House Trailer Wheel Bearing Seals

[ae6black]

I've got a homemade trailer that is made out of a mobile home axle. When I recently packed the bearings, I noticed that the inner seals are failing. I can't find any numbers on the darn things. Does anybody know if a seal can be measured and purchased from demensions alone?

Art

[Dale M.]

Take a seal to any good bearing/seal distribuitor/retailer an it can probably be matched..That is why there is brick and mortor stores and phone books...

Dale

[nevadatear]

Call Randy at 775 273 3090. Desert Metal Machine shop. We have thousands of hard to find bearings and seals.

[treemaker]

Yes they can be bought by size. You will need the o.d size, the i.d size (size of the axle where the seal sits) and the width of the seal.

[ae6black]

That sounds great. Next time I hit a lul in camping I'll just pull the wheel, and take the seal with me for a good match up.

[warnmar10]

That sounds great. Next time I hit a lul in camping I'll just pull the wheel, and take the seal with me for a good match up.

The thick grease you used to pack your wheel bearings liquifies as it gets hot and can pour out of a compromised seal leaving the bearings dry and your trailer beached on the side of the road thus creating an unplanned and inconvenient lull in camping and I would recommend replacing the seal in the driveway before your next outing, but that's me.

[ae6black]

I just bought a camper for the family since they won't go in the TD with me. This camper has something that I think is called a bearing buddy. It's a little extension with grease fitting installed in the elongated bearing cap. Never seen one before, does any one know if these can be added as after market to any axle?

Art

[warnmar10]

... , does any one know if these can be added as after market to any axle?

Art

Yes for most hubs. http://www.bearingbuddy.com/why.html

Boat Trailers

Trailering, even a short distance, heats the hubs. When the wheels are submerged during launching, the hubs suddenly cool and the air inside the unprotected hubs contracts, forming a vacuum which draws in water through the rear seals. There is no such thing as a rotating seal that stays perfect. Water and grit thus drawn into the hubs relentlessly destroy bearings. When properly installed and maintained, Bearing Buddy® prevents wheel bearing failure and eliminates bearing repacking. Boat trailer wheels can be completely submerged.
Utility Equipment, ATV, Horse, Camping, and other occasional use trailers

These trailers, because they are not used regularly, are also subject to bearing corrosion and failure from condensation moisture from air sucked into hot hubs as they cool. Moisture stays in the hubs causing rust and pitting until they are reheated when the trailer is used again.
BEARING BUDDY® VS. OIL BATH

Some trailer manufacturers are offering an oil bath system as an alternative to a standard bearing protector, such as Bearing Buddy®. They claim that since long haul trucks use this system it must be a superior system to a grease packed hub. What they fail to recognize is that America's highways are the perfect environment and application, as the constant miles and tire rotation keeps the bearings well lubricated. Boat trailers, however, operate in a completely different environment. The hubs on a trailer can heat up during long trips and when they are dipped into cool lake water, the sudden temperature change creates a vacuum inside the hub. This vacuum will draw any condensation, moisture, or impurities directly into the bearings, which can cause premature bearing failure. Standard bearing protectors, such as Bearing Buddy®, make it easy to visually check the amount of grease inside grease packed hubs. The internal spring piston exerts about 3 p.s.i. against the grease to ensure that no water enters the hub when the hub is submerged during loading and unloading. When properly maintained, there are no voids inside the hub where condensation can form during winter storage. By comparison, oil bath hubs should be checked after every loading/unloading cycle to make sure water has not penetrated and diluted the oil. Small leaks can cause the oil to escape and once this happens, bearing failure is quick and complete within a few miles. Most oil bath hubs are only half filled with oil and must be carefully inspected to maintain the proper level. Too much or too little oil could cause problems. If a Bearing Buddy® is knocked off, it would still be possible to run for many miles without bearing failure. This would not be possible with an oil bath. Bearing failure would occur within a few miles.

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/why.html

[ae6black]

I think I just found a match for my bearings and seals on The OEM Parts Store website. Considering how old this house trailer axle is, I am rather pleased. Prices are rather reasonable and the fact that I can still get parts thrills me to no end! I was starting to consider just replacing the whole axle assemble just to get bearings that I could more easily track down and replace. In a week or so when the parts get here, I ought to know if I am back in the saddle again. When I repacked the bearings earlier in the summer, I noticed that the grease seal was failing. The inner bearing looked terrible with rust showing on the body of the bearing between the rollers. While the rollers weren't pitted, the sign of water contamination and the breaking down of the grease was rather obvious. With only one trip and less than 500 miles on it I checked the bearings this past week and discovered the grease on the inner bearing discolored and showing signs of breaking down. The outer bearings looked like the day I packed them several months ago with no sign of contamination or breaking down. So I am rather pleased to find the parts I was looking for with no traceable numbers on the bearings or seals. Found the parts on the OEM Parts Store by plugging in the number stamped on the hub. After checking with a ruler, I am pretty confident I found the right parts. The only complaint I have with the store is that they sell races and bearings separately.

Art

[Kharn]

The bearings/seals on mobile home axles aren't meant for frequent use, they're designed to be just enough to go from the manufacturer to the site and never towed again.