Advice on New Wheels and Tires

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Yes, and with those cavities having to be filled, a grease change using EZ-Lube takes many times as much grease as just greasing the bearings. Most of the grease pumped into hubs with EZ-Lube just gets flushed through without ever lubricating a bearing.

Yes, that happens by flushing the 'dirty' and 'used' grease out by replacing it. I guess I don't see spending <$25 for four tubes of Lucas Red 'n Tacky to be a huge maintenance expense. Compare that to $250+ to have an RV place pack the wheel bearings (they also check the brakes). I do that because I want to make certain the seals are properly seated. I'll use the EZ-Lubes once a year and the RV place every other year. Seems to have worked fine for me for 18 years. I wonder how many thousands of RVs that are on the road, do the same thing? Nice to have options.

[UncleTim]

I just replaced my tires and went with Goodyear Endurance. It feels and drives different and the treads are much deeper.

Now I need to adjust my brakes. My brake adjustment slots do not have covers on them.

Are they suppose to have covers?

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

I just replaced my tires and went with Goodyear Endurance. It feels and drives different and the treads are much deeper.

Now I need to adjust my brakes. My brake adjustment slots do not have covers on them.

Are they suppose to have covers?

Yes - but Dexter doesn't include them. Cheap to buy though.

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-29000-...ct_top?ie=UTF8

You will need a brake adjustment spoon as well. A lot of the auto brake spoons are hard to use through the Dexter adjuster opening. This one works great.

https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-2523...7184526&sr=8-1

[Rossue]

My old wooden handle long flat blade screwdriver works better for me than the brake spoon.

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

You will need a brake adjustment spoon as well. A lot of the auto brake spoons are hard to use through the Dexter adjuster opening. This one works great.

https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-2523...7184526&sr=8-1

Originally Posted by Rossue

My old wooden handle long flat blade screwdriver works better for me than the brake spoon.

Mine too, but my flat blade screwdriver is not so great, I plan to get Tom's (tdf-texas) suggestion. It's a pain getting under there, the spoon I have is almost useless and my flat blade screwdriver leaves something to be desired.

[BNico]

Could someone give some info/background on what those brake adjustment plugs and tools are for? Is that for adjusting the brakes with the wheel still on? Where is the plug hole?

[tdf-texas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tf1Bc526zE

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Yes, that happens by flushing the 'dirty' and 'used' grease out by replacing it. I guess I don't see spending <$25 for four tubes of Lucas Red 'n Tacky to be a huge maintenance expense.

It's ridiculously wasteful, but certainly not a huge expense. It's also entirely pointless, since there is no reason to flush the grease - assuming that you don't back your trailer down a boat ramp into the water - more frequently than taking the hub off to do a bearing and brake inspection.

Anyway, I was just explaining that Jeffery's "rather large space in the hub" comment was correct.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I do that because I want to make certain the seals are properly seated.

The seal is seated at installation. While pumping grease through is unlikely to unseat it, the pressure certainly can't seat it better (it's pushing the seal out, not into the hub). As a check of the seal, you would have to remove the hub to look (for grease leakage), and then there would be no point in using EZ-Lube.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I'll use the EZ-Lubes once a year and the RV place every other year. Seems to have worked fine for me for 18 years.

I'm sure that it has worked fine. Doing nothing between the services by the RV place would have worked fine, too. That's why I noted that a hub cap which blocks EZ-Lube fitting access isn't a problem.

[Effie]

My 2019 e19 also came without covers on the brake adjustores

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The seal is seated at installation. While pumping grease through is unlikely to unseat it, the pressure certainly can't seat it better (it's pushing the seal out, not into the hub). As a check of the seal, you would have to remove the hub to look (for grease leakage), and then there would be no point in using EZ-Lube.

You misunderstood, or rather I explained it badly. I go to have the bearings and brakes serviced at an RV place because they have proper equipment to seat the seals. I've done it with a 2x4 and a hammer, but would rather not.

Does your Boler or motorhome have EZ-Lubes? We know you don't have an Escape. Seriously everyone has an opinion, I thought perhaps the OP was looking for answers from someone who actually has them on a trailer (my case two trailers, three axles total) and has used them successfully and as designed. But this feature, like even a bathroom, just because you have it doesn't mean you ever have to use it. Thought it might be helpful for someone to hear from someone who's not a constant naysayer about the feature.

[JeffreyG]

To be clear, I'm not a total naysayer either. I especially think that if you know the few ways this can go wrong and watch for it, it's otherwise fine to go ahead and use the EZ lube feature. It's sure better that just running the bearings with the factory installed grease for 10 years like most trailer owners do.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

To be clear, I'm not a total naysayer either. I especially think that if you know the few ways this can go wrong and watch for it, it's otherwise fine to go ahead and use the EZ lube feature. It's sure better that just running the bearings with the factory installed grease for 10 years like most trailer owners do.

It's especially handy for those that truly travel a lot. On my Big Trip, I went over 10,000 miles in 51 days. I didn't lube, but could have and it certainly would have been more convenient (and trustworthy), than looking for a shop to handle the work. I think for those that travel about 20,000 miles a year, would like and use the feature. Then they can use a shop of their choice, timed for their choice, to do a complete look at the axle, especially the brakes.

[AKCamper]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Yes, that happens by flushing the 'dirty' and 'used' grease out by replacing it. I guess I don't see spending <$25 for four tubes of Lucas Red 'n Tacky to be a huge maintenance expense. Compare that to $250+ to have an RV place pack the wheel bearings (they also check the brakes). I do that because I want to make certain the seals are properly seated. I'll use the EZ-Lubes once a year and the RV place every other year. Seems to have worked fine for me for 18 years. I wonder how many thousands of RVs that are on the road, do the same thing? Nice to have options.

I got to agree with Donna on that one. In fact as it’s been said before drum brakes and disc brakes on the front of cars of old had packable front wheel bearings and as a retired mechanic of 38 years I don’t remember ever repacking front wheel bearings other than as part or a “by the book” 30,000 mile service or whenever the brakes were done and i don’t recall front wheel bearings failing before the brakes were done at 40 or 50 thousand mile. Oh, and by the way I always packed as much grease in the cavity between the wheel bearings as I could.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

You misunderstood, or rather I explained it badly. I go to have the bearings and brakes serviced at an RV place because they have proper equipment to seat the seals. I've done it with a 2x4 and a hammer, but would rather not.

Ah, thanks... The schedule was clear: full bearing and brake service every second year (at an RV service centre) - that makes sense to me - and EZ-Lube grease flush on the alternate years. I apparently misunderstood the seal explanation: that's why you use the RV service centre for bearing work, not why the EZ-Lube grease flush is done.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Does your Boler or motorhome have EZ-Lubes? We know you don't have an Escape. Seriously everyone has an opinion, I thought perhaps the OP was looking for answers from someone who actually has them on a trailer...

No, the Boler doesn't have them and doesn't need them (because it's not a boat trailer); the motorhome doesn't have them because no motor vehicle uses them or needs them (because they're not boat trailers either). The motorhome and the Datsun 1800 and the Chevy pickup that I had used the same hub and bearing design as these trailer axles (at the front), and I had a Toyota Tercel with the same hub and bearing and brake design as these trailer axles (at the rear); a feature like EZ-Lube was not available for those, and not needed. I haven't even inspected the motorhome's bearings because it hasn't hit 60,000 miles yet so it's not due.

The question was whether hub caps which block EZ-Lube fittings were a problem - I just answered that, with the reasoning for my answer; anyone interested in the question is free to choose the answers which make sense to them... hopefully on some basis other than "I use them so you need to use them".

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

I just replaced my tires and went with Goodyear Endurance. It feels and drives different and the treads are much deeper.

Now I need to adjust my brakes. My brake adjustment slots do not have covers on them.

Are they suppose to have covers?

I believe in brake adjustment slot covers. The 2010 19’ came with them. The 2013 21’ did not.
I visited the local Dexter parts dealer and bought 8 covers for the 21. Could not find the ones I had salvaged off the 19. Later I found them and gave them to another 21 owner. When I install or adjust brakes, I use a paint pen to mark which cover needs to be removed to reach the adjustment wheel and mark which way to flip my brake spoon to tighten the brake shoes to the drum. Others may have different techniques, my behavior comes from 55 years of adjusting trailer and back in the day, car brakes. YMMV as Donna says. Hope this helps
Iowa Dave

[Effie]

Here is something you may enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw4Lua38TwY

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Effie

Here is something you may enjoy

That was a hot mess.

[Oldtimer]

Why did they even take the trailer out when they had seen that the wheel that failed was crooked. They got their just rewards

David

[Iowa Dave]

The folks I camp with knew more about wheels, tires, axles, springs, bearings and brakes and jacks when they were 14. And we knew to put down something clean to keep parts from falling into the dirt and gravel. The word pathetic comes to mind.
Iowa Dave

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

This video got me a bit concerned. The shredded tire in the video looks like a Maxxis M8008. I had thought they were pretty good tires but seems like they are still inferior in construction to the Goodyear Endurance. Due to a certain sequence of events we happen to have two Maxxis M8008's on the passenger side and two Goodyear Endurance on the driver's side. That's going to change fast. Local tire dealer will have two Goodyears there in the morning to install for me.

Two new Goodyear Endurance on the passenger side now to complete the set of four. The Maxxis looked fine but were from 2014 so it was time for them to go. $330 (tires, mount, balance) but well worth it for the peace of mind.