anyone use "turbo lube" hubs on their trailer

D

DanQ

New member
Joined
Mar 3, 2004
Messages
60
Age
65
Location
Lake Zurich, IL
Does anyone have 'turbo lube" hubs on their trailer? How do you like them?
Any problems?
I think they come standard on Floe trailers but I was thinking of retrofitting to my triton trailer for less maintenance.

I saw them in my northern tools catalog, for something like $50 per hub

Thanks
Dan
 
DanQ said:
Does anyone have 'turbo lube" hubs on their trailer? How do you like them?
Any problems?
I think they come standard on Floe trailers but I was thinking of retrofitting to my triton trailer for less maintenance.

I saw them in my northern tools catalog, for something like $50 per hub

Thanks
Dan
Click to expand...

is that on the same line as "bearing buddys"???
 
no turbo lube uses oil, not sure how it works but you need very good seals to seal oil!
have run into it before with trailers at work leaking oil and damaging bearings
BUT have never seen the turbo lube system in hand
 
I would be worried about the turbo lube, I have seen them, but one rock or branch breaking the plastic cap and then what do you do ???
 
Probably not a bad thing. Would be unlikely to have something contact the cap and break it, most trailers have the cap recessed in the wheel. Bearing Buddys or an equivalent also work well and may be better because there is constant pressure inside the hub. The trailer bearings have a reputation for going bad and anything that will extend the life would be a good thing. Have seen lots of trailers sitting beside the road with a wheel off.
 
PZ 1 said:
Probably not a bad thing. Would be unlikely to have something contact the cap and break it, most trailers have the cap recessed in the wheel. Bearing Buddys or an equivalent also work well and may be better because there is constant pressure inside the hub. The trailer bearings have a reputation for going bad and anything that will extend the life would be a good thing. Have seen lots of trailers sitting beside the road with a wheel off.
Click to expand...


that's why you pull the hubs off every year and service the bearings and seals. the seal in back of the hub (on the spindle) is subjected to more punishment than almost anything on the trailer.

dont just pull the hub off and repack the bearings. pull the hub, seal, bearings, clean ALL old grease and debris from everything. clean the spindle especially where the seal rides. repack with grease install new seals, and torque to specs.

if you do this you wont be left stranded. with that said i thought of the turbo lubes but, with most seals leaking some grease, that would drain an oil faster and the bearings would have no protection and then you would be stranded. i know people who carry an extra hub and bearing assy with them while traveling in case the afformentioned stranding happens. be prepared! ski
 
what Ski said!!!!!!!!!!
not a big lover of buddy bearing, e-z lube etc........................
too many people think they are a cure for routine maintince
CLEAN, INSPECT, REPACK AND ADJUST BEARINGS EVERY YEAR OR 8000 MILES,
WHICH EVER COME FIRST! and you wont have a problem IMO
been there done that for too many customer's just got one Saturday!
 
The good thing about Bearing Buddy's is that the pressure prevents moisture entry in the hub -the enemy of the internals. It keeps the seal lubricated and helps it to live longer. It is especially helpful on boat trailers where the wheel is submerged.
It is not a substitute for maintenance, but it does keep the water out and extend the life of the components. Rusting and pitting of the axle where the seal rides is the cause of most of the problems. If a wear ring (Speedi-Sleeve, Redi-Sleeve etc.) is installed on the axle, that is prevented.
 
buddy bearings work great for boats where the water can seep in,
but on a normal trailer I think water is there from condensation.
I have also seen guys blow their seals out from just pumping grease in and to much pressure in the hub blows them out, some times causing axle damage after running them.
KEY factor know what you have, and what the reccomended maintenance is and
THEN DO IT!!
 
"Oil bath" hubs are the worst thing to happen to trailers in a LONG time. What has been said above is true..if you knock a cap off, crack an o-ring your done. The bearing will cook in no time and then you are stranded. I even had a customer's boat trailer catch on fire (!!!!????!!!!) because of one of these things. An added peice of maintenance that nobody mentions is the fact that if the hub isn't completely full of oil (which 90% are designed to run 1/2-3/4 full) then at rest some of the bearing area is unprotected. Now, that's no problem for a week or a month...but on a sled trailer or boat trailer that sits for more then half the year it becomes a big problem. This requires you to rotate the wheels during the storage season...which is a PITA for most of us.

Conversely a greased hub will run 100's of miles with a missing cap and if you do the bare minimum of maintenance you'll be trouble free. The best design for a sled/utility trailer is the Dexter style axle (Karavan uses them) which has the grease fitting on the axle itself and two hole machined behind each bearing. That allows both bearing to be reached by the grease instead of just the front with a bearing buddy.
 
Dexter EZ-LUBE
I agree BUT you still have to clean, inspect and repack for maintenance!!
YOU JUST CANT ADD GREASE WITH-OUT GETTING RID OF THE DIRTY GREASE
you dont just add oil to your motor you change it & filter, and you still can blow the seal out if you go hog wild with a grease gun
 
Snake...you're absolutely correct...but if you're just adding grease during the year the dexter system works great and it won't let you blow the seal out because the front is open (to allow access to the zerk) so any excess grease is pushed to/out the front. Obviously, there is no substitute for a full repack...
 
The entire hub and both bearings are full of pressurized grease with a Bearing Buddy. The spring maintains constant pressure. No air is present which eliminates condensation.
There is a relief hole which prevents excessive pressure.
The hub should be packed entirely full when assembling.

Yes maintenance is still required.
 
good feedback. I was looking for something with less maintenance. I was worried about the oil bath leaking out the backside of the hub, so maybe I'll just keep repacking my bearings every year...

One thing if I did replace my current hubs with turbo lube oil bath hubs I could use the old ones for spares. Unfortunatley, if I burn up a bearing the spindle is probably going to get trashed too, so the hub alone won't be much help.
 
I know all about the the bleed holes and the spring pressure, BUT you still have to put grease in it and I HAVE SEEN CUSTOMER'S BLOW OUT THE SEALS, they just pump and pump and the grease cant get thru the bearings and BLOWS OUT the seal!
http://dexteraxle.com/e_z_lube_system
DEXTER EZ-LUBE AXLE - GREASE GOES THRU SPINDLE COMES OUT HOLE BETWEEN SEAL AND INNER BEARING, Pump slow and feel how much pressure it takes to pump, jacking it up and spinning the wheel helps grease go thru the bearings, pump to fast or create to much pressure and out comes the seal, and if you dont keep the buddy bearings full there will be air pockets!
ALL I am saying is I see it everyday, and trailer bearings need maintenance no matter what kind you run, NOTHING IS MAINTENANCE FREE!
 
Last edited:
True...but you would have to pump like mad!!! Anyways, like you said there is no maintenence free system.

If you need any parts...let me know ;).
 

Attachments

  • Lotsotrailers.jpg
    Lotsotrailers.jpg
    63.1 KB · Views: 2
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top