trailer wheel bearings? - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-12-2012, 03:12 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
trailer wheel bearings?

I have been inclined to think that the usually recommended interval of 1 yr. for repacking bearings is a bit short considering the limited use (in miles) of our trailer. I had the bearings repacked when I bought the trailer about a little over 18 months ago. I bought a couple of bearing kits at Eastern Marine (bearings, races, seal, dust cup) "just in case." They are Fulton brand, made in China. When I took the dust cap off the right drum, I almost closed it back up without going any further as the adjustment and the grease looked fine. I did want to see how the inner bearing was retaining grease, so I took the drum off and trashed the old seal. The inner bearing looked maybe a bit starved for grease cf. to the outer. The bearings and races both looked fine and I sure wasn't getting into knocking out and replacing races unless absolutely necessary. So I cleaned the bore with kero. I don't have a big dip tank so the problem of rust on the exterior of the drum as a source of contamination was pretty obvious. I finally put the drum in the utility sink and washed it with hot soapy water, dried it in the sun and then got out the compressor and went over everything with a blow gun. While cleaning the bearings, I noticed that they are Russian-marked so presumably Russian-made.

What happened to Timken of Canton, OH? If you do your own bearings, are you fussy about the source (country of origin) or do you have faith that everything that comes in here on the banana boat meets USDOT or U.S. industry standards? If you repack your own, what grease are you using? I used Mobil 1 synthetic this time; is there something better? If you repack your bearings, do you have special tooling and/or a press for race removal or do you attempt to knock them out with something that doesn't destroy the cup seat? I replaced races exactly once on a light boat trailer by the hammer method and consider it a last resort. Thanks for your thoughts.

jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2012, 06:54 PM   #2
Commercial Member
 
Deb & Chuck's Avatar
 
Trailer: We have had all the brands at least once.
Posts: 801
Replace your axle seals, sounds like you repacked the bearings. Most every trailer I own I repack the bearings. The Bearings have been made in USA,Mexico,China, and Korea.
Chuck
Deb & Chuck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2012, 07:13 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
Yeh, I used the seals out of the new kits and repacked the Russian bearings. Did not use the new bearings or cups.
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2012, 09:48 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Name: Daniel A.
Trailer: Bigfoot 17.0 1991 dlx
British Columbia
Posts: 741
Registry
For the effort you went through I would have just replaced the whole works.

I use regular high temp bearing grease and use a large socket with a hammer to push the bearing out.
Daniel A. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 10:15 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
Anyone care to venture an opinion differing with the commonly encountered one-year repack rec? Boat trailers I understand you have to stay after but travel trailer wheel bearings aren't normally subjected to submersion.

I would have thought the effort of knocking out the cups and replacing would exceed just about any other effort involved including my awkward cleaning method. Maybe I'm too fussy about contamination while handling?

Anyone else who believes it's not worth it to repack wheel bearings and so installs new every time? On what interval? Anyone remove the outer bearing, put the nut back on the spindle and pull the back bearing AND seal with leverage of the wheel still attached to the drum? If so and you reused seals as well as bearings, how did that work out?

I am not a dab hand at this and would like to get a handle on an efficient schedule, method and necessary tools to do the job. I know from one experience of bearing replacement on a boat trailer how I DON'T want to do it. I understand that many things that are "laying around" (large diameter sockets, large diameter steel round bar) are useful for cup removal. What sort of drift do you use for this purpose? Is there a commercially available puller that's quicker and risks less damage to the cup seat? If so, is it affordable for the "once a year" mechanic?

I've watched enuf videos on trailer wheel bearing replacement to know that a great many of the yahoos who make them have their heads in a dark place. I also know how to improvise like Tom Joad with a breakdown at the side of the road on a rainy nite and the cussing that goes with it no problem; I'd rather know a foolproof method for use in my driveway on a dry and sunny day.



jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 10:42 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Name: Daniel A.
Trailer: Bigfoot 17.0 1991 dlx
British Columbia
Posts: 741
Registry
I believe repack every 10-12 thousand miles some do it based on time as they only do short trips. Bearings maintained should last many years.

If I saw any sign of rust I'm going to replace the whole works as it only takes one roller to start the process of failure.

To myself it is much easier even with the hassle at home then to be sitting in a campground or on the side of the road kicking myself.
Daniel A. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 12:14 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 2000 Burro 17 ft / 2001 Toyota Tundra V8 2wd
Posts: 339
Registry
I've read in some places that anywhere from 3-5 years for a repack is fine. Of course it also depends on how much mileage you put on the trailer each year. In my case I probably average a couple thousand miles per year.

I repacked my bearings once last year (owned trailer about 3 years now). Hubs had bearing buddies on them and was loaded with grease of many different colors. Was getting slight seepage past one seal, so I cleaned everything out and didn't put the bearing buddies back on, used regular bearing caps. One outer bearing was slightly pitted which I replaced.

Had an older '87 pickup with 150K+ miles, and only repacked one side's front wheel bearing, because I had to remove the hub to change a broken stud. Never touched the other side's bearings, never had any problems.
ThomasE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 12:24 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Thomas G.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 5,112
My anecdotal observation is that for decades cars and trucks had rear wheel drive and the front wheel bearings were essentially identical to a trailer's. I recall marveling once that one application for a given bearing on a Chevy was for like over 40 years of models. Nobody repacked their front wheel bearings yearly. In fact, it was usually only done with a brake job and maybe not even then.

Trailers on the other hand get shoved off into the back 40 and may only get used a few hundred miles a year. They may only get the bearings packed every 10 or more years. This infrequency of use and exposure to condensation may be what results in the sorrowful sight of a trailer with smoked bearings.

My conclusion is that if you use your trailer regularly, you probably don't have to repack the bearings yearly. That said, it can't hurt.
__________________
UHaul and Burro owners, join the UHaul Campers on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/529276933859491/
Thomas G. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 12:28 PM   #9
Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
Tennessee
Posts: 30
Jack,

For my travel kit, just in case of a bearing failure, I carry a heavy brass drift and a large hammer. A drift is just a punch with flat ends. Mine is about 5/8" in diamater and 8" long. You can find them at Harbor Freight and other places. Use the drift to drive out the bearing race from inside the hub by smacking it in two places opposite each other, like 3:00 and 9:00 on a clock dial. Hit it hard but try to keep the amount of movement equal.

Putting the new race back in is a little more delicate. You've got to drive it EQUALLY. Start driving the race into the hub with a brass hammer or piece of hard wood. Once the race is flush with the end of the hub, you can start using your drift to drive it in. Just drive a little on each side. You'll get there. Be careful not to slip off the edge of the race and damage the bearing surface. Brass won't hurt the surface but a steel punch might. Note that they also make bearing race installation and removal kits which you can also find at HF. I bought one and really like it.

With regard to an annual bearing repack, in my humble opinion that's too often. If you have good seals, good grease, and have packed it properly, every couple of years should do. However, you should inspect annually to see of the seals are leaking. Hope this helps.
SailorSteve is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 12:43 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
Thanks for the tips. I will take a look at Taiwan Hdwre for a brass drift and the puller. Also thanks to all for opinions on the advisability of yearly repack. What I was looking for after viewing a number of absolutely pathetic videos and reading some fairly good written descriptions of the process which still left me scratching my head about a few things.

jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 07:11 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
From a hotrodder's perspective... bearings develop flat spots. Yeah, they do. A trailer that moves down the road regularly is better maintained than one that only moves once a year. So, this is an individual maintenance issue based on usage + mileage.

Newer iron.... rear bearings on vehicles are lubed from the rear end (pumpkin), they're not bearings like what's on the front! Kinda think of it as a slosh of grease everytime you turn a corner.

BTW: Bearing Buddies only grease the front race... not the rear! Bearing Buddies are NOT the same as Dexter's EZ lube axle. Replace the seals everytime you pull the bearings... don't cheap out! Five bucks or seventy-five bucks is a LOT cheaper than replacing an axle and once you fry a Dexter torsion axle because of bearing failure your ONLY option is to replace the entire axle.

You've been warned....
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 09:02 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
Fred and frog and Tom the toad
They tried to x the road
To reach the other side.

But then a
Mack the truck full load
Crushed Fred
and Tom the toad

--a dinghy poem
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2012, 09:50 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Name: Daniel A.
Trailer: Bigfoot 17.0 1991 dlx
British Columbia
Posts: 741
Registry
I lke that Jack good that you have a sense of humor .
Daniel A. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-08-2012, 10:40 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Name: Russ
Trailer: Scamp 16' side dinette, Airstream Safari 19'
California
Posts: 588
My observations about tapered roller bearings over the years:
Timken = top quality, tight tolerances, excellent heat treating and metallurgy.
Preload adjustment is very important. Too tight= not enough heat expansion room and early failure.
Too loose= poor angular contact area and premature wear. (Preferable to too tight)
Grease type: Synthetic vs. non-synthetic = Not important
Grease quality: Spend enough to buy the highest quality; there isn’t that much difference in cost.
Lube fittings built into axles: Makes it possible to lube the inner bearing without disassembly, and the sacrifice of the inner seal. I would only use this feature one time after maybe 4000 miles. The next 4000 would get the full tear down.
With quality grease and proper adjustment Timken bearings will last a long time. I really don’t know how well the newer Chinese bearings hold up compared to Timken. My new axle has the Chinese bearings, and the supplier said he has no problems from failures. Time will tell…..
Russ
ruscal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 08:24 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Bruce H's Avatar
 
Trailer: Sold Bigfoot. Shopping for Arctic Fox 22G
Missouri
Posts: 701
Timken bearings can be had but most parts stores do not stock them. You have to ask and you will get resistance. Call before you go to the store. The company started in Kansas during WWII. Most now are made in France. The quality is first rate.
Bruce H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 09:07 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
Bearings

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce H View Post
Timken bearings can be had but most parts stores do not stock them. You have to ask and you will get resistance. Call before you go to the store. The company started in Kansas during WWII. Most now are made in France. The quality is first rate.
We rebuilt 2 Swiss made machines at work, each took about 3500 bearings
In the past we had always used bearings that were made in the USA or Europe but the boss decided to go with Chinese bearings to save money.
The failure rate after one year on the Chinese bearings was over 30%.
I called our bearing supplier ,who told me that the quality of Chinese bearings was very inconsistent and that we got what we paid for. When we figured up the cost to replace the bad Chinese bearings and the downtime costs , we did NOT save any money. Cheap bearings are no bargain .
The Chinese bearings were the sealed type , we removed the seal on several bearings and discovered they forgot to grease some of the bearings at the factory . Great quality control?
steve dunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 11:08 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Thomas G.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 5,112
Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
......... we removed the seal on several bearings and discovered they forgot to grease some of the bearings at the factory . .........

Well, aren't you the nitpicker?

Seriously though, consistency seems to be the biggest Chinese shortcoming right now. Read the tool ratings at Harbor Freight and they range all over the map from used everyday and works great to smoked right out of the box.
__________________
UHaul and Burro owners, join the UHaul Campers on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/529276933859491/
Thomas G. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 12:10 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Carol H's Avatar
 
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by ruscal View Post
My observations about tapered roller bearings over the years:
Timken = top quality, tight tolerances, excellent heat treating and metallurgy.

With quality grease and proper adjustment Timken bearings will last a long time. I really don’t know how well the newer Chinese bearings hold up compared to Timken.
a family member who has run an automotive parts store as well as a bearing supply store for years, would totally agree with you on the above. They wagged their finger at me recently for suggesting I was going to try out some chinese made bearings due to the cost difference. Assured me I would at the worst possible time regreat it - they suggested that as I had already purchased the chinese made bearings that I keep them in the trailer for emerg use only on a road trip and only use temp until I could get the better ones.
Carol H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 01:19 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Name: Russ
Trailer: Scamp 16' side dinette, Airstream Safari 19'
California
Posts: 588
I'm only using the Chinese bearings because the axle supplier had them installed already. If buying new to replace worn ones I would go with Timken, even if double the cost. I'm sure it would be wrong to lump all Chinese bearing companies into a low quality heap, as the products may be engineered by older experienced international brand name companies. It will probably be years before we recognize some of the now obscure Chinese names, and associate them with quality we can trust. Just like when we first started seeing Japanese bearings. For now it's a crap shoot!
Russ
ruscal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2012, 03:11 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Carol H's Avatar
 
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
Registry
Russ, I have no doubt you are correct but as been pointed out the current problem is its hard to find the good from the bad so I prefer to play it safe and stick to what I know to be good.
Carol H is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Wheel bearings? Georgana D Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 10 08-24-2008 10:54 AM
Wheel bearings JOE DRISSEL Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 39 05-16-2006 10:57 PM
Wheel bearings. Legacy Posts Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 22 02-23-2003 05:18 PM
Wheel Bearings. General Chat 0 01-01-1970 12:00 AM
Wheel Bearings General Chat 0 01-01-1970 12:00 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:21 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.