I asked this in the travel trailer forum in a thread about seals and decided that asking here might be more appropriate:I repacked the bearings on one side of my trailer that had the factory lube job. The Lippert factory bearing packing job seemed to be pretty good. Bearings were full, seal was full, and plenty of grease around the outer bearing. The wheel had no noticeable play and the nut could be removed by hand.The bearings, spindles and races looked good with the exception of the inside of all the bearings. They all had this mark on the inside:I did some reading and I think this is OK, but I wanted to double check before doing the other side. I'd rather redo 2 wheels vs 4 if it turns out this is not good....

Looks like a little rust where the bearing was mounted on the shaft. Not an issue IMO. If it cleans up with a little WD-40 then it's just a little rust, but if you can catch a fingernail, like it's a rough spot it might be different, but AFAICT that looks okay to me. Especially taking into account that you said all the bearings were like that.

I agree with above, it appears to be a dry rust mark. If there is no pitting, should be good to go.I very lightly grease the shaft, before reinstalling the hub.Jerry

MFL wrote:I agree with above, it appears to be a dry rust mark. If there is no pitting, should be good to go.I very lightly grease the shaft, before reinstalling the hub.JerryGood point, I should have mentioned that but it's a good idea to lube the axle/shaft before pressing on the bearing. I use anti-seize. That will help prevent the corresponding spot on the axle from getting worse.

I put light grease on the shaft and new seal.I thought the mark looked more like a burn or a stain than rust. I went through the few photos I took. This is the best I could come up with to try to show things:

Not a bearing expert, but what do the corresponding areas on the shafts look like? Could this be on the side that would carry more vertical load and the bearings were a hair too loose or not seating correctly against the shafts? The way the "stain" is about 120 degrees around the circumference and looks to be a bit wider at the center of it kinda suggests that??

Bearing Question | Good Sam Community

24 Replies

mrekim
Explorer
May 04, 2015
I put light grease on the shaft and new seal.

I thought the mark looked more like a burn or a stain than rust. I went through the few photos I took. This is the best I could come up with to try to show things:
fj12ryder
Explorer III
May 04, 2015
MFL wrote:
I agree with above, it appears to be a dry rust mark. If there is no pitting, should be good to go.

I very lightly grease the shaft, before reinstalling the hub.

Jerry
Good point, I should have mentioned that but it's a good idea to lube the axle/shaft before pressing on the bearing. I use anti-seize. That will help prevent the corresponding spot on the axle from getting worse.
MFL
Nomad II
May 04, 2015
I agree with above, it appears to be a dry rust mark. If there is no pitting, should be good to go.

I very lightly grease the shaft, before reinstalling the hub.

Jerry
fj12ryder
Explorer III
May 04, 2015
Looks like a little rust where the bearing was mounted on the shaft. Not an issue IMO. If it cleans up with a little WD-40 then it's just a little rust, but if you can catch a fingernail, like it's a rough spot it might be different, but AFAICT that looks okay to me. Especially taking into account that you said all the bearings were like that.

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Bearing Question

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