Infrared thermometers

[James Callahan]

Has anyone had any experience with these on fifth wheel wheel bearings, siggedtiins and types would be greatly appreciated

[elkaholic]

I have used one for about 15 years for all things towing. I shoot tire tread and hubs at every fuel stop

I use a Raytek but most any on the $50-75 range are worthwhile.


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[Second Chance]

Ditto what @elkaholic said. They are useful for other things around the RV, too.

Rob

[zinman]

Totally agree with all the above. Mine is from Harbor Freight and have had it for years and works great. Regarding uses.... keep it away from your wife. I found mine tucked away in a kitchen drawer, apparently she uses it to determine stove top and oven temps when cooking. I couldn't get to upset as she is a great cook and does most of the cooking.

[Richter]

I even used mine to check the surface of my Blackstone grill and to find any “hot” spots. Worked great. Since the Blackstone doesn’t have any way to tell you what the actual temp of the grill is, this works very well. I asked my wife what temp to cook bacon and eggs, as she uses an electric griddle at home. She gave me the temp, and I just dialed it in on the Blackstone.

[James Callahan]

I even used mine to check the surface of my Blackstone grill and to find any “hot” spots. Worked great. Since the Blackstone doesn’t have any way to tell you what the actual temp of the grill is, this works very well. I asked my wife what temp to cook bacon and eggs, as she uses an electric griddle at home. She gave me the temp, and I just dialed it in on the Blackstone.

Thank you all for your responses
Jimmy

[SolarPoweredRV]

I had a "Generic" (read cheap) one that lasted for a couple of years. When I searched Amazon for a replacement, I could not figure out which one was better than the other, so, I wound up buying a GB brand at Home Depot, I found it with the Electricians tools. I figured that the GB is a brand used by Professional Electricians and they would have at least tested it for durability.

So far, I am happy with the GB from Home Depot.

[dryfly]

I have used one for about 15 years for all things towing. I shoot tire tread and hubs at every fuel stop

I use a Raytek but most any on the $50-75 range are worthwhile.


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I've used a Raytek MT6 for 12 years. Great tool. It was a lot cheaper back then. I feel a less expensive unit would work as well if it will last.

[jleonard]

I have a Raytek that is almost 20 years old and still works fine. It's great for troubleshooting engine problems, A/C and heat system problems, etc.
But I still check my wheel bearings manually by touching them all.
I guess old habits die hard.

[terryriddle]

Has anyone had any experience with these on fifth wheel bearings, suggestions and types would be greatly appreciated

My wife and I lost an RV because we had not used such a device. Several years ago while traveling from NC to the midwest, we spend a long lot weekend in a truck stop with our RV on jacks after the mobile unit had cut off the axle for repairs. Since then, I am very concerned with bearings. If there is one thing that can destroy a trip, it is a bearing burn out that went unchecked. I am not sure how that wheel remained on our camper. The metal had melted away. The axle could not be repaired and it was going to take Dexter several weeks to build us an axle and freight it to our location. So nine years ago, we came home with a different RV. A significant cost in that trade-in. Now my wife and I check the temp between two of the bolts on each wheel every time we stop for gas, rest stop, or campground. We keep track of each wheel's temp and carry a set of bearings/seals. If one wheel is running much hotter than the other three, I can change the bearing before I lose my RV. We also run a tire minder for air pressure..but that does not check the bearings. Keeping a record will give you insight into the temps of the bearing area and temp of the day. For example, if I am traveling for many miles with the sun hitting one side of the RV vs the other, the side with the sun will register a higher temp on the bearing area than the other side. After years of doing this, we can almost guess what the bearing area (space between two lug bolts) will be based on outside temp, sun or no sun, etc. There will be a range of variance on the wheels, but that is not the concern. The concern is when I have one wheel running significantly hotter than the wheel on the same side. The tire minder helps we keep track of the air pressure to avoid a blowout due to a slow leak. By the time the air in the wheel is reflecting a significant hot temp, the damage by the bearing causing that heat may be too late.