wheel bearing seals

[Shadow Catcher]

I have a question, are the seals of such poor quality on trailers that there is a real need to repack bearings so frequently? We have one Subaru that has gone 300,000 miles, and the wheel bearings have never been touched!

So the question is, is the problem poor quality seals, not using the right grease (I use Amsoil) or…?

[Dale M.]

Its probably the concept that in old days you packed automobile wheel bearings ever 10,000 miles or some such thing...... New cars have sealed wheel bearings (chev pu for example) that can not even be repacked, you just bolt on new spindle w/bearings if there is problem.....

The is no reason a wheel bearing on a trailer, properly packed, with quality grease (by today's standards)can not go 20,000 30,000 miles without needing attention.... Of course this is with the concepts that they are good quality bearings to start with, packed with grease properly, adjusted to proper free play and have not been abused by severely overloading chassis with more weight than design specification permits....

This does NOT apply to boat trailer wheels that are immersed into salt or fresh water regularly..... In my opinion these need to be checked and or repacked once a year (even with bearing buddies). Preferably at end of season, so they sit "dry" all winter.. This is why you see mostly boat trailers (with boat and wife) beside road with one wheel/tire off and TV nowhere around..... I rarely if ever see a travel trailers in this situation.....

Dale

[Arne]

most seals are of a good quality. Just as everything else has improved over the years, so have the materials in bearing seals. Rubber seals used to age and crack so needed to be replaced.

There is very little chance of seals going bad unless they get water in them, as mentioned above.

I check my bearings every couple of years and have never had a bearing go bad. I run my utility trailer with pitted bearings, caused by water immersion while launching my boat off it...

years ago felt was used in the seals. new seals should last for years, as should the bearings if properly packed the first time.

But, it is an easy job if you want to be anal about it. My current bearings have only been hand checked at rest stops after running in the past 3 years to check for over heating.... and have had no problems.

I do carry extra bearings and seals with me.. it is about the only thing that can go wrong on the road...

[MikeW]

I worked for a large RV dealership. We recommended a repack every 2 years. Any of them I saw at 2 years the grease looked great without seal problems. The interval could definitely be stretched on this assuming the repack is done correctly.

The short interval advice I think is partly liability and partly income purposes for the dealers and manufactures.

[TimJones]

Does the mm have some kind of NASA developed double titanium lined tripled rimmed seals.

[Shadow Catcher]

Tim
Titanium is a wonderful material, I once set myself on fire grinding out cracks in titanium forgings (aerospace), not half as dramatic as the trash can half way across the shop that also caught fire.
No, the MM uses a very standard Dexter axle with what ever they have as seals and grease. I will be repacking the bearings using synthetic water resistant grease.