can i grease bearings without lifting?

I'd take the interstate.

Buy a small hand held infra temp gun,about $25.00 and check temp a couple of times if that makes you more comfortable.

I am gonna do the 80 mile trip this friday and i will do the 80 mile trip home this october..I will have dealer repack the bearings next spring before i pick it up again after next winters storage.. by then probably have around 700-800 miles total and three years of ownership.. Now, I have two options up to camp friday... if theres any questions on the bearings am i better off taking the state roads that are 55 mph and winding, or i can take the interstate most of the way which is 65 but streight...what puts more stress on bearings? faster speed? I will stop every 20 miles or so and let the camper cool down if i have to...

RCMAN wrote:
Time and location of storage is more important than miles on a trailer axle.

Maybe in the Pacific Northwest with an axle that has no grease on it but the OP has 500 mi. on his trailer.

FWIW, a few years ago I dug a boat and trailer out of a swamp. The wheels were nearly buried to the top in swamp muck and had been like that for ten years. After I had the trailer and wheels above grade, I pulled the wheels and hubs, cleaned up the bearings and axles, greased it all, and pulled it home. Is that an indicator of rough storage?

Note sure about OK for a 200 mile trip. Every spring I see trailers along side of the road with failed bearings.

Often this is on a county road or state highway on the way to a freeway.

No.

And I would not bother for a 200 mile trip.

Think about scheduling a repack service sometime later this year.

Time and location of storage is more important than miles on a trailer axle.

When you have the dealer do the job I would have a complete repack and careful inspection of bearing and brakes.

I repacked my bearings after three years. I use a synthetic grease. I was surprised at the light rust I found between the bearing race and the axle.

This was after two seasons in Yuma Arizona RV site and in an insulated shop building during the Summer in Idaho.

I would suspect a trailer that is towed once a week for 50 miles or so would fare better than a trailer that is not towed but once a year.

yankeeslover wrote:
Guys, I meant I have to drive camper Friday to seasonal site. It sat 6 months on site last year. I drove it home in October and then stored it for winter. I now have to drive it back to seasonal site 80 miles away.

You should be fine, as is. If you look in your owner's manual or in the Dexter axle website, it will suggest to service bearings at an interval of 12 mos or 12K miles. The 12 mos, interval isn't chipped in stone, it is to cover any user that puts on less than 12K miles.

An over-the-top interval for the pickiest bearing owner would be in the order of 3K miles or yearly. Even that is a waste of good grease. BTW. I started packing bearings when every car had them, about 45 yrs. ago.

Guys, I meant I have to drive camper Friday to seasonal site. It sat 6 months on site last year. I drove it home in October and then stored it for winter. I now have to drive it back to seasonal site 80 miles away.

HTElectrical wrote:
You can use 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 blocks and drive one wheel up at a time to lift the other if you have a dual or triple axle trailer.

This video should help Tire Change