I have a used trailer that has Dexter ez-lube axles.  I want to lube the axles.  I have read the service manual at Dexter's website. It cautions that one should not mix different grease.  Now, I don't know what's in it so I assume that I need to remove the old grease and start with all new?  Can I just put sufficient amount in to push the old out?

How do I ensure that there is just the new grease in there - the easiest way?

Another thing in the manual, as these are older Dexter axles, is that the lug bolts should be torqued when the wheels are put on the trailer.  Easy enough to do, I think, and the manual seems pretty adamant that it is required.

Finally, I'd like to change the wheels to something nicer looking at some point.  Are there some pitfalls in doing that other than not knowing what to look for (I'm thinking used aluminum wheels)

Thanks.

Don't lube the Dexter eze-lube.

It is far better to pull the wheels, clean and repack the bearings.  Here's a pic of my trailer wheel after I got it from a very helpful seller.  He made sure to lube the axles before I left to bring the trailer home.

Here's an article I wrote on repacking bearings... click to read 

http://mrtrailer.com/hosspullerbrakes.pdf

Oh wow! That resulted from his putting too much grease and having it drip onto the breaks?

So, the eze lubes design is such that ifyou lube use it and add too much grease, it leaks onto the breaks?!  That doesn't sound like a good design.

Your article is great.  I appreciate it.  It answers my other question about the potential damage resulting from mixing types of grease, too. 

The local place charges about $225 to do it. 

Your local place is way too high unless they are including new bearings and dinner for you and ten of your closest friends.

We flat rate packing wheels at $20 per wheel plus a new seal.  Even new bearings on a 3500# axle would not add another $100 to it.

Hosspuller did an excellent job on the article. I've noticed many dealers are switching from EZ Lube Dexters to the Dexter self adjusting brake axle for the same price.

I've had a new trailer with the same problem Hosspuller describes. Dexter greases the EZ Lube in their factory, the trailer manufacture pumps the grease gun a couple times and then the trailer dealer to be sure, pumps a little more grease in. When we tested my new trailer on a Road Simulator for brakes, 3 of the 4 brakes failed rolling resistance.

But on the other hand, I've ordered my last three trailers with EZ Lube. I put around 30,000 miles on my trailers a year. Every 5000 miles, I run one set of axles up on ramps at a time and pump the grease gun 4 to 5 pumps while spinning the wheel. This works for me, I haven't had a trailer wheel bearing go out in decades.

For most folks, I'd recommend what Hosspuller describes in his article, taking the wheel apart, hand packing the bearings and inspecting brake wear, magnets and seals.

New aluminum wheels do need torqued at least every couple hundred miles or more. Aluminum wheels stretch and contract. I check my wheels after a day of driving for several months, when the wheels are new. New trailers have lots of stickers on the fenders about torquing the wheels. NATM is big on the issue. My unofficial survey shows 1/3 of trailer owners will have a wheel come off their trailer from loose lug nugs or bearing failure.

Thanks.  I'm going back and forth between doing it myself so that I learn all about it and having it done.  Hosspuller's article is great.

On the eze lube, if I were to repack everything now following Hosspuller's article (which I think is necessary now), and wanted to give it some pumps during the year, would I be safe in using the ese lube feature if I put it up, spin the wheel and watche to see that there isn't any coming out and am careful to wipe off any that does come out? Or is that already too much?

Thanks for the information on the wheels and toque too. I think I'll keep my ugly old steel wheels and try to make them look a little better. 

I really appreciate all of the information.  This is something that I don't know how I would learn elsewhere.

Thanks!