Maintenance-free wheel ends also require maintenance

Maintenance-free wheel ends mostly refer to wheel ends that use liquid oil lubrication technology. The principle is to replace the previous grease lubrication with oil-lubricated oil seals and hub covers. In the oil lubrication system, the hub cover and the inner side of the oil seal form a gear oil storage space, which can play a good lubrication role on the bearing. 

Some maintenance-free wheel-end hub caps have transparent viewing windows, which make it easy for us to observe and change the oil. Compared with traditional grease lubrication, oil lubrication can play a role in lubrication, cooling, rust prevention, cleaning, sealing, etc., and has a better overall effect.

Advantages of maintenance-free wheel ends ：

Advantage 1: The wheel end oil change cycle is extended. The most obvious advantage of maintenance-free wheel ends is that they extend the wheel end oil change cycle. Ordinary wheel end vehicles need to be inspected at a service station every 40,000 kilometers, while maintenance-free wheel ends can basically be inspected visually every 100,000 kilometers, saving our time and maintenance costs. 

Advantage 2: The bearing works more stably. Because the maintenance-free wheel-end bearing is always immersed in gear oil, when the wheel rotates, the oil circulates in the entire wheel hub, which has a better lubrication effect on the bearing, and the bearing can work in a more stable state.

Advantage 3: Extend the service life of the wheel hub. When the bearing rotates, it will produce certain debris or impurities. The oil-lubricated maintenance-free wheel end can clean these impurities and precipitate them in the wheel hub cavity, which can protect the bearing and extend the service life of the wheel hub.

The biggest benefit of maintenance-free wheel ends is that they can save related expenses throughout the entire life cycle of the wheel ends.

Although the maintenance cycle of current maintenance-free wheel ends is about 500,000 kilometers, or even up to 1 million kilometers, it is recommended that a more comprehensive inspection of the wheel ends be carried out every 12 months or 150,000 kilometers of vehicle operation. 

Before driving each time, you should check:

1. Check whether the wheel hub cover is damaged or whether there is oil leakage at the oil seal;

2. Visualize the maintenance-free wheel end to see if the internal oil is yellowing, whitening or other deterioration;

3. When doing a routine inspection of the vehicle, pay attention to whether the wheel is shaking and whether the rotation is smooth.

Once the above problems are found in the wheel hub, they need to be dealt with in time.