Wheel bearings

There isn't any.

I check mine about every 7 years or so. I pack them myself the first time and they always look great after that. IMHO there is more of a chance of screwing something up if you look at it every year.

Some say oil is cheap and change it every 3K also.
Sheople like that keep the economy going. Good for them! :B

mark5w wrote:
What is so different with RV wheel bearings that they have to be packed at least every year or two. My truck and car does not require this yearly maintenance, why does the RV axles??

Who told you that have to be packed every year or two? Did you read that on the internet?

I re-packed mine and replaced the inner seals a year after purchacing our used unit. Mostly for peace of mind because I really didn't know what service had been performed prior. Now I feel better.

I have a 2004 Rockwood 8318ss.

After I bought it I checked the bearings. There was just a barely adequate amount of grease. I took everything apart and completely flushed the bearings with mineral spirits to clean out all the old grease. Then I bought a bearing-greasing tool from the auto parts store which holds the bearings and has a grease fitting. You just pump the grease and it forces it through the bearing. I used Mobil 1 synthetic grease (red).

For a couple of years I removed the bearings every year and pumped new grease through them. After the first few years, I checked them every other year. The only change I saw as that the red grease had gotten dirty. I just pump new grease through (remove bearing and put in tool) until fresh red appears.

I still check it every few years, it only costs about $10 in new seals. I have a HF infrared thermometer and check the hubs every time I stop at rest stops.

Like others have said, check the bearings immediately after purchase (new or used), clean and repack if needed and don't worry. They would probably be OK for many years. For every bearing failure you read about on the forum, there are dozens of posts about tire failures. If you are going to worry, worry about something more likely to happen.

Steve

On a used trailer I bought that was 7 years old the bearings were almost dry. I repack after the first year to check the factory then every 5 years after that.

Racerx11 wrote:

skipnchar wrote:
I have packed my brains twice since the trailer was New in 2006. This represents over 80,000 towing miles. I watch for signs of leaking Grease on tires or breaks and would service them if I found anything but so far I have not.

LOL

At which? Brains or Breaks, or both???

Chris

Highway 4x4 wrote:
All bets are off with the Never Lube bearings. They have a 100,000 mile guarantee that is good for 5 years. But you better R&R them at no more than 5 years or you will be watching your TT go down the road on the bed of a big rig tow flatbed.

More details PLEASE!
Thanks!

All bets are off with the Never Lube bearings. They have a 100,000 mile guarantee that is good for 5 years. But you better R&R them at no more than 5 years or you will be watching your TT go down the road on the bed of a big rig tow flatbed.

skipnchar wrote:
I have packed my brains twice since the trailer was New in 2006. This represents over 80,000 towing miles. I watch for signs of leaking Grease on tires or breaks and would service them if I found anything but so far I have not.

LOL

I checked mine when new, and they were almost devoid of Lube (Keystone product). I packed them correctly and no problems since (2009 model, about 15,000 miles).