Re: Turbo Lube Hubs
I inquired about these things on a number of different boards and am coming up just about as dry as you have. Have considered making the switch myself but decided not to. Here's the general word on the street from what I've gleaned:<br /><br />Pros: They work exactly as advertised. Bearings will last longer and run cooler, you know with a 1/2 second visual check if your bearings have sufficient lube or not.<br /><br />Cons: If/when they do leak at a seal, especially while running 70 mph down the highway, that watery gear oil just flows right out onto the ground fairly quickly and you go straight from "fully lubed & cool" to "red hot melted bearings" without even knowing it happened. If you have a bad seal on a conventionally greased bearing you have quite a significant grace period before they melt down since the grease is much thicker and sticks to the bearings better, and has a much more difficult time sneaking past a questionable seal.<br /><br />And if you're thinking of retro-fitting these turbo-lubes onto an older spindle, I understand that it is extremely critical to have a perfectly smooth and ungrooved spindle to allow the seal to hold properly. A lot of aged trailers may leak very easily as opposed to installing one of these kits brand new from the factory.<br /><br />My decision to NOT make the switch comes from the simple fact that in over 25 years of long distance towing boats in summer and snowmobiles in winter, I've never had a problem with the conventionally greased bearings. So why spend extra money to mess with what works? I carry a spare assembled and lubed hub and can change it out in very short order on the side of the road in the unlikely event that I have a failure someday (never have...most likely because I carry a spare
) Then again, I'm better at annual maintenance repacking than most trailer owners so I never give them a chance to fail. But maybe for the low-maintenance crowd, these are a good idea since I'm sure they're easier on the bearings over the long haul if you don't repack as you should. Better fuel economy is their other claim. HA! If they can get my truck from 12 mpg while towing to 12.05 mpg while towing, I'll be stunned...and I'll still have a lighter wallet! Those kits are a little salty compared to an occasional $5 bearing and seal.<br /><br />Well....there's my input. Maybe it helps. But I don't have 'em myself either.
