The Dexter EZ Lube System for RV Wheel Bearings and Axles | So Simple YOU Can Do It Yourself!

[@CompassRoadz]

*NOTE* - Although we used the Dexter EZ Lube System in this video, this does not take the place of inspecting your wheel bearings. We intend on alternating between the EZ Lube System and manually packing the bearings so we can inspect all components bi-annually.

[@georgehofgren6123]

Not sure if you'll see this, but in the future before greasing the shakles, you may want to jack the frame a little to take the weight off the bushings. All the weight is resting on the side of the bushings you want to new grease to get into. Taking the weight off opens a space for the fresh grease to get in... Just an idea 😉 👍 ~

[@CompassRoadz]

That’s a great idea. I never thought of that. Thanks!

[@georgehofgren6123]

@CompassRoadz happy to get to help once in awhile 👍 🙃

[@tracymeskel2839]

I loved the video. We own a 29RS Reflection. We just replaced brakes and bearings. We have been on the road now for three years. This is the first time it has been done, since we owned the rig. Thank you for pointing out the zero fittings on the axle.

[@CompassRoadz]

You’re welcome. Hopefully it helped maintaining your bearings. We hope you are enjoying your 29RS and travels. Thank you for watching!

[@LoveShackBBQ]

Great insight and information for grease maintenance. You actually reminded me it’s time to maintain my hubs and bearings. I feel a lot of folks don’t do the required maintenance on their rigs. I tend to spend a lot of time on mine and I’m glad I do. Our Imagine 2150RB only had a few pumps of grease when we brought her home. So I did a full breakdown to make sure the bearings and spindles weren’t scored. All was good. But a HUGE reminder to everyone, taking apart your hubs is a great time to adjust and inspect your rigs breaks annually.

[@CompassRoadz]

Yes! You are absolutely right about inspecting the brakes, axles, and wheel bearings on a regular basis. I think too many people ignore that. We pinned a comment stating that even though the EZ lube system was sufficiently greasing the bearings, we plan on alternating between the EZ lube system and manually packing them each time do we can inspect the bearings and rest of the assembly at least every other year. Thanks for watching!!!

[@garyp9906]

Hey Dan, I did my wheel bearings the other day. We are getting ready to take a cross country trip in our RV in the next couple weeks. I couldn't believe how nasty the old grease was that I pumped out. It was almost like 40 weight oil coming out. Very thin. I'm glad I did this. I could see a wheel bearing going out on our trip if I hadn't pumped in new grease. I did this about 2 years ago and drove the RV perhaps 5,000 miles. Again, couldn't believe how thin the old grease was coming out. So far doing this, I have never blown out a rear seal. I take my time pumping the grease in and keep spinning the wheel! Thanks for the video, Dan!!!

[@CompassRoadz]

I’m glad the video helped. I found it gave me peace of mind when I changed it. Good luck on your travels. Thanks for watching!

[@dannythervguy]

That was great information. I've had my 303rls for almost 4 years and been putting it off because I wanted to get a good grease for the axles but watching your video I will have to get started on it. Great job 👏

[@CompassRoadz]

We were putting it off too. We were thinking of just letting someone else do it and pay them but after way other videos claiming it was so easy, we decided we could try it. We spent $30 on the grease gun, $14 for 2 grease canisters, and $3 on shop towels. So for less than $50 and 2 hours I was able to do it easily. A lot of that time was setting up the camera and jacking up the axels. Next time the cost should only be another canister of grease for $7. Thanks for watching!!

[@mellsterr6192]

I’ve never pulled my bearings since I bought my trailer in 2005. Every year, I pump in new grease. I have Dexter EZ Lube Torque Flex axles, ordered as an option. About 25,000 miles on my TT. I do have a hub o meter mounted since day one!

[@CompassRoadz]

That is phenomenal!

[@oldsalt8011]

I worry about mine a lot. I think my TT might have 2,000 miles. I need to look for the Hub o mettersi. never heard of it.

[@JIMPETERSON-n7i]

I started packing my own wheel bearings after finding seals just sitting loose on the spindle when I pulled the drum off. :( I settled with the shop who did it wrong in exchange for four new seals. I also learned to pop mine in the freezer the night before and then tap them into position = much easier. I've been under the impression they should be repacked every 25,000 miles and we average about 11,000 miles each year so I would try to do one axle every year and alternate between them . . . never had a wheel bearing fail on our 33' 5th wheel in 8-1/2 years of fulltiming and we take it off road a lot. :)

[@oldsalt8011]

@@JIMPETERSON-n7i Thanks for the report. I have seen a few people on the side of the road with axle, tire, and wheel bearing failure. It has to be pretty sinking.

[@jackmason7518]

good Morning. I was told years ago it is better to pump only a few time to keep from blowing out the seal and just do it a few time depending on use. Yes I like the rest of your Vidio Jack

[@CompassRoadz]

You’re right. It really should only take 2-3 short pumps for each. Thanks for watching!

[@mikemuller9983]

And the wheel should be spun while doing it. The EZ-Lube axle only has one hole at the rear that the grease moves through

[@SEANRMZ]

thanks for the how too, I think I have a blown seal. I was coming back from Florida this week and were getting heavy rain and my TPMS system went off with a high temp warning. It was at 92f and the other 3 tires were at 62F. I pulled over and and inspected the rim and it was hot!! jacked the rig up to see if there was any play or restriction from the breaks.. everthing was fine. I pulled off the zert seal and I saw the bottom of the bearing was wet grease. So i think it was getting washed out for the rain. I pumped new grease back in there and she was fine for the rest of the trip. I will tho pull the rim off and inspect that seal.

[@CompassRoadz]

Sounds like you had a scary experience. Glad you were able to get back on the road quickly enough even with those conditions. Hopefully you’ll get to take a good look at it and make sure it’s safe. Let us know how it turns out. Thanks for watching!

[@SEANRMZ]

@@CompassRoadz thanks CR, will do

[@arokiadossdoss8072]

At the end of the video, Did anyone notice the dog at the back seat trying to imitate the way jack speaks🙂

[@MarkBaehne]

I do mine that way but I don’t start rotation till I see all new grease coming out all around the bearings and wiped out all the old , then rotate for several more pumps , also Dexter and the manual says not to use a power or air actuated grease gun to much pressure,that will blow out the seal manually is ok ! Good video.

[@CompassRoadz]

I make sure I squeeze the trigger slowly and not rush things but I like to rotate as soon as possible to distribute the grease as much as possible. Thanks for watching!

[@topgun5399]

I like pulling my wheels then inspect the bearings as well as the brakes every fall. Not to mention repack and replace if the bearing shows wear. Or dry bearings making sure there is grease.

[@CompassRoadz]

It’s always a great idea to perform an inspection at least annually. That way you can see the state they are in and won’t be surprised when you’re on the road where it’s least convenient. Thanks for watching!

[@garyp9906]

Nice clear video, Dan! Thanks for posting! I just bought 4 tubes of grease for my travel trailer and I'm getting ready to do it to my Dexter EZ lube Axle. But, I'm a little worried. I see other videos where people claim they blew out the rear seal when they did it. That has me worried. I did talk to a mechanic and one tip he gave me was to do it on a hot day and put the grease tubes out in the sun to heat them up, thereby making the grease flow easier. Makes sense to me. He also said not to keep pumping the grease gun like there's no tomorrow. He said to pump a few times, stop and spin the wheel to distribute the grease and then repeat. Myself, I find it hard to believe you can blow out a seal that easy just by pumping grease into it. Those seals are a pita to get out when you need to remove them, let alone blow them out with a grease gun. But, I guess it happens. Again, nice video and very clear!!

[@CompassRoadz]

Thanks! What we’ve read and heard from Dexter is that it is safe for well maintained axles and bearings. However, they said it is possible to blow the seals if the seals are dry rotted. However, because of the controversy, it is best to take as much precaution. I never thought of letting the grease sit in the sun awhile but that’s a great idea. How old is your trailer and when was the last time the bearings were greased? How have you been doing? We are in Texas right now and heading to NM in two weeks.

[@garyp9906]

@@CompassRoadz Lucky you! We live in Kansas and only use our RV about 2 or 3 times a year. I have a 2019 Coachmen Catalina. Probably no more than 3500 miles on it. Never did the bearings yet. I heard they are pretty dry from the factory so that's why I want to inject some grease into them. I didn't even know I had the Dexter EZ lube fittings until I started looking at maintenance on the RV. I guess if the seals are dry rotted, that would make sense for them to blowout when you pump the grease in. I'm taking my time doing it. If each wheel takes 30 minutes, so be it. Better than having to replace brakes and all that stuff. Have safe travels!

[@CompassRoadz]

Let us know how it goes. Safe travels to you too!!!

[@Dan007UT]

doing mine tomorrow. eeeeek

[@CompassRoadz]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes!

[@fashionrider712istunthi9]

when you say axles do you mean leaf springs? or was there actual points on the axle that needed to be greased that i might of missed.

[@CompassRoadz]

It should be on the axle, at least in ours. There shouldn’t be any grease points on a leaf spring. Thanks for watching!

[@bradclark1274]

The red grease is also high temp grease which is what is needed for wheel hubs with brakes

[@CompassRoadz]

I should have mentioned that. Thanks for pointing that out. Thanks for watching!

[@bobmartens1089]

Ive been doing this for years with great success, lift tire and keep it spinning and pump untill u see new grease come out dirty job but needs to be done

[@CompassRoadz]

Next time we will hand pack so we can inspect the parts. We intend on alternating between the two methods. Thanks for the comment and for watching.

[@benjaminluera4826]

Hey Dan why didn't you take the tires off and pull the hub to check the bearings? Are there concerns with pulling off a hub that has electric brakes?

[@CompassRoadz]

Great question! The whole purpose of the EZ Lube system is to avoid that and the mess that goes with it. That said, even we are skeptics and I do check them manually every other time or so when I do lube them. They always seem fine but it does give me peace of mind to have eyes on every do often. Thanks for watching!

[@robertdesch6062]

As an Auto Mechanic, we use locktite with seal installation. This will keep it from blowing out.

[@CompassRoadz]

Great tip! Thanks for watching.

[@garyp9906]

That is a very good idea. Thank you for sharing your tip!

[@CompassRoadz]

@garyp9906 thanks for watching!

[@mechanicalliteracyproject2508]

Dexter recommends using this also.

[@mooseman3136]

I think the important thing to remember, so as to not blow out the rear seal, is to not use a pneumatic or powered grease gun and to pump the grease slowly.

[@CompassRoadz]

Yes, that’s what we think based on concerns we’ve read in other articles regarding the procedure. Although Dexter claims it isn’t a problem with their bearings as long as they aren’t old and dried out. Slowly rotating the tire also helps eliminate grease from backing up without being spread evenly. Thanks for watching!

[@JIMPETERSON-n7i]

@@CompassRoadz -- I've learned to hate 'Bearing Buddies" but it looks like this Dexter system is a much better approach. And I believe our newer rig (2020 Torque toy hauler) has 'em so I need to get after it. :) This clearly puts a lot more grease inside the hub than old-school hand packing ever would.

[@juergenmueller3639]

Nice, encouraging, detailed video and background information. Do you have done break maintenance as well?

[@CompassRoadz]

We have not done any brake maintenance as of yet. That might be something we will have done for us just to be on the safe side. Thanks for watching!

[@shannonhebert7684]

Does it look like your leaf springs are flat? I also have 4 leaf and they look the same. Thinking about replacing them and going with more leafs.

[@toddhenshaw7621]

Dan, mark the top of the tire at 12 o'clock. then 2 pumps , then turn it 5 minutes to clockwise , 2 more pumps and keep at it until new grease fills outer bearing also. You need to turn it so you grease the inner bearing also. If you leave wheel still, it will only grease a small small portion of the inner bearing.. NICE WORK .. NICE TRICK FOR FELLOW RV'ERS

[@CompassRoadz]

That’s awesome advice. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure it will help others. Thanks for watching!!

[@toddhenshaw7621]

No problem, glad to help fellow RV'ers@@CompassRoadz

[@markweese2720]

And we all know what happens when you overfill those... you blow out the back grease seal and all that nice grease lubes up your brake shoes/pads.

[@CompassRoadz]

Definitely have to be careful to do the job correctly or it could get messy. Thanks for watching!

[@stevenmaniscalco1439]

How do you avoid overfilling if you keep filling untill it comes out? This is my 1st year doing all this maintenance. TIA@@markweese2720

[@brentmcmahon8188]

I use Amsoil synthetic grease it takes heat a lot better and mine are barely warm .

[@CompassRoadz]

That’s good to know. Thanks for sharing! Anyone else use Amsoil synthetic grease or have found another grease that works well?

[@oldsalt8011]

I believe I'll try Schaeffer syn. grease. I use their motor oil in my diesel truck.

[@oldsalt8011]

Looks like you have a Ram 3500. What do you set the brake gain at? I have mine at 2.5.

[@darlenehuntinghouse8789]

Good video, thank you!

[@CompassRoadz]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@mastersergeant8672]

Gotta spin that tire while greasin'.

[@CompassRoadz]

Absolutely. It lets it distribute correctly. Thanks for watching!

[@vernonlemoignan1392]

System works fine. First time you do it it takes about 3/4 of a tub to fill the system. Once filled it will start coming out the front. The grease goes through the zerk, all the way to the back through the back bearing and then takes a different path all the way back to the front and through the front bearing and out. There should not be enough pressure to push grease out the rear seal unless something is wrong. After the first time you should see grease being expelled at the same rate as being inserted. I think many people confuse this with bearing buddies which are completely different and completely useless.

[@CompassRoadz]

Great info. Thanks for watching!

[@kevinmead703]

That is exactly correct. I’ve been using EZ lube spindle for years with no seal blow out.

[@JIMPETERSON-n7i]

I agree -- Bearing Buddies suck! Lost SO many of those on boat trailers over the years that I quit using them = expensive, heavy, and worthless. The last time I paid someone to pack our wheel bearings, the bonehead just sat the seals on the spindles because they wouldn't fit into the bore. I learned to pop 'em in the freezer the night before and quickly tap 'em into place in the morning = easy breezy. :)

[@Edwardsjourney]

I see you were driving by Mathis, TX

[@CompassRoadz]

Oh yeah! On our way to Harlingen via Corpus Christi. Thanks for watching!

[@Outdoor-Adventures]

did you use the same grease for both bearings and springs? thanks

[@CompassRoadz]

Yes I did. We sed the red grease to be able to see it better. Thanks for watching!

[@bryanmontgomery4050]

Also, they don’t need to be full. A few pumps every couple of thousand miles than when the grease starts to push out it’s generally time to replace seals and re-pack bearings.

[@CompassRoadz]

Yep! That’s a good way to maintain a preventative maintenance routine. Thanks for watching!

[@NoFeeArea]

Just a few pumps every 1000 miles. Pump a few until it crackles. Listen closely and you will hear the air bubbles crackling. Then stop. Even greasing will maintain. Why wait until they are dry every 12,000 miles? Or a time limit?

[@mikec8123]

Is it necessary to spin the tire?

[@CompassRoadz]

It is highly recommended by the manufacturer so the grease gets evenly distributed around the bearings. Thanks for watching!

[@ericHoogeveen1]

How long had you waited to grease the ez lube? I havent done mine since i bought it 2 or 3 years. Worried I might blow the seals.

[@CompassRoadz]

We greased them a year after we purchased the RV brand new. We should go by mileage but we will start Keeping track of that. Thanks for watching!

[@danielouimette1903]

Thanku

[@CompassRoadz]

You’re welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@vb5037]

Do you like tire pressure system on you trailer? What brand you use?

[@CompassRoadz]

We use TST507 4 flow thru sensors that we got from Techno RV. It saved our bacon twice. Highly recommend that product.

[@YoutubeAnthony]

@@CompassRoadzwhat are your tire temps when pulling avg? I was at 120F with outside temp 85F

[@CompassRoadz]

They can easily get between 120-150 depending on the ambient temperature, speed, and elevation. Thanks for watching!

[@YoutubeAnthony]

@ thank you great video, and also for getting back to me!

[@vdubing01]

Thank you so much. I had no idea my axles needed lube.

[@CompassRoadz]

We are in NWA are you fellas over by Grand Lake still?

[@JIMPETERSON-n7i]

I don't know of any axles which need lube but some guys run "wet bolts" on the pivot points for their leaf springs. This creates four grease zirks per leaf spring plus one for the rocker/equalizer bolt = 9 zirks per side of the trailer if you have tandem axles.

[@troyseagondollar4565]

All I can say is, be sure to turn the wheel while pumping or you'll blow out the inner seal and then contaminate your brake pads. Even with new inner seals I've had issues. I've gone back to packing my bearings by hand.

[@CompassRoadz]

Absolutely! Gently but making sure it’s evenly distributed. Thanks for watching!

[@sadlert]

I agree - EZ lube is for people who like contaminated brake pads and magnets.

[@JIMPETERSON-n7i]

@@sadlert -- There's at least one Luddite in every group!

[@Wayne-li8fhGTO400]

Can the musical score!

[@drs3055]

I really enjoyed the vid. There are divided comments on Dexter EZ Lube. As a newer rv’r with a trailer, I have felt I needed to re-inspect and grease bearings and brakes every time I go out to camp! 12 months or 12k miles whether you put 1 mile on or 12k! In some vids, folks say you should keep spare parts, too! Where’s the time to go camping and have fun! P.S. can you check the seals without taking wheel off?

[@CompassRoadz]

We are glad you enjoyed the video. We probably should have used mileage instead of time (one year) to use as a standard to regrease them. I don’t think there’s a way to check the seals properly without taking off the wheel. Maybe someone else can chime in. Thanks for watching!

[@chuckpotter1209]

Great video and good referencing info from Dexter and comparing their policy with other Rver's comments. Just a suggestion...your noise/music in the beginning was really distracting from the good info you had to share. Tone it down!

[@CompassRoadz]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll definitely watch the level on the music more often. I have noticed that it seems louder on some devices than on others. Thanks for watching!

[@wilhallman2890]

Yikes, our RV is gong on it's 5th year now and we've never greased anything lol

[@chuckchillson2877]

I was told by my dealer just a couple pumps of grease on occasion to lube bearings had no idea these were used to repack bearings until I stumbled upon Dexter's video everyone said it will blow out seals but dexter says no

[@CompassRoadz]

We’re hoping the Dexter folks are the experts on their product. Thanks for watching!

[@sadlert]

It will contaminate your brake shoes, sooner or later - DON’T use EZ-LUBE!!!

[@fuhrstpuhl3278]

I nave this system on 3 different trailers for a total of 10 sets of bearings and I have never had one apart yet. I grease them once a year with Lucas red grease while rotating them. I always check the temp on my hubs when traveling and have never had one even get warm, I have owned the two wheeled snowmobile trailer for 12 years now doesn't get many miles but to say this system is worthless is wrong, what other reason was there for having this system if it's not used ? There are probably many assemblies that are damaged by incorrect reassembly and poor bearing packing by novices and then there are the horror stories of taking it to a dealer for a re-pack and all they do is check for end play , rotate it for noise wipe it off and call it good. I guess if something is working for you than stick with it huh ?

[@wrxs1781]

You can never over maintain your running gear, especially tires and lubrication.

[@Thurston-q6q]

Having done this many times...the engineer that designed the outer cqp has obviously never held a wrench in his life. To do this correctly you need to push the old grease out. With the outer cap on this is a nightmare because you need to get all of the grease out of that cap. Its a ridiculous engineering fail. If you just grease it until you see grease you are doing it wrong. You do it until you clearly see and smell new grease. The used grease has a clear burned odor to it and it needs to be pumped out as you rotate the tire. A simple redesign of the outer cap could have made this exponentially easier.

[@CompassRoadz]

Thanks for the info. That’s a lot more than I could know about bearings. I’m very much a novice. I only gathered information from Dexter and other videos to be able to do ours. I agree a simple way to grease bearings would be a break through! Thanks for watching!

[@russell5637]

I have to disagree with you in Dexter. Those type of seals should only be used if you are traveling and you take your temperatures and find one to be much hotter than the others is for emergencies only number two. It’s important to realize that you use a particular type of grease a high heat grease many of your newbies were not know that

[@CompassRoadz]

You have a good point about using high temperature grease for the wheels. We were concerned about the Dexter system ourselves but we’ve spoken with Dexter makers and they are confident the system works as designed. Thanks for watching!

[@sundancer3700]

Dont do your bearing the lazy way, pull them apart, clean, inspect, grease and put back together. Check KZbin for Dexter Axle bearing video for the proper way to do it. If you pump in to much grease and bypass the rear seal you will contaminate the shoes and have no brakes.

[@CompassRoadz]

So true. But that is the whole reason for the EZ Lube system, to make it easier for the non-mechanically inclined. Thanks for watching!

[@robbypro3370]

For one more dollar I will use lucas red and tacky grease.

[@CompassRoadz]

Yes, I probably would do the same next time. Thanks for watching!

[@oldsalt8011]

What are your thought of Schaeffer Syn. Grease and Motor oil?

[@Oldtech51]

Having worked on trucks and trailers for over 40 years I can say with confidence that the EZLube system is one of the biggest frauds ever pushed on the general public. It is ok for boat trailers that are in the water but not much else. I have seen so many travel trailers that have had perfectly good brakes destroyed by the EZ Lube system. You don't service anything. You don't know the condition of the brakes, bearings or seals. I suppose if you drove through deep water and needed to quickly flush your hubs that would be different. All that mixing of different is a big no no. Your going to trust your expensive bearings and suspension components to cheap Chinese grease?

[@CompassRoadz]

That’s good to know. We plan on manually packing the bearings every other year for the simple reason that we can actually look at the condition of the bearings. Thanks for watching!

[@oldsalt8011]

Yea, Harbor Frieght, lots of made in China. I think I'll go with Schaeffer Syn. Grease. Made in America.

[@oldsalt8011]

Can you comment on the Schaeffer Syn. Grease and Motor Oil?

[@owenhill-vf7ko]

I'm a 2nd generation mechanic and I disagree with you. The EZ lube system is awesome. The problem is how they are maintained:)

[@CompassRoadz]

@owenhill-vf7ko easy for novices like us. We like it as long as we perform the operation correctly. Thanks for watching!

[@DSGB2199]

You just set yourself up for axle seal failure… wayyyyy too much grease all its gonna do is push it out the back right on your brakes 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@CompassRoadz]

Well 1600 miles later with no issues.

[@JIMPETERSON-n7i]

The way the rubber boot around the grease zirk is designed, it's easier for excess grease to ooze out there than it would be to pressurize and blow past the spindle seal. Those seals are designed to grip tighter on the spindle as the pressure increases. We've averaged 11,000 miles for the last 8-1/2 years with quite a bit of that in off-road conditions -- never had a single wheel bearing failure with our 33' 5th wheel. :) Then again, when the going gets tough, we slow w-a-y down with our F350 in low range = no need to engage the manual front hubs if we don't need the extra traction. :)

[@mikec8123]

My dealer told me that they had to be hand packed because the grease gun would blow the seal. I don't think i Believe him.

[@CompassRoadz]

Not if it’s the Dexter EZ Lube system. However, you do need to take some care to avoid blowing the seal. Dexter claims it happens mainly after it’s dried out after a few years without maintenance. Thanks for watching!

[@bryanmontgomery4050]

Can’t push seal out of the plug is open, zero pressure doesn’t push out a seal, just remove all excess grease.

[@charlesmiller8672]

Noooooooooooooo

[@michaelbudzinski9880]

Being in the lube biz you should never mix grease..

[@CompassRoadz]

Didn’t know that. But wouldn’t the new grease expunge all the old grease? That is good for people to know regardless. Thanks for watching!

[@dewrus2153]

@@CompassRoadz - According to the Dexter video on how to do this, you are correct...the new grease displaces the old grease and forces it right out the front. Dexter says to pump in grease until all of the old contaminated grease is pushed out and you can see new grease. I've used Dexter EZ lube for 6 years on our trailer with about 30k miles and just took them apart this spring for the first time...bearings looked perfect. Just repacked them, new seals, adjusted brakes, and good-to-go. I have always used Red and Tacky grease.

[@CompassRoadz]

@dewrus2153 I love the red stuff. Easy to see where the old ends and new begins. Thanks for watching!