How to Repack Wheel Bearings- 2009 Scamp 13'

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Raz

A 2009 trailer should not need the bearings replaced.. A spare set perhaps? Also don't forget the seal. Like you, I had never done bearings until I got my first trailer. I stuck with the Dexter manual. It even recommends the grease to use. Good luck, Raz

Yup, it is possible to buy grease that is incompatible with what is in there now. I buy the exact brand name and type that Lippard (my axle maker) suggests just to be safe.

And as for replacing bearings.. well it does save you from the dirty job of cleaning the old ones. Might even be worth the cost to some people. But remember that if bearings get changed, so do the races.

Alas there is more to doing this right than first meets the eye but its not that hard once you get into it.

[fieldphoto]

Floyd, it is a 2009, original axle.
Sounds like I should just examine my existing bearings and repack as needed. I will still head to NAPA or advanced auto parts and get some grease and a few tools. I might pick up one of the cheap bearing sets to have as a backup on the road as an emergency, but not intended for long term use.

Thanks for the suggestions.

In one of the 1st replies someone posted a great link with pictures of what to look for in terms of bearing damage/wear. I will use that as a guide and post pics if I find anything questionable.

[fieldphoto]

Do I need to call scamp to find out the axle manufacturer in order to get correct grease?

Floyd, no brakes.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by fieldphoto

Do I need to call scamp to find out the axle manufacturer in order to get correct grease?
.

I'm pretty sure you have a Dexter #9 axle. That's what Scamp was using in 2010 when we were shopping. Look under the trailer, you might find a label on the axle about half way between the wheels.

One thing you might want to get is a short piece of 2" PVC pipe. It will let you install the dust cap without denting it. If you can't find a piece, Home Depot will sell you a 2 foot piece and if you ask nice they will cut it for you.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Raz

I'm pretty sure you have a Dexter #9 axle. That's what Scamp was using in 2010 when we were shopping. Look under the trailer, you might find a label on the axle about half way between the wheels. ....

You might not might be so lucky since your trailer has some age on it.. but its worth a look.. this a photo of my axles label that I took as part of the initial inventory of parts.

[Paul O.]

One other thing. If you do get into replacing the bearings, you need a new pair of seals. It is quite probable that the seals will not come out easily and will get damaged in the process. My recent experience.

Also, I agree with Greg that the bearings do not need to be replaced just because they are several years old. Boat trailers are a different animal, abused by dunking them in water, and possibly salt water to make it worse.

About bearing (castle) nut - I seated the bearings by hand tightening the nut while turning the hub, then backed off one or two notches of the castle nut and inserted the cotter pin.

As far as the "laser" thermometers, I would not bother. If the hubs are running too hot to hold your hand on them when you stop for gas, something is very wrong. The drums are a different story they get really hot, and fast and could blister your fingers. But you don't have brakes, I just remembered.

[BillE]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

Stay away from ALL of those stupid half-baked U-Tube videos. They are made by idiots who don't know S#!*, but want to be on "tv", and don't know diddly about anything. 99.9% of U-Tube videos are total crap and mis-information.

Hmmm

I am not quite sure if I should check the videos out or not now...you are giving me mixed signals here....I am so confused now.



I did find good campground artistic campgrounds on you tube..I think they are located in LM in Washington State ..they always have art


And what is "diddly" any way???...

Good to see you still have some spunk left in you Ol' man....

[fieldphoto]

ALLLLRRIIIGGGHHHTTTT....

So, some interesting things happened tonight in our 1st attempt.
First, we humorously missed the step about loosening the lug nuts on the wheel prior to getting this whole thing started... so, after some how managing to wiggle the front AND rear bearings out with the wheel still on, we had to put the whole thing back together, lower the trailer (to get some pressure) loosen the lug nuts and then start over again. Good learning experience.

On a quick visual inspection, the bearings seem to be in good shape. The grease did not seem 'burnt' or discolored, or dirty. I will know more after I get the bearings cleaned off and inspected more thoroughly.

Now to the interesting part... I think I might have breaks??? I found some wires and what looks like something that is 'break-ish'... check out the pictures here. If I do indeed have breaks, I am pretty sure they are not hooked up (the dealer said there were no trailer brakes). How do I test them?

Here is a link to a folder of pictures, let me know if you are unable to access. https://goo.gl/photos/1U5Y5jr3jbrYxnAA6

[Jack L]

Originally Posted by fieldphoto

ALLLLRRIIIGGGHHHTTTT....

So, some interesting things happened tonight in our 1st attempt.
First, we humorously missed the step about loosening the lug nuts on the wheel prior to getting this whole thing started... so, after some how managing to wiggle the front AND rear bearings out with the wheel still on, we had to put the whole thing back together, lower the trailer (to get some pressure) loosen the lug nuts and then start over again. Good learning experience.

On a quick visual inspection, the bearings seem to be in good shape. The grease did not seem 'burnt' or discolored, or dirty. I will know more after I get the bearings cleaned off and inspected more thoroughly.

Now to the interesting part... I think I might have breaks??? I found some wires and what looks like something that is 'break-ish'... check out the pictures here. If I do indeed have breaks, I am pretty sure they are not hooked up (the dealer said there were no trailer brakes). How do I test them?

Here is a link to a folder of pictures, let me know if you are unable to access. https://goo.gl/photos/1U5Y5jr3jbrYxnAA6

Yep, You have brakes on your trailer. Next step to get them working would be to get a brake controller installed in your tow vehicle.

[fieldphoto]

Ok, cool. When we had uhaul put on the hitch we had it set up so the brake controller could be added easily, for just such an occasion!

How do I know if the brakes are ok? They look kind of rusty to me, but I don't know what they are supposed to look like.

Will I be able to test the brakes and see if they work prior to reassembling the wheel?

[Darral T.]

You really really need to go to Dexter Axle's site!! I have a 2010 Scamp with the 2200# Dexter Axle. And I'm 99% sure yours will as well. They have SUPER documentation for their axles- installing/packing new bearings, AND, testing the brakes! They give voltages, amperages, etc... and explain it all in detail. They tell you what to look for on the magnet, etc. You REALLY need to do this before proceeding!!

I can tell by looking, the brake area looks rusty. So you will probably want to use some "brake cleaner" and make sure the brake shoes can still pivot and not try to freeze up when applied. In other words, make SURE your brake shoes are "free". I had a slight problem with this last year...

I would still watch some YouTube videos for more tips. You may find some ideas on how to help with your brakes. If you have a 7-pin plug for your TOW, there's a way to test/activate your brakes with pins. But I'll stop there.... Get you a brake controller and Good luck.

[fieldphoto]

Ok, headed to Dexter's Axle site now.
Just watched the videos... the 'how to replace the bearings' one is perfect, because this is exactly the same as the unit we have. Should be easy to proceed from here. They did talk about some other parts though, that I am unsure about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnH-h3W9XvI

1. They mention replacing the bearing cup right before the 3 min mark in the video. Since I am not replacing the bearings, but just repacking, is this something that I still need to remove? If I remove it, am I replacing it with a new one? It is hard to tell in the video whether they reinstall the original or replace it new. It seems that if you take it out, you should put in a new one.

2. At minute 5 they talk about the gasket seal. If I understand correctly this IS a part I need to replace (I meant to get one at the shop today, but forgot as we got to talking about other issues). Is this correct?

I have also started watching some vids and reading the manual on the brakes.. I guess my 1st issue is simple, should I be concerned they seem to be rust covered, or is that just what they look like after a while- and as long as they function otherwise, we're good?

Lastly, yes. We do have the 7 pin connector which should have the brake controls, I just need to have the brake controller added on the car end.

[Darral T.]

If you inspect the cones and they're not pitted or show other signs of wear (same as the bearings) then there's no need to remove them. But if I took them out, I certainly would replace them while I was at it.

They're talking about "seals" and something I would DEFINITELY replace since I have it apart- especially since the rubber in the seal is 7 yo.

Again, Dexter thoroughly explains how to inspect the magnet. Your shoes looks like they have quite a bit of padding left. But all I can say, I would try and clean off the shoes as best as possible (MAKE SURE you dont blow any dust/rust into the hubs/bearing cavities!!!).

I can tell you, these 13' Scamps are easy for the most part on their axles/tires.

Originally Posted by fieldphoto

Ok, headed to Dexter's Axle site now.
Just watched the videos... the 'how to replace the bearings' one is perfect, because this is exactly the same as the unit we have. Should be easy to proceed from here. They did talk about some other parts though, that I am unsure about.

1. They mention replacing the bearing cup right before the 3 min mark in the video. Since I am not replacing the bearings, but just repacking, is this something that I still need to remove? If I remove it, am I replacing it with a new one? It is hard to tell in the video whether they reinstall the original or replace it new. It seems that if you take it out, you should put in a new one.

2. At minute 5 they talk about the gasket seal. If I understand correctly this IS a part I need to replace (I meant to get one at the shop today, but forgot as we got to talking about other issues). Is this correct?

I have also started watching some vids and reading the manual on the brakes.. I guess my 1st issue is simple, should I be concerned they seem to be rust covered, or is that just what they look like after a while- and as long as they function otherwise, we're good?

Lastly, yes. We do have the 7 pin connector which should have the brake controls, I just need to have the brake controller added on the car end.

[fieldphoto]

Darral,
Thanks for the clarifications. I will inspect the cones but replace the gaskets.

I will get a better look at the brakes tomorrow, and work on getting the brake controller added to my hitch so we can see if these puppies work!

Thanks again everyone! Keep those suggestions coming if I have missed anything!

-ginny

[Glenn Baglo]

I repacked the wheel bearings on my tent trailer. Used about $20 worth of grease to fill up the hub and topped it off pumping grease in through the Bearing Buddies I bought.
I had half a gallon of dirty solvent to dispose of somehow. Had grease slinging out of the hub, coating the tires, blew the hub cap off somewhere around Chilliwack when the grease heated up.
Spent weeks cleaning the grease from under my fingernails.
Then I discovered that you could pay somebody to do it for you for $69 ( repack and inspect existing bearings ). They had a tank that recycled the solvent, and I could watch.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Spent weeks cleaning the grease from under my fingernails.
Then I discovered that you could pay somebody to do it for you for $69 ( repack and inspect existing bearings ). They had a tank that recycled the solvent, and I could watch.

, I've done the maintenance and repairs on all my vehicles for years but am glad to let others do it now. I'd rather bush the sawdust off me than deal with the grease too. But the new folks to TTs do need to know how it all works and that's what this site is good for....info .

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by fieldphoto

So Raz, you are suggesting I clean (and inspect) the existing bearings and repack?

Yup thats what most people do - just clean up the bearing, inspect for signs of wear and discolouration and put it back on but with a NEW seal.

There is no reason to replace the bearings as long as they are not showing signs of wear.

Have had some bearings on the trailer for years with no signs of wear but have had to replace one set after only a year - would not have known they were not wearing well if I did not do a yearly inspection and repacking. Had another bearing failed in less than three months..... in the later case I only became aware of the issue due to heat off the hub.

Trailer bearings are not sealed as well as car bearings are and therefor have a higher probability of contamination particularly by moisture. The fact they often sit around more than cars is another issue.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Spent weeks cleaning the grease from under my fingernails.
Then I discovered that you could pay somebody to do it for you for $69 ( repack and inspect existing bearings ). They had a tank that recycled the solvent, and I could watch.

Care to share where you found that deal? Now that I have 4 to do I am starting to think along the same lines. Not to mention the cleaning off of the grease is hard on my nail polish!

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Then I discovered that you could pay somebody to do it for you for $69 ( repack and inspect existing bearings ). They had a tank that recycled the solvent, and I could watch.

You can pay someone to do just about anything you need done. And there are some jobs it's best to leave to a professional. Dentistry comes to mind. But when you pay someone else, you miss the opportunity to learn and the satisfaction doing a task right brings. I like being as self sufficient as I can. It avoids the argument when the guy at iffy lube forgets to tighten the drain plug. Raz

[Joe & Cherie]

I have a question about the EZ Lube axle from Dexter that is on some of our FGRV's. I understand the air in the hub theory and not to fill the hub with grease - but the EZ Lube axle (on my previous 2005 Casita, and my current 2013 EggCamper) instructions say to slowly pump grease into the zerk until new grease comes out. This fills the hub entirely with grease! Thoughts?