wheel bearings

[thomas kaz]

How hot should the hubs get? Just put in new bearings and repacked the hub seems hot to the touch. tourqued to specs.

[Darwin Maring]

After driving, test by getting the "BACK" of your hand/fingers close. It should no B so hot that you can't do that.

You may have torked them to tight. I tighten the bearings until the wheel does not wobble then back off a little and insert the cotter key.

Look at a mechanics DYI manual (Chiltons) to C what it says.

Go to www.harborfreight.com and look for a "Non Contact" IR Thermometer so you can accurately measure the temp without getting burned. Should measure close on all wheels including your tow vehicle.

[BC Paul]

I have never 'torqued' the nut that holds the roller bearing in its race. After packing with grease I turn the wheel with one hand and tighten the nut with my other hand until it's tight then back off until the cotterpin goes into the nearest hole. I've been doing this for 20 plus years on a variety of trailers and never had a problem.
However, I do check/repack the bearings at least once a year and at the same time clean and adjust the brakes.

[Eddie Longest]

I use a "Non Contact" IR Thermometer when traveling with my 5th wheel Scamp and other trailers. The hubs and tires normally run 10-30 F degrees above ambient temp. Depending on the amount of turning and braking. Temp.'s seem to run higher in stop and go city traffic. I have found the wheel bearings run about 10 cooler with Lucas Red Grease vs. standard wheel bearing grease. I have not tried synthetic grease yet.
When I don't have a thermometer I normally touch all my hubs and tires immediately upon stopping. (They tend to warm up immediately after stopping.) You should be able to slightly touch the hubs / tires without burning your fingers. Whether using the touch method or the thermometer all your hubs or tires should be about the same temp. respectively. If there is a great difference from side to side you need to look into why there is a difference.

[thomas kaz]

Thanks for the help.Just jacked trailer up and the hubs were loose.Checked bearings,repacked and retightened as per advice will take for a test run tommorrow. Heading west for a long trip dont need problems that can be avoided. thanks again

[Keith Williams]

How hot should the hubs get? Just put in new bearings and repacked the hub seems hot to the touch. tourqued to specs.

Thomas, I recently was really dumb....first time in my life, I might add. I drove across Denver to deliver our Dog to the sitter as we were leaving for a long trip. Like you, every time I stop, I always walk back and touch the hubs. When we got to the sitter's house, I checked them. WOW..they were really hot. Then, I realized that with all the stop lights and stop & go traffic through town, my electric brakes were the source of the heat. After getting on the road and not using the brakes like that, everything was just fine. Nice and "warm" to the touch as they should be.

Just thought I'd share that in case you might have done a similar thing before checking them.

EKW

[Greg A]

Just was inspecting and repacking mine for the trek to Oregon coming up soon.
Excellent videos here on bearings, hubs and brakes.

At the bottom is a list of videos on brakes, etc.