I have been a long time reader and now want to ask a question. Does anybody use the oil bath lubricated trailer bearings? I have seen a setup for boat trailer hubs and I was wondering if this has shown up in the horse trailer industry.

Thanks

Thanks for the reply.

I agree with your assessment. I am a Mobil lubricant engineer and with the synthetic grease you can rest easy with an annual grease packing. However Mobil makes a synthetic semi-fliud that is used in oil bath trailer hubs that have leaky seals and it works geat. It is called Mobilith SHC 007. I think that if it became cost effective to have an oil bath bearing lube system for trailer bearings I would definitely change.    

Reg, I think you are talking about the Dexter Nevr-Lube axles, which have been available for several years.  They don't seem to be catching on, and I can understand why.  They are expensive, and the bearing capsules are replaced as a unit.  If you have a problem on the road, the chances of finding a replacement are very slim, and the  hub won't accept normal bearings and races, etc.

Most of the heavier axles are oil bath, from 8000# on up.  However, we frequently pack oil bath axles in grease for our customers.  For local use, it pretty much eliminates the leak problem and the task of checking the oil level frequently.  Oil bath axles do run cooler on long road trips, however.

I really like oil bath hubs for a trailer that is used quit often. Generally the only difference in the hubs is the fact that the oil bath requires a hub with threads so a threaded oil cap can be screwed into it. This is only with the 8,000 pound and lower axles though, all the 9,000 pound and up have the threaded cap in them. We changed the 10,000# dexter hubs on our car trailer from grease lubrication to oil, only thing we had to do was clean all the grease from the hub, spindle, and bearings then use 90 weight gear oil in them.

Only draw back with oil lube I have seen is when a trailer sits over time, the top of the spindle and bearings are not lubricated unless you spin the wheels every so often. Grease is always on the internal parts.

I have no experience with the never lube type hubs mentioned, they do seem like they would be really nice. Do they have grease or oil in them?

Howdy All,

Just a quick note on oil bath vs. grease-- I have oil bath hubs on one of our goosenecks.  They are 8,000# Dexter axles.  Trucking livestock for a living I was looking for heavy duty, low maintenance, and ease of use-- The oil bath hubs only provided the heavy duty part.  They are a pain and not only cost more money to start with, but more money to maintain, especially if a leaking seal is not cought right away and has time to soak your brake shoes with gear lube.  They are heavy duty, but unless you have a heated shop and alot of time on your hands, I'd stick with grease hubs for 98% of folks out there.  P.S.  I just ordered a new trailer, and it does NOT have oil bath hubs,  And keep in mind which horse you tie anywhere near those wheels, those plastic caps can get "pawed" off real quick!  Oh yeah, one more thing, never reuse your old wheel seal, so any time you want to get into your brakes to have a look, or fix something... you can count on at LEAST a $20 seal.