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Old 06-12-2008, 06:35 PM   #1
jpcoll01
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Default Greasing Hubs on 2003 2720sl

I went and bought a full size grease gun and the appropriate grease today and started pumping grease into my hubs (they have a small metal cap not a rubber cap if that helps) to this point I have put over 1 full tube of grease into the drivers side hub and have seen NO old grease come out???? I'm wondering if it is going up into my brake drum or if it was just completely empty????? Any help or ideas would be appreciated, I tried searching and didn't really come up with anything
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pat
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Old 06-12-2008, 06:52 PM   #2
jpcoll01
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I finally found an old thread that I knew I had heard of before, and It seems I'm not the first one, it seems that I probably ahve a drum full of grease right now. If this is the case, what are my next steps? I guess I can call the TM factory because it seems that something on the axel messed up although it is 5 years old so I'm not sure what they will do about it. I have a 2 week trip coming up in less than 14 days so I guess I'll have to get the brakes fixed, I don't suppose I've ever purchased something that needed constant babying like this trailmanor, of course it's my first RV of any kind.....
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:11 PM   #3
Bill
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Well, I'm not sure that a grease seal failure equals "constant babying", but here's my take.

If you have a metal cap rather than a rubber cap, you may have the Dexter Nev-R-Lube rather than EZ-Lube hubs. Most, but not all, TMs have EZ Lube, but there are others, so you can check the Search engine to find the other. Either way, though, if you put in a full-size cartridge of grease and nothing came out, there is something wrong. And most likely you're right - it got past a seal and is hiding in the brake drum area. The warranty comes from the axle manufacturer, not TM. So especially on a 5-year old unit, the TM factory probably won't do much other than give advice. So I would start by removing the wheel. Then remove the cotter pin and castle nut, and pull the hub off. What can you see?

If there is grease on the brake, you can probably get the grease out and clean things up. But to replace a seal in the time you have available, you'll probably need an RV service shop. Just my two cents.

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Old 06-12-2008, 07:14 PM   #4
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jpcool01, I don't believe that it should take that much grease, even if the hub was completely empty.....which they shouldn't have been. If the rear seals have somehow been damaged, then the extra grease has probably gone into the drum area.....and as you have surmissed, that is not good. If you are uncomfortable with pulling the drum, then do you know a mechanic that can come to your house to do that????. I would be afraid to tow the TM anywhere if indeed the grease went into the brake area. Hopefully the brake shoes and mechanisms can be cleaned off (a rag, soap, and water??) so that you won't have to replace stuff....but let your mechanic make that call.

I have a 2003 also, and have replaced the grease seals, as they usually become damaged when removing the rear bearings to clean and check. My local cargo and horse trailer shop has the seals in stock, so that might be a starting place, as well as your local RV dealer, to check for seals if you don't have time to get something from Trailmanor.....Dexter axles are pretty common.

All Rvs are high maintenance. Trailmanors might be a little more so because of the lifting mechanisms, but are so worth it when you go down the road with the TM following obediantly behind.

Hopefully others will chime in with additional information.

Keep us posted,

Chap

Oops, I was writing this as Bill was answering, but the comments are about the same.
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:26 PM   #5
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Bill, you're right the seals don't equal constant babying but all of the other stuff I have had to do in the 3 months I've had it do, oh well I don't think it's trailmanor specific just that all rv stuff seems to be made very weak (but could just be because they are taking weight into consideration). Anyway, I'll contact TM tomorrow and see what they say, I don't have a problem taking the drum off, I've changed the shoes on our old van before so I should be able to figure it out. The drivers side wheel seems to have a lot of lateral movement when it's jacked up I can pull it back and forth a little and wiggle it, this is non-existant on the passenger side wheel. I wonder if it's just time to replace the bearings on the driver's side?
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Old 06-12-2008, 08:00 PM   #6
rtcassel
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I did the same thing a few years ago. By the time I discovered what had happened, I had driven thousands of miles and the brake shoes could not be cleaned. If you have not pulled the trailer, I would bet that you could clean out the grease, cleaning the shoes and the magnet. At the very least, the seal would have to be replaced (National Federal-Mogul oil seal 473336 fits), and that is not hard to do. Probably best would be to repack the bearings. Your Dexter manual has instructions, and you most likely can find them on line. Good luck.
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Old 06-12-2008, 08:13 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpcoll01 View Post
The drivers side wheel seems to have a lot of lateral movement when it's jacked up I can pull it back and forth a little and wiggle it, this is non-existant on the passenger side wheel. I wonder if it's just time to replace the bearings on the driver's side?
Does this hub run hot? This wiggle could mean that the nut that holds the hub on the spindle needs to be tighter. Check the Dexter instructions re this. My TM had a bad drum, and I ended up with a LOT of wiggle. I replaced both drums with Dexter drums. See my posting http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/sh...ad.php?p=28447
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Old 06-13-2008, 12:18 PM   #8
jpcoll01
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Default Disaster avoided...........

Could barely sleep last night with thoughts of paying $80 an hour plus parts to have both hubs/brakes/bearings, etc. replaced at the local dealership.....well I woke up this morning and took the wheel and hub off. OK the brake was full of grease BUT it was simply a big gob of new grease and not ground into anything. I took the brakes apart and cleaned them out and then gave them a good bath in brake cleaner, this stuff works GREAT they are not even a little slick and no signs of grease. I replaced the rear seals on that side and hand packed the bearings, put the tire back on and it spins very smoothly. Decided to NOT try the ezlube on the other side and just did a hand-pack and seal replacement. Now that I have new seals I think I might try the ezlube zerk in 3k miles or so, it's worth a shot I think with the new seals. Anyway, all is well and it cost me $2.50 for a couple new seals.
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Old 06-13-2008, 06:20 PM   #9
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Default Does the hub run hot?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rtcassel View Post
Does this hub run hot? This wiggle could mean that the nut that holds the hub on the spindle needs to be tighter. Check the Dexter instructions re this. My TM had a bad drum, and I ended up with a LOT of wiggle. I replaced both drums with Dexter drums. See my posting http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/sh...ad.php?p=28447
This question really got me to thinking. When I pulled my TM home the first time, I stopped about 90 miles down the road and felt the hubs (the unit had been sitting for most of 7 years -- who knows what shape the grease is in?) and found them very warm but I could keep my hand on them. How hot is "running hot?"

Thanks.

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Old 06-13-2008, 07:40 PM   #10
jpcoll01
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good question, i noticed that one side was hot today even after the fresh grease. I'm thinking it was from the brakes though, I need to get it out on the open road for a while and then check the hubs, The races seemed fine and the bearings were good to go.
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