Wheel Bearing question

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by MCDenny

Trailer bearings are so lightly loaded and run so slow FOR THEIR CAPACITY they would last forever

No disrespect intended here Denny, but when talking about trailers in general there is a very wide gamut...for example where a small Egg trailer's bearing might last forever vs. a 4 horse slant load goose neck with living quarters fully loaded being gunned from one rodeo/horse show to another might not so...don't want readers to think all trailer bearing will last forever...

[emij]

Originally Posted by Carol H

[B][I]Quote:

Anything that can be done to possible avoid getting into that situation, is a good thing in my books.

The place we take our trailer to for service offers a Spring Camping Season special. For our little Scamp, it cost $145 for them to service the bearings, refill our propane, test our battery, inspect all of the propane lines and electrical lines (and repair if necessary), (they would inspect and service trailer brakes, too, but we don't have them), flush out the pink stuff, check tires and fill to proper inflation, and insure the tail/running lights are working properly. This is a service 100% worth it to me, to avoid or prevent being in a situation where we would have a break down or need a tow. It gives us peace of mind to know that the bearings are replaced, repacked, resealed, what have you. Ready to go for the new camping season.

[charlsara]

Originally Posted by MCDenny

I spent 26 years working for bearing manufacturers. Trailer bearings are so lightly loaded and run so slow FOR THEIR CAPACITY they would last forever if properly adjusted and kept properly lubricated and clean.

Modern automobile wheel hub units utilize expensive seals running on perfectly concentric ground and hardened lands. They are not "adjustable", the running clearance is determined by precision machining with tolerances of a few .0001".

Trailers use seals that cost about 50 cents to make, run on machined soft lands and the bearings are adjusted by hand.

Apples and oranges indeed.


Denny Wolfe
Wanderingourway.wordpress.com

I totally agree. I just wanted to let you know that I miss reading your blog entries.

[MCDenny]

Originally Posted by Johnny M

No disrespect intended here Denny, but when talking about trailers in general there is a very wide gamut...for example where a small Egg trailer's bearing might last forever vs. a 4 horse slant load goose neck with living quarters fully loaded being gunned from one rodeo/horse show to another might not so...don't want readers to think all trailer bearing will last forever...

My point wasn't that trailer bearings last forever - hardly! But they don't last forever because people (me included) don't keep them clean and properly adjusted. They usually have such a poor seal that dirt and water inevitably get in. Even replacing the old poor seal with a similar new one isn't 100% effective because the old gritty seal lip wears the steel surface it runs on.

[MCDenny]

Originally Posted by charlsara

I totally agree. I just wanted to let you know that I miss reading your blog entries.

Hi. I miss camping too. We haven't used the Snoozy for more than a year. Life keeps getting complicated but we have our Michigan house for sale and once that's gone hopefully we will have some time to go camping.

A couple came over last week because they wanted to see a Snoozy before driving all the way to SC. Talking about camping with them really got me wanting to hit the road again.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by MCDenny

I spent 26 years working for bearing manufacturers. Trailer bearings are so lightly loaded and run so slow FOR THEIR CAPACITY they would last forever if properly adjusted and kept properly lubricated and clean.

Modern automobile wheel hub units utilize expensive seals running on perfectly concentric ground and hardened lands. They are not "adjustable", the running clearance is determined by precision machining with tolerances of a few .0001".

Trailers use seals that cost about 50 cents to make, run on machined soft lands and the bearings are adjusted by hand.

Apples and oranges indeed.


Denny Wolfe
Wanderingourway.wordpress.com

Still, while "hub units" are more common today... stepped or tapered spindles still exist on the front axles of many modern rear drive vehicles which are in common service today. They are essentially the same design as those found on a typical 3500 pound trailer axle. The quality of the components is a matter of OEM spec rather than engineering design which if it isn't quite "oranges and oranges" it certainly rhymes with orange.

While I agree that... Trailer bearings would last forever if properly adjusted and kept properly lubricated and clean and they should be, they certainly are not as fragile as some may think.

Here is an example on a Scamp13 which has a straight shaft (not tapered or stepped).(BTW they do have races) It was run for years on Kentucky back roads (gravel and dirt) without an inner seal or a dust cover. I then bought it and towed it 600 miles at the speed limit to bring it home.
I decided to replace all four bearings, and install seals and dust caps but the fact is they all survived and cleaned up smooth with no rust or spalling...
NOTICE...The former owner actually had the tire BALANCED and apparently NITROGEN FILLED!

[floyd]

Buying the right dust cap or even Bearing Buddies may require knowing which hub you have .
Early 13s commonly came with a 1" straight spindle with a matching hub and bearings. Later models came with 1-1/16" straight spindle with matching hub and spindle. The dust caps likely won't interchange any better than the other parts, in which case it would be important to specify which you have when buying a dust cap.

[Kathy-Ann Becker]

Heard a squeak squeak from my 5th wheel trailer wheel. Noticed film of grease flung onto the tire rim. Just replaced our trailer tires at our reputable tire shop. Would my tire wizard have noticed symptoms of wheel bearing issues when the trailer was jacked up and he spun the tire as were discussing wheel bearings? My husband grease buddied the wheels before we took off. We are an hour from home with a wheel squeak. Should I be big worried or little worried?

[mary and bob]

I would say "little worried", possibly over greased and some got on the brakes

[Wayne Collins]

Originally Posted by Kathy-Ann Becker

Heard a squeak squeak from my 5th wheel trailer wheel. Noticed film of grease flung onto the tire rim. Just replaced our trailer tires at our reputable tire shop. Would my tire wizard have noticed symptoms of wheel bearing issues when the trailer was jacked up and he spun the tire as were discussing wheel bearings? My husband grease buddied the wheels before we took off. We are an hour from home with a wheel squeak. Should I be big worried or little worried?

Over greasing is just as bad as under greasing. Especially when you have brakes.
Get rid of the bearing buddies and just do a proper hand packing once a year.

[Linda Stewart]

Well, I lazed out this year and had the work done by a RV mechanic as he was doing the brakes anyway. Well worth the money and I know it was done properly.

[Kathy-Ann Becker]

Thank you!

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

Over greasing is just as bad as under greasing. Especially when you have brakes.
Get rid of the bearing buddies and just do a proper hand packing once a year.

Can't argue with that!

And although I think I know the answer to this question I will still ask it for the expert opinions..

Is there any harm in keeping bearing buddies in place but not using them (by adding grease) and instead doing regular bearing maintenance the same you would do if you did not have the bearing buddies?

PS to Kathy-Ann.. its the grease you CAN'T see that you would have to worry about (inside the drum).. A little grease slung on the outside of the wheel is not a big deal. But if you notice grabbing brakes or other unusual performance, pull the hub and see if grease came out through the rear seal. That's the voice of (one) experience speaking

[mary and bob]

It also could just be some brake noise, the magnet rubbing or shoe rubbing. If it persists, or in the case of grease slinging, may be a good idea to pull the hubs and check. Here's an example; I'm checking over our old pop-up camper for our son to take. It has 7" brakes. I pulled off one hub and the lining from one brake shoe fell out, de-bonded from the shoe. Never would have seen that by pumping grease into a fitting. As far as leaving the bearing buddies as just a dust cap, the ones I have on a boat trailer have a spring in them. The idea is to pump grease in until the spring starts to compress, so that there is pressure on the grease filled hub. The idea is now water can't get in. If the hub is not full of grease and no pressure so the spring is compressed, then it is basically just a dust cap. I have rubber slip on caps that go over the bearing buddies to keep dirt out of the fitting and spring.

[Kathy-Ann Becker]

Thanks. We are preparing for a long trip. This is a new to us used trailer. I think we should go to an RV place and get an annual PE.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

That doesn't mean squirting grease in them You need to remove the bearings, clean and inspect them, repack, replace the inner seal, and replace them.

We repack the bearings and clean any rust from the winter off of the shoes every spring.

[TheWanderers]

Well, I've replaced the bearing buddy twice. Both times, the fit "seemed" tight because I had to use a hammer and 2X4 to tap them in place. The right side bearing buddy has stayed on without issue but the left side/driver's side has fallen off within 30 minutes of driving. No clear explanation and I can assure you that it isn't over lubed. I have cleaned the mess of grease off the wheel from the uncapped side and monitored the temperature to ensure that the axle isn't over heating.

I was thinking of creating a "retainer" with some light weight wire that would be wound around the opposing lug nuts to hold the dust cover in place so it can't jump off.