Axle Bearing Service - Dos and Dont's???
Trailer: 2011 Keystone 25RS GVWR: 7500# Axles, bearings, brakes, etc. have never been serviced. (the way I purchased from original owner) Mileage: Approx. 10,000 Considering servicing my own ...
Forum Discussion
Do it yourself so if out on the road you have the knowledge already to inspect/fix/repair it.
Easy for anyone half-handy.
Car bearings can go 100's of thousands of miles, so why is 10,000 miles a concern?
IDK why trailer bearings need service so often when there are cars with 300k that have never been looked at, serviced or anything and are fine...
You do need to adjust your trailer bearings often, every few thousand miles, and adjust the brakes unless they are self-adjusting, or at least inspect them. etrailer dot come has good info for all the above.
Lift the wheel/axle and wiggle the tire hard and if there is play you need to adjust. If the wheel drags when spun then needs adjust. If it sounds dry then needs grease. Not too much grease or excess will spill into your brakes.
The bearings do not have to be perfect to work, they just need to spin and not be loose one second and too tight the next. I have seen worse bearings on cars that have gone thousands of miles. If able it is best to have good bearings, but do not panic if you are out on a trip and discover they are not perfect. Grease will cover a lot of sins and get you home safely usually.
Easy for anyone half-handy.
Car bearings can go 100's of thousands of miles, so why is 10,000 miles a concern?
IDK why trailer bearings need service so often when there are cars with 300k that have never been looked at, serviced or anything and are fine...
You do need to adjust your trailer bearings often, every few thousand miles, and adjust the brakes unless they are self-adjusting, or at least inspect them. etrailer dot come has good info for all the above.
Lift the wheel/axle and wiggle the tire hard and if there is play you need to adjust. If the wheel drags when spun then needs adjust. If it sounds dry then needs grease. Not too much grease or excess will spill into your brakes.
The bearings do not have to be perfect to work, they just need to spin and not be loose one second and too tight the next. I have seen worse bearings on cars that have gone thousands of miles. If able it is best to have good bearings, but do not panic if you are out on a trip and discover they are not perfect. Grease will cover a lot of sins and get you home safely usually.
