NEW 192 pod tomorrow...

Originally posted by campman I think you have gone through the process and are making a good choice as well. I hope you enjoy many miles of safe and enjoyable rving miles whatever your decision is. I would like to add one note from when we picked up our 192, I checked our bearings on the trailer as soon as I got it home and they were almost dry...I had to grease them right away with a quality grease. I also found the silver coloured bearing cover missing on the right side wheel. I picked one up and a rubber plug that goes in it for only a couple bucks...good money spent, to keep the bearing clean and dry! Happy camping! Andy

Wow, hard to believe good parts being shipped like that.

I see a lot of the red, runny grease being used on trailer bearings. I used to use it as well but years ago switched to using a good grade grease designed for boat trailers. I like the grease better and it isn't messy in hot weather. I had a boat trailer so I only needed to stock 1 type of grease for all our trailers.

If changing grease types, you need to make sure all the old grease is purged so you don't leave a mix of the old dirty grease and the new grease...and it will make sure it is cleaned of any other contaminants that may be present in the bearings.

Andy

That's the spindle but it's the bearings you need to repack. The outer one should be loose now that you've pulled the drums off. Try to grab it so it doesn't fall down and get dirty. The inner bearing is behind the grease seal. Get a seal puller (around $20) to pry out the old seal. Be careful not to gouge the steel surface when you pry it out.

Here's a good video on how to pack bearings by hand if you haven't done it. You can just press new grease through which will replace the old grease unless the bearing fell and got dirty in which case you should clean it completely out with gas or some other solvent and let dry before repacking.

Also you can also lightly coat the spindle and races (the rings in the drum the bearings run on) but don't pack the whole hub or the grease can force it's way out the seal and get on the brakes.

Put the repacked inner bearing in the drum and then press in the seal. Do replace the seals every time you repack. You can use a wood block and tap with a hammer to get the seal in flush. Wipe off any grease that's exposed outside the seal and clean the inner surface of the drum where the brake shoes press. Use brake cleaner or gas to be sure no grease remains on that surface.

Slide the drum with the inner bearing and seal onto the spindle, carefully to avoid damaging the seal. have the outer bearing ready to go and slide it on along with the castle nut and washer so the drum doesn't slip back off.

Set the play per the Lippert manual, I forget what it says. There is a torque setting to seat the bearing then you back off the nut. Use a new cotter pin every time.



Packing bearings by hand

When you use the Zerk fitting to grease, you are supposed to rotate the wheel while pumping grease in. That helps make sure the old grease is being pushed toward the front instead of out the back seal. also, I guess one should not use a really high pressure pneumatic grease gun to force grease in. By using a hand grease gun, one can only pump it in so fast.

I disagree. I have greased the bearings that way and I do see the old grease coming out the front just like it should. If it did not work, neither Lippert nor Dexter would make them that way. The "Grease Buddy" type caps that one could pump grease and it went in the front side is a different matter. Those, I would agree, are trouble waiting to happen since they use a spring to keep pressure on the grease, supposedly to keep water out. However, that pressure can also force grease past the rear seal. Since the EZ-Lube type hubs do not have a spring to force pressure and since the grease can come out the front side of the bearings, it doesn't have the same level of risk to the rear seal.