i've used both styles of Dexters and since the torsions were on a tandem boat trailer i don't think my experiences compair to what tnttt builders experience
their leaf spring units have dunn a really nice job of caring for my wooden skiff and have caused no issues under my 6x12 enclosed utility
what i really like about all the Dexters i have used is the way they can be serviced ... thru the dust cap
at the beginning of each "season" and prior to any long/extended adventures i jack each wheel off the ground and spin it listening for any growling or even light ruffness and check for looseness of the bearings
when i hear no noises i simply remove the rubber plug in the end of the dust cap and add fresh grease until it oozes clean grease around the spindle nut
if i hear any "off" noises i pull the hub and address the whole assembly
i use blue-green "marine/agricultural" grease i get from Tractor Supply in all my grease guns(agricutural marine and utility) and have had zero bearing issues on the road
the Dexter spindles have the zerk fittings on the outer tip w/ a passageway thru them to a point between the inner seal and inner bearing
when new grease is introduced into the zerk it goes to the inner most point in the sealed hub and forces the older grease outward THRU the inner bearings > thru the hub cavity > thru the outer bearings > then out around the spindle nut and clearly visible to the nekkid eye
here are pics of this process on a new boat trailer axle(repacing an axle that was used to begin with and had been on that boat trailer for 26 years)
the axle was shipped w/ red grease(not marine)
- stock grease coming out.jpg (140.31 KiB) Viewed 1662 times
red grease going away w/ new blue grease taking over
- green grease coming thru.jpg (131.61 KiB) Viewed 1662 times
no more red
- clean green grease coming out.jpg (130.9 KiB) Viewed 1662 times
hit my 3-pic max
be right back
sw