Oil Filled Wheel bearings?
Submitted by Aaron Santos on Wed, 2013-03-20 13:00
Hi All,
Have recently bought a trailer and the wheel bearing are oil filled not Grease.
Has anyone ever had these type of bearings before that could give me some advice on the type of oil required and what there opions are of this set up.
Picture below shows the set up, there is a hose connected top and bottom which come to a central join where I was told you top up the oil.
my concern is not knowing what levels they are at.
Opions and advice will be greatly apreciated.
cheers.
____________________________________________________________________________
Still trying to catch fish!
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poopants
Posts: 52
Date Joined: 12/07/09
If yours are the dura hub brand, look in FAQ
http://www.durahub.com/
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
That's not dura hub, they
That's not dura hub, they fill from the front. I've never seen that before !
Aaron Santos
Posts: 300
Date Joined: 12/11/10
yeah not a dura hub. Ive
yeah not a dura hub. Ive removed the hub cap and it was full of oil. messy. theres no grease nipple so I have replaced it and now have to re fill them. Just concerned on how much.
can they be over filled?
Ive spoken to my mechanic and he has not seen them set up like this before either.
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bluemule
Posts: 97
Date Joined: 14/02/12
Oil hubs
Hi Aaron,
There name is called Sea Bear oil hubs,sold on the east coast from about 1990 onwards.I used them for years till I hit a roo carkus on the Barrier Hwy into SA. One of the bottom tubes came out and we lost all of the oil in no time and siezed the bearing 40km west of Broken Hill. I have gone back to Greased hubs and dust caps as we now trip to Exmouth with the boat.
They run on ATF ( Auto trans Fluid) and to change the oil cut of the cable ties and drain from the bottom hose.To refill I used a large glass suringe 100mm orded from a chemist and refill from the bottom hose till the oil is 50mm from the top of the Top hose, and clip the two back together and resecure with new cable ties. I dont know if they are still available,try google.Hope this helps.
Reguards Jim
Aaron Santos
Posts: 300
Date Joined: 12/11/10
thanks Bluemule. That's great
thanks Bluemule. That's great info. sorry for the slow reply.
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Michael Yoni
Posts: 603
Date Joined: 02/01/11
Why not speak to the person
Why not speak to the person whom you purchased it from. Maybe they know a bit about it.
Rob H
Posts: 5798
Date Joined: 18/01/12
If the hose that joins them
If the hose that joins them vents higher than water would get to just fill them up. Pretty well any oil would do but gearbox/diff oil (SAE80 or 90) would be best. Having said that im not a fan . If a grease seal fails the grease slowly contaminates but is still there. With oil it leaks out in a few minutes and is GONE.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
marrisy
Posts: 202
Date Joined: 08/09/11
diff oil is good.
Rob H is correct. Truck trailers often use oil filled hubs, as they run cooler and last longer, the oil helps lubricate the seal better than grease. This type of oiling system has been around for manny years, the end of the oil tube should be higher than the water ever gets, the oil will fill the tube when it gets hot, and go back into the hub when it cools. A good idea when well looked after.
Septimus
Posts: 146
Date Joined: 14/11/10
DURA HUBS
For what it's worth, I agree Rob H and Marrisy regarding oil filled Dura Hubs.
Had them installed on a triaxel trailer - BIGGEST MISTAKE ever!!
All six bearings leaked - rear axle worse than front axles - on way back from Shark Bay - bit of a disaster!!
They REALLY can't handle tight turns (as in backing into driveway, etc).
I now stick to conventional grease filled bearings.
Might be ok on a single axle trailer though?
Aaron Santos
Posts: 300
Date Joined: 12/11/10
Would it be an easy job to
Would it be an easy job to change them to grease bearings?
Im not overly confident with them, Would rather have grease bearings.
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Rob H
Posts: 5798
Date Joined: 18/01/12
as far as I can picture all
as far as I can picture all youd need to do is clean out the oil (residue would dilute the grease) then repack like a conventional setup?
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Aaron Santos
Posts: 300
Date Joined: 12/11/10
cheers Rob. think I will put
cheers Rob.
think I will put that on My Winter Maintenance list.
Still trying to catch fish!
West Coast Eagles Supporter and Proud Member.