I have a WW 32FSC triple axle trailer it has the zerks on the axles, how many pumps with the grese gun should you pump in? Just want to add a little grease, I will pull the bearings out and clean / regrease them at a latter date.
That would be zero. I have them on my axles, which the dealer put grease into when I had it in for other service even though I didn't ask for it. If they are already full, it blows grease out the rear seals and slings it all over your brake shoes. The only time you need to add grease to axles through fittings is just before you put a boat trailer into the water to seal them to keep the water out. Since your trailer is probablly not going into the water, you probably don't need to add grease.
I had to put new shoes on my new trailer because they were covered in grease.
You really don't need to add any grease. How often do you add grease to your car bearings? If you check your brake shoes once a season, that should be enough if you repack them then, and it won't be too much.
Tom & Beth
05,Grand Junction 35TMS
99, Dodge 3500 Dually.
Ditto to the above post. I tell all my customers to forget they are even there. If the seals pop and ruin the brakes and you do not catch it in time, aside from brake parts it can also ruin the drums as the grease coats them along with any grit, it will grind the magnet and braking surface. With triples, brake job would be well over $1000
Rich
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John,
Though I concur with what some of the previous posts say, if you are careful and follow the instructions as outlined in Dexter's manual, you will have less of a chance of flooding your brakes with grease.
I have had Dexter e z lubes in my last two trailers. I used a hand grease gun and slowly pumped grease into the zerks. I found only 3 or 4 pumps did it. When I pulled the drums on my last TT, there was no contamination on the shoes from the grease. I did repack them by hand and replace the seals, anyway.
I can see where excessive greasing, pumping too quickly or using an air grease gun could cause the grease to leak around the seals. Also, if they haven't been greased in a while, the grease in the passageways can solidify, causing the new grease to back up and leak around the seal.
Look on page 10: Dexter manual
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I don't have enough knowledge on this to answer the original question, but I don't think these responses are correct. The first two answers are absolutely correct if you are using "Bearing Buddies" added to an axle in place of the dust cap. However the "Dexter EZ Lube" is designed to be greased with the Zerk fitting. It does not work the same as the "Bearing Buddies" used on boats.
Tim
"Okay, I admit it, the only thing I'm really good at is being me."
When I repacked my bearings a few weeks ago, I looked how the system works. It really only greases the back bearing. That is where the hole is that the grease comes out of when you pump it.
I guess the grease will eventually work to the front bearing, but there is a big cavity that has to be filled with grease first.
I will continue to hand pack my bearings each year.
2006 F350 PSD CC 4X4 Dually w/Tow Boss package to pull 2006 LE3905
Since these axles are neither “Bearing Buddies” or “Dexter” but are AL-KO I recommend going to the web site and looking at the PDF manual.
http://www.al-kousa.com/index.htm
Here is a link to the animated grease travel in the hub.
http://www.al-kousa.com/prod_lubsys.htm
Best I can find, they recommend yearly repacking and inspection. I did not see any guidance on when to use the hub greasing method. The manual does say that you can pump grease into the zerk until new grease appears. I assume the new grease would show after going into both bearings and come out the end of the spindle?
On my trailer I do pump about 4 pumps of grease a couple time a year. It looks like at best I am probably adding new grease to the big back bearing. Not a bad thing to do.
Good luck
Ben
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I follow the directions for my dexter axles and have not had a problem. One of the key instructions is to rotate the wheel while you add the grease. This is important as it helps to ensure the seal maintains a good seal. It is also important to use a manual grease gun only and to pump the grease in slowly so as to not overwhelm the seal should there be a blockage in the bleed ports.
I also remove the wheel so that I can clean up the expelled grease. Otherwise, I find that I get stains on my wheels from the axle cover inserts that get filled with grease.
Dexter axles are a totally different animal than a regular axle with "bearing buddies" installed. Been their, done that and really regretted it!!
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I just spoke to an engineer at AL-KO in Baldwyn, MS.
He said they the initially pack the bearings during assembly, but use the zerk fitting afterward to fill the cavity and get rid of any air gaps.
He said you can hand pump grease into the zerk fitting until you purge the old grease out through the outer bearing. He has not experienced any blown graese seals.
From the horse's mouth....
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