Flushing grease on axle with zerk

[bhollehday]

I bought my first boat and wasn’t sure of the condition of the bearings so I pulled them. They looked good and had good grease. The bearing buddies kept the water out.

My question is how do I go about flushing the bearings without removing the hub? I’ve got disks with thread locked slide bolts and it can be a pain. Can I just use the axle zerk to flush until I see fresh grease or will I blow at the rear seal?

Also is the bearing buddies just used to keep positive pressure on the bearing to keep water out or also to keep bearings greased as it might lose some?

Also I read some recommend pulling bearings every season to clean, but with a system like this can I get away with flushing or longer intervals since grease is kept nicely?

 

[Maclin]

That looks more like a Dexter type axle spindle, not sure how you got a Bearing Buddy on there, this may be a learning experience for me. Can you post pics of the Bearing buddy?

The design of a spindle with the center zerk like that is to pump grease thru the middle and out past a double lip seal then out thru the rear bearing and on thru the hub hollows then through the front bearing. To replace the grease just pump slow while turning the hub, until the new grease shows up. There is no pressure-inducing mechanism, just a dust cap usually with a rubber removable plug to get at the zerk.

The best method of course is to remove and repack, then use the zerk to fill the hollows so water has no place to go even if a seal fails.

 

[bhollehday]

That looks more like a Dexter type axle spindle, not sure how you got a Bearing Buddy on there, this may be a learning experience for me. Can you post pics of the Bearing buddy?

The design of a spindle with the center zerk like that is to pump grease thru the middle and out past a double lip seal then out thru the rear bearing and on thru the hub hollows then through the front bearing. To replace the grease just pump slow while turning the hub, until the new grease shows up. There is no pressure-inducing mechanism, just a dust cap usually with a rubber removable plug to get at the zerk.

The best method of course is to remove and repack, then use the zerk to fill the hollows so water has no place to go even if a seal fails.

Awesome thanks.

Ive got buddy bearing style, but it looks like this:

https://www.grainger.com/product/2Z...4277!&ef_id=WQlNkwAAAIlsny2y:20180418011141:s

 

[ahicks]

So you have a zerk fitting on the cover, AND on the end of the axle? If so, it kinda defeats Dexters design, but it should work.

The more normal setup with the axle pictured, is a rubber cover that pops off the dust cover, giving you access to the zerk on the end of the axle.

I just grease my rigs on occasion for local use, maybe once or twice a season, but they get pulled right down prior to any longer trips.

 

[bigdee]

I jack the wheel and give it a a spin and listen for noise. I then grab top and bottom of wheel and feel for proper play, about 1/16 inch. No visible water, no noise and if play is good I leave well enough alone. Bearing buddies are a good thing because water intrusion is what destroys bearings.

 

[bhollehday]

So you have a zerk fitting on the cover, AND on the end of the axle? If so, it kinda defeats Dexters design, but it should work.

The more normal setup with the axle pictured, is a rubber cover that pops off the dust cover, giving you access to the zerk on the end of the axle.

I just grease my rigs on occasion for local use, maybe once or twice a season, but they get pulled right down prior to any longer trips.

So should I just remove them and use something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Redline-Lube...015933&sr=1-1&keywords=dexter+axle+grease+cap

 

[ahicks]

That would be my thought, but there's nothing written in stone here.

 

[M2HB]

The EZ Lube is for greasing the bearings. It is recommended to turn the wheel while adding grease. You need to be careful not to over grease and blow the seal.

EZ Lube forces grease through the spindle and into the bearing area.

Buddy bearings are just to insert grease into the cavity to keep water out. They don't force grease into the bearings themselves.

 

[GA_Boater]

So should I just remove them and use something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Redline-Lube...015933&sr=1-1&keywords=dexter+axle+grease+cap

My thoughts are yes. Use the caps made for the Dexter axle. Pop the rubber cap and grease until only clean grease comes out.

The only way to flush the old grease with the Bearing Buddies is to take them off to access the Zerk on the axle end. The more you take them off, the greater the chance they will fall of while scooting down the road. There is more than one thread here about lost BB's.

 

[Scott Danforth]

anyone else notice in addition to the dexter axle and the incorrect caps the OP's brakes are not working

 

[dingbat]

So should I just remove them and use something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Redline-Lube...015933&sr=1-1&keywords=dexter+axle+grease+cap

This is the cap that is used with the zerk fittings....

Need to change the rubber inserts every couple of years because they dry rot and leak..

If everything is good with the hub, the rubber cap will be pressurized and protruding after a couple of miles or so of travel. First thing I check when I get to the ramp. If the caps are not pressurized, you have a bad seal either in the cap or the rear axle seal.

Each Spring, I jack up tire and pump grease into the hub (while rotating the wheel) until I can see fresh grease. No need to remove for inspection until you have play or rumble.The hubs on my rear axle have not been off since installed 5 season ago...

The other thing... grease is not a consumable. It was do magically disappear over the course of a season so there should be no need to "top off" unless the grease is leaking out of the hub. In that case, don't band-aide the problem by pumping grease into the hub...find the problem and fix it.

 

[dingbat]

anyone else notice in addition to the dexter axle and the incorrect caps the OP's brakes are not working

Nice contact area......lol

 

[Maclin]

With the Dexter type, pumping grease in with a hand operated unit cannot introduce enough pressure to pop the rear seal. If grease comes out there then that seal had failed long ago.

I opted to get the install tool when I got the hub kits for my trailer. Your dust caps will thank you.

 

[Maclin]

dingbat 's longer post was not there when I started mine, sometimes I take a while to finish one. It has the goods, has the qualities to be a sticky

 

[Scott Danforth]

sometimes I take a while to finish one.

agreed, one-finger typing sometimes takes me a few minutes to get a post out.

 

[bhollehday]

anyone else notice in addition to the dexter axle and the incorrect caps the OP's brakes are not working

I just replaced the calipers and actuator as I bought the boat like this.

I talked to the owner of Shadow Trailers out here in California and they told me they recommend the bearing buddy as caps to keep the system pressurized and water out. He said they interact with Dexter company a lot, and that for marine application they recommend them to keep the water out. Is this hard to believe?

 

[dingbat]

He said they interact with Dexter company a lot, and that for marine application they recommend them to keep the water out. Is this hard to believe?

simple answer....yes.

Properly used and maintained the zerk system is pressurized....I have not had problems with intrusion since I figured out I was using the wrong rear seal for the axle

Ive used both systems. The zerk system is by far easier and cheaper to maintain.

bearing buddies worked if I could keep them on the trailer....google B.B. keeps falling out.

The other issue was rusting springs. The bearing caps leaked, water collected inside and the spring begins to rust. A rusty mess come spring if you forgot to clean during winterization.

Stainless B.B. solved the rusting problem but at $25 each, their propensity for flying off gets expensive

 

[ahicks]

On paper, the Bearing Buddies are a good plan. In practice, maybe not so much. If the hub is full of grease, there's really no need to pressurize it. That's overkill?

 

[dingbat]

On paper, the Bearing Buddies are a good plan. In practice, maybe not so much. If the hub is full of grease, there's really no need to pressurize it. That's overkill?

Packing the hub full of grease isn't a plan either. The hub should be 1/3 to 1/2 full at best.

Over greasing a bearing will cause the rollers or balls to slide along the race instead of turning, and the grease will actually churn. This churning action will eventually bleed the base oil from the grease and all that will be left to lubricate the bearing is a thickener system with little or no lubricating properties. The heat generated from the churning and insufficient lubricating oil will harden the grease preventing new grease from reaching the rolling elements with the end result a bearing failure.

Ironically, an attempt to sufficiently lubricate a bearing by giving it several extra pumps from a grease gun will eventually result in its failure due to under lubrication

 

[ahicks]

I'm suspecting you haven't read the entire thread. The pic in the first post clearly shows the Dexter design that will leave the hub full of grease prior to exiting from the outer bearing.

I will concede though, that prior to them coming out with this design, they did endorse something closer to what you are talking about - unless you were running a set of bearings that were submerged frequently.