My owners manual doesn,t have the torque specifications for the wheel bearing nut. What is the best way of finding the proper specs for that particular axle?
Midnapore wrote: My owners manual doesn,t have the torque specifications for the wheel bearing nut. What is the best way of finding the proper specs for that particular axle?
I've never known of an acutal 'spec' for this?? Been doing wheel bearings since I was a kid too...
What I do (and was shown how to by Good 'ol Dad) is you tighten up the nut while giving the wheel a turn and essentially 'seat' it so it's hard to spin. Loosen it backup and finger tight it back to the closest slot for the cotter pin to go thru. Test spin the wheel and make sure it's not too loose or too tight. Hard to explain in writing, but there should be no movement in the wheel if you try to wiggle it side to side and it should spin freely and slow down to a stop. Not just stop.. I do it be feel, so hard to explain..
Been doing it that way for decades and have never had a wheel bearing failure... (knock on wood)!
It's just what I do.. Whether it's 'right or wrong', I'm sure that can be debated on here too!!
Good luck!
Mitch
*Anything I post is for entertainment purposes only and what usually works for me.. Your Mileage May Vary..
Every spring BEFORE pulling TT, one must pull the hubs off. Do break inspection, cleaning (rust removal), check magnet thickness, check brake wire conditons and re-pack the bearings. Also check seals for leaks as well. For me, it takes 15-20 minutes to pull each hub off, do the tasks and re-assemble. Very little time. And, it only costs me $6.00 for boat bearing grease. Yes, I use boat bearing grease because it takes more moisture abuse as well.
If wondering, I pull each wheel hub and inspect / clean brakes every spring (after winter storage months). I manually re-pack its bearing grease as well. And, only replace their inner seals every other year (or if needed after 1 year of use). It only takes 15-20 minutes for each wheel. IMO, time well spent...
You should establish a baseline for you,then you know whats going on!
I think I just read somewhere on dexters at least after a repack you tighten the hub to 50 ft lbs not turning it and then back the nut off and retighten finger tight & good to go, Easy way to be sure!
I have done wheel bearings for 60 years and it never was that easy to do.
I read that & on my truck it calls for 24 inch lbs and leave it and tighten the locks or cotter key in the most available hole.
(I do not agree with it being needed every year.) I serviced all types of wheel bearings and on autos it was in the 25000 mile area and some recommended longer intervals than that. If they have disc brakes they are very exposed to a lot of heat. If it isn't submerged it will be just fine as long as it was done right with good grease.. JMHO jb ( most bearings will show discoloration when going bad usually caused by improper maintenance beforehand or a race will get checked or broken through the chrome. As was said they will go many miles of taken care of))
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Thanks for the replies.
I should have told some history first. I repacked all the bearings and tightened them to a method similiar to Mitchs' last summer before taking it on the road. Instead of cotter pins it has these cheesy washer type locks with tabs that you bend over. I know this might sound a little far-fetched but here is what happened. Anyways we were travelling on a fairly rough Paved road (typical in Canada)when we hit a bump and my wife and I heard a loud noise. Travelling around 40mph I could feel a tire wobbling on the trailer and pulled over right away and I re-tightened the bad wheel. It was almost as if it had skipped a cog or something, so that is why I thought about tightening the bearing wheel nuts to a published spec. We travelled approximately 520 miles before this happened. Obviously I didn,t not tighten them all the same amount. Anyway sorry to be so long winded I thought I should just clarify the situation . Thanks again in advance.
When brakes (disc or drums) sit during winter storage months, they endure natural rust. The 1st time the brakes are used, its like running a sharp file across warm butter. Within a few short miles, the brake pads are filed down to nothing. Down to bare metal on metal. Removing hubs and doing brake inspections and hand sanding the rust of inner drums only takes 15-20 minutes "per wheel hub". Yesterday, I did my little single axle 4x6 utility trailer under 25 minutes. Dual axle can easily be done under 1 hour. If it takes longer, find a different mechanic. They are over charging. Or, one is taking way too long. Watch the videos and apply the methods / tips that work for you. It really is that simple. And yes, I do this "prep before pulling" mandatory task at the winter storage lot myself.
Our second TT had 100,000 miles on it when sold. Still had original bearings. Bet it is still doing fine.
Current TT is dual axle with EZ-Lube. I use EZ-Lube on 3 hubs, and hand grease one hub per year so I can check brakes. We pull about 8500 miles a year.
Chuck
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If you want the simple way to check the bearings, jack the wheels up enough to check for bearing play. Try to rock them back and forth to check for looseness. Anything more than a slight clunk with more than 1/8 inch movement at the tire tread is getting a little loose and should be uncapped and the bearing nut tightened just enough to remove all play. If they are still pretty close to tight, just grease them and drive.
Check for heat by touch on the outside casting after 25 miles of highway. Use some caution since severely overheated bearings, or a dragging brake can burn your fingers. Whenever you stop for a break or fuel, it doesn't hurt to briskly check both bearings and tires for heat and that includes tow vehicle. Tires get hot when underinflated or overloaded.
Wes
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Any idea how much grease I should go through to re-pack a set of 4 wheels?
Started going through the process and have two wheels back on, though seems like I'm pumping a TON of grease into the zerks. Just guestimating it looks like I'll go through an entire tube of grease (one of the large tubes, that goes into the large grease guns)
Does that seem right? Figured I'd see grease pushing out the front after only a few pumps. Concerned it might be coming out the back where I can't see or something
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