My bearing failure story

It's possible that the cheap bearings caused the problem, but my bet is the mechanic caused it. Nearly all trailers, for years, came with Chinese bearings.

Amen to that.

Do we honestly expect a mechanic to let it be known that he muffed it up or also to not cover for his buds? :h

Hm, two of them failed on the first trip after they were repacked - if that is what greased meant.

Some vehicles have sealed bearing but not most. I have towed well over 250000 miles and never replaced a trailer bearing. Proper amount of grease...installed correctly and not overloaded is the key not where its made....if that were the case every car and truck manufacturer would have wheels flying off.

One big difference with wheel bearings on a vehicle is that you can FEEL and HEAR them failing. You just have to be observant enough to realize that growling noise is a problem, and get it fixed.

As for "catastrophic failure," that means that bearings do not suddenly fail without warning. When they are allowed to fail, it's sure "catastrophic" but there are plenty of warning signs ahead of time.

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..

mkirsch wrote:
One big difference with wheel bearings on a vehicle is that you can FEEL and HEAR them failing. You just have to be observant enough to realize that growling noise is a problem, and get it fixed.

As for "catastrophic failure," that means that bearings do not suddenly fail without warning. When they are allowed to fail, it's sure "catastrophic" but there are plenty of warning signs ahead of time.

Actually, my one 4x2 truck they DID fail WITHOUT WARNING, NO NOISE, NO GROWLING, NO CHANGE TO FEELING (VIBRATION).. All I felt was a tug on the steering wheel TOWARDS the side that FAILED.

Stopped immediately on the side of the road and could smell burning grease on the side that failed (hub cap was on the wheel).

Got back in and gently drove on the shoulder barely even registering any speed 1/4 mile to a Sam's club parking lot. Jacked up the offending side and found LOTS of play with the bearings.

I was driving and heard no noise so your theory is invalid.

Lack of grease IS the main culprit to failure..

I have never had a car bearing failure. A trailer (ok, my trailer) is much heavier than any car I've ever owned, hence I draw the conclusion that a trailer is different because of its weight.

I can't wait to see the laughing head-scratching icon in the reply to this.

No scratching head from me, just a comment. Trailers are heavier then cars but the bearings should be matched to the weight so I believe they should last as long. I have never had a failure in 40+ years of pulling trailers, including boats. Proper maintenance is the key as others have stated.

2oldman wrote:
I have never had a car bearing failure. A trailer (ok, my trailer) is much heavier than any car I've ever owned, hence I draw the conclusion that a trailer is different because of its weight.

I can't wait to see the laughing head-scratching icon in the reply to this.

Not necessarily..

My 2013 F250 4x2 with 6.2 IS RATED 4,200 lbs (GAWR) ON THE FRONT AXLE.

A F350 4x2 will have a front axle GAWR a bit higher and add in a Diesel and that front axle is going to take a beating..

I am not sure what you think big rig tractors use for front wheel bearings.. As a hint, big rig tractors are NOT front wheel drive..

Folks that IS the same as a trailer if you really think about it..

A dual axle trailer rated for 7K-8K will typically have TWO axles rated at 3,500 lbs GAWR..

In a nutshell a VEHICLE axle can take as much if not more weight (or abuse) than a trailer axle.. AND non drive axles on a vehicle USE THE SAME ROLLER BEARING SYSTEM.

RAS43 wrote:
Trailers are heavier then (sic) cars but the bearings should be matched to the weight so I believe they should last as long.

They should, but don't. I'm sure RV mfrs put in the best bearings they can find. :)

CHINA BEARNGS? Are you nuts?

When I checked hundreds of China bearings - A6000XX to 193650 50DN bearings, including 6203, 6303, 6305, + 2RS, they failed utterly to meet dimensional tolerances. .0002" may sound like a joke, but when something gets destroyed worth 500-times the cost of the bearing, suddenly the laughter fails.

Same with 2RS bearings of the 90's with USSR stamped into the seal. Dimensional tolerance and lube were beyond nightmare quality.

Timken and SKF make great wheel bearings. For smaller sealed ball bearings, NTN, LUA grade are my one and only choice.

After destroying a three thousand dollar DANA 70 axle with so-called miracle AMZOIL grease, thirty five years ago, that learned me. All grease is not the same and 99% of what I run across now is utter sludge. Try CHEVRON RED GREASE or LUBRICATION ENGINEERS ALMAGARD 3752 on spotless bearings, correctly pre-loaded and learn premature bearing failures are overwhelmingly a result of using CRISCO grade lubricants. On Dana axles it is vital to insure lube level in the differential is adequate to slip down axle tubes and full bearing hub cavities. A leaking rear wheel "drive" bearing can lead to catastrophe. For oil lubed bearings, Lubrication Engineers, Amasol 607 is unbeatable. It actually stops or greatly reduces gear oil leakage and seepage.

I'll let other folks fight wheel bearings. I've got better things to do :)