EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

diehardmason

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I have a 1996 Ranger R-70 with original trailer. I have been trying to figure out the EZ-Lube hub for quite some time now and am at the point where I want to bring it into a boat shop and just say tell them to fix if or tell me if its not the orginal trailer. I have been relegated to using Bearing Buddies, but, I want to use the eZLube as its designed. I have attached pics of the end of the axle thinking maybe I;m missing something. I do have a certificate from the Real Man Mechanically Inclined Institute of America but can't figure this one out!!:lol::laugh:IMG_1690 (Small).jpgIMG_1691 (Small).jpg
 

ricohman

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

If you have no cap on the end you need to pull those apart and clean them before regreasing and putting it back together.
If I were you I would do that, and then pop a couple of regular caps on. EZlube hubs and bearing buddies can cause more trouble than they prevent.
Usually they give people the impression that they don't have to service their bearings. A properly serviced hub will not let water in anyways.
Is the nipple broke off?
 

Thalasso

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

I have a 1996 Ranger R-70 with original trailer. I have been trying to figure out the EZ-Lube hub for quite some time now and am at the point where I want to bring it into a boat shop and just say tell them to fix if or tell me if its not the orginal trailer. I have been relegated to using Bearing Buddies, but, I want to use the eZLube as its designed. I have attached pics of the end of the axle thinking maybe I;m missing something. I do have a certificate from the Real Man Mechanically Inclined Institute of America but can't figure this one out!!:lol::laugh:View attachment 195830View attachment 195831

EZ-Lube hubs are the cats meow. Nothing wrong with it
Your axles don't look like they have any zerk fittings to grease them.Do you have rubber caps/plugs on the end of the hubs?



http://youtu.be/zocwYh8mZoo

Buddy hub Question Please? (just below this post) #8 has a video of it's operation
 

H20Rat

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

A properly serviced hub will not let water in anyways.

So what happens when you take a relatively warm hub and dip it into freezing water? Assuming you aren't running bearing buddies, it doesn't matter how well it is serviced, it WILL suck in water, simple physics dictate that. Those of use that have discovered ez-lube type hubs gave up 'servicing' our bearings a long time ago, there is no need anymore!
 

diehardmason

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

EZ-Lube hubs are the cats meow. Nothing wrong with it
Your axles don't look like they have any zerk fittings to grease them.Do you have rubber caps/plugs on the end of the hubs?



How to Lube EZ Lube Bearings on a Wells Cargo Trailer - YouTube

Buddy hub Question Please? (just below this post) #8 has a video of it's operation

It had regular dust caps when I bought it. When I replaced races & bearings, I wanted to use what I've researched was the better option & everything pointed to the EZ Lube hubs as the manufacturer tags on the trailer states. When I couldn't figure it out, I just went with the bearing buddies but would like to use the EZ Lube hubs if equipped.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

mine have a zerk in the plastic dust cap... the grease is forced through both bearings and then through a hole into the spindle and finally into the axle tube... I suppose that in 200 years or so the axle tube will be full of grease and then a service will be needed.
 

ricohman

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

So what happens when you take a relatively warm hub and dip it into freezing water? Assuming you aren't running bearing buddies, it doesn't matter how well it is serviced, it WILL suck in water, simple physics dictate that. Those of use that have discovered ez-lube type hubs gave up 'servicing' our bearings a long time ago, there is no need anymore!

Nothing.
Been doing it for decades in the off road world as well. No bearing buddies available for the front or rear hubs on the FF axles under my FJ40. Or the camp trailer it pulls.
And the glacial run off in Alberta is damn cold.
My new ezloader has oiled hubs. Water doesn't get in those either.
 

Thalasso

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

Nothing.
Been doing it for decades in the off road world as well. No bearing buddies available for the front or rear hubs on the FF axles under my FJ40. Or the camp trailer it pulls.
And the glacial run off in Alberta is damn cold.
My new ezloader has oiled hubs. Water doesn't get in those either.

Those are a complete diff. setup. You don't immerse your FJ for any period of time or the FF. The temp diff between the warm/hot hub and cold water when immersing a boat trailer axle will suck cold water in
 

ricohman

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

Those are a complete diff. setup. You don't immerse your FJ for any period of time or the FF. The temp diff between the warm/hot hub and cold water when immersing a boat trailer axle will suck cold water in

Nope.
FF front hubs and rears hubs on this truck. Trailer also shares the same hubs. 1975 FJ40, full floating axles. 6 hubs in all.
I've had this truck in water for hours when stuck, with the trailer. I've never left my boat trailer in the water longer than a few minutes.
If your hubs are leaking in water you have maintenance problems.
If this was true, then the oil filled hubs on my new ezloader would suck in water as they are filled with only a small amount of gear oil and the rest is air. But they don't, as the seals are working properly.
 

oldjeep

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

So what happens when you take a relatively warm hub and dip it into freezing water? Assuming you aren't running bearing buddies, it doesn't matter how well it is serviced, it WILL suck in water, simple physics dictate that. Those of use that have discovered ez-lube type hubs gave up 'servicing' our bearings a long time ago, there is no need anymore!

Never had an issue with it either. I take the bearings out and repack them every 2 years - with new seals. I've got the through hub zerks, but the only time I grease them is right after reinstalling the bearings. The trailer is never in the water for more than 5 minutes, and since the hubs are completely full of grease - even if the seals were bad you couldn't get much water in there.
 

RobWise64

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

Those zerk fittings may have been removed to allow for the solid dust cap. Most solid dust caps won't fit with EZ Lube spindles, as the fitting hits the top before the cap is seated. I would always recommend bearing buddies for submersible trailers. I do trailer repairs for a living and have seen many, many hubs destroyed by water leaking into bearings. Oil bath systems use a different seal than grease systems. Typically a triple-lip with a tighter inside diameter, and sometimes in conjunction with a sleeve that fits over the base of the spindle. They also do not get as hot because the lubricant is constantly refreshing the bearings and doesn't sit in one place as on grease hubs. But they do NOT replace regular maintenance.
 

Outsider

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

The temp diff between the warm/hot hub and cold water when immersing a boat trailer axle will suck cold water in

Where is the water going to go, the hub is full of grease ... :confused:
 

dingbat

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

So what happens when you take a relatively warm hub and dip it into freezing water? Assuming you aren't running bearing buddies, it doesn't matter how well it is serviced, it WILL suck in water, simple physics dictate that.
Ever done the math? What's the pressure/ vacuum rating of a seal?

Hint..... BB uses a 3 psi spring rate to counter act the effect ;)

 

ricohman

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

I call BS.....ever done the math? What's the pressure/ vacuum rating of a seal?


What kind of vacuum can such a small enclosed area pull? I doubt its enough to pull water inside. Someone needs to get this to mythbusters....
I have seen axles filled with water over the years though. But these are large volume. Some attribute this to the "warm axle/cold water" theory and others just point to the worn seals and the opening in the vent or vent tube.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: EZ Lube trailer help!!! Frustrated!!!

MAYBE we can get back on topic... O/P is looking to solve an issue

below is very similar to what mine use except I have plastic

RELIABLE Sure Lube 1.980" Grease Cap #GC-1980-01

3193_st.jpg
 
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