Has anyone tried the oil bath conversion kits??? - Diesel Forum

KentuckyDiesel · 05-11-2006, 08:32 AM

I've seen some kits from Kodiak which replace the inner wheel seal and the dust cap in order to use oil rather than grease in the hubs on a trailer. Has anyone tried these? What is the good and bad?

-Phillip

Albin · 05-11-2006, 09:09 AM

I was just looking on the Dexter site yesterday for info on my previous u-bolt banging issue.

They don't recommend an oil bath axle for trailers that will sit for long periods of time. They said the oil will drain down, leaving portions uncovered and rust.

Go to Dexter.com main page and click on the *.pdf manual on the lower left. It should be in there somewhere.

Thanks,

Al

LMJD · 05-11-2006, 10:13 AM

Stemco's have been popular on semi-trailers and heavy truck front axles for years. I don't know if they make a set for smaller trailer axles nowdays, but seems like I came across a company a while back that does. As far as Dexter not recommending them, they must looking at an absolute worst case situation. It's about impossible for 90-140 gear lube to totally drain off the top half of your bearings and have them rust. No different than your rear end ring and pinon gears if your truck sits a long period of time. I've been around the Stemco hubs for years on some equipment that mostly sits, and stuff that covers the miles and to me they're the only way to go. Wish I had them on my three trailers. They're trouble-free and you don't have to worry about keeping up with packing your wheel bearings. Except for the small red center fill plug, they have a transparent plastic outer cover so you always know where your hub oil level is.

LongRider · 05-11-2006, 11:39 AM

Oil bath is superior to grease-packing in every way, but one.

On trailer hubs that only have the capacity of the hub to hold oil, and no reservoir, such as a hollow axle-tube, if a leak develops, they will run theirselves dry between fuel stops.

I have oil-bath on all my trailers; but, I built the axles myself and they hold oil all the way across, about two and a half gallons worth.

If I have a factory-built oil-bath axle, I fill the hubs with straight STP, as it will stay in there much better, should a leak develop.

There are those that will fire up and say that they have never had an oil-bath to leak; but, they probably stay on good roads and never have to back into a Kentucky weed-infested, junk-strewn barn lot full of old discarded electric-fence wire and miles of grass-string that will wind around an axle and destroy the seal.

LMJD · 05-11-2006, 01:14 PM

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There are those that will fire up and say that they have never had an oil-bath to leak;

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Well that would be me. Years as a heavy truck mechanic, plus driving a low-bed, logging truck, and slam-bangs, the worst I've seen is a very slight leakage a couple times over a 30+ year period. And that was never the double lipped inner seal, usually just around the rubber fill plug. With a backing plate, brake shoes, etc, in the way how is wire, or string going to get inside the drum let alone anywhere near the inner seal????
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and no reservoir, such as a hollow axle-tube, if a leak develops, they will run theirselves dry between fuel stops

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If you take a look, even on hollow axle tube trailers, the hub fill level line is WAY lower than the tube so none of the oil gets in the tube anyway.

KentuckyDiesel · 05-11-2006, 02:36 PM

So they are worthwhile, assuming the oil doesn't leak out.

LMJD, I don't know if you saw the before picture of my horse trailer, but I have done a lot of work to it in the past month to get it presentable and safe, so I won't be dragging wheels, tires, or fenders across anything that would break or knock loose an oil cap.

Anyhow, they are hayes 5200lb drop axles so there really wouldn't be any way to have oil anywhere besides the hub itself without putting a 4" lift with new axles on the trailer.

Sounds like oil level is easy to check, and even if a leak did happen, a spare bearing, a quart of gear oil, and a tube of silicone should get a person back on the road with much less mess than grease.

-Phillip

KentuckyDiesel · 05-11-2006, 03:23 PM

I just checked Stemco's website. It looks like they only have the bolt on caps, not the tap-in like I have.

-phillip

LongRider · 05-11-2006, 06:01 PM

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With a backing plate, brake shoes, etc, in the way how is wire, or string going to get inside the drum let alone anywhere near the inner seal????

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Believe me, I wish it couldn't; but, when eight or ten or two hundred feet of the stuff starts winding around the axle, it will work it's way in there and wrap tighter than a John Deere hay roll. 
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If you take a look, even on hollow axle tube trailers, the hub fill level line is WAY lower than the tube so none of the oil gets in the tube anyway.

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I can't say for factory axles; but, my fill level is dead-center with the axle-tube centerline, if I use the ones in the center of the hubs.

If I use the fill-plugs on top of the axles, I can put in quite a bit more.

LMJD · 05-11-2006, 07:24 PM

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It looks like they only have the bolt on caps, not the tap-in like I have.

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Good to hear from you Old Buddy. OK, that would mean they still don't make them for small tlrs and trucks. The biggies all have bolt on covers, even the front wheels, but maybe the Kodiaks are just as high quality but for smaller applications.