bearsfolks wrote: I have a 5 year old truck with 60,000 miles on it, never had the wheels off. Why do trailers need annual wheel bearing service when every other vehicle I have owned only gets bearing service when the brakes are replaced?
Because the use inferior seals,bearings, and soft spindles. I tried to keep my checks every two years, but forget that schedule, now I check them every year. One year I found the bearing cap had came loose, and was floating around letting dirt into the bearings. One year a had spun a bearing until the spindle turned blue from the heat, but didn't yet lock up completely, glad I caught that one. Another year a seal failed , leaking my grease into brake shoes, caught that one because a check it before a long trip. These RV axle setups definitely are garbage ,or at least my Alko's are.
As a retired mechanic who has done a LOT of bearing cleaning, inspection, re-packing, and adjustments, my main recommendation would be that if you don't know what you are doing, GET COMPETENT HELP for the first time you do it! There are MANY things you can do wrong that may have disastrous consequences;
Improper cleaning (wrong solvent, not getting the bearings truly clean)
not knowing what to look for when inspecting the bearing and race (spalling, galling, corrosion, pits, grooves, etc.
failure to use lint-free rags for wiping.
Improper handling. skin oils can cause corrosion on clean bearings.
Dirty environment. working on bearing on dirt in a high wind is not real smart.
Improper packing. (too much grease, not enough grease, wrong grease)
Improper adjustment (too tight, too loose, failure to spin the wheel while tightening)
Mismatched parts (installing a bearing in a different race than the one it came out of)
failure to replace BOTH the bearing and race if one or the other needs to be replaced
Wrong seal (just because it is the same OD, ID, and thickness doesn't mean the lip is the proper shape)
mowermech wrote: As a retired mechanic who has done a LOT of bearing cleaning, inspection, re-packing, and adjustments, my main recommendation would be that if you don't know what you are doing, GET COMPETENT HELP for the first time you do it! There are MANY things you can do wrong that may have disastrous consequences;
Improper cleaning (wrong solvent, not getting the bearings truly clean)
not knowing what to look for when inspecting the bearing and race (spalling, galling, corrosion, pits, grooves, etc.
failure to use lint-free rags for wiping.
Improper handling. skin oils can cause corrosion on clean bearings.
Dirty environment. working on bearing on dirt in a high wind is not real smart.
Improper packing. (too much grease, not enough grease, wrong grease)
Improper adjustment (too tight, too loose, failure to spin the wheel while tightening)
Mismatched parts (installing a bearing in a different race than the one it came out of)
failure to replace BOTH the bearing and race if one or the other needs to be replaced
Wrong seal (just because it is the same OD, ID, and thickness doesn't mean the lip is the proper shape)
If you chose to do your own work use the correct grease. I’ve used this grease for more than 30 years with no bearing problems. I don’t service bearings annually. More like once a decade. Use grease rated Special Moly EP. Get competent help the first time, not some guy that says he knows how to do it. Some one who has proven successful history.
I had mine done last year when we got home from Texas and my maintenance people told me that it should be done every two years at least they also informed me that I should not begre pumpin gase into the hub through the bearing buddies
frank-2
frank-2 wrote: I had mine done last year when we got home from Texas and my maintenance people told me that it should be done every two years at least they also informed me that I should not begre pumpin gase into the hub through the bearing buddies
frank-2
I take it that you have Dexter E-Z-Lube axles (NOT "Bearing Buddies", they are VERY different!)
If using the grease fittings the way the manufacturer intended is such a bad thing, why did they even build them?
If the manufacturer's instructions are followed EXACTLY, I can't see where there should be any problem.
My trailer is an 04 that has over 40.000 miles and i have never done nothing thing except pump 3 pumps in the bearings 2 times a year. I jack it up and spin it and watch it spin if it free and no noise it good to go. How often do you repack your front wheel bearings on your truck ??
mowermech
that's exactly what I have all I can tell you is the last year we left there in December went all way to Texas and a lot of other places return home after 2 1/2 months and I never touched my bearings once and and my brother-in-law who travels with us with a fifth wheel never touched his either so I had mine done when we got home and we went to the East Coast and never bothered touching the bearings we will be leaving December 28th for Arizona and California and I will not touch them once all I'm doing is repeating what my maintenance people told me that I should not pump Greece into the bearings that all that does is push Greece out of the back I suppose if you don't what you're doing with a grease gun it would not be a bad thing
Although this is a very good subject to discuss on the open form God knows we do not want to break down on the highway I know about three years ago my brother in law had the bearings go on his fifth wheel think God he had roadside assistance and did not encounter any problem whatsoever in getting his problems fixed now he has a different fifth wheel with the same setup as mine Dexter E-Z-Lube axles so my feeling about this is the the more it is discussed the less problems we all will have
frank-2
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