Wheel Bearing Question

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Dutchman2

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Posts
331
Wheel bearing question for the group. I am fixing to re-pack wheel bearings again and it crossed my mind as to why trailer bearings are a maintenance item every year or 12K miles? I have had two vehicles now go 150K miles and never replaced the front wheel bearings. I know they are sealed bearing in the hub on newer passenger cars, but how do they go the distance and we are stuck re-packing bearings so often? I don’t believe there is a great deal of grease composition difference. Does just being a sealed bearing help that much? What am I missing?

Dutchman2
 
There is no real reason to repack bearings annually. I actually think in some cases more frequent service may increase the breakdown chance due to the increased chance of a mistake.

But there are complications on a trailer that make it different from bearings and brakes on a vehicle. Because of the distance and disconnection of the wheels on the trailer from the driver’s seat, the driver won’t notice the grinding of failing bearings until it is too late. They also won’t hear rattling, grinding squealing or loss of function in a single trailer brake. This makes it more important to get eyes or hands on the wheel parts periodically.

I service my own brakes and bearings. I don’t repack at the recommended interval. I do a thorough inspection every spring and before longer trips. I jack the trailer up, check for signs of grease leaking out of the hub, spin and shake the wheels feeling for any excess play or roughness in the bearings. I adjust the brakes if need and check function by pulling the breakaway cable.
 
jkwilson said:
There is no real reason to repack bearings annually. I actually think in some cases more frequent service may increase the breakdown chance due to the increased chance of a mistake.

But there are complications on a trailer that make it different from bearings and brakes on a vehicle. Because of the distance and disconnection of the wheels on the trailer from the driver’s seat, the driver won’t notice the grinding of failing bearings until it is too late. They also won’t hear rattling, grinding squealing or loss of function in a single trailer brake. This makes it more important to get eyes or hands on the wheel parts periodically.

I service my own brakes and bearings. I don’t repack at the recommended interval. I do a thorough inspection every spring and before longer trips. I jack the trailer up, check for signs of grease leaking out of the hub, spin and shake the wheels feeling for any excess play or roughness in the bearings. I adjust the brakes if need and check function by pulling the breakaway cable.
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I agree. Every year is unnecessary, in my opinion, for repacking. IMO, it mostly a CYA by the builders, to cover them if people get the idea if they don't have a set period of time it's no big deal to neglect doing it, or having it done.

If you're doing mega-miles more frequently would be good, but every year is over kill. Again, IMO of course.
 
CedarCreekWoody said:
Why are sealed bearings not used on trailers? They generally see less service than an automobile.
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My thought would be because of the necessity to remove the wheels every time you check the brake conditions. I don't know about other vehicles, but my 2001 Dodge had Timken-style front wheel bearings, not sealed bearings.
 
Follow the Dexter service manual that states " EZ lube wheel bearings need cleaning, inspection, repack along with checking the brake components every 12K miles or annually"

Id rather spend about two hours once a year before my first trip taking care of things the right way then be sitting on the side of the road stuck somewhere..

Car brakes are also inspected every time you have your tires rotated ( 3K to 5K miles ) ....

The bearings on RV trailers see different loads imposed on them when turning and backing comparted to the tow vehicle...

Some insist the EZ lube zerk takes care of it all... if it did then the service manual would not state that you need to yank the hubs off and inspect, repack, etc.

Tis there for a reason.... and its not CYA....

YMMV
 
I do it every year for the simple fact I get eyes and hands on every component (brakes, bearings, seals, etc.) and the consequences of a failure are so high. I also do a thorough tire inspection (I occasionally find a nail for example), as well as go through all of the suspension components (bolts, hangers, weld points, etc.) I even function check each of the four electric brakes after reassembly to make sure all four are working properly. The whole thing takes about 3-4hrs.

FWIW. I have never seen anything in the “bearing grease pack” of concern. I use Mobil 1 synthetic and it always looks nearly fresh and bright red when I pull things apart the next year. I have, however, found at least 1 leaky seal, and replaced a bearing set where the race looked suspicious. It probably was fine, but cheap and easy to replace anyway.
 
Viper02 said:
Follow the Dexter service manual that states " EZ lube wheel bearings need cleaning, inspection, repack along with checking the brake components every 12K miles or annually"

Id rather spend about two hours once a year before my first trip taking care of things the right way then be sitting on the side of the road stuck somewhere..

Car brakes are also inspected every time you have your tires rotated ( 3K to 5K miles ) ....

The bearings on RV trailers see different loads imposed on them when turning and backing comparted to the tow vehicle...

Some insist the EZ lube zerk takes care of it all... if it did then the service manual would not state that you need to yank the hubs off and inspect, repack, etc.

Tis there for a reason.... and its not CYA....

YMMV
Click to expand...
The front wheels on a vehicle experience a lot more lateral force taking a 180 or 360 degree off ramp or taking evasive action when something happens on the road than a trailer wheel would ever see.
 
I pack mine every other year. My first trailer I had in a former life, I never packed the wheel bearings for 13 years & never had a problem.
 
CedarCreekWoody said:
Why are sealed bearings not used on trailers? They generally see less service than an automobile.
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It has been done. Both Lippert and Dexter did it with a very similar design. I owned a 2010 Palomino Sabre with the Lippert version. One of mine failed and I lost the wheel. When I contacted Lippert for replacement parts I was told that none were available as they had been discontinued. Apparently sealed bearings do not hold up in an application that has narrow space between the bearings as trailer axles do.
I know Dexter stuck with them at least a little longer, but have not heard of them for a long time now
 
It is not a software issue. Bearings are hardware, they have physical limitations. To work they need a wider spacing that what is used in the trailer industry. Changing that would be a HEAVY lift
 
huntindog said:
Apparently sealed bearings do not hold up in an application that has narrow space between the bearings as trailer axles do.
I know Dexter stuck with them at least a little longer, but have not heard of them for a long time now
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From your text It sounds like you are talking about "Nev'r'Lube" bearings. About the same time, 2006, I had a Titanium 5'er with sealed nev'r'lube bearings. They were horrible in my opinion. There was no way to check them other than wiggle the tire. If the tire wiggled a little more than last ime you knew it was on the way out. The other way was to note if any grease was seeping from the bearing.
And if you needed to change a bearing? If you didn't have a press at home you had to take it to a shop to get the bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in.
As you say they had very little spacing between them so the trailer wheel had to be a zero offset rim to keep the loading on the bearing as vertical as possible.
Many members of the Titanium Owners Group forum started carrying complete bearing/hub assemblies because finding a shop with the facilities to change the bearings when you are out on the road could be very difficult. As in leave your trailer and travel hundreds of miles to a shop. And how many of those shops would have a special cartridge bearing?

As to not seeing them anymore...Airstream has recently started using them..no idea why.
 

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Personal thought........

Best never lube or barring on an rv, is to get a truck camper. No barrings, seals, Ez lube, brakes, or tires. Just the pickup.

Just bought one yesterday for simple wandering to try one out. Load and go.
 
Don't be. The entire running gear is from the 50s.They are just starting to offer disc brakes as an option
 
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