Bearing packing drama
I bought my camper new last year. After a couple of trips i noticed the hubs on the drivers side were getting so hot that i could not hold my hand on them. The passenger side hubs were warm but much c...
Forum Discussion
Curious what brand of TT this is? Did the bearings have any play in them at the time you took the axle nuts off? (Needed wrench to loosen the nuts?) Was there only one color of grease or 2 or more? EZ-lube axles? Has the dealer ever done anything to the brakes/axles?
Had a similar issue with our bearings at the end of the 2nd season. Had the dealer check and inspect the bearings and repack after the 1st season (another story in itself). At the end of the 2nd season after a long road trip I found one of the bearings was running much hotter than the others by using an IR gun. Turned out the dealer had over-tightened the axle nuts, did not remove old grease, install new grease and did not replace the seals (a couple were leaking grease inside the brakes/drums). I remember our dealer's head tech. telling me that they pump more grease in during the PDI. Hence the 2 colors of grease which proves they did not do a proper job.
I am pretty certain bearings for a 4400 lb axle are specific to that rating of axle only and 3500 lb ones won't work. Did you check the numbers on the old race to the new? I had a really hard time figuring out the numbers for our 4400 lb axles and in the end, confirmed the numbers on the races and cones. I replaced all races and cones with US made Timken ones. I had one major US bearing supplier tell me that 4400 lb axles are actually 6K lb axles.
Are you replacing all the races and cones and seals? Removing the cones in the drums is a major PITA as there is barely any exposed edge of the cone to catch with a drift to drive it out. I ended up using a piece of 1" EMT and it took a while to work it out. I trust you are using grease that meets Dexter's specs.
Had a similar issue with our bearings at the end of the 2nd season. Had the dealer check and inspect the bearings and repack after the 1st season (another story in itself). At the end of the 2nd season after a long road trip I found one of the bearings was running much hotter than the others by using an IR gun. Turned out the dealer had over-tightened the axle nuts, did not remove old grease, install new grease and did not replace the seals (a couple were leaking grease inside the brakes/drums). I remember our dealer's head tech. telling me that they pump more grease in during the PDI. Hence the 2 colors of grease which proves they did not do a proper job.
I am pretty certain bearings for a 4400 lb axle are specific to that rating of axle only and 3500 lb ones won't work. Did you check the numbers on the old race to the new? I had a really hard time figuring out the numbers for our 4400 lb axles and in the end, confirmed the numbers on the races and cones. I replaced all races and cones with US made Timken ones. I had one major US bearing supplier tell me that 4400 lb axles are actually 6K lb axles.
Are you replacing all the races and cones and seals? Removing the cones in the drums is a major PITA as there is barely any exposed edge of the cone to catch with a drift to drive it out. I ended up using a piece of 1" EMT and it took a while to work it out. I trust you are using grease that meets Dexter's specs.
