Check your oil bath axles

[Cattletrkr]

I've never owned a trailer with anything other than oil bath axles and I'm pretty good about checking the oil level. A couple weeks ago I did a little more than a quick glance. Something didn't look right. I pulled the cover off and there was no oil in there!!! The oil that I thought I was seeing was nothing more than sludge built up on the cover. More or less completely dry. I changed the oil in all four and did it again today. The other three were filthy, but at least they had oil in them. Never saw any leaks so I'm really not sure where the oil went. No evidence of a leak on the inside of the rim either.

The trailer has about 80K on it and the axles have never been serviced other than the occassional brake adjustment. Did that again today and the pads are still 50% on the more worn side.

I imagine on a trailer being towed with an automatic and no exhaust brake, the oil gets changed often enough with brake jobs that it's not a problem.

After seeing that 1/2 spoonful of sludge slide out of the first hub, I'm amazed I still have 4 hubs on the trailer. Yuck!

 

[jelag]

We have several trucks and trailers that have oil bath axles.....

We change this oil every year..... Two weeks ago I was at a customers location where I noticed a trailer without oil showing in the window... . I pointed it out to the owner who really didn't seem to care... . Its so simple to pull that rubber plug and check the level and or add.....

 

[tgordon]

Mechanic I used to work with at the JD dealer was a truck mechanic before that and they always put ATF fluid in the hubs and he swears by. Does it on his own trailers(Semi). Said customers would complian about how thin it was and that it would leak out. His boses response was if it is leaking out you need to replace the seal and they had never had a bearing go out in millions of miles.



Troy

 

[PToombs]

Another good thing is to make sure the little vent hole in the middle of the plug is clean and open. I've seen them plugged and pushing oil out.

 

[TX Gooseneck]

If you pull heavy it will sludge up the oil sooner. Treat your trailer axles like you do with your truck and plan on changing every 15-30k whether it needs it or not.

 

[Cattletrkr]

The sad thing is I think it takes less than a quart for all four of them and about 1/2 hour time. Such potential for a huge mess if left alone and Dexter more or less says, "oil change???"