Dexter Axle Upgrade Options - To EZ or NevR Lube Design

[Geronimo John]

This thread is a follow-up thread of John & Debbie's 3500 pound vs. 5200 pound axles on a LE2.  In this thread my intent is to discuss the type of lubrication system/processes that Dexter offers in axles for out OTT's.

Old school is the tried and proven manual annual cleaning and greasing of axle bearings with a seal replacement.  Yes an annual PITA.

Then Dexter began making their EZ-Lube and NevRLube axle lubrication systems.  They apparently have stopped offering the old school design.  So if you want a new axle it will be EZ or NevRLube designs.  

With many owners choosing to retrofit their Ollies with the 5200's, it was stated that there have been zero failures of the new NevRLube axles.  This simply is not an informed statement.  There has not been a lot of knowledge in our area, but for other trailer designs the NevRLube' S were a disaster.  

Both designs have their challenges.  Here are some opinions from outside our egg shell:   

https://www.gdrvowners.com/forum/operation/suspension-amp-brakes/95041-dexter-nev-r-lube/page2

So what are your thoughts as they apply to our OTT's specifically?

GJ

 

Edited June 12 by Geronimo John

[jd1923]

On 6/7/2025 at 3:47 PM, Geronimo John said:

Then Dexter began making their EZ-Lube and NevRLube axle lubrication systems.  They apparently have stopped offering the old school design.  So if you want a new axle it will be EZ or NevRLube designs.

Is there any knowledge or do our forum members have opinions on this subject? After 26 pages of comment re leaf springs I’m disappointed not a word here! This is equally important.

I read the entire 5-page link GJ provided, when he posted a few weeks ago. I could not see on that forum that they achieved consensus.

Maybe somebody can show how Nev-R Lube lives up to their claim. Keep in mind it’s Dexter. Some have seen failures in 1 year, others 5 max, it cannot be never!

I will be at Alcan Spring today. I will purchase their HD springs, shackles and wet bolts. I cannot have 5200 lb axles installed since I need 50” and they stock 50.5” that most later hulls need.

I will ask why +/- 0.5” matters. I will ask their opinion on new EZ or Nev-R bearings a why they decided to stock kind. Maybe they can drop-ship me the correct axles.

Or maybe I can get a good used set of 5200 lb axles, with tried and true conical bearings, any length and have them cut and welded to size, bolt on new bearing/brake assemblies. We’ll see.

I don’t believe in annual bearing service anyway. Annual inspection yes, but  when bearings are cleaned and packed correctly they will last 3-5 years with average mileage. I replaced bearings with Timken 2 years ago. I’ll open one up to see next summer and will post pics.

If anybody wants to learn the correct method, let me know and I will start a new post. Most of you will prefer the claim of EZ or Nev-R when you don’t work this service yourself.

I didn’t want Alcan to work my installation anyway. That would take all the fun out of it! 🤣

Edited Wednesday at 02:13 PM by jd1923

[rich.dev]

18 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

If anybody wants to learn the correct method, let me know and I will start a new post. 

John, I’m a fan of your handiwork/DUI projects, so yeees please go ahead and start a new post. Thanks! 

[CRM]

13 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

Is there any knowledge or do our forum members have opinions on this subject? After 26 pages of comment re leaf springs I’m disappointed not a word here! This is equally important.

I read the entire 5-page link GJ provided, when he posted a few weeks ago. I could not see on that forum that they achieved consensus.

Maybe somebody can show how Nev-R Lube lives up to their claim. Keep in mind it’s Dexter. Some have seen failures in 1 year, others 5 max, it cannot be never!

I will be at Alcan Spring today. I will purchase their HD springs, shackles and wet bolts. I cannot have 5200 lb axles installed since I need 50” and they stock 50.5” that most later hulls need.

I will ask why +/- 0.5” matters. I will ask their opinion on new EZ or Nev-R bearings a why they decided to stock kind. Maybe they can drop-ship me the correct axles.

Or maybe I can get a good used set of 5200 lb axles, with tried and true conical bearings, any length and have them cut and welded to size, bolt on new bearing/brake assemblies. We’ll see.

I don’t believe in annual bearing service anyway. Annual inspection yes, but  when bearings are cleaned and packed correctly they will last 3-5 years with average mileage. I replaced bearings with Timken 2 years ago. I’ll open one up to see next summer and will post pics.

If anybody wants to learn the correct method, let me know and I will start a new post. Most of you will prefer the claim of EZ or Nev-R when you don’t work this service yourself.

I didn’t want Alcan to work my installation anyway. That would take all the fun out of it! 🤣

I have the EZ lube 5200 axles but never use the EZ lube feature. I could be wrong, but I don't think they're any different than the old school axles other that the grease fitting on the end the drilled section to allow the grease to flow to the bearings. If I were forced to use a Nev-R-Lube axle I would pull the factory bearings from the get-go and replace them with high quality Timken bearings. The bearings used the Nev-R-Lube hubs are the same used in some production cars and I would expect them to go at least 80-100k without any issues. Could be wrong there too though since a loaded LE2 weighs a lot more than production cars do... 

[jd1923]

11 minutes ago, rich.dev said:

John, I’m a fan of your handiwork/DUI projects, so yeees please go ahead and start a new post. Thanks! 

Thanks, Rich! Will do after we return home in a couple weeks.

[jd1923]

11 minutes ago, CRM said:

I have the EZ lube 5200 axles but never use the EZ lube feature. I could be wrong, but I don't think they're any different than the old school axles other that the grease fitting on the end the drilled section to allow the grease to flow to the bearings. If I were forced to use a Nev-R-Lube axle I would pull the factory bearings from the get-go and replace them with high quality Timken bearings. The bearings used the Nev-R-Lube hubs are the same used in some production cars and I would expect them to go at least 80-100k without any issues. Could be wrong there too though since a loaded LE2 weighs a lot more than production cars do... 

Excellent info! I’ll see what Alcan reps say about this.

[CRM]

46 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

I will ask why +/- 0.5” matters.

I wonder if it would be possible for them to relocate the center alignment hole on the spring 1/4 inch on each side to make up the difference?  

[Geronimo John]

On 6/25/2025 at 4:29 AM, CRM said:

I have the EZ lube 5200 axles but never use the EZ lube feature. I could be wrong, but I don't think they're any different than the old school axles other that the grease fitting on the end the drilled section to allow the grease to flow to the bearings.

Certainly for many folks not towing a 6,000 pound OE2 with a full size TV.   For the OE2 Team, I suspect that the weights are actually quite close between the total Ollie Weight (Loaded, unhitched) and the weight of our loaded TV's.    

I think you are spot on with the design of the EZ lube axles.  For me the jury is still out.  But my engineering mind says (Without a preponderance of evidence to the contrary) that I would lean towards the EZ.  Then continue my full service to something like every other year if nothing else than to check in on the brakes. 

As I have at least another year on our existing 3500's, I am looking forward to JD's post on this thread about what he learns at ALCAN.

GJ  

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Geronimo John

[John Dorrer]

On 6/7/2025 at 5:47 PM, Geronimo John said:

This thread is a follow-up thread of John & Debbie's 3500 pound vs. 5200 pound axles on a LE2.  In this thread my intent is to discuss the type of lubrication system/processes that Dexter offers in axles for out OTT's.

Old school is the tried and proven manual annual cleaning and greasing of axle bearings with a seal replacement.  Yes an annual PITA.

Then Dexter began making their EZ-Lube and NevRLube axle lubrication systems.  They apparently have stopped offering the old school design.  So if you want a new axle it will be EZ or NevRLube designs.  

With many owners choosing to retrofit their Ollies with the 5200's, it was stated that there have been zero failures of the new NevRLube axles.  This simply is not an informed statement.  There has not been a lot of knowledge in our area, but for other trailer designs the NevRLube' S were a disaster.  

Both designs have their challenges.  Here are some opinions from outside our egg shell:   

https://www.gdrvowners.com/forum/operation/suspension-amp-brakes/95041-dexter-nev-r-lube/page2

So what are your thoughts as they apply to our OTT's specifically?

GJ

 

We have the upgraded 5200 lb. axel and Never Lube on our 2022 and so far so good

 

[jd1923]

13 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

😂We have the upgraded 5200 lb. axel and Never Lube on our 2022 and so far so good

I visited Alcan Spring today in Grand Junction CO. I was impressed by their operation and service, what they were able to accomplish on a minutes notice.

As a medium-sized manufacturer and automotive service company, I quickly noted their company quality, efficiency and fully capable staff (see picture of a portion of their operation).

I purchased leaf springs for our Oliver, including HD shackles, new wet bolts and U-bolts (pic2). Our Oliver requires the 50.00 length axles. They measured our Oliver. For comparison they manually measured their 50.50 springs which they stock for Oliver customers. I asked them how can I go about getting the correct D52 axles for our hull. They replied that the could special order axles for me and charge me the same price as the axles they stock and buy in bulk for Oliver owners. And that's what I did. Getting my special-order axles will take 6-8 weeks and they will ship to me when ready.

I was out the door in an hour. Four staff members were working together to help me. Simply put, they were awesome! I had a smile on my face, the whole way to Montrose to see our friend Ken. He was happy to see the parts, since he has a full installation scheduled soon. 

RE the purpose of this thread. Alcan only sells the Dexter Nev-R Lube axles. They report good reliability with these sealed bearings, not hearing of premature failures. So they do not have experience with the EZ Lube product. When asked about replacement bearings for the Nev-R Lub, they replied they would ask their Dexter rep and get me a quote. @CRM if you have a link for the correct Timken brand replacement Nev-R Lube bearings, please advise.

I appreciate that @John Dorrer has posted his experience so far, and of course if/when any of us have failures, we should read it on our OTT Forum.

I'll be working my installation later this summer and will start a new post documenting the job. Like I mentioned before, it will be fun getting into this! 😂

Edited 23 hours ago by jd1923

[katanapilot]

I'm curious as to the motivation to upgrade to the 5200 pound axles. 

1. Is it simply for the bigger brakes? 
2. Do the larger axles have the same wheel bolt pattern? 
3. Why not upgrade to electric/hydraulic disc brakes instead?  
4. Have there been reported failures of the 3500 pound axles or just the stock leaf springs?

I'm in the middle of the 4 leaf Alcan spring upgrade right now, so I was just wondering.  For those wondering, it has taken me about 1-2 hours per side, working slowly in a well-equipped shop.  Overall, pretty straightforward. 

[topgun2]

Just got to love the labels on those springs! 

[mountainoliver]

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think that disk brake upgrades are not available for 3500 pound rated axles. It is my understanding that the 5200 pound rated axles have several options available for wheels and brakes. The larger axles do (naturally) have the same bolt pattern as smaller axles. In fact I believe that I was told that a five bolt pattern was standard for the smaller axles and that Oliver did some sort of a mix and match with Dexter to create the six bolt pattern. In my case I’m switching to the higher capacity axles because I feel that the 3500 pound axles are just too close to their limit for our trailers as evidenced by the many bearing issues that have occurred over the years. I guess bottom line is personal preference. 

Edited 16 hours ago by mountainoliver
Added information

[Patriot]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

Just got to love the labels on those springs! 

Our flag flys 24/7 here at our home, not just on holidays. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 🫡

Nothing like “Air Superiority” which wins wars.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Edited 15 hours ago by Patriot

[Patriot]

8 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I was out the door in an hour.

Our Alcan experience was seamless, they are that good. Dropped our Oliver off at 7:30 on install day, went and grabbed a great southwest breakfast in town at Cafe Sol. Gotta a call at 0930 just as we were finishing our meal that our 5 leaf pack, HD wet bolts, and HD shackles install was finished🤩. Lew and his crew knocked it out of the park. 
Worth every penny to have Alcan do the professional install and continue on our journey. Love our new running gear! Glad they got you squared away jd!

[jd1923]

5 hours ago, katanapilot said:

I'm curious as to the motivation to upgrade to the 5200 pound axles. 

1. Is it simply for the bigger brakes? 
2. Do the larger axles have the same wheel bolt pattern? 
3. Why not upgrade to electric/hydraulic disc brakes instead?  
4. Have there been reported failures of the 3500 pound axles or just the stock leaf springs?

I'm in the middle of the 4 leaf Alcan spring upgrade right now, so I was just wondering.  For those wondering, it has taken me about 1-2 hours per side, working slowly in a well-equipped shop.  Overall, pretty straightforward. 

I'm in agreement with @mountainoliver and @Patriot and will add more detail from my point of view, in the order of your questions:

1) This is likely my biggest reason. Having 12" brakes over the 10" on 3500 lb. axles is huge in size of the contact area of the shoes. I have always felt they are not enough on mountain downhills. The self-adjusters don't full adjust/tighten up especially on the rear axle. I had one of 4 brakes lock up the other day, thought there was a kid in a sports car, burning rubber behind me from the sound. No, it was just one brake on the Oliver.

2) The brake drum bolt pattern must match the wheel choice, independent of the axle.
However, it is industry standard that 5-bolt patterns are used on 3500 axles and 6-bolt on 5200s. OTT has over-engineered everything but the axle, the weak link. I have a dual-axle 12 ft flatbed trailer at home that we use for OHVs. It has the same two 3500 axles, 5-bolt 15" wheels with ST tires and it weighs only 1100 lbs When load with our SxS, a dirt bike and gear, adding about 2400 for 3500 lbs. total, half the 7K limit. Rock solid for that use. As Ken stated above, The Oliver is at the limit of 7K in axles, most of us carrying 6400+ lbs. and the Oliver is tall, not truly top heavy but the top can in certain conditions sway back and forth quite a bit. Consider your precious cargo and what Ken said to me last night, "no more worries."

3) I also understand, they do not manufacturer disc brakes for 3500 trailer.

Besides wheel bolt patterns, 3500 lb. axles have a 4-bolt pattern, axle to braking plate and 5-bolt on the 5200 lb. axles. The connection, axle to brake plate, to wheel is 25% stronger. 

4) An axle can fail/ bend in extreme circumstances, but more often the smaller bearings and brakes on lighter axles failed.

You're thinking the 4-leaf design which Alcan has made available on request. They are a costume shop. They suggest the 5-leaf product which was their original design. As we've heard from their reps, "the Oliver is under-sprung." I believe this is true watching our hull waddle like a duck over irregular RR tracks, gas station driveways and DIRT ROADS, every time the suspension has to take a height change on an angle. And re the 3500 lb. axles, I would say the Oliver is under-supported.

And btw, OTT has finally decided that the D52 axles are standard equipment.

For those that are minimalists, and there are a few of you out there that tow with 1/2 ton trucks and always keep your Oliver curb weight under 6K lbs, the 3500 lb. axles and 4-leaf springs are certainly enough.

Edited 14 hours ago by jd1923

[katanapilot]

I think there are several options for disc brakes on 3500 pound axles with 5 on 4.5 hubs. Here is one I found with a very cursory search. 

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Dexter/T2HRCM10DAC.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=203665937&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItvmapLaPjgMVE7daBR1a9BpIEAQYASABEgIsJ_D_BwE

[CRM]

10 hours ago, jd1923 said:

@CRM if you have a link for the correct Timken brand replacement Nev-R Lube bearings, please advise.

 

The person that I know that changed his took the part number off the bearing and had Summit cross reference it. That's the same route I'd take if I were going to change them out. That's also who told him the Dexter bearing cross referenced to some passenger cars. 

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, katanapilot said:

several options for disc brakes on 3500 pound axles

We stand corrected. Question is, is it a good idea, and would you truly want to?

Disc brakes cool better, but will a 10” disc brake system stop better than a 12” drum? Absolutely not IMHO. They will stop some better that the 10” drums, so your adding more stress to the weaker 3500 lb. axles, smaller bearings, etc.

Also, you’d end up spending near $2K adding disc brakes, so why not spend $2K for new axles, Nev-R Lube bearings, new brakes, everything new and 5200 LB HD! That makes better sense!

[mountainoliver]

I’m glad that there’s disc brakes now available for the 3500 pound axles. To be honest I’ve never researched that. In the 8 years and around 75,00 miles we’ve traveled I’ve never had any issues with the drum brakes adequately stopping the trailer so have not searched for something better. 

[Geronimo John]

3 hours ago, katanapilot said:

I think there are several options for disc brakes on 3500 pound axles with 5 on 4.5 hubs. Here is one I found with a very cursory search. 

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Dexter/T2HRCM10DAC.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=203665937&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItvmapLaPjgMVE7daBR1a9BpIEAQYASABEgIsJ_D_BwE

Krea: 

When going to disk brake systems for thee 3500 axles the calipers all appear to me to be something like this:

My search shows lots of kits that serve the 4 or 5 inch bolt patterns.  Sadly I failed to find any for our 6 bolt pattern.  So  based upon my limited search skills, if you want disk you also get to change out your wheel rims and tires too.  That is a deal killer for our Ollie as I like our 16" wheels and think going smaller was a mistake just because they could not find ST tires for the 16's.  I say run LT Truck tires and roll on with the E-rated ones.  

If you or any reader knows of a disk kit that will work on our existing wheel/tires, please post a follow-up.

GJ

 

 

 

 

Edited 10 hours ago by Geronimo John
Typo

[Geronimo John]

 

That said my concern with the 10" drum on our stock OE2's is system fade and maintenance.  Here is a good video if you are on the fence.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Dexter/T2HRCM10DAC.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=203665937&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItvmapLaPjgMVE7daBR1a9BpIEAQYASABEgIsJ_D_BwE

But let's assume that such a system exists, and it will fit our tires and rims.

Then for me, the cost matrix become a simple one:

     A.  Upgrade to 5200's and roll on with drum's.  Say $2,000.

     B.  Keep our 3500's and do the disk brake system.  Say $2100.

     C.  Keep the OEM 3500 drum brakes as is.

My pea brain says that I am not happy with Option C as I spend a lot of time in the mountains and need to pull over a bunch where safe and zap the temperatures of my drums.  So Option C is not ideal.

But that same bandwidth limited problem solver is on the fence as to the better option between A and B.

But that question would warrant a separate thread likely titled "Disk or Drum What You Gonna Do".

 

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

A.  Upgrade to 5200's and roll on with drum's.  Say $2,000.

     B.  Keep our 3500's and do the disk brake system.  Say $2100.

     C.  Keep the OEM 3500 drum brakes as is.

GJ, didn’t you rule out option B in your previous post?

Now I understand why we remembered disc brakes are no-go for Olivers with 3500 LB axles.

Too bad OTT installed 3500s on some of hulls. Yes, just over $2K plus tax and delivery. But this and another $1K for HD springs and parts and I will be happy with a completely over-engineered suspension, carefree for several years!

Edited 8 hours ago by jd1923

[GlacierGirl]

9 hours ago, jd1923 said:

 

1) This is likely my biggest reason. Having 12" brakes over the 10" on 3500 lb. axles is huge in size of the contact area of the shoes. I have always felt they are not enough on mountain downhills. The self-adjusters don't full adjust/tighten up especially on the rear axle. I had one of 4 brakes lock up the other day, thought there was a kid in a sports car, burning rubber behind me from the sound. No, it was just one brake on the Oliver.

@jd1923, or anyone, what is one supposed to do when a brake locks up? 😬

Edited 4 hours ago by GlacierGirl