I just purchased a Infrared Thermometer to check my wheel bearings on my FW. What is the range of temp that is considered safe? At what temp is considered a problem?
A swag of 180-200 would mean I need to do something about it now. I've never had a temp of 120+ and you are really looking for a big difference from the other ones. Check the the brake area as a dragging brake will heat the wheel bearing. For tires, anything below 140 on the side of the tire near the tread. Here again you are looking for a difference although with a good crosswind you can have a 10-15 degree difference side to side.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
You're looking for large differences in temperatures from wheel to wheel and tire to tire. If 3 of them are reading 130 and another is 170, there has to be a reason for that. Tire temps from different manufacturers will vary, especially when considering size, load, even tread style. When pulling a heavy load out west on a hot day, my 5ver tires would read 140-145 on the sunny side, 130-135 on the shaded side. The wheel hubs were about the same.
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Most of the time my tires are a bit above ambient temp, 10-20 deg. Hubs/brake area of wheels are near ambient (unless I used the brakes a lot coming to a stop).
I look mainly for differences, is one tire/wheel much hotter than the others then it means tire issue or bearing/brake issue.
charlie
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Mine run 100~115 no matter how hot it is outside and if they're in the sun or the shaded side. Like others have said, you'll see a big difference if a bearing is going bad.
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I would tend to look for an abnormality....one that is 30-50-degrees over the others. The actual temp will vary based on a lot of factors....ambient temperature, bearing friction (which in itself will be effected by other factors such as trailer weight, winds, etc.).
Checking the temps is a good way to see how your bearings are doing, but don't get too caught up in it....try and check when conditions are similar.
Good Luck
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As said - you won't know till you check them a few times to establish normal.
Those are fun. I checked the boat trailer bearings after coming down a mountain pass with the surge brake thats not easily controlled, and almost 75 degrees difference between the braking axle and the non-braking axle.
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Mile High wrote: As said - you won't know till you check them a few times to establish normal.
Those are fun. I checked the boat trailer bearings after coming down a mountain pass with the surge brake thats not easily controlled, and almost 75 degrees difference between the braking axle and the non-braking axle.
I am also having this this type of habit actually, however I loved to read the post.
Mine are also 10 degrees higher than ambient....and the sunny side gets hotter as well. Speeding up will increase the temp as well....at least that's what my TPMS tell me.
It's also fun to see how much the temp drops when it rains.
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