Don't forget Your Bearings

[bdosborn]

Camping season is coming up fast and now is the time to repack your bearings! I did mine today and it wasn't a mile too soon. We had traveled about 6,000 miles since the last time I repacked them. One side was too dry and wouldn't have lasted too much longer. I think I got a little too aggressive at the car wash last year because I found rust in the other side. I replaced the bearings and races just to be safe.

How to Pack Bearings

You only need to do it once a year...

Bruce

[Shadow Catcher]

We just went through this exercise with Mike's bearing failure and it was a very good lesson. I for one plan on going with oil bath hubs, run cooler (less friction) easy to check, probably less expense over the years http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/items. ... TpStatus=1
One BIG advantage is that you can tell when water gets in as the oil turns milky and you can see it.

[Larwyn]

I have always packed bearings by hand very much the same as done in the link from the first post.

I am not a fan of bearing buddy's except on boat trailers and even then not as a substitute for proper packing of the bearings but as an additional measure to exclude water from them. Pumping grease blindly into a bearing buddy can fill voids which otherwise might fill with water when backing the boat trailer into the water. But it can also blow seals and in some cases starve the bearings of grease. The grease needs to be in the bearing not fill the voids between them (except as noted).

[Darren]

Mine have been packed. I had a wheel lockup last year at 45 miles an hour and it scared the crap out of me. I was just getting ready to hit the highway so I could have been doing 70 when it happened. I didn't repack last spring but there was never any heat issues with the wheels. I check the wheels every time I stop on a trip and always have.

[john warren]

put new wheels on a month ago,,, while they were off repacked. didn;t need it,,, but it took about one beer to do.

[Big Dan]

HOW OFTEN DO YOU NEED TO PACK THEM? Is it the mileage orTime sitting. or both? My trailer has few miles but has sat in the lot for awhile. A 2009 bought in Dec of 2010.

[Yota Bill]

HOW OFTEN DO YOU NEED TO PACK THEM? Is it the mileage orTime sitting. or both? My trailer has few miles but has sat in the lot for awhile. A 2009 bought in Dec of 2010.

mileage more then time...but if in doubt, it doesnt take long or cost much to clean and repack them.

[Larwyn]

HOW OFTEN DO YOU NEED TO PACK THEM? Is it the mileage orTime sitting. or both? My trailer has few miles but has sat in the lot for awhile. A 2009 bought in Dec of 2010.

Once properly packed they can go for a very long time.

In my case, since the stabilizer jacks are capable of lifting the wheels off the ground it is easy for me to check for excessive play or noise so I do that a couple of times a year. I usually repack mine before a "long" trip, but it is really not necessary, probably every couple of years. Just check closely for wear when they are cleaned up during repacking and check to make sure nothing is overheating if you stop along the way.

Back in another lifetime when I actually did brake jobs and front end alignments for a living I came to the conclusion that the number one major cause of wheel bearing failure was would be mechanics who would over-tighten the castle nut when doing their own brakes or repacking their own wheel bearings.

Of course I can never resist the chance to mention the story of when my step brother decided to repack the wheel bearings on his 57 Chevy. Since I was overseas he did not figure that I would miss the small can of "bearing grease" that he found in the old barn where such work was usually done. The "grease" that he found was in a green can with shamrock on the lid. Of course that is the trademark for Clover valve grinding compound (an abrasive). Needless to say his bearings did not last very long after that repacking.

[bdosborn]

I do my hubs every spring. I've found something each time that made me glad I didn't go any longer .

Bruce

[PKCSPT]

I am going to have to find someone close to walk me through this the first time. Nervous to do it myself and my husband is no mehanic.

[bdosborn]

I am going to have to find someone close to walk me through this the first time. Nervous to do it myself and my husband is no mehanic.

I'd take to an auto mechanic if you've never done it before. It's not hard but its a bad result if you do it wrong. It might be worth it to pay a guy to do it rather than messing with it yourself since you only have to do it every year or two....

Bruce

[Wild Bill]

These new trailers from overseas must come with inferior grease and not enough of it. They skimp on the grease to save a nickle or 2. I would repack a new trailer or at least pull the outer bearing to see how much and what kind of grease is in them. My axle is a dexter and has a grease fitting on the tip of the spindle and a hole milled at the inner bearing. Bearing buddies only as he said fill the voids and force out the water, they really do not get the grease in the bearings. They should have a bearing repack 101 class at one of the major TD gatherings. Bet it would draw a crowd. I remember using the real heavy grease with fibers in it. That stuff lasted years. As the saying goes, an once of prevention is worth a pound of Cure. Bill

[Reddiver]

I am wondering how often you repack the bearings on your car or truck? Seems a fifteen in wheel would make the same rpm on a trailer or truck. I guess I should but never think about them on my Truck

[cmac]

Hi there-

Anyone have experience working on the bearings for a T@B on an ALKO frame? I hear the bearings are a sealed unit - if so are they serviceable or just replace the entire bearing unit, if I can find where to buy them?? If I need to purchase them, any suggestions where?

Advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

John