 12:33 PM

There are suppose to be channels back to end of the spindle so that the old grease comes back at you without blowing the inside seals. I think most people are either waiting too long and the old grease has set up some or they are over pumping and creating too great of back pressure. Remember if you do this on a regular basis it only takes maybe half a pump to one full pump and the old grease is coming back at you.

J Birder · 07-16-2015, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schrod

There are suppose to be channels back to end of the spindle so that the old grease comes back at you without blowing the inside seals. I think most people are either waiting too long and the old grease has set up some or they are over pumping and creating too great of back pressure. Remember if you do this on a regular basis it only takes maybe half a pump to one full pump and the old grease is coming back at you.

You are right about the channels. See the drawing in my post above. T think that the most common cause of problems is not rotating the wheel whilt pumping in the grease.

Joel

Highway 4x4 · 07-16-2015, 01:31 PM

I am glad that the system is working for so many. I will be replacing the brakes with a complete backing plate assembly. Clean and repack the bearings and go on down the road and never use the EZ system again, my choice. The trailer parts store says they see brakes damaged by grease from the EZ lube every day. The good thing is that I don't have to use it. If it's working for you, great. Perhaps my original rant on the system could be toned down some to a caution warning.