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Thread: Tire & wheel bearing Maintenance
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09-04-2016, 07:56 PM #1
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Tire & wheel bearing Maintenance
I've had a Reflection 27RL for 2 years and I'm looking for recommendations on preventative maintenance related to tires, wheel bearings, etc. We've taken the rig to Virginia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and have not done any maintenance to the wheel bearings, tires, brakes, etc. We are getting ready for a fall adventure and I'm wondering about the following.
Should I repack the wheel bearing grease after so many miles?
Should I rotate the tires on the rig as I do on my truck?
Should I replace the tires after so many years/miles, or wait for the tread to go thin?
Should I replace the brake pads, or wait until they start making noise?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!! Paul
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09-05-2016, 05:06 AM #2
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Hi Paul,
Opinions vary, but here is my take on your questions, other's mileage may vary!
- Should I repack the wheel bearing grease after so many miles? - Most folks recommend annually. With reports of thin grease, poor seals and/or poor workmanship assembling the Dexter axle assemblies, I will pull my apart, clean and repack this Fall or Winter, despite the trailer being < 6 months old.
- Should I rotate the tires on the rig as I do on my truck? - I had my tires balanced the week after I purchased my trailer and will have them rotated and rebalanced every 5,000 miles, as I do on my car and truck.
- Should I replace the tires after so many years/miles, or wait for the tread to go thin? - Lots of opinions here, but you will find agreement, don't let them go thin! Collateral damage from a blown tire can quickly go into the thousands, my last (only) blowout on a prior trailer was $6,000. The Westlakes on the GD trailers have slightly better reputation than other OEM tires. Some replace these immediately, others might let them go 3 years (if they aren't putting a ton of miles on them). I'll watch the wear on mine, won't let them get anywhere close to 2/32s, might replace them at 2 years or 4/32s, which ever comes sooner. This assumes they are wearing evenly, otherwise, much sooner and will then get the alignment checked.
- Should I replace the brake pads, or wait until they start making noise? - Check them annually when doing the wheel bearing repack. Remember, we have decades-old technology our trailers are rolling on, don't try to maintain them like you do your tow vehicle!
Hope this helps. Best of luck, safe travels.
Tom2013 Silverado 3500HD / LWB / 2WD / Duramax-Allison
2017 Reflection 303RLS
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09-05-2016, 06:54 AM #3
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09-05-2016, 07:03 AM #4
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I would clean, repack the bearings and replace the seals sooner rather than later.
We purchased our 2016 Reflection 27RL in May 2016 in Florida. Towing it home to North Georgia and a few relatively short trips, the trailer had approximately 2500 miles on it. Before we left Georgia to attend the owners rally in Elkhart, IN, I pulled the wheels and drums because the brakes never seemed to work as well as our previous trailers and all of the posts about greasy brakes.
All 4 hubs were completely full of grease. The grease had gotten past the rear seals and spread across the hubs and onto the brake shoes as an oily film. I cleaned everything with brake cleaner, repacked the bearings and replaced the seals. Unfortunately the braking action was not significantly improved.
Our trip to Indiana was uneventful. At the rally, I spoke to the Lippert service rep and she scheduled a tech to inspect the brakes. When the tech arrived I told him what I had done and he said that since I had found grease on the brakes, he would replace them! Lippert had their forward adjusting brakes on sale, for the rally, so I upgraded during the process.
During the trip home, I followed Lippert's break in procedure and was rewarded with a huge improvement in braking performance.
I intend to repack the bearings, replace the seals and inspect the brake shoes on an annual basis.
The rally was interesting and fun and the support provided by Grand Design, Lippert and the rest of the venders was outstanding!Charlie & Jenny
Cooper - Standard Poodle
Baron - Standard Poodle, Gone but not forgotten
2016 Reflection 27RL, Steady Fast Stabilizer
2015 Silverado 2500HD CrewCab Duramax/Allison
Andersen Ultimate Rail Mount
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