1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

[Isaacm1986]

I was given a 1976 EZloader trailer yesterday, and it needs wheel bearings like nothing else! is there a good place online to order these? can someone point me in the right direction?

I am sorry this question has probably been asked a lot, but I don't have the time right now to weed through different threads.

Thanks.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Try your friendly Napa. They stock most sizes.

Or championtrailers.com

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

I was given a 1976 EZloader trailer yesterday, and it needs wheel bearings like nothing else! is there a good place online to order these? can someone point me in the right direction?

I am sorry this question has probably been asked a lot, but I don't have the time right now to weed through different threads.

Thanks.

You may have to pull one off to match up with a new one. There should be a part number on the side of it.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Or if you have a local Tractor Supply or Northern Tool stores they will have them.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Ayuh,... The 1st step in your quest is to remove,+ clean up the 1s there now, to properly ID them by Part #...

 

[EsoxRanger]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

I am never going to replace bearings again without converting to an oil bath hub. I have them on my Ranger Trailer. My newer class 7 and 8 trucks came from the factory with them. They are the future for trailering and heavy duty applications, and the future is now.

 

[109jb]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

I am never going to replace bearings again without converting to an oil bath hub. I have them on my Ranger Trailer. My newer class 7 and 8 trucks came from the factory with them. They are the future for trailering and heavy duty applications, and the future is now.

And when you lose a seal and all the oil leaks out then what? I'll tell you what, the bearings go in nothing flat and the wheel falls off. On an oil bath setup, the seal keeps dirt out and oil in. On a greased bearing, the seal pretty much is to keep stuff out. If the seal goes on a greased beariing setup enough grease stays inside to keep the bearing lubricated. I'll keep my greased berings that have been around for, oh I don't know, a long long time.

 

[SS Flasher]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

And when you lose a seal and all the oil leaks out then what? I'll tell you what, the bearings go in nothing flat and the wheel falls off. On an oil bath setup, the seal keeps dirt out and oil in. On a greased bearing, the seal pretty much is to keep stuff out. If the seal goes on a greased beariing setup enough grease stays inside to keep the bearing lubricated. I'll keep my greased berings that have been around for, oh I don't know, a long long time.

I read you post and started to think about this logic. I brought a new trailer with these oil baths and researched them a bit. They aren't new; they have been used in heavy equipment for a long time with great success. As I have only had the trailer for a year, it was time to check the bearings anyway so last night, I took a look mine apart so see how EZ loader designed the seals. They installed a fantastic wear surface for the lip seal to ride on and its diameter sits higher than the level of the oil when at rest. There is no way for the oil to just leak out, even in motion the oil will just splash and this will lubricate the seal. The other thing to know on oil baths is there is a window to check the level. This is one pre- check that is supposed to be done before heading out. One other thing about oil baths is that they are no different that a grease system, bearing can deteriorate and have to be inspected. The only way to check the rear bearing is to remove the rear seal and replace it, then you will have a good seal - just like grease systems. Once a year, is not too much of a safety precaution. It is sure easy to inspect the bearings now, just drain the oil - inspect- refill. LOVE THEM

 

[jeeperman]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

SSFlasher,
I just went and look at the ezloader website, they say the oil hubs are to be completely filled with no space which prevents water from entering (supposedly).
Are yours not filled properly?
Or maybe they have changed since you bought your trailer?
http://www.ezloadercustoms.com/options/obh.htm

 

[SS Flasher]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Thanks Jeeperman, I did go to the site and found the level is to be kept to the top of the logo. I don't understand why the link you sent from there site says no void. When you look at the diagram in the owners manual, their recommended fill mark shows that approx 2/3 of the cavity is filled. I will fill to the top of the logo recomendation and I will change the seal when checking the bearings so that it should always be in good shape. Thanks again.

 

[kamby]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

On our semi trailer we keep the level to the full line on the cap, which is about a 1/4 in or so below the filler plug. If you over fill it it makes a mess and the bearings can run hotter. This is also up to 34k pounds running on those axles and bearings.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Makes sense to me not to have them 100% full of oil. Maybe ezloader has changed the hubs they have been using. Or the website says one thing about them that sounds good to those that do not know better. Then they read the owners manual and find out different?.

Filling the hub 100% with oil would be the same as filling a hub 100% with grease via a bearing buddy. Leaving no room for thermal expansion which must escape via the weakest path.
Such as the rear seal or the plastic cap, etc.

 

[SS Flasher]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

I recieved a reply from EZ Loader trailer regarding the different directions on my trailer hubs compared to their website. Here is the message I recieved.

"There are two different oil bath hubs used by EZ Loader Trailers depending on the manufacture site. The manufacture site can be determined by the first three digits of your trailer vin. If your trailer vin begins with the characters 1L8 then your trailer is a Custom EZ Loader built in Midway, AR. Our hubs are designed and built by UFP. The UFP hubs need to be filled completely with 50 weight oil. For additional information on UFP oil bath hubs, please refer to their website at www.ufpnet.com.
If your vin begins with the characters 1ZE, then the hubs used are manufactured by Reliable Tool. I have limited information on Reliable Tool Hubs as they are used by our Spokane, WA plant. I do know that the hubs need to be filled about 1/2 to 2/3 full (or to the top of the marking on the sight glass)with 90 weight oil. As far as the reason why, I do not know. More information on Reliable Hubs can be received by contacting our Spokane, WA office at 1-800-398-5623 or by referring to Reliable's website at www.reliabletool.com."


Thanks go out to EZ Loader for a quick response. My trailer type is the second one from Spokane, but the lable on the trailer tells me to use 50 weight and the level on the window would make it about half full.

 

[paddlepaddle]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Compared to my old trailer greased bearing system with Bearing Buddies, the oil bath is great...Kinda. Less maintenance than grease and runs cooler, but prone to leaks. My (less than 2 yr old) EZ loader oil baths (manufactured by Reliable) have failed twice now. Both failures caught on visual inspection.
100 mile round trip to the lake once a week, no salt water, never abused. Within a few weeks the gear oil turned milky and the 2/3 capacity was now full adding 1/3 water. Rear seals failed big time. Fixed under warranty. Recently, trailer didn't appear to be sitting right. Found broken leaf spring. Decide to do thorough check and found inner seal failed on one hub..again. No water intrusion this time, just lower level of gear oil in the sight glass and gear oil mess on axle. EZ sent me a new spring, which I replaced and the axle/hub assy is now at the shop getting fixed. The weak link here seems to be the inner seal and or mating surface on the axle. These failures seem to be so common that Bearing Buddy now produce units that replace the oil bath caps, allowing you to convert to grease. Unscrew the oil bath caps, clean the bearings, pack with grease and screw the Bearing Buddy cap in..pump with grease, done. If the problem dosen't get fixed permanently, I will go the Bearing Buddy route.

 

[northernmerc]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Grease works well, at least with bearing buddies that one regularly adds grease to. Usually one can go many years without disassembling the hub and repacking the bearings. What's easier than that?

Without bearing buddies, regular inspection and repacking is a necessity for safely towing trailers that are backed into the water at boat launches. Water has a way of getting in there unless the cavity is completely filled with grease using bearing buddies. In case anyone does not know this, I'll mention that it's easy to add bearing buddies to hubs that don't have them.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Even with Bearing Buddies, they really need to be inspected. Rear seal can still leak. Also, you really don't need to be regularly adding grease to a Bearing Buddy. If you are, the grease is probably getting blown out the rear seal.

 

[northernmerc]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Even with Bearing Buddies, they really need to be inspected. Rear seal can still leak. Also, you really don't need to be regularly adding grease to a Bearing Buddy. If you are, the grease is probably getting blown out the rear seal.

From my experience, hubs with bearing buddies will always leak a bit of grease - unless one does not completely fill the hub, which then defeats the purpose of the bearing buddies.

Maintaining positive grease pressure in the hub will cause a little leakage. Some leak past the seal at the back side, and some leak on the outer side. I'm not sure if all of them have the spring set up on the outer side that allows the plate with the zerk to move in and out depending on how much grease is added. With that setup, they also will leak on the outside face of the hub assembly. Either way, I've never thought of it as a problem, aside from a little grease being thrown around. The rubber covers that usually come with bearing buddies catch the leakage on the face of the wheel.

 

[DaveyHAZZ]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

Do you actually need new ones? or do they just need to be repacked. i had bad ones too, took them out, soaked in gasoline, got all the grime and grease out repacked them and they were like new. Although, you could clean them and find nicks and such...if you do, chuck em out. Walmart had my bearings same size in the fishin deparment

 

[JimS123]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

I have always boated in fresh water and I've never replaced a wheel bearing(didn't need to). For the first 30 years I repacked annually in the fall, but as I added more boat trailers it became too cumbersome, so for the past 15 years or so I've used Bearing Buddies and haven't repacked. I check each wheel every few years or so and have always found it didn't need to be serviced after all (full of grease and no water). I know I've been lax, but at my advanced age (LOL) I don't relish the thought of servicing 8 axles each year.

In any event, I have often wondered about the oil lube axles, but it just didn't seem like a good idea to me. After reading some of the comments on this thread, I think I'll stuick with the BB's.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1976 Ezloader trailer wheel bearings

From my experience, hubs with bearing buddies will always leak a bit of grease - unless one does not completely fill the hub, which then defeats the purpose of the bearing buddies.

Are we talking the same thing? I am talking about the rear seal next to the brakes. If you have drum brakes, you can not tolerate any grease coming out of that seal. If you do, you either have too much grease, a bad seal or a bad selaing surface.