Axle Grease: Off-Road Package

[thedusty]

I have a 2016 21BHS with the offload package.  We don't have too many miles on it but it's never a bad time for me (and perhaps other people new to trailers) learn how to deal with the axles. 

My handy-man neighbor glanced at my trailer and wondered if this package had "bearing buddy"'s installed on the axle meaning it requires less maintenance...is he correct?  If so, do you guys have any favorite grease type and tool/s to make the job simple?

Thank you...

[Chappy133]

Should be a zert fitting in the middle of the axle.  Somewhere on this forum or

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WzW1kK8oWkc

[thedusty]

Should be a zert fitting in the middle of the axle.  Somewhere on this forum or

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WzW1kK8oWkc

If the video the guy lifts the side of the trailer with a jack, are there any tips or big no-nos to keep in mind since our frames our aluminum?

[Pinstriper]

My handy-man neighbor glanced at my trailer and wondered if this package had "bearing buddy"'s installed on the axle meaning it requires less maintenance...is he correct?

Meh....kinda sorta.

I'm no expert. I've had a horse trailer for 20 years but only changed the bearings once. Our travel trailer, I had the dealer do it after 3 seasons, less than 10k miles. And I just did my new-to-me teardrop, which was a full cup/bearing replace. But I've been researching and learning on this and here is where I've landed.

If this were a boat trailer where the hubs are regularly submerged, Bearing Buddies allow you to keep not only the bearings lubed but the space between the bearings full of grease, which keeps water out. That's important and valuable.

And as an alternative to just ignoring maintenance, it becomes very easy to hit them with a shot of grease a couple times a season. That's the good part.

But as an alternative to actually inspecting the seals, lifting the trailer and checking for excessive play in the wheels, and even pulling the hubs, cleaning them and the bearings to check for signs of heat/scoring/etc. ? No.

And that's the problem with easy-lube and bearing buddies and such. They are better than nothing, but no substitute for a good old fashioned clean/inspect/repack/replace as necessary. And they can give you a false sense of security about neglect, so you actually get a real problem some day, and that problem being caught only after it's a bigger deal.

So IMO they have their place, but if you want them out of laziness instead of as an extra measure, I think it's a mistake.

[Powder Hounds]

We have never used the EZ Lube option when servicing our bearings. Once a year we bring our rig to a Dexter dealer and have a full repack and inspection/ brake adjustment completed. In the event that additional parts are required we know it will be done correctly and at a reasonable price. Compared to an RV dealer. We average about 15000 miles a year and have been doing so for 3 years. No issues at all with the bearings or trailer brakes. Some RV's will go seasons just using the EZ Lube. I don't think I could comfortably drive from Alberta to Arizona knowing I have not had a complete bearing service. Having a bearing seize driving through SLC would not be an enjoyable experience.

[thedusty]

We have never used the EZ Lube option when servicing our bearings. Once a year we bring our rig to a Dexter dealer and have a full repack and inspection/ brake adjustment completed. In the event that additional parts are required we know it will be done correctly and at a reasonable price. Compared to an RV dealer. We average about 15000 miles a year and have been doing so for 3 years. No issues at all with the bearings or trailer brakes. Some RV's will go seasons just using the EZ Lube. I don't think I could comfortably drive from Alberta to Arizona knowing I have not had a complete bearing service. Having a bearing seize driving through SLC would not be an enjoyable experience.

Did you just find a nearby Dexter dealer using their website?

https://www.dexteraxle.com/distributor-locator/us-and-canada

Also, I'm betting going forward we may only do a few thousand miles on ours per year.  So I'm trying to figure out the balance of service that needs to be done.

Thank you.

[Powder Hounds]

We did not use the website to locate the Dexter dealer. This particular shop is very well recognized for the 'go to' trailer shop and just by chance they are a Dexter dealer.

With your low mileage IMO I would not be overly concerned. Not sure what the negatives would be with your rig having very low mileage, an overland flood would probably be the only issue that would warrant an immediate bearing service. If that happened you probably have more pressing issues. I believe the Dexter manual recommends bearings be serviced once a year or every 12000 miles and the EZ lube can be performed periodically during this period. We have been over the recommended service mileage but usually are under that figure when we bring it in. Not sure why but some fellow RV'ers we have met use the EZ lube regularly and forget the full service and some like us go the full service route every year regardless of mileage.