Wheel bearings

Spare bearings are a good idea, realizing it is not considered good practice to replace a bearing without replacing the cup as well.

I carry spare bearings and the tools to change them on the road.
This is why they will never fail ;)

Pauljdav wrote:
A super easy way to verify if a heat is caused from a bad bearing is to put blocks of wood under the "good" tire on the side of the trailer of the "hot" bearing. With the hot bearing off the ground you can then spin the tire, check how loose it is etc.

True if it is hot it is failed. The good news is that it is just as easy to put in a brand new bearing as it is to repack the existing. All you need to do is carry an extra set with you, a few tools and grease. It is actually easier to use a new bearing because then you do not need to get the old grease out of it.

I carry extra bearings and the needed tools and grease. If I need to it will take me about a half hour to redo any bad bearing.

For those that have never done a bearing before it is actually easier to do than to remove the tire. Just a lot messier. Rubber gloves fixes that.

I am not changing a bearing out on the side of the road. It's not gonna happen. That's why I have roadside coverage.

A super easy way to verify if a heat is caused from a bad bearing is to put blocks of wood under the "good" tire on the side of the trailer of the "hot" bearing. With the hot bearing off the ground you can then spin the tire, check how loose it is etc.

True if it is hot it is failed. The good news is that it is just as easy to put in a brand new bearing as it is to repack the existing. All you need to do is carry an extra set with you, a few tools and grease. It is actually easier to use a new bearing because then you do not need to get the old grease out of it.

I carry extra bearings and the needed tools and grease. If I need to it will take me about a half hour to redo any bad bearing.

For those that have never done a bearing before it is actually easier to do than to remove the tire. Just a lot messier. Rubber gloves fixes that.

My sealed vehicle bearings are perfectly good to run till they make a noise, then time to replace. My unsealed car bearings (1998 2wd S10) it seems I have to repack about every brake change even if I don't have to replace the rotor.

My race trailer with 7k axles sits more then its used. I have bearing buddies and I check them every year, but end up repacking every 2 as the grease inside gets fouled from sitting and the moisture building inside the cap/buddy. The buddies have reduced that from fouling up more often since installed.

I just moved to a 5th wheel, but I suspect to see about the same thing. Check annually and repack every 2-3 years when the grease fouls up from moisture. As soon as I see the normally red clear grease get cloudy I know its time to repack.

Based on some other comments out here, I will probably check and repack them before I head to FL. Which my buddy who runs a shop basically told me to do as well.

JJBIRISH wrote:
Heat is heat and the bearing temps will rise and fall from all of those reasons and unless you know the normal and acceptable temp range, and weather the measured temp is a fluctuation or constant temp, you just can’t make those claims…
Even the normal operating temp change with bearing size, load, speed, type of lubricants, and proper preload… I would think this is how they determine what bearing to use in mfg.…

I believe careful monitoring and observation of applications can sometimes reveal early warning signs of clearance and endplay-related problems, and is a good way to intervene before a permanent failure occurs… I don’t believe a temporary elevated temp is proof that a permanent or catastrophic failure has already occurred…

The big question remains what temp is too high and how accurate can we be at measuring it…
Even inaccurate but consistent measurements and help diagnose a problem…
A safe operating temp can be vastly different for the exact same bearing with different types of lubricants…

There isn't a set temperature that can be regarded as too high or even one that can be regarded as normal. The amount of heat generated by a properly running bearing is very small compared to that generated by the brakes and tires. It is not bearing temperatures that require the use of high temperature lubricants.

As stated, the real value of checking temperatures is to find a large difference between one wheel and the others, which would indicate a problem. The problem could be a dragging brake, under inflated tire, suspension problem, or a bearing.

All I am saying if that if you find an appreciable temperature difference and the cause is a bearing, that bearing is already toast, because that is why it is hot. Checking temperatures is no substitute for regular servicing unless you like to run things until they fail.

Dave H M wrote:
I have a flat bed cargo trailer (do have a fifth wheel also). Anyhow my flat bed had been to many states since I never hesitate to loan it out to friends. Soooo after reading all about the bearings and the warnings on this board, I decided to pull the wheels, change the seals, and repack. That was after at least ten years. They looked good as new. :h

Each to his own.

I too have pulled ,and owned many trailers, never had a problem with bearings, have no idea how often they should be serviced, but what I don't listen to is the every year guys , if packed properly, and installed properly they don't IMO need to be serviced once a year. I have built utility trailers that I have packed ,and installed the bearings on new axles, run them for ten years without touching them, but of course I knew it was done right the first time.

When looking at temperatures a differential can be a sign of impending trouble that should be investigated as soon as possible.

I have a flat bed cargo trailer (do have a fifth wheel also). Anyhow my flat bed had been to many states since I never hesitate to loan it out to friends. Soooo after reading all about the bearings and the warnings on this board, I decided to pull the wheels, change the seals, and repack. That was after at least ten years. They looked good as new. :h

Each to his own.

Heat is heat and the bearing temps will rise and fall from all of those reasons and unless you know the normal and acceptable temp range, and weather the measured temp is a fluctuation or constant temp, you just can’t make those claims…
Even the normal operating temp change with bearing size, load, speed, type of lubricants, and proper preload… I would think this is how they determine what bearing to use in mfg.…

I believe careful monitoring and observation of applications can sometimes reveal early warning signs of clearance and endplay-related problems, and is a good way to intervene before a permanent failure occurs… I don’t believe a temporary elevated temp is proof that a permanent or catastrophic failure has already occurred…

The big question remains what temp is too high and how accurate can we be at measuring it…
Even inaccurate but consistent measurements and help diagnose a problem…
A safe operating temp can be vastly different for the exact same bearing with different types of lubricants…