Greasing the wheels

rickwe818

I think I read somewhere that there is a specific type of grease to use on the wheels when greasing the ball bearings. I would appreciate any input. Thanks!

Michigan_Mike

Good question and one that comes up often. Rule of thumb for adding grease to your axles is to never mix grease in wheel bearings, to thoroughly clean your bearings before adding grease (might sound perplexing if you have never done it) to ensure that the bearings are protected. The manufacturer (Dexter Axle) recommends that bearings be lubricated and inspected at 12,000 or 12 month intervals or whichever comes first. If you are not familiar with this task you should have this work performed by a qualified technician as bearings are the heart of the axle and you don't want to be stranded while 2000 miles away from home.

Preferably you should use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or
equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product with a minimum dropping point of 440 degrees F.

I use the red lithium grease that is available at auto parts suppliers or Walmart, etc. [Dexter Axle](Use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product with a minimum dropping point of 440 degrees F. "Dexter Axle") produces the Dexter and AL-KO axles for both the T@G and TB trailers that nuCamp builds and there is a wealth of information and technical data (service manuals, etc.) on their web site.

https://youtu.be/XT0RKDGgDm8?t=4

https://youtu.be/GnH-h3W9XvI?t=4

A complete listing of reference videos, parts and resources for Dexter axles.....

Dexter Video Gallery

Dexter Axle Service Manuals

Dexter Axle Parts & Contact Information

rickwe818

Thanks! Mike. I see how involved it is. I do not want to monkey around with this as you said is the most important part of the trailer.

mgreen2

It is really not difficult to change the grease on the Dexter E Z Lube axle. The old grease comes out when you turn the wheel while adding the new grease. This is what I used.
https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-SynPower-Synthetic-Automotive-Grease/dp/B000CQ4DK0

Fourman110

So when using the Dexter E Z Lube system, how many tubes of grease would one expect to use?

Sharon_is_SAM

Just had a discussion over on the TaB forum. It appears that Dexter ships their axles with adequate lube, but when owners do the initial greasing using the zerk fitting, they use almost an entire tube per wheel to fill and empty out the old grease. That has been our experience as well.

Fourman110

@Sharon_is_SAM said:
Just had a discussion over on the TaB forum. It appears that Dexter ships their axles with adequate lube, but when owners do the initial greasing using the zerk fitting, they use almost an entire tube per wheel to fill and empty out the old grease. That has been our experience as well.

Thanks!

Jeeptag

I bought my 2019 t@g a month ago and have only had it out for about 400 miles so far. We are taking it on a 10000+ mile trip this summer and I am curious after reading what Sharon said. So my question is @Sharon_is_SAM should I have my bearings filled with grease again before I start the trip or wait? I planned on stopping at a dealership around 5k miles to have them repacked and checked anyways.

Sharon_is_SAM

The recommendation for greasing the Dexter Bearings is one year or 12,000 miles, as Mike noted above. No need to repack at 5 k miles. It is easy enough to just add grease via the zerk fitting. Just do it before your departure and again at 12 k miles. We took a long trip out west and we greased our 10 month old TaB before departure.

Fourman110

@Sharon_is_SAM said:
Just had a discussion over on the TaB forum. It appears that Dexter ships their axles with adequate lube, but when owners do the initial greasing using the zerk fitting, they use almost an entire tube per wheel to fill and empty out the old grease. That has been our experience as well.

Completed the Dexter EZ greasing yesterday and it turned out to be about 1.5 tubes. Thanks again!

Misterbee

I am 5000 miles into my first trip with my 2019 T@g XL. Would I be wise to find some way to lube the bearings now?

Sharon_is_SAM

Not necessarily. I say leave well enough alone until you get to 1 year or 12 k mikes.. You can use excess pressure and break a seal causing the lube to leak onto your brakes.

tacetman

I'd like to jump on this and ask a question: does anyone know if the 2018 T@G XL Outback was shipped with the EZ Lube axle? I called nuCamp and was told that it was NOT and I'd have to re-pack the bearings by hand. I'm very experienced with keeping bearings greased via an EZ-Lube type setup (i.e. via a zerk fitting) and can confidently do that. Packing by hand would be a first-time activity for me (and if I need to pack by hand I understand I may have to replace the bearing seal each and every time).

LuckyJ

Our T@G 2017 outback came with the ezlube.

An easy way to find out it to take a look.

The cap of the hubs will be rubber, and you simply pop it with a flat screw driver. That rubber cap is a good start, then if so, you will see a zerk.

If you have plastic hubcaps, with a small flat screw driver, you should be able to pup the plastic center cap to het axes to the rubber cap w/o removing the wheel.

If you do not have any of these, then you do not have ez-lube axle.

Luc

tacetman

I went and checked last night and I can't even begin to describe my excitement to realize I DO have an EZ-Lube axle. That is such great news. I wish I had checked instead of just taking the guy's word for it that I'd have to take apart the bearings, but hey - never look a gift horse in the mouth. My estimated servicing time to do the bearings just went from 1.5 days to 2 hours. Yay!

WilliamA

Sigh.....

WilliamA

tacetman

What's the sigh for WilliamA?

WilliamA

@tacetman said:
What's the sigh for WilliamA?

Freudian slip....
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...
WilliamA

csonni

We have not yet planned our first trip with our 2020 T@G Boondock, but am wondering after these posts if I should pump all new grease into the bearings. In one of the posts, it's recommended not to mix grease types. How does one know what type of grease was put there in the factory?

JamesDow

I would not ovey worry about mixing. The easy way if you are concernerd about mixing would be to pump in in enough to push out the old.

I suggest to raise (jack up) the side being filled and turn the wheel as you pump in new.

Should take a small amount of time and effort.

Enjoy

DaveB

@csonni Remember to jack it up by the frame and not the axle, the Boondock has a torsion axle so from my understanding it could be damaged if you jack it up using the axle tube as the jacking point.

Sharon_is_SAM

@csonni - MichigaMike addressed this here:

“Preferably you should use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product with a minimum dropping point of 440 degrees F.

I use the red lithium grease that is available at auto parts suppliers or Walmart, etc. [Dexter Axle](Use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product with a minimum dropping point of 440 degrees F. "Dexter Axle") produces the Dexter and AL-KO axles for both the T@G and TB trailers that nuCamp builds and there is a wealth of information and technical data (service manuals, etc.) on their web site.”

csonni

Does anyone know if there is an adapter needed to connect a grease gun to the Kirk fitting? I thought I remember reading somewhere that the Dexter axle grease fitting doesn't work too well with the traditional great gun.

ras

@DaveB said:
@csonni Remember to jack it up by the frame and not the axle, the Boondock has a torsion axle so from my understanding it could be damaged if you jack it up using the axle tube as the jacking point.

I've never used a jack. I lower the stabilizer only on the side I want to grease and then use the front jack to raise that wheel off the ground (same process NuCamp recommends for changing a tire). When I'm done with that tire, I lower that wheel to the ground, switch stabilizers and repeat.

HikinMike

csonni I did replace the standard nozzle with this:

https://www.amazon.com/PTS-PRO-TOOLS-SOLUTION-Attachment/dp/B08F569Z1K/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=tool+grease+gun+coupler&qid=1623940436&sr=8-5

It worked great.

LuckyJ

@csonni said:
Does anyone know if there is an adapter needed to connect a grease gun to the Kirk fitting? I thought I remember reading somewhere that the Dexter axle grease fitting doesn't work too well with the traditional great gun.

Maybe this as chamge, but at least up until 2017, grease nipples were absolutely standard type.

LuckyJ

@ras said:

@DaveB said:
@csonni Remember to jack it up by the frame and not the axle, the Boondock has a torsion axle so from my understanding it could be damaged if you jack it up using the axle tube as the jacking point.

I've never used a jack. I lower the stabilizer only on the side I want to grease and then use the front jack to raise that wheel off the ground (same process NuCamp recommends for changing a tire). When I'm done with that tire, I lower that wheel to the ground, switch stabilizers and repeat.

Tgis was a recomendation for a while, but not anymore. By stabelizer recomandation, the stab should not be used to support the weight of the trailer. One of mine broke a bolt, and I never even got close to put as much weight as the trailer. Plus, you lose a wedge point for that create a possible danger for the trailer to move.

The trailer shoukd be hitch to the TV, and a jack shoukd be place just behind or at the axle just beside the bolt plate. Thia is also where the axle and the frame are the strongest .

csonni

Not sure if Lucas paid this guy off but, since I bought 2 cartridges of Lucas to apply to our bearings, I’m happy. https://youtu.be/mMmSQSjraSE

csonni

This is rather concerning for those of us who rely on the EZ Lube system. Is the grease actually doing it’s job? https://youtu.be/1B_E7khBenQ

csonni

Just saw another video where the guy repacking the bearings is trained by Dexter. He says the EZ Lube system is strictly for emergency use only. Pumping grease through the system will most likely get past the wheel seals and contaminate your brakes.

HellFish

Hard to REALLY know. But the guy in the video was greasing a disassembled unit. No way the grease was gonna go into the bearings. An assembled unit forces the grease into the bearings and around the spindle. I don't think this was a fair test at all. I do think you have to be careful to slowly pump the grease into the zerk so as to not create an overpressure which forces grease past your inner seal and then into the brake/hub area. Otherwise, I am confident in the Dexter system. I could change my mind on this, but the video certainly didn't do it. The guy made assertions, but no proof.