R-pod Owners Forum : Lippert Axle Grease? http://www.rpod-owners.com/ This is an XML content feed of; R-pod Owners Forum : Warranty, Service and Recall Bulletins : Lippert Axle Grease? Copyright (c) 2006-2009 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Fri, 01 May 2026 08:06:32 +0000 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:16:23 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 9.64 360 www.rpod-owners.com/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=1885 R-pod Owners Forum http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_images/web_wiz_forums.png http://www.rpod-owners.com/ Lippert Axle Grease? : One thing that hasn't been... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=45081#45081 Author: Hairy Podders
Subject: 1885
Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 10:16pm

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.]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:16:23 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=45081#45081 Lippert Axle Grease? : Our 2014 178 says that it has... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=45080#45080 Author: Hairy Podders
Subject: 1885
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. ]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:08:14 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=45080#45080 Lippert Axle Grease? : Dexter Axle has had sealed... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=45075#45075 Author: Budward
Subject: 1885
Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 8:33pm

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


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!
]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2014 20:33:39 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=45075#45075 Lippert Axle Grease? : Its a relatively easy job,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=17014#17014 Author: techntrek
Subject: 1885
Posted: 26 Jun 2011 at 11:13am

Its a relatively easy job, less than an hour, but it is obviously very messy on the hands.]]> Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:13:45 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=17014#17014 Lippert Axle Grease? : I'll have to remember to... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16998#16998 Author: gdfaini
Subject: 1885
Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 10:33pm

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.]]> Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:33:39 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16998#16998 Lippert Axle Grease? : Most people just feel the caps... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16995#16995 Author: techntrek
Subject: 1885
Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 10:21pm

Most people just feel the caps when they first get out at a rest stop.]]> Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:21:58 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16995#16995 Lippert Axle Grease? : How do you check bearing temp... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16985#16985 Author: gdfaini
Subject: 1885
Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 1:39pm

How do you check bearing temp during a trip?  Do you have to remove the cap?]]> Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:39:02 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16985#16985 Lippert Axle Grease? : Sealed bearings sounds great !hopefully... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16984#16984 Author: David and Danette
Subject: 1885
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 Smile, than having to repack wheel bearings with grease.    ]]> Sat, 25 Jun 2011 07:14:19 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16984#16984 Lippert Axle Grease? : Originally posted by OutboundI... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16980#16980 Author: techntrek
Subject: 1885
Posted: 25 Jun 2011 at 12:28am

Originally posted by Outbound

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. Wink

+1!

]]> Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:28:04 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16980#16980 Lippert Axle Grease? : I wish that someone would invent... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16975#16975 Author: Outbound
Subject: 1885
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. Wink]]> Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:22:27 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16975#16975 Lippert Axle Grease? : Thanks for the explanation, Outbound.... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16974#16974 Author: Podsible Dream
Subject: 1885
Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 12:55pm

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. ]]> Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:55:57 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16974#16974 Lippert Axle Grease? : Trailer bearings are not the sealed... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16972#16972 Author: Outbound
Subject: 1885
Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 12:23pm

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.
]]> Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:23:54 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16972#16972 Lippert Axle Grease? : Question: Why is it necessary... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16970#16970 Author: Podsible Dream
Subject: 1885
Posted: 24 Jun 2011 at 12:00pm

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?]]> Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:00:19 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16970#16970 Lippert Axle Grease? : Lippert also recommends an annual... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16919#16919 Author: TIDALWAVE
Subject: 1885
Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 10:17pm

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
]]> Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:17:33 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16919#16919 Lippert Axle Grease? : Great job there TIDALWAVE... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16918#16918 Author: Goose
Subject: 1885
Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 9:14pm

  Great job there TIDALWAVE of answering the question on how it works.  Thumbs Up   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]]> Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:14:06 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16918#16918 Lippert Axle Grease? : Thanks Tidalwave, I have wondered... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16915#16915 Author: psaman
Subject: 1885
Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 6:38pm

Thanks Tidalwave, I have wondered myself and this sure clears it up.]]> Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:38:06 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16915#16915 Lippert Axle Grease? : 'Outbound' asked how... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16914#16914 Author: TIDALWAVE
Subject: 1885
Posted: 22 Jun 2011 at 6:07pm

'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.


]]> Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:07:42 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16914#16914 Lippert Axle Grease? : Just what I was always told,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16840#16840 Author: Goose
Subject: 1885
Posted: 20 Jun 2011 at 5:30pm

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 ]]> Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:30:50 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16840#16840 Lippert Axle Grease? : IMHO, yes.Besides... if grease... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16839#16839 Author: Outbound
Subject: 1885
Posted: 20 Jun 2011 at 4:06pm

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.
]]> Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:06:30 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16839#16839 Lippert Axle Grease? : The Lippert axles have a 180 degree... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16837#16837 Author: TIDALWAVE
Subject: 1885
Posted: 20 Jun 2011 at 3:22pm

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?
]]> Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:22:59 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16837#16837 Lippert Axle Grease? : I advise against topping off the... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16769#16769 Author: Outbound
Subject: 1885
Posted: 18 Jun 2011 at 9:13am

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.]]> Sat, 18 Jun 2011 09:13:46 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16769#16769 Lippert Axle Grease? : I need to pull out the bearings... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16759#16759 Author: Goose
Subject: 1885
Posted: 18 Jun 2011 at 2:32am

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
]]> Sat, 18 Jun 2011 02:32:54 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16759#16759 Lippert Axle Grease? : The R-Pod uses Lippert Axles.... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16746#16746 Author: TIDALWAVE
Subject: 1885
Posted: 17 Jun 2011 at 5:34pm

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.


]]> Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:34:44 +0000 http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1885&PID=16746#16746