Hub seals

[zelmo]

In another thread I was asking questions about converting oil bath hubs to grease. I may have figured out my problem but wanted to start a new thread to ask a specific question about seals.

It appears that the correct inner seal for the UFP Gold Series hubs has a metal body with a double-lip seal. I won't be sure until I pull the hub off and look but after trying to cross reference part numbers it appears that what was installed is a TIEDOWN triple lip all rubber seal for UFP hubs. Dimensionally they are the same but they obviously are a different seal.

Could that be the cause of water intrusion?

[SoonerFan]

I can’t say anything about your unique situation other than to say that the TDE triple lip seals are the only ones that keep the grease on on side and the water on the other on my TDI hubs. I’ve had great service from them.

[zelmo]

Ok. Maybe they are better suited for grease than oil?

[Lightning 6]

UFP seals are different than other brands, double lipped and spring loaded. Cannot comment on other manufacturers...but I only use OEM UFP parts. Call Skip at Waymires. He is the most knowledgeable person on UFP hubs.

[Bob G.]

UFP seals are different than other brands, double lipped and spring loaded. Cannot comment on other manufacturers...but I only use OEM UFP parts. Call Skip at Waymires. He is the most knowledgeable person on UFP hubs.

I use all UFP parts for my UFP hubs including the Trailer Buddy grease bearing protectors. Waymires has just about anything you would want for UFP hubs and brakes. Very easy to work on.

[Bob G.]

Ok. Maybe they are better suited for grease than oil?

UFP hubs all use the same type double lipped spring loaded inner seal regardless of the lubricant, oil or grease. There is a reason why UFP stopped putting oil bath hubs on boat trailers. That being said, I know a few people with older trailers with UFP oil bath hubs that never had any problems. I wasn't so lucky and learned a lot converting all 4 hubs from oil to grease including removing/installing the DB35 calipers, replacing the actuator and bleeding the brakes.

[zelmo]

I wasn't so lucky and learned a lot converting all 4 hubs from oil to grease including removing/installing the DB35 calipers, replacing the actuator and bleeding the brakes.

Truth be told it is the brakes that have me hoping that I can get this resolved without pulling the hubs off. I have the manual for the brakes and have been figuring that out because I think it is inevitable.

[Ranger519VS]

Zelmo, I can't conceive of any way you can convert your oil bath hubs to grease without removing the hubs. You could maybe do it if the spindle were drilled and had a zerk fitting on the end so you could pump grease into the back of the hub but an oil bath hub wouldn't have anything like that.

[Bob G.]

Give up a little fishing now and learn to do it while at home instead of along the road without proper tools and parts. You won't need to bleed the brakes for removing the calipers and letting them hang from the trailer with a piece of wire. Really good time to inspect the brake pads, lube the slider pins and inspect all bearings/races.

[zelmo]

I know a few people with older trailers with UFP oil bath hubs that never had any problems.

Until last year I was one of them. I have had the rig since new and never had a problem. I found the sight very helpful to gauge when to change the oil. Last year I got water intrusion in one and knew seals needed to be changed. I took it to a shop to have that done and the brakes serviced. Unfortunately I now have water intrusion in both hubs.

I actually got the bearing buddies to make the conversion but keep hoping that I don’t have to do it.

That is why I started this thread. The description of the inner seal that was used says that it is for UFP hubs. If that seal is a problem I will need to change it even if I convert to grease.

[zelmo]

Well, here is an update. In an effort to pinpoint my problem I put fresh oil in both hubs. On one of them I knocked off the cap and reinstalled it using permetex. I went to a ramp that is about 20 miles from me. When I got there I felt the wheels and hubs; they were warm but not "hot". After I launched I used an flashlight to get a good look at the oil and there was no sign of water intrusion in either. I looked again after I took out and still no sign of water.

When I got home the oil in the hub that I had used the permetex on was discolored. The other one was not. From that I can deduce that the water is not coming in through the cap but the inner seal. It took the ride home to work past the bearings and to be visible through the sight on the outside. I don't have a clue why I had a problem on one and not the other.

I will bite the bullet and order new seals.

[SoonerFan]

Zelmo, I can feel for you. I have a single axle trailer that the left side is as trouble free as can be. The right side (the side that is tight up against the wall in my garage and hard to work on) is always slinging grease. I changed the seals and the brands of grease and even the wear sleeve. It's the side that's always troublesome...even threw the grease cap off one time. It's doing okay for the past year and I don't want to even touch it to repack my bearings.

[zelmo]

Give up a little fishing now and learn to do it while at home instead of along the road without proper tools and parts. You won't need to bleed the brakes for removing the calipers and letting them hang from the trailer with a piece of wire. Really good time to inspect the brake pads, lube the slider pins and inspect all bearings/races.

I am doing my homework, but the instructions I have found seem to assume you know a little about what you are doing. I don't. Something simple I don't see is whether you need to remove the brake pads to remove the DB35 calipers.

Can someone answer this?

[SoonerFan]

I am doing my homework, but the instructions I have found seem to assume you know a little about what you are doing. I don't. Something simple I don't see is whether you need to remove the brake pads to remove the DB35 calipers.

Can someone answer this?

Can't speak to your specific brand but mine all you have to do is remove the two slide pins that go into the backing plate and then just pull the whole caliper up and off. The pads usually fall out on their own. Be sure and don't let your caliper dangle on the brake line, strap it up with a bungee or something like that.

There is a whole bunch of this basic brake and bearing kind of info on YouTube. It helps me be an expert on all kinds of stuff.

[zelmo]

There is a whole bunch of this basic brake and bearing kind of info on YouTube. It helps me be an expert on all kinds of stuff.

Yes, but very little on the UFP DB35 specifically.

Edit: I did find a video that answered my question.

[Bob G.]

Do not need to remove the pads when removing the calipers. Just remove the 2 flange bolts and hang the caliper with some heavy wire from the trailer frame.

[zelmo]

It took a while but I finally figured out that the wire clips are called disc brake retainers/anti-rattle clamps. No need to mess with them unless I change the pads?

[zelmo]

I am getting there.

I got the brake calipers off and the hub. The seal was the all rubber seal and is definitely the source of the problem as there is oil all over the backside of the hub. It is also on the brakes. The inside brake pad is wet with oil from the hubs while the outside is dry.

What needs to be done with this? Do I replace the pads that only have a couple hundred miles on them or can they be wiped off and dried?

[SoonerFan]

You can clean them with brake cleaner spray or buy some new ones if they look completely saturated with oil.

[zelmo]

Thank you. Do brake pads absorb the oil or is it just surface contamination?