Oil Bath Trailer Axles

[DRussell]

I have a question about converting oil bath axles to grease. Is it as simple as draining the oil and packing the bearings in grease? Axles are 10,000 lb dexters with dual wheels.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Pretty much but Why would you want to go back to grease with oil bath bearings. If your having trouble with seals, see if you can get Stemco Seals for it. I don't care what all is said I ran Stemco's in my semis with much longer service life than any other brand seal out there. As for the grease the oil just check it and go no fooling around with packing every so often. Getting good wheel bearing grease is hard to find now days too.

 

[rustred]

Yes, remove the brgs. Wash them and pack them. I did that also on my goose neck tandem 2 years ago. Used a good grease and no more leaking oil and getting the wiring and magnets all covered in oil. Even the dealer has started to do that. I was not going to be paying crazy high prices for seals not knowing they will last. And if I have to repack them every few years thats ok. And the other crazy thing is they had atf in the hubs. Figure that one out ! Least if it was gear oil like in the trucks it might not have leaked as bad.

 

[caterpillar guy]

The Stemcos willbe close or the same price as the cheap junk other seals nothing specail about them just most people don't want to use a special tool to install them.I don't even use the tool just put them in been doing it for decades without issue.

 

[john in la]

Oil bath hubs are made for hauling heavy weight over many miles at highway speeds.
They dissipate heat better than grease hubs.
If you do not do this kind of running changing over to grease should not be a problem.

 

[DRussell]

I do minimal heavy hauling at highway speeds.

 

[MSD]

We went to grease in our 12,000 lb axles. After loosing 2 sets of bearings cause the seals went out and we didn't catch it that the oil had leaked out we knew we had to do something different. We went to a trailer shop and they gave us a bucket of the grease they use. A real slimy green stuff that is not like ordinary bearing grease where you have to pack the bearings. We put grease zerks in the hubs and carry a grease gun loaded with the new grease and if it looks like they are low on grease we just give them a couple of shots. Trailer shop said they don't let any out of the shop any more with oil in them.

 

[farmersamm]

If your trailer sits for long periods between use, you really need to change to grease.

Oil bath hubs are vented. They have to be to keep the heat from pushing the oil out. This venting allows moisture into the hub over time.

Because all oils will eventually drain off of parts(your wheel bearings), the exposed steel is prone to rusting. Everything above the oil level line will rust over time if the vehicle isn't used on a regular basis. Worst case scenario.............your rollers will develop pitting.

The only way to keep this from happening is to move the trailer once in a while to keep oil up on the bearings. If this isn't practical, then greased hubs are the answer.

 

[caterpillar guy]

WOW I have never had a problem with water in wheel bearings on trailers and mine now set more than they are used. The little rubber cap is the vent spoken of and it is just a wee little pin hole with a sort of membrane over it. You do want a cap you can see through so you can see the oil level in the cap. This lets you know what the oil level is at a glance. As for the oil. One time in ID I had to put some oil in a hub on a combine trailer back 30 years ago. Was on the side of the interstate and just poured in some 15-40 engine oil far as I know it is still in there. Bearing are still there too. We pulled it from ID to Central CO close to Alamose/Blanca area by way of Cheyenne and Denver down to Walsenburg over the hill to FT.Garland. He always went that way the 3 years I was with his crews.

 

[Destroked 450]

Oil bath can be converted simply by packing the bearings with grease, we did that to a couple of older trailers that were prone to leaking around the seals
In 2004 we purchased 2 new Transcraft stepdecks, the hubs used a flowable type grease similar to corn head grease, maybe a little thicker but still flowable

 

[ben brown]

i pump the 12,000 lb dextra axles full corn head grease 10 yeas back no problems