Which is better? Oil Bath
Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары
#axles #hauling #trailers
Today we dive into oil bath axles and grease axles to see which one is the overall better lubrication system for your trailer.
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So you’re at the trailer lot trying to decide which trailer to buy. And one of the features you have to consider is what type of axle lubrication you want to go with.
What’s the difference? Maybe one option is more expensive, the other easier or you have no clue all together.
I’ll give you the answer right now. If You have a choice, you probably want to go with grease axles. But to tell you why, I’ll need to explain the differences between oil bath and grease axles and give a little history.
Oil bath axles are just that. There’s a bath of oil inside the axle itself that washes over the wheel bearings as you drive down the road. Oil bath axles have a cap on each end that contains oil that lubricates the wheel bearings. Maintenance is amazingly simple on these axles, literally unscrew the cap off and drain the oil, and then fill it back up. This is probably the easier of the two types to upkeep.And honestly they work pretty work great, and it’s very easy to change the oil, but the downsides can be horrendous.
There are two big things we want to watch out for with Oil Bath Axles.
If your oil bath cap, the part of your axle where you can see how much oil is still in your axle, breaks while driving it can be very very bad. Same if you blow out one of the oil seals. We all know oil is flammable and when you introduce friction, that heat can actually ignite the oil from the axle. Plus that axle oil gets all over everything if the cap breaks while you are driving, expanding the area that is now flammable.
Not to mention if it breaks and you are hauling something you are stuck until it is fixed. There is no wiggle room or grace period before things get damaged. If you have an oil bath axle, it would be a good idea to keep a few oil bath caps and some oil on hand just incase you do break one of the caps.
So if you guessed that grease axles don’t have this problem, you’re right. If your grease cap gets broken or the seal is damaged, your grease doesn’t leak out. Worst case scenario, you get some water or dirt in them, but you have ample time to fix it before something is damaged.
Maintenance can be one of the downsides to this type of axle if you have an older style of grease axle. You have to break down your hub and get to the spindle itself to properly change out the grease. It’s not that hard, especially after doing it a few times, but it is time consuming. You only have to do this once or twice a year, unless you broke your zerk fitting or lost the cap to it and now you have trash and gunk in the grease. But overall its only a once or twice a year thing. If you have one of the newer grease axle with easy lube or direct lube technology, the maintenance is actually a piece of cake. You simply pop the center rubber plug out, put a grease gun on the zerk fitting and fill with grease until the cavity is full. Replace the rubber plug and you’re good to go
Another minor downside to grease axlex can be that if you live in extreme clients, it takes a little longer for the grease to warm up in freezing temperatures.
In the past Grease just wasn’t as good at preventing wear and keeping grit in the suspension away from the metal-on-metal contact points, but now it is the go to for most haulers.
In the past Oil Bath was the type to go with because in the past oil lubricated better than the grease, but with recent advancements in this technology there have been improvements making it the go to choice for most.
But Why one over the other?
This question is really about safety and repairs.
Both types of axles work for what they are made to do, but the differences are night and day if you have a problem on the road.
The Grease axle, isn’t flammable, won’t leave you high and dry if a seal breaks and with the recent advancements in this technology, is the go too for most haulers.
So in my opinion, if at all possible go with a grease axle. Less chance for trouble and you’re not gonna be left high and dry waiting on parts slash repairs, and on the plus side, you don’t run the risk in a worst case scenario of a potential axle fire.
Hey! If you liked this video, let us know. Hit the like button, smash the subscribe button and incase you missed it, we dropped a pre-trip inspection video that might be a great video to watch next.
We’ll see you in the next video!
Пікірлер: 85
As a car hauler that does 3 to 4000 miles a week I would recommend oil bath I had multiple issues with grease bearings and grease axles it takes too long for everything maintenance wise and had to replace them every 5 to 10,000 miles not worth spending the money on Grease use the money to buy yourself oil bath
@jumpinglenin
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah I’m doing 10-13k miles a month. It’s not worth doing the grease bearings every. 3-4 weeks. I’m switching to oil and put cameras under the trailer to see if seals go out. I can see the outer cap and I’ll check at every stop which is every 3-5 hours. Carrying extra seals, bearings, caps and oil for anything that pops up on the road. Just way easier.
When I saw this video, I was exactly asking the question you answered, so thanks!
@stacyreid5077
2 жыл бұрын
You’re welcome. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you
Thanks man, You are a legend
LOVE TO LEARN-THANKS
He didn't cover all the scenarios. I have 5 trailers...all grease except my boat trailer which has "reliable" brand oil bath hubs on it (ez loader trailer). Love these hubs for marine applications. you can see through the cap to see if the oil is contaminated with water. (can't do this with grease). oil bath also runs a little cooler as well. The trailer is a a 2005 and I bought it in 2009. had a broken cap on it when i got it (I was able to tell because oil was getting contaminated.) I replaced cap in 2009 and haven't had any problems since and it is now 2021. We just rebuilt the hubs (new inner seals, new oil, bearings were still good). Anyway, if you can get them on your boat trailer I highly recommend. No guessing to whether or not they have had water intrusion.
@jeremyvandenbosch5114
2 жыл бұрын
replace all your grease hubs with oil bath hubs!!!
@juston3441
Жыл бұрын
I agree 100%
Just to clarify - Wheel bearing grease IS combustible just like oil. While its not "flammable" it can still catch fire if it drips or gets sprayed onto hot brakes. So your statement while somewhat right is not true. BOTH can catch fire.
Semi trucks and heavy haulers use oil bath for a reason. Oil also runs much cooler than grease. With proper maint and pre trip inspections you shouldn't have any issues with oil.
@tonypaz3985
2 жыл бұрын
👍
@mikem5475
2 жыл бұрын
The trailers that semis pull aren't oil bath
@AB-mg5sx
2 жыл бұрын
48 ft trailer my semi pulls is oil bath
@mikem5475
2 жыл бұрын
I have yet to see one that was oil bath, worked as a trailer mechanic for a year. We would do at least one trailer per day per person, empty the old grease and pump new into the hubs. All fedex trailers are grease
@AB-mg5sx
2 жыл бұрын
@@mikem5475 so the correct statement would be, not all semi trailers are oil bath
Great vid.
They both have their place. For most people using most trailers that are infrequently used, grease is fine probably a better idea. For guys doing 2,000+ miles a week hauling OTR keeping up with the maintenance interval is a bit more of a chore with grease.
Thanks brother for doing this great video but I myself prefer fallowing the manual manufacture book it’s to much risk,
A huge point was missed here. When seals break down over time, the grease seals will hold the grease in better and "sweat" longer. Oil hubs will usally go from sweating to leaking really fast. I ran hotshot with 8k grease torsion axles and used the EZ lube system for swapping Grease usually every 15-20k until my seals began to sweat. Then I would do a full repack. Never had any issues. I run Schaeffer's grease. Much better product than lucus Red & Tacky for longevity and extreme climates.
I love this movie.
What is the best grease fitting to use so you do not have to repack the bearings all of the time? Thanks....Dave
Does every oil bath hub needs to have a breather? Friction creates heat and pressure in a closed system like a hub?
@martypeterson9214
3 жыл бұрын
That's why you only fill it half full the air space allows for the oil to expand.
@stacyreid5077
2 жыл бұрын
That’s what I was told too. Thank you for reaching out to us and reminding me
Oh grease definitely gets out of the cap is damaged. I had a rubber cap that I didn’t realize was dry rotted. We got to our destination after driving a couple hours and one of the trailer wheels was coated in red grease. Did it destroy the bearings and spindle? No, there was still some lubricstion. But had we driven 4 or 6 hours? Who knows.
And getting a vortex hub assembly on the road is next to impossible
They don't make a metal cover for trailer axels with oil baths? My work truck is a Kenworth T440 and the steers are oil bath. All metal housing with a screw on cap. Super simple to maintain and never seen one fail that did not have MANY mile on it.
@shermanhemsley2906
2 жыл бұрын
Yes, Valcrum makes aluminum ones. They're about $200/set
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
@@shermanhemsley2906 is correct, that's for a set of 4. Even Amazon sells them.
I am broke down because of my oil bath seal went out drained all my oil out not good going back to bearing buddies Greece.I went down a huge he'll break Scott hot took my seal out and all my oil leaked out not good.
If a seal goes bad grease will leak out once the bearings heat up and it IS flammable. However it will leak out slower, and is less flammable than oil. Another pro for grease os that the seals wont dry out over time of the trailer sits. Oil seals can dry out if not used regularly and spring a massive leak once they're put back in use.
@jordanhoesley1901
3 жыл бұрын
I just would like to clarify the fire issue. About 90% of all semis and semi trailers use oil bath axles if you see a semi trailer tire on fire or burning up it is because the brakes started the fire not the oil from the hub.
@MrChadx1
3 жыл бұрын
I agree with Jordan. While theoretically possible, you just don't see oil bath systems catching fire. Non-issue and not even worth mentioning as a consideration in choosing between greased and oil bath.
@stacyreid5077
2 жыл бұрын
Miss matched tires or tires that are under pressurized next to a fully pressured up tire heat up and blow out or catch fire
I bought two new trailers this summer one in June and one in September! One with 8k axels the other 10k duals . I could not find any with grease hubs only oils bath . The first trailer that stupid plastic cap broke In the first week . How can I changed them to grease ?
@kiradelong9698
3 жыл бұрын
Short answer you can’t. The amount of money and work you’d have in it to swap them to grease you coils of bought a trailer honestly .
@nathan00campbell
3 жыл бұрын
my 40k step deck is oil bath. it sees only short trips and low millage. due to this oil bath is a bad idea. So for guys like you and me, it's a simple answer. Take the hub off. get a bearing packer (uses greases gun pressure to pack bearings), pack the oil bath bearings (inner and outer) with grease, add enough to fill the void between the inner and outer bearings about 1/2 way in the hub, replace hub, properly set the retaining nut as you would if it were still oil bath, add again enough grease to fill about 1/2 of the plastic cap. reinstall cap. check again for issues after first use (freeplay) if good remember to do all of this again in about 30k miles or annually.
@markdavis9510
3 жыл бұрын
We've got both at work. Both setups are nice. Oil is easy to replace and so is the cap and seal. Really easy.
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
Get Valcrum aluminum caps. You trailer manufaturer cheaped out on you...the aluminum caps are only $50 each.
Get rid of those crappy plastic caps. Aluminum caps are the way to go. Also, I have run both types for 100's of thousands of miles and those damn friction fit grease caps ALWAYS come off. Grease everywhere and same problem, bearings are scewed because of all the debris that got into the grease since you didn't know the cap come off 400 miles back. Bottom line is whatever you go wtih, there will be problems just keep an eye on stuff and keep spares.
Thank you for the information both my flatbed gooseneck trailers are oil bath which I thought was great till now. Is there kits made to swap them out
@AllAboutTrailers
4 жыл бұрын
It would be an axle swap, what size axles do you have?
@stacyreid5077
4 жыл бұрын
All About Trailers 12k lb axles on each
@AllAboutTrailers
4 жыл бұрын
@@stacyreid5077 So , 10,12 & 15K axles in a grease format are only sold by one company right now on their trailers. Its very new to the market on higher rated axles. and actually it is Texas Pride Trailers. They are the only ones in the market right now that makes that type of axles in 10,12 & 15 from my knowledge.
@AllAboutTrailers
4 жыл бұрын
@@stacyreid5077 But keep some extra caps and some oil with you at all times and you should be be fine!
@stacyreid5077
4 жыл бұрын
All About Trailers well my 25' dual tandem is a 1997 model that I mainly use to haul my John Deere 450E long track with a cage and a 6 way blade plus 30 ton Tulsa Winch
Anyone ever replace the oil with grease ?
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
*crickets*.....there's are reason semi trucks use oil bath. If you are using your trailer for "work" get oil. If your trailer is for play or sits for long periods(meaning weeks, not months) get grease. The grease keeps everything lubricated during periods of downtime and is better at keeping the seals pliable. But everything that is mentioned in the video as a negactive for oil also applies to grease to a greater or lesser degree. So get the type of lubrication based on your frequency of use.
i would take the grease anytime
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
Lol...if you run your trailer 100k miles a year you wouldn't...EVER.
@maximejette7674
8 ай бұрын
@@MoragTong_ I'm the grease men for a big rig company...and let me tell you...I would take grease all day
That plastic cap is pretty cheesy looking. Would be nice if the trailers used hubs off of pickup truck axles. A hub off of a 14 bolt or dana 70 would last 20 yrs without leaking.
@stacyreid5077
2 жыл бұрын
I agree that the plastic covers aren’t my fav but I know that they are pretty thick
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
They make Aluminum caps...really nice ones actually that have a hex screw to do oil changes, so you don't even have to remove the cap. Only cheap trailers come with those crappy plastic ones.
@rangerismine
8 ай бұрын
@@MoragTong_ That sounds like the way to go.
you forgot, oil bath axles can actually cause rust pitting on the wheel bearings when the trailer sits for long times.
@martypeterson9214
3 жыл бұрын
Nathan your wrong with your assumption, I worked for a trailer manufacturer that has used oil bath hubs for many years, as part of our boat show display we had a hub set up that was filled with a 50/50 oil and water mix to show what water polluted oil would look like in the sight glass, this demo was used for 10 days a year then sat untouched in the back of my office, it would sit for so long that the oil and water would separate, after 5 years I took it apart and after cleaning the oil off the bearings you could not tell them apart from brand new bearings off the part shelf.
@bakervinci163
2 жыл бұрын
Then why do several boat trailer companies no longer use oil bath hubs anymore ?
@nathan00campbell
2 жыл бұрын
@@martypeterson9214 my experience as an over the road truck driver, (owner operator) for the last 20 years says otherwise. Im the one having to do all my own work and buy all my own parts. So i dont care how your show room trailer acted. Thanks though.
@nathan00campbell
2 жыл бұрын
@@bakervinci163 exactly
Why can’t there be both. Greased bearings filled with oil. Why isn’t that a thing. ?..
Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh .
Like si veniste a jalartela.
this guy does not know what hes talking about! it was the grease hubs that caught fire back then. it is grease that is next to impossible to regulate and inspect without completely tearing down the hubs. oil is far superior and always will be,
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
Exactly. If you are doing regular maintencae and inspections, oil is far superior. Grease allows people to put off/ignore the maintenance intervals until its too late. Every trailer I see on the side of the road with hub/bearing problems is a grease setup.
There's more grease hubs broke down on the interstate than oil. Every 15k your supposed to repack bearing. People forget how many miles on the bearing.
@MoragTong_
8 ай бұрын
Ding Ding Ding. Exactly! More importantly they're supposed to REPLACE the grease. Meaning clean all that old crap out of there and repack...no one does this because it's a PITA. Oil is the way to go if you use your trailer alot, but infrequently used trailer owners often forget how long it's been and fail to do the maintenance on grease, so more failures.