My bearing failure story

midnightsadie wrote:
GDETRAILER, car bearings are a different story,this guy and the rest of us are talking trailer,

Car bearings ARE THE SAME THING AND IDEA, PERIOD.

Car rear bearings (rear on front wheel drive, front on rear wheel drive and 4x2 trucks) ARE ONE IN THE SAME. They are the same "tapered" roller bearings and use GREASE.

Per Dexter axle manual.. HERE

"Dexter’s standard wheel bearing configuration consists of
opposed tapered roller bearing cones and cups, fitted inside
of a precision machined cast hub. This method of using
tapered roller bearings requires that a minimal amount of
axial end play be provided at assembly. This end play is
essential to the longevity of the bearings service life. This
design is typically lubricated with grease, packed into the
bearings. Oil lubrication is another method which is available
in some of the larger axle capacities."

How many people that have front wheel drive vehicles actually ever check their rear axle bearings for heat?

How many people actually pull, inspect and repack front wheel drive rear axle bearings?..

None to the first question and nearly zero to none on the second question.

There is nothing different when comparing 4x2 front axle bearings and front wheel drive rear axle bearings to a trailer bearing when it comes to inspecting and repacking the bearing.

Trailer axle manufacturers DO recommend 12K miles of every two years for removing, inspecting and repacking the bearings..

Done right you will not have a bearing failure.

Done incorrectly or never done and you WILL eventually have a failure.

As I mentioned above, PROPER packing the bearing with grease IS essential. Most mechanics (and a few DIYers) now days do not understand how to properly pack a bearing.

THAT is the cause of most failures, in fact the garage I used that I had failures on my vehicle WERE FACTORY CERTIFIED ASE MECHANICS..

PER DEXTER MANUAL here is how they describe how to properly maintain the bearings..

"Along with bearing adjustment, proper lubrication is essential to
the proper function and reliability of your trailer axle. Bearings
should be lubricated every 12 months or 12,000 miles. The
method to repack bearing cones is as follows:

1.
Place a quantity of grease into the palm of your hand.

2.
Press a section of the widest
end of the bearing into the
outer edge of the grease pile
closest to the thumb forcing
grease into the interior of the
bearing.

3.
Repeat this while rotating the
bearing from roller to roller.

4.
Continue this process until
you have the entire bearing
completely filled with grease.

5.
Before reinstalling, apply a light coat of grease on the
bearing cup"

As you can tell I have not made up anything..

It is pretty much as I described..

As far as bearing adjustment here is what Dexter has to say..

"Bearing Adjustment and Hub Replacement
If the hub has been removed or bearing adjustment is required,
the following adjustment procedure must be followed.
For standard grease or oil axles using cotter pin:

1.
After placing the hub, bearings, washers, and spindle nut
back on the axle spindle in reverse order as detailed in the
previous section on hub removal, rotate the hub assembly
slowly while tightening the spindle nut to approximately
50Ft. Lbs.(12" wrench or pliers with full hand force.)

2.
Then loosen the spindle nut to remove the torque. Do not
rotate the hub.

3.
Finger tighten the spindle nut until just snug.

4.
Back the spindle nut out slightly until the first castellation
lines up with the cotter key hole and insert the cotter pin.

5.
Bend over the cotter pin legs to secure the nut.

6.
Nut should be free to move with only restraint being the
cotter pin."

With the exception of the actual torque spec and #6 instruction for looseness of the nut the steps that Dexter lists ARE the very same steps you do for ANY 4x2 vehicle which has tapered roller bearings..

Those steps are what my Dad SHOWED me nearly 35 years ago on my first CAR which by the way had drum brakes on the front axle..