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Old 05-10-2021, 08:10 PM   #1
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Name: Kris
Trailer: compact jr
California
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Re packing wheel bearings - no washer?!`

Hi! I'm trying to repack my wheel bearings. Every YouTube video I watch, people have a washer between the castle nut and and bearing - but not me! The bearing is part number L44648. When I search replacement packs, none of them come with a washer. Wondering if any of yours don't have a washer?
I've got a Compact Jr. THANK YOU!
*I'm replacing the sealing washer on the back.
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Old 05-10-2021, 09:07 PM   #2
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Trailer: 2013Escape 21
Iowa
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Not ok. You need the washer. I am assuming that the axle has a flat spot machined in it? A washer with a d shaped hole to line up with the flat spot keeps it from spinning.
If I were you here’s what I would do
1. Replace the seal with the dent in it
2 clean the bearings with a solvent till all the grease is gone. Gasoline outside will work. Put the bearing in a soup
can with the solvent about an inch over the bearing. Spin the bearing with a stick or a pencil to rinse the grease out.
3. Make sure the tapered races in the hub are very smooth and not rough or with grooves in them.
4. Make sure the rollers in the bearings are reasonably tight in the cages. If they are worn down, replace the bearing
5. Grease by forcing the grease into the bearing
6. Slather the axle shaft with fresh grease.
7. Get the bearings put back in.
8. Put a the thrust washer on the outer bearing. Put the castle nut on and tighten down tight. So the wheel or hub doesn’t spin. Then back the nut off so it will turn easily.
9. Line up a notch in the castle nut with the hole through the axle. ALWAYS use a new cotter pin. Fold one half back over the end of the axle, clip the other one off.
10. Thump the hub cap back on. Spin the tire and wheel.

No grinding sound, no rumble, no squeaking, no play, no eccentric up and down action should be present. Do not spin the bearing with a nozzle on the air compressor to dry, blot dry and lay in the sun to evaporate the solvent. Others may have additional comments. I bought my first boat trailer in 1963 when I was 15. I have never had a bearing failure in 58 years. I have had a lot of trailers over the years.
Ask questions if you get stuck but you need the washer.
Iowa Dave
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Old 05-10-2021, 10:25 PM   #3
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Typical hub

Quote:
Originally Posted by KCan View Post
Hi! I'm trying to repack my wheel bearings. Every YouTube video I watch, people have a washer between the castle nut and and bearing - but not me! The bearing is part number L44648. When I search replacement packs, none of them come with a washer. Wondering if any of yours don't have a washer?
I've got a Compact Jr. THANK YOU!
*I'm replacing the sealing washer on the back.
I'm not sure all are the same, I know mine on a 2017 Scamp are not.
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Old 05-11-2021, 05:05 AM   #4
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Originally Posted by Iowa Dave View Post
.
1. Replace the seal with the dent in it
...
I strongly suggest that anytime you remove a wheel bearing seal you discard it and use a new one. In fact, my axle manual calls for applying a sealant also.

BTW, I have not seen a castle nut without the washer.
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Old 05-11-2021, 05:51 AM   #5
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Mine has no washer. Trailer was bought new, that's how it came. Mine is a Dexter no.9 axle (2200 lb) with brakes. Eightyfour thousand miles, replaced the brakes and hub once. No washer included. I noticed the side of the castle nut is machined. I use new seals and new cotter pins at every service.
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Old 05-11-2021, 10:02 AM   #6
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Name: Rick
Trailer: 21' Bigfoot
British Columbia
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My 2 cents,
I repack my bearings each year and replace the bearings and races every 2-3 years. The cost of the bearing kit is minor when compared to a bearing failure on a trip. Lots of videos on how to repack. Use a good quality bearing grease if possible.
I have always used a washer before the nut goes on as I feel that it keeps the grease where it should be, in the bearings.
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Old 05-11-2021, 10:10 AM   #7
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Name: Dave
Trailer: 2013Escape 21
Iowa
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I like Lucas Red and Tacky. I keep it cool when i am ready to use it so it is easier to work with. Yes, the refrigerator for an hour or two works just like it does for night crawlers and pickling redhorse.
Iowa Dave
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Old 05-11-2021, 10:55 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Raz View Post
Mine has no washer. Trailer was bought new, that's how it came. Mine is a Dexter no.9 axle (2200 lb) with brakes. Eightyfour thousand miles, replaced the brakes and hub once. No washer included. I noticed the side of the castle nut is machined. I use new seals and new cotter pins at every service.
This page shows an exploded view of a Dexter #9 and it's got TWO washers on the outside of the outer bearing!

Dexter Axle 9K/10K GD

I bet they make several different hubs and yours doesn't take a washer.
I've never seen one like that before.
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Old 05-11-2021, 11:15 AM   #9
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The picture you've shown is a 9k lb axle not a no. 9 which is only 2.2k Lb. Good site, wrong picture. My previous trailer had a 3.5k lb axle (no. 10 I think) with the D washer and a snap on retainer versus a cotter pin. My current axle is shown below (top). It seems the EZ lube has the washer, while the non EZ lube does not. Why one is different than the other is not explained.

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Old 05-11-2021, 12:07 PM   #10
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Name: Bob
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Your axle should have a groove in it for the tab in a special washer available at any auto parts store (along with cotter pins) which is needed. The tab on the washer engages in the axle groove so the washer prevents a spinning bearing race from tightening or loosening the nut. Also the nut neest the extra distance to really engage the cotter pin.
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Old 05-11-2021, 12:15 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Raz View Post
The picture you've shown is a 9k lb axle not a no. 9 which is only 2.2k Lb. Good site, wrong picture.
Well look at that!

I'm glad my inexperience helped find the actual correct photo.

Thanks for posting that.
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Old 05-11-2021, 12:33 PM   #12
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Name: Kris
Trailer: compact jr
California
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Thank you all so much for helping. I really don't have anyone else to ask and now I have to figure out how to repack these before I can get it to a shop. My spindle is smooth all around - not D shaped, no groove or slot.
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Old 05-11-2021, 12:52 PM   #13
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Packing grease

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Originally Posted by KCan View Post
Thank you all so much for helping. I really don't have anyone else to ask and now I have to figure out how to repack these before I can get it to a shop. My spindle is smooth all around - not D shaped, no groove or slot.
The two most popular ways are "hand packing" done for years and works fine. Or with a packer and grease gun. Be sure no use a GOOD wheel bearing grease, not Harbor Freight. Not in this picture but normally I use Timken GR224C Wheel Bearing Grease but there are many good ones.
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Old 05-11-2021, 12:54 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Iowa Dave View Post
I like Lucas Red and Tacky. I keep it cool when i am ready to use it so it is easier to work with. Yes, the refrigerator for an hour or two works just like it does for night crawlers and pickling redhorse.
Iowa Dave
I just repacked after about 13,000 miles of running with Red N Tacky. The bearings are perfect, but the Red N Tacky was beginning to break down and was a very thin viscosity in the bearings, while still thick outside the bearings. So I switched to Lucas Xtra Heavy Duty instead. It is a different base and designed to last longer. We'll see.
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Old 05-11-2021, 12:56 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by AC0GV View Post
The two most popular ways are "hand packing" done for years and works fine. Or with a packer and grease gun. Be sure no use a GOOD wheel bearing grease, not Harbor Freight. Not in this picture but normally I use Timken GR224C Wheel Bearing Grease but there are many good ones.
Here is another good option and the one I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-34550-H.../dp/B0002NYDYO
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Old 05-11-2021, 01:06 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by rck54789 View Post
My 2 cents,
I repack my bearings each year and replace the bearings and races every 2-3 years. The cost of the bearing kit is minor when compared to a bearing failure on a trip. Lots of videos on how to repack. Use a good quality bearing grease if possible.
I have always used a washer before the nut goes on as I feel that it keeps the grease where it should be, in the bearings.
These bearings shown have 15,000 miles on them. Perfect condition. I see no reason to change bearings and races every two years if they look like this and are serviced properly. This bearing is no more likely to fail than a brand new one. Clean, inspect, replace seal and re-pack with high quality grease.
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Old 05-12-2021, 07:32 AM   #17
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Thank you all so much for helping. I really don't have anyone else to ask and now I have to figure out how to repack these before I can get it to a shop. My spindle is smooth all around - not D shaped, no groove or slot.
Most vehicles come with sealed bearings that are permanently lubricated. The first time I greased bearings was on my first RV in 2004. The Dexter manual, available on line, was a big help. At the risk of repeating what Iowa Dave said here are some tips.

-Have lots of rags handy.

-To grease, I put a dab of grease in the palm of my hand and push the sides of the bearing into the grease until the voids between the rollers are full.

- make sure the angle of the bearing matches the angle on the cup.

-I use a piece of 1x lumber to tap the seal flat.

-with the wheel on the shaft, tighten the castle nut with a wrench. This seats the bearings.

-loosen the nut. Finger tight then back off to the first place a cotter pin will go through the hole. The nut should move freely, restricted by the cotter pin. The wheel should spin freely but have no lateral movement.

-consider replacing the dust cap if it's old and beat. Any RV place or Tractor Supply has them. If it comes off on the road, you'll be doing the job over. Been there, done that. I use a piece of pvc pipe (2") to tap it in rather than beating on the dome of the cap. Home depot will sell you a small piece and even cut it to size. Good luck.
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Old 05-12-2021, 07:53 AM   #18
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Trailer: 2013Escape 21
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Your additional comments are spot on and provide hands on tips for performing the wheel bearing maintenance task to perfection. It’s probably easiest and less “stressful” to do this job the first time under the watchful eye of a veteran grease monkey but to all who want to do it themselves my final tip would be from my father who told me “do one wheel at a time so if you get confused you can always look at the other one and get back on track.” Works for everything but a wheelbarrow or a unicycle.
Full disclosure, I did pick up a couple tubes of Timken branded grease just because my parts dealer always has a pop machine on free vend and usually a free donut as you go out the door. I’ll review it against the two Lucas products I’ve used in the past.
Have a great day and be careful with jacks, blocking, ramping and Jack stands any time you have machinery up off of its wheels.
Iowa Dave
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Old 05-12-2021, 08:47 AM   #19
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Good advice above on doing one wheel at a time. This prevents us from putting the bearings back into a different wheel than they came out of.

When the drum is back on and the job complete, except for putting the wheel back on, adjust the brakes.

When done adjusting the brakes, pull the breakaway switch cord, and then try to turn the drum. This proves the breakaway system is working. Then plug the switch back in and install the tire.

Snug the lug nuts enough to set the trailer down, and then torque the nuts with a torque wrench. Take the torque wrench with you on the next trip so you can re-torque the nuts after a few miles. Then you are finally done.
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Old 05-12-2021, 09:09 AM   #20
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No brakes on this one. But if there were, it's much easier to adjust them with the wheel off.
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