Lippert Axle Grease?
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Warranty, Service and Recall Bulletins
Forum Discription: Have a warranty or service experience to share?
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885
Printed Date: 27 Jun 2025 at 7:04am
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Topic: Lippert Axle Grease?
Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Subject: Lippert Axle Grease?
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2011 at 5:34pm
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The R-Pod uses Lippert Axles. The axle manual suggests that any of the following is acceptable: Mobilgrease HP/Exxon-Ronex MP/Kendall L-427/Valvoline Val-Plex (#615)/ or Pennzoil 707L. I want to carry a grease gun with me to 'top' off the axle bearings through the Zerk fittings when I have been hauling the Pod a long distance on a single trip. So, I have a couple of questions: 1) Can I use any of the above with each other? I don't know what brand that Lippert uses at the factory, so there is a good chance that which ever of the above I use will not be the same brand as provided at the factory. 2) Has any member bought any of the above brands in a 'tube' (to be used in a grease gun rather than hand packing)? If so, do you have a recommendation where to buy of these greases. I have checked with over half a dozen auto-parts dealers in my home town and only one had one of the recommended greases...and they only carried the Kendal in tubs and not tubes. ------------- TIDALWAVE |
Replies:
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 18 Jun 2011 at 2:32am
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I need to pull out the bearings to clean them and then regrease them before we use our POD, still have two big projects to finish before I look at the POD. I have not thought about what grease to use so I thank you for your leg work. I believe what I would do is to clean the old grease from the bearings and repack them by hand with the one brand that you can get then repack the grease gun that you want to use for the bearings by hand with the rest of the grease in the tub. We traveled right around 3000 miles last year with the POD so I will spend the time and a few dollars to repack the bearings to prevent a failure on the road. Before we left last year I did hit each bearing with the grease gun using the grease that I had in it, making sure that I had grease coming back out through the bearing. On our trip I checked the bearings at every stop for excessive heat and they ran cool the whole way. Goose ------------- Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee 
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Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 18 Jun 2011 at 9:13am
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I advise against topping off the bearing on a regular basis as a form of preventative maintenance. You'll just end up pressurizing he grease in there, potentially creating a situation where grease gets past the rear seal and onto the brakes. Regular inspection, cleaning and repacking of your bearings is the best plan. Do it annually, every spring before heading out, if you're concerned. ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date Posted: 20 Jun 2011 at 3:22pm
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The Lippert axles have a 180 degree turnaround for greasing through the zerk fittings...extra grease supposedly exits the unit adjacent to the zerk. The manual states that over-pumping of grease will cause the grease to exit at the open end of the hub and not force grease through the seals on the inner face. Does this mean that we are paying for a feature in the Lippert axles, which doesn't really work? ------------- TIDALWAVE |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 20 Jun 2011 at 4:06pm
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IMHO, yes. Besides... if grease only comes out through the front bearing, how do you get grease into the rear bearing? Alternatively, if grease does get squeezed through the rear bearing, where does it go? The only place it can go is onto the brakes. For general maintenance, squeezing extra grease in there is a bad idea all around. However, the zerk fitting would be handy if you submerged the rear axle. You could squeeze in the grease and force out any water. ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 20 Jun 2011 at 5:30pm
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Just what I was always told, that by filling the space between the bearings with grease not only removes a place for moisture to build up but as the grease warms up and becomes more fluid it bathes the bearings so they will not run dry. A cool running bearing will go a long way. Like Outbound I agree that topping of the bearings more than once a season is probably not a wise idea. Goose ------------- Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee
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Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 6:07pm
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'Outbound' asked how can the grease get to the rear bearings of a SuperLube hub if the old grease comes out of the front bearings? That is what the Zerk fitting is for. Lippert axles sent me the engineering schematics for the SuperLub hub when I asked them the same question: The hub has a central tube running from the zerk fitting into the rear of the hub where new grease is spread into the rear bearings and then forced around the central structure forward into the front bearings and then out towards the cup.  ------------- TIDALWAVE |
Posted By: psaman
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 6:38pm
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Thanks Tidalwave, I have wondered myself and this sure clears it up.
------------- 2011 R-177 "Sponge-Pod" 2011 F-150 XLT "Texas Edition" |
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 9:14pm
Great job there TIDALWAVE of answering the question on how it works.  I still think that cleaning, a good inspection and repacking the bearings by hand for those that travel alot of miles evry year is wise. Goose------------- Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee
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Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 10:17pm
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Lippert also recommends an annual bearing removal/cleaning/repacking of the axle bearings. They implied that the Super Lube technique is sort of 'suspenders and a belt' idea ------------- TIDALWAVE |
Posted By: Podsible Dream
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 12:00pm
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Question:
Why is it necessary to "recommend[s] an annual bearing removal/cleaning/repacking of the axle bearings" for a trailer that in essence travels probably less than 5000 miles every year on dry, not salty or sandy roads, with a single axle that allows differential individual movement of the wheels and bearings (that is, there is no side to side or angular torque on the bearings when going around a corner) and that weighs less than the tow vehicle that tows it? The same recommendation is on my 10 year old 5x8 foot utility trailer and was on a 14 foot boat trailer I had. Both never have had new or repacked bearings. Besides the trailers, I have owned more than 15 vehicles in my life, many with life spans of over 100,000 miles and I think I replaced one wheel bearing and never repacked any of them. Is this recommendation a question of manufacturing quality differences between cars,trucks and trailer components or is it like changing engine oil every 3000 miles, self protection and collusion? ------------- Chris and Walt '10 RP-171 'Free Spirit' '13 Dodge Durango Crew 5.7 L Hemi V8 |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 12:23pm
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Trailer bearings are not the sealed bearings you find in automobiles - they're much simpler and much less expensive and this means that they require some maintenance. The issue with trailer bearings isn't so much the distance travelled, but instead its the great lengths of time that the trailer sits idle. The grease migrates down with gravity, leaving the top of the bearing dry. Regular inspection is necessary. I've also owned about a dozen trailers in my life, and I have experienced bearing failure due to neglect (when I was young and thought that I was invincible). I've also experienced dry rot from within on tires. Neither is very much fun - even if you're only 20 miles from home when it happens. If you choose to ignore the manufacturer's recommendation for bearing maintenance, that's your decision. For safety's sake, I do hope that you regularly touch your hubs while travelling to determine if there is unusual heat build-up, which would indicate imminent bearing failure. Personally, I endorse following the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule and actively encourage others to do the same. ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: Podsible Dream
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 12:55pm
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Thanks for the explanation, Outbound. I do indeed check the hubs on the trailers at a stop. I will follow the manufacturer's recommendation for the RPod greasing and repacking, and, while I have greasy hands, do my utility trailer at the same time, from now on. ------------- Chris and Walt '10 RP-171 'Free Spirit' '13 Dodge Durango Crew 5.7 L Hemi V8 |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 3:22pm
I wish that someone would invent a sealed trailer bearing, perhaps packed with a bit more liquidy grease that would spread around more quickly and thoroughly after the trailer had been sitting idle for a few months... they wouldn't even have to pay me for the idea, just ship me a couple of the completed product.  ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 12:28am
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+1! ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: David and Danette
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 7:14am
Sealed bearings sounds great ! hopefully in time the trailer industry will catch up with better technology. I would rather spend my time camping or sailing  , than having to repack wheel bearings with grease. ------------- 2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018- 2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |
Posted By: gdfaini
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 1:39pm
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How do you check bearing temp during a trip? Do you have to remove the cap? ------------- Glenn Hyundai Santa Fe <-> RP 173 
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 10:21pm
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Most people just feel the caps when they first get out at a rest stop.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: gdfaini
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 10:33pm
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I'll have to remember to do that from now on. I put about 4,000 miles on my pod last year. Greased the hubs, but didn't clean/repack them. How difficult is that? I have the Lippert super hubs. That sounds like something I'd have the dealer do. ------------- Glenn Hyundai Santa Fe <-> RP 173
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2011 at 11:13am
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Its a relatively easy job, less than an hour, but it is obviously very messy on the hands. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: Budward
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 8:33pm
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Dexter Axle has had sealed trailer bearings available for years...they call it Nev-R-Lube It is a system so it can't be just swapped in. http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6149609/f/product_flyers/Nev-R-Lube.pdf - http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6149609/f/product_flyers/Nev-R-Lube.pdf Dexter axle is my preferred brand. The component sheet that came with my 179 shows Lippert Axles, which is apparently wrong as there is a big ole Dexter sticker on it.... BTW I check bearing and tire temps at stops with an IR temp gun...can spot a problem coming pretty early with one. The one I bought years ago was well over a hundred dollars, they can be had for $25 now! |
Posted By: Hairy Podders
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 10:08pm
Our 2014 178 says that it has a Lippert axle too. But, like yours, it has a big old Dexter Axle sticker on it.  ------------- Darryl, Julie & Lindsey Cooper & Libby- Devoted Canines 2014 RP178 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon |
Posted By: Hairy Podders
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 10:16pm
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One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is when you are greasing the Supr Lube hubs with a grease gun, you are supposed to spin the tire at the same time. So jack each wheel up before greasing & spin the tire. This helps the grease move through the back bearing without pushing past the seal. ------------- Darryl, Julie & Lindsey Cooper & Libby- Devoted Canines 2014 RP178 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon |