The axles were recently replaced on my 27' TT, and the tech said the bearings looked fine. I have put almost 20K miles on this since I bought it new 3.5 years ago. I have had the bearings checked twice in that time, and they "looked fine" both times. They have grease fittings, BTW, but I have never added grease. About a year ago I asked about bearing mntnce on this forum, and the answers ranged from repack every year, every two years, never (just shoot some grease into them from time to time). Since we are leaving on a 7K mile trip soon, I want to do the right thing.The last time I used the trailer, I drove 150 mostly highway miles, and 15 minutes after stopping I checked the temperature of each wheel with an infrared sensor. The last 10 miles had been city driving, so the brakes could have contributed to the heat. It was about 82 degrees at the time.I have no idea if the temps I read are appropriate. I aimed the sensor at the alloy wheel, right at the hub. The readings were: Right Rear 95 degrees " Front 114 Left Rear 132 " Front 89Does this seem normal? should there have been such a range, fr/back, L/R? If so, I will shoot some grease in them and call it good, unless you recommend something further is needed.Thanks for your help!

If your bearings are properly adjusted they will last a long time and without heat issues. Bearings get hot when they are too tight. Sounds like you rely on other people to maintain your trailer. About time you get your hands dirty and DIY. I will tighten the castle nut with a wrench to ensure the bearings are seated then back off the nut. I will next hand tighten the nut then back it off just enuf to install the cotter pin. There is a very slight amount of play in my bearings when I do it this way but it works for me and there is no heat buildup as a result. I've pulled this trailer all over the country for the past five years and my wheels are always cool or slightly warm to the touch depending on brake use. BTW, I've only repacked the bearings once and I don't shoot grease into the axle.

"About time you get your hands dirty and DIY."Nonsense, some people have no desire to "get your hands dirty" as you put it. That's why they have shop or a mechanic take care of it. Perhaps they've tried it before and decided they didn't like it and didn't want to do it. Not your concern as that isn't what he wanted to know anyway.I notice the higher temperatures are both on the same side, maybe sun shining, which will definitely raise tire temps not sure about wheel bearing. Also could be the crown of the road was loading one side of the trailer more than the other. You say recently, but recently can be anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to a year. If you don't wish to do it yourself, have your shop/mechanic check the bearing freeplay. If he says it is okay, then carry your temp gun and check the wheels periodically while on the road.

The way to check your bearings temperature accurately is to drive for a while at speed and then coast to a stop. Brake use will significantly heat up the hubs. I think you need to adjust your brakes- tighten the cool ones and loosen the hot ones to they are more balanced.

I remove the decorative caps so I can touch the hub. If it burns - it is too hot and problematic.

Our dealer removed and reinstalled our drums for a brake & bearing inspection at our request. Away on a road trip, I found one of the drums was quite a bit hotter than the other using an IR gun. When I removed the drums myself at home, I discovered I needed a wrench to undo the castle nuts and because they way over-tightened. They were also supposed to cleaned and repacked the bearings but I found 2 colors of grease inside so all they had done was pump more grease in via the zerks. Just can't trust a dealer to do anything right. :M I decided to replace the original Chinese bearings with Timkens and no issues after several years. You'll know pretty quick when you go to remove the castle nuts if they were installed correctly or not.Note that the drums can seem hotter on one side if travelling down a road with the sun hitting them and the other side being in the shade.

Wheel Bearing Temp Question | Good Sam Community

beemerphile1
Explorer
Jun 16, 2019
I remove the decorative caps so I can touch the hub. If it burns - it is too hot and problematic.
bartlettj
Explorer
Jun 16, 2019
The way to check your bearings temperature accurately is to drive for a while at speed and then coast to a stop. Brake use will significantly heat up the hubs. I think you need to adjust your brakes- tighten the cool ones and loosen the hot ones to they are more balanced.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Jun 15, 2019
"About time you get your hands dirty and DIY."

Nonsense, some people have no desire to "get your hands dirty" as you put it. That's why they have shop or a mechanic take care of it. Perhaps they've tried it before and decided they didn't like it and didn't want to do it. Not your concern as that isn't what he wanted to know anyway.

I notice the higher temperatures are both on the same side, maybe sun shining, which will definitely raise tire temps not sure about wheel bearing. Also could be the crown of the road was loading one side of the trailer more than the other.

You say recently, but recently can be anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to a year. If you don't wish to do it yourself, have your shop/mechanic check the bearing freeplay. If he says it is okay, then carry your temp gun and check the wheels periodically while on the road.
azdryheat
Explorer
Jun 15, 2019
If your bearings are properly adjusted they will last a long time and without heat issues. Bearings get hot when they are too tight. Sounds like you rely on other people to maintain your trailer. About time you get your hands dirty and DIY.

I will tighten the castle nut with a wrench to ensure the bearings are seated then back off the nut. I will next hand tighten the nut then back it off just enuf to install the cotter pin. There is a very slight amount of play in my bearings when I do it this way but it works for me and there is no heat buildup as a result. I've pulled this trailer all over the country for the past five years and my wheels are always cool or slightly warm to the touch depending on brake use. BTW, I've only repacked the bearings once and I don't shoot grease into the axle.

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