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Oil Bath bearings or Grease bearings for 5th wheel?

Had Semi trailers with oil bath no issues outside of a leak occasionally . I liked the clear ones so you could visually inspect the oil level . That being said I have a 2013 15 k 5th wheel with at least 50 k miles on it , grease bearings never an issue . Just hand pack them . I do it every other year .
 
Yup, the semi trailer stuff is very good because it has to be.

The parts on RV's, which is more consumer grade, is more prone to leaks, be messy and require maintenance. Been there, done that. Went to packed bearings and never looked back.

Dexter used to be capable of building good oil bath axles but more recently they seem to struggle. It's definitely more hit and miss nowadays.
 
Have oil bath on my boat trailer. No issues for the past 4 years.
 
Do you think that the reason Dexter now has a bad track record on oil bath bearing setups is that they are using china seals and bearings on them. I have found part # National 370219A for the rear seal along with the Valcrum ST-2875 aluminum hub cover, do you think putting in a better seal would have a better result in the long run, just my thoughts.

The reason I ask is for the ease of maintenance and not having to lift the wheels/drums or discs off and on due to having bilateral shoulder replacements due to my military service
 
BighornHDRam said:
Do you think that the reason Dexter now has a bad track record on oil bath bearing setups is that they are using china seals and bearings on them. I have found part # National 370219A for the rear seal along with the Valcrum ST-2875 aluminum hub cover, do you think putting in a better seal would have a better result in the long run, just my thoughts.

The reason I ask is for the ease of maintenance and not having to lift the wheels/drums or discs off and on due to having bilateral shoulder replacements due to my military service
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idk, maybe. I know I've seen them that the only fix was to install a Scotseal which is a bit expensive. I question their bearing preload process. Once "properly" installed and set, the bearings will actually be a bit loose. I don't think that helps.
 
I converted the hubs on my last two fifth wheels to oil and never had an issue. I also installed clear caps on the hubs to make it easier to monitor the oil levels and used Timken seals. While have stainless steel wheel liners installed, I remove the liners' center caps when travelling. Check the oil at each fuel and rest stop. Never a leak. When stationary, I spin the wheels every couple of months to insure the bearings stay coated with oil. With disc brakes I don't have to pull the hubs to check the pad linings. Replace the oil every other year using synthetic gear oil. In this photo I also replaced the spring bushings.


IMG_1229.jpg
 
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