How Often to Repack Trailer Wheel Bearings?

Now I will never use the cheap bearings and replace them with Timken.


Uhhhhh, a while back I bought one of those good Timkins.

Sure enough the box was made in the USA, but the bearing had made in china stamped on it.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Annually so interior brake components can be checked. There is no sane way to avoid this.

A friend has a 3 axle flatbed trailer with surge brakes. The trailed documented a few DOZEN trips coast to coast. Now has perhaps a quarter million miles on it. The bearings were lubed with Lubrication Engineers, Almaguard 3752

IN 1976

Fact not fiction...

Thanks, Mex. I was hoping you'd post the name of that grease again. Now, to find some.

It depends on the trailer.. Small trailer with small wheels EVERY TRIP.

Larger trailers with 14 " or larger you may repack less often.

But small trailers EVERY TRIP. I went with bearing buddies so I could do it easily on the small trailers (Small means no brakes by the way and as I said wheels less than 14")

theoldwizard1 wrote:
a typical trailer roller bearing "announces" its pending failure by making a metallic clicking sound.

and heat.

One POSSIBLY good thing is that a typical trailer roller bearing "announces" its pending failure by making a metallic clicking sound. You won't hear it on the road, but is very pronounced when in stop and go traffic or pulling away after refueling.

(Ask me how I know !)

mooky stinks wrote:
Big difference whether it's a new trailer or a repack. I don't trust new trailers to be packed properly. But after that, every 2 years doesn't seem unreasonable.

I always completely service trailer bearings before putting it in service. I have seen little grease, loose adjustments and a brake not connected on a new trailer.

Now that trailer bearings have the cheapest Chinese bearings available, all bets are off on when they might fail. I have had five of them in various degrees of failure in 8 months and 11,000 miles. No outward signs of the problems. Had I not checked them, there would have been a major event on the road.

Now I will never use the cheap bearings and replace them with Timken.

Big difference whether it's a new trailer or a repack. I don't trust new trailers to be packed properly. But after that, every 2 years doesn't seem unreasonable.

Annually so interior brake components can be checked. There is no sane way to avoid this.

A friend has a 3 axle flatbed trailer with surge brakes. The trailed documented a few DOZEN trips coast to coast. Now has perhaps a quarter million miles on it. The bearings were lubed with Lubrication Engineers, Almaguard 3752

IN 1976

Fact not fiction...

on a tt let usage be your guide, on a boat trailer for me yearly mine gets wet almost every week.

I believe in overkill. Once the bearings have been in water, such as launching a boat, I would inspect and clean/lube right away. Why have a bearing issue out in West Lonesome, WY?