re-packing greasing the bearings / axle
Hello, how often should I be re-packing the bearings ? I have a 2003 forest river salem le If I don't tow it much, should I be doing it less often ? I've owned it for 3 years, only towed ...
Forum Discussion
I'm guessing most of what needs to be said about bearings on trailers has already been covered. I've got a suggestion and a couple of opinions on the subject. My suggestion is that if the OP's hubs have never been off the trailer for 6 yrs (hope I got that right?), now is the time for service.
IMO, there is nothing wrong and a whole lot good with scheduled maintenance of wheel bearings/drum brakes. Determining the interval between service is where a lot of arguments start on this Forum. It will have to be to the determination of the owner as to the interval. There are certain folks that repack their bearings every year and believe that a bearing set deteriorates by laying idle. IMO, that is not true. Unless the trailer is parked close to salt water or inside a rain forest, and the bearings have never been adequately serviced so that they have a film of grease, there is no worry to the longevity of the bearings. I've dug trailers out of mud, immersed for years. I've serviced surfaces continually drenched in salt water. If there is a film of grease on the metal, there is no deterioration.
This focuses service interval to actual use. If you only roll the trailer a few times a year, service interval can be years apart. If you cover 5K miles a year or more, repack yearly.
The EZ lube axle is a creation to eliminate frequent hub removal, relying on the introduction of grease at small amounts to keep the bearings greased. It is a solution in search of a problem (or a solution to an assumed problem, owner inactivity). It is a poor design.
Bearing Buddies are a creation from the Marine industry for boat trailers and do a good job of keeping water out of the bearing spaces. It is a good design.
I've worked off and on as a mechanic/technician for 50 years. The early part of that time was in the era when all vehicles had serviceable axle bearings. My feeling is that most RV owners are somewhat obsessive with axles and tires. A lot of them are also retired and/or have a fairly large bankroll. That all adds up to a more frequent service than is entirely necessary.
BTW, Grit Dog's service technique of forcing grease into the outer bearing and filling the dust cover (used to be called a grease cup) is not without merit. That was a service technique used with success by many. With today's greases and the service time for pulling hubs, it makes more sense to pull hubs, inspect bearings and brakes, and repack bearings using a bearing packing device.
IMO, there is nothing wrong and a whole lot good with scheduled maintenance of wheel bearings/drum brakes. Determining the interval between service is where a lot of arguments start on this Forum. It will have to be to the determination of the owner as to the interval. There are certain folks that repack their bearings every year and believe that a bearing set deteriorates by laying idle. IMO, that is not true. Unless the trailer is parked close to salt water or inside a rain forest, and the bearings have never been adequately serviced so that they have a film of grease, there is no worry to the longevity of the bearings. I've dug trailers out of mud, immersed for years. I've serviced surfaces continually drenched in salt water. If there is a film of grease on the metal, there is no deterioration.
This focuses service interval to actual use. If you only roll the trailer a few times a year, service interval can be years apart. If you cover 5K miles a year or more, repack yearly.
The EZ lube axle is a creation to eliminate frequent hub removal, relying on the introduction of grease at small amounts to keep the bearings greased. It is a solution in search of a problem (or a solution to an assumed problem, owner inactivity). It is a poor design.
Bearing Buddies are a creation from the Marine industry for boat trailers and do a good job of keeping water out of the bearing spaces. It is a good design.
I've worked off and on as a mechanic/technician for 50 years. The early part of that time was in the era when all vehicles had serviceable axle bearings. My feeling is that most RV owners are somewhat obsessive with axles and tires. A lot of them are also retired and/or have a fairly large bankroll. That all adds up to a more frequent service than is entirely necessary.
BTW, Grit Dog's service technique of forcing grease into the outer bearing and filling the dust cover (used to be called a grease cup) is not without merit. That was a service technique used with success by many. With today's greases and the service time for pulling hubs, it makes more sense to pull hubs, inspect bearings and brakes, and repack bearings using a bearing packing device.
