As far as I know, oil bath hubs are made by TieDown Engineering. They are most famous to us fishermen as making some of the worst brakes in the industry. They are also known for making hardware to secure or "TieDown" house trailers.
My brakes are Kodiac Stainless and have had them on many trailers with no issues. These hubs are made by "Reliable" Not familiar with Tie Down
Seals on my oil bath hubs started leaking second year. Plugs to drain hubs are drilled deep back on spindles and were not indexed. In other words, I had to remove lugnuts to access the common rusted pipe plugs. Sometimes, had to remove wheel. Once the plugs/lugnut/wheel is removed, well, yes the oil will drain...allover hand, wheel, tire and driveway. The latter is not such a problem for me, as being a Southern RedNeck w/gravel drive, I can switch out the gravel.
Remember, if you have a tandem, you'll have to move trailer 4 times to carefully position each drain at the 6:00 position.
No leaks, Plugs are indexed, No rusted plugs changed them to stainless as soon as I took them out the first time, No need to move trailer when wheels are elevated on a floor jack, No oil leaking on the ground as I use a paper towel roll as a track to channel the oil to a drain pan
Might be easier to break the seal on handy "see-thru" caps. After a year or 2, you'll be changing these out as they turn opaque milky yellow pretty quick.
Two years and still clear, may be the oil type or the heat from yours leaking. I plan on changing the inner O ring seal when I check the bearings next season 50 cents for the O ring and $15.00 for the end cap with the sight glass if it needs replacing. Still cheaper than changing 2 bearings and two grease seals per hub and can be completed with clean hands in a fraction of the time as grease hubs.
If and once the "Turbo Hubs" as they were once marketed leak out all oil, yer trailer will stop VERY soon. I have never had traditional grease hubs leak out and fail instantanously.
I see trailers on the side of the road all the time with spindles broke off. Have not seen one with oil bath yet (not to say it hasn't happend). You can see oil leak easier than you can see lack of grease in a grease filled hub. Either way it is operator error. People who travel long distances with trailers are urged to keep a spare hub, wheel and tools with you to make emergancy road side repairs. Same goes for oil bath or grease filled.
Heres the good side to oil bath hubs. Once they fail, pull off the (now) milky yellow hub, drain rest of oil and metal scrapnel, change bearings and look at the grease fitting drilled in end of axle.
If you are refering to bearing buddies they are a joke and if you pump grease in there until it comes out you just ruined your seal. Hardened grease in the passages will prevent grease from reaching the bearings and how do you know if water has penetrated your seal? Heated hubs? By then damage may be done.
You can now grease yer new bearings from the back side out, replacing old grease. :wink:
Where does the old grease go???? If it is comming out your seal they are trash and will leak. Not to mention getting slung all over your boat and trailer.
