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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | Has anyone converted their trailer from grease bearings to an oil bath? I have been hearing good and bad reports about the oil bath system and wondered if anyone here has tried the conversion.
thx.
Jed
Edited by RiverMan 8/22/2010 11:48 AM
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Posts: 253
Location: On the water | I also would like to find out about the oil bath conversion.
Thanks, Tom |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Liqualube hubs have had great reviews. Not very hard to do. It is just a matter of removing your existing hub and seal, cleaning everything up really well, then it is a matter of drilling 4 holes in the hub (soft metal so you can do it, but would recommend a drill press when you do it) to mount the cap.
The nice thing with liqualube hubs is if there is water intrusion, the fluid absorbs the water up to a certain amount and you are still protected from rust, etc.
I'm looking to do it after I add disc brakes on my trailer. They run cooler, and maintenance is a snap. Change the fluid and you are done unless there are issues with leaky seals. As long as the seals are good, I don't believe you have to replace them every time, but I am sure that as preventative maintenance you would after a couple of years of use just to be safe.
Definitely a bit nicer than having to repack yearly...
Steve |
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Posts: 941
Location: Freedom, WI | I did not convert my hubs I replaced them with hubs made for oil. I use synthetic 90w and it works great. Would never go back, end of season pull the plug and drain oil then put in new. Clear covers allow you to see the oil and if it is cloudy then change early if a problem. |
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Posts: 240
| I have liquidlube hubs and love them. No problems after 4 years of heavy use.
Cory |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | Cory Toker - 8/24/2010 5:04 PM
I have liquidlube hubs and love them. No problems after 4 years of heavy use.
Cory
Have you changed the seals Cory?
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | One can tell immediately if any water is invading the system, as the color of the Liqua Lube lubricant changes. The system can absorb 35% it's own volume in water and still lube the bearings. They work, and work very well. |
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Posts: 618
Location: Seymour, WI | How do you change the oil on the liqui hubs? I've never done it before on the snowmobile trailer or boat trailer.
Grass, |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
That depends on the type of hubs you have. Liqualube brand hubs I believe there is a screw that you remove for draining and refilling. I would assume the other brands out there would be similar.
Steve |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It takes about 2 minutes to drain and refill Liqua Lube hubs through the set screw on the side of the cap. The fluid is biodegradable, too. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | funny thing I changed my Ranger oil bath hubs to regular grease hubs...the big problem with the oil bath hubs as I found out is say you are 500 miles from home and one leaks out...and you don't know it.... it isn't fun...
the place I took mine to (Gervasi Marine) in Madison said they switch over lots of Ranger oil bath hubs to regular grease h hubs every year ...
imo I'd never go back the oil ones..i'm sure they work fine but when you are on a long trip and one blows a seal and leaks you are S.O.L.
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | That is why you PLAN AHEAD for things such as this. you buy an extra set of seals, bearings, races, and oil so that if you do have a break-down, you can repair and get on your way. Worst case scenario...carry a grease seal and grease to do a quick job if needed, or carry a spare hub.
If one has a break-down and doesn't have the right materials and equipment to handle it, yep...they are S.O.L. due to their own lack of planning. Their own fault...
Steve |
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Location: Contrarian Island | if there is one thing I am..is a planner...ask anyone that goes on trips w me..i have backups of backups...heck I'd bring an extra boat if i could haul it...that being said...when you are on the road, traveling at 75 mph on a 500 mile trip...do you stop and check your seals/oil bath hubs at each gas stop? say one leaks out and then 200 miles down the road you blow your bearings? the dealer I went thru to convert them imo knows and he said he had countless Rangers come in w the exact problem I had...also one other thing I had to consider is at the time I was trailering it to some pretty shady launches in northern WI...he told me that is where problems can occur...only giving my real world experience and what the mechanic told me...if there are less problems with the grease ones...I'll take it...maybe he was blowing smoke up my butt to have me spend the coin to convert them but I trust him enough...if oil bath hubs are more prone to leak/break seals and are more of a pain to fix on trips...screw that...I'm all about less maintenance and less hassle fixing...I'm no McGyver.
my 2 cents VMS |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | BNelson - 8/30/2010 10:27 AM
when you are on the road, traveling at 75 mph on a 500 mile trip...do you stop and check your seals/oil bath hubs at each gas stop? say one leaks out and then 200 miles down the road you blow your bearings?
Hiya,
Traveling 75 mph down the road pulling a trailer is beyond what one should be doing. Most trailer tires would be rated at most 65mph. Go faster = more heat. More heat leads to more failure of components throughout the hub and tire combination. Most of us go over that due to conditions on the highway, but...it leads to premature wear and tear. Sometimes we cannot avoid it in traffic.
And...at every stop everyone SHOULD be checking for heat on the hub. too hot is a bad sign. If people are not doing that, a bad issue could have been avoided....not a guarantee, but that 3 seconds to check can be the difference between a seized hub or one that could be quickly fixed. If there is a leak, it will show...a problem waiting to happen. Lack of paying attention to those things leads to problems...
There is no guarantee with either style system...they are all mechanical and at some point will need to be replaced and/or fail. Granted, certain conditions can lead to bearing failure, but that can happen with both styles... I'm not promoting either one...they both work great and will give you many hours of great service. If you like the idea of just changing oil at the end of the season, or if you would rather use grease, go for it....it is much a matter of what you are most comfortable with. Go with what you feel most confident in.
Steve |
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Location: Contrarian Island | agreed, can't say I am promoting one over the other either..only going by what the guy said he see's more failures of in the shop...that to me says a lot..i listen to the guys that see crap every day...since I went to the grease way in 07, zero failures..as I knock on the desk.  |
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Posts: 618
Location: Seymour, WI | I bought a new snowmobile trailer with oil bath hubs a few yrs ago and asked the dealer what I needed to do to maintain the hubs... he said "you don't need to do anything" I was used to pumping my bearing buddies full of grease every time I pulled the boat or snowmobiles and I had a hard time believing that they did't need any maintenance at all. Then he said "these are the same type of hubs they use on semi -trailers and they recommend you change the oil ever 250,000 miles." I don't think I'll put that many miles on my boat trailer even in several lifetimes.
Grass, |
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Posts: 536
| Grass - 8/30/2010 1:19 PM
I bought a new snowmobile trailer with oil bath hubs a few yrs ago and asked the dealer what I needed to do to maintain the hubs... he said "you don't need to do anything" I was used to pumping my bearing buddies full of grease every time I pulled the boat or snowmobiles and I had a hard time believing that they did't need any maintenance at all. Then he said "these are the same type of hubs they use on semi -trailers and they recommend you change the oil ever 250,000 miles." I don't think I'll put that many miles on my boat trailer even in several lifetimes.
Grass,
change the hub oil every 250,000 miles that is insane anyone saying that, if they could go that long without leaking out there would still be no oil in there it would be just sludge! |
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Posts: 247
Location: Uxbridge Ontario | I run Oil bath hubs also and cant say I have ever had an issue. I cant remember the brand I run (I know its not Liqualube). I have always replaced the oil in them with a 80W-90 gear oil.... This is correct right?
Any other products out there that is specifically made for oil bath hubs? |
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Posts: 618
Location: Seymour, WI | Anyone know the answer to the last question that was asked? What is the correct oil to use to refill the liqui hubs?
Thanks,
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | i might just have to switch to these. i have never even packed mine at all . i just keep putting more greese in them through the nipple on the front. and it squeezes out in back(the old stuff. i think i am doing it right. maybee i am not who knows. but these do look cool...bill
http://www.liqualube.com/ |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
If you are just squeezing more in, you very well may have some water in there as well, which will start to burn the bearings. Burned bearings are a bad thing, as are rusting bearings. If you run grease, you should repack at the end of each season to remove any water that could be in there...even if it is in trace amounts. Replacing the seals guarantees (save defective seal) that you are ready to go next season and should not have any issues...
Hubs are not water tight (oil bath or grease)...that is why oil bath hub oil (like liqualube hubs) are designed to absorb some water to keep the bearings protected. If one runs straight gear oil (like in your differential) you may run into burning of the bearings as well...
Always play safe....better to err in caution than to err the other way and be stranded on a roadside with either a lost wheel and hub, or a welded hub to a spindle...
Steve |
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Posts: 176
Location: Tomahawk, WI | Grass,
standard 50w motor oil. I use 50w Valvoline |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The iqua Lube hub actually is as water tight as any can be. The system has a baffle that expands when a warm hub hits cold water, keeping the interior pressure even stopping the system from pulling water past the seal. I ran the units for years, and actually assisted Ken and Dee in getting the system up and going. Good product. |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Steve,
they run those on trailers with brakes too yes?
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Yes. |
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| Do they work with easy lube spindles? |
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Posts: 618
Location: Seymour, WI | I'm not very mechanical, so somethings come a little slower to me......
The liqui hubs that I have must be an older model because the fill hole is right in the center of the the hub. I couldn't figure out how to get the old oil out of the hub. I knew there had to be an easier way than removing the wheels to drain the hubs. I found out yesterday that the plastic see-thru hub cover just unscrews from the hub. That's how the hub is drained. Then you can just screw the hub back on and refill it with oil from the front. I'm sure some people are laughing at me now but at least I figured it out.
Grass, |
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Posts: 3479
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Not a chance from me at that... Learning like that is the BEST tool out there! Now...if only I could get my students to actually TRY things, they might actually learn something too...
Glad everything is working out for you!! It's great to learn as you go!!
Steve |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | I'm thinking about converting my trailer over to the liquilube oil bath system. http://www.liqualube.com/index.htm
I am really sick of dealing with the repack on the bearings. I know we talked about this before but I'm still hesitating..............anyone have any further comments good or bad?
thx.
Jed |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | I'm running the cool hub(doesn't say that but I'm pretty sure that is what it is) system on my ranger and haven't had any issues other than my oil getting a bit off colored in a fairly short time. I have changed the rear seals(ones purchased from auto parts store) but it happened again. Now, the color of the oil doesn't get any worse over time and it isn't like it is really milky or anything. Just wondering if I could run the liquilube oil in these hubs. I'd assume it woulb be no problem. I like the system I have and haven't had problems to date. I'll be purchasing another set of bearings to take along with me on long trips, seals etc. |
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