I need to inspect/grease wheel bearings. I see that I can get a PAIR of TruRyde seals for $3.90 OR I can go to NAPA and get a SINGLE SKF seal for $23.85. Now given that this job will be done every 1 or 2 years, I don't see paying close to $100 for seals if the TruRyde seals will last a couple of years and get the job done.So are the TRuRyde seals good for two years or should I pass on them?Also, this is a 1 year old Lippert 5200 Lb axle. It's only got a a couple thousand miles on it. Should I plan on replacing anything else, for example do the oem bearings have any known issues?

I got the double-lip seals from Lippert when I did mine (same axle) I think they were like $3 each. On there for 3 years now and no leakage....it's time to re-pack again this season. I think for $24 EACH they should be lifetime seals LOL

Have you done this before? Not questioning your expertise, but I've gotten the impression here that improperly done maintenance has caused more problems than natural wear and tear. 1 year and 2,000 miles is very little use.Good luck.

BurbMan wrote:I got the double-lip seals from Lippert when I did mine (same axle) I think they were like $3 each. On there for 3 years now and no leakage....it's time to re-pack again this season. I think for $24 EACH they should be lifetime seals LOLI called Lippert to get the seal numbers for mine, as I wanted the right seals on hand, before taking apart.They told me, they are hard to find locally, but would gladly send the proper ones to me. I remember the price was reasonable, like Burbman mentioned. The shipping is always high.Jerry

Are you sure of that price? A SINGLE SKF seal for $23.85 and it wasn't for 4 seals. SKF is an excellent seal and bearing manufacturer, but even so, that price appears to be extremely high. Perhaps it is the Napa dealer that has the price jacked so high.

coolbreeze01 wrote:Have you done this before? Not questioning your expertise, but I've gotten the impression here that improperly done maintenance has caused more problems than natural wear and tear. 1 year and 2,000 miles is very little use.Good luck.My understanding is that I should not let a brand new Lippert axle go for more that 1 season without grease/inspection. If I knew the factory did a good job, then I'd be willing to go a few years of light use before worrying about it. As far as farming the job out to a "pro", I've not found a shop that I trust to even do it for free much less for the $100+ per hour that they would charge me.

Grease Seals TruRyde vs SKF | Good Sam Community

mrekim
Explorer
May 03, 2015
I got the truRyde seals. They seem fine. We'll see how they work.

I only did one side for now.

The Lippert factory bearing packing job seemed to be pretty good. Bearing were full, seal was full, and plenty of grease around the outer bearing. The wheel had no noticeable play and the nut could be removed by hand.

The bearings, spindles and races looked good with the exception of the inside of all the bearings. They all had this mark on the inside:
myredracer
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2015
If you buy from Lippert, I assume you'd get a generic offshore part from their usual source. Considering the potential consequences if a seal fails, I'd want to install a top quality brand. All 4 brakes in our TT had to be totally rebuilt under warranty at only 7 months old due to contamination from grease so I wouldn't trust what the TT axle manufacturers use.

Not sure what the best brand names in seals and bearings are. If it's not made in Japan, Europe or North America, I wouldn't want them. The owner of frame & axle shop told me once that the best one is made in Japan but can't recall the name.
LarryJM
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2015
mosseater wrote:
I go to Kaman Bearing locally and they crossed over a very good double lip seal for about $11 per. $23 is out of line, IMO. A competent bearing shop should be able to get you good seals for less than that. Personally, I'm not sure how much trust I'd put in a $3 seal.

IMO anything over about $5-$6 per seal is outrageous. I've been getting mine from my local RV dealer for around $3.50 per seal. These are from a parts drawer in the store that has like 10 different seals and there are probably 50+ seals in each drawer. Not sure of the make and I'm sure their probably the dreaded China bombs, but in over 30 years buying them from this same dealer I have never had an issue with any of the scores I have bought from them. BTW these are double lipped and the # IIRC is like 10-49. I also don't repack and change my seals every year, but like every 3 to 5 years.

Larry
mrekim
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
You have a good point. But it seems like if I'm going through all the effort to jack up the trailer and remove the hub that I might as well inspect the bearings. This seems especially important these days where getting good parts seems to be a hit or miss proposition.

In order to properly inspect then bearing they have to be cleaned... so repacked.
rbpru
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2015
If you inspect the wheels and find the bearings well-greased and the seals in good shape, why would you replace them?

Leaky seals, dried out bearings or perhaps extended mileage in extreme conditions are another story.

I certainly believe in preventive maintenance but I have never been a fan of fixing something that is perfectly good.
mrekim
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
mosseater wrote:
I go to Kaman Bearing locally and they crossed over a very good double lip seal for about $11 per. $23 is out of line, IMO. A competent bearing shop should be able to get you good seals for less than that. Personally, I'm not sure how much trust I'd put in a $3 seal.

I don't have a local place to go to. Their online prices are on the expensive side too. The reason I started this thread was because I didn't understand the price spread.

2012Oudoorsman wrote:

Mine were 17144. Actually one seal is chicago rawhide and the other is skf, skf looks to be the newer package both made in usa.

Thanks for getting back to me. NAPA Online has the 17144 at a more reasonable price.

In any case, the TruRyde ones for $4 a pair are looking more attractive. I haven't found anyone specifically complaining about them yet.
2012Oudoorsman
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
mrekim wrote:
2012Oudoorsman wrote:
That seems weird I'll have to check the part number

Thanks, that would be great. I can call my local NAPA with a part number. For some reason the don't seem to be able (or willing) to cross the more expensive one to find other options.

Mine were 17144. Actually one seal is chicago rawhide and the other is skf, skf looks to be the newer package both made in usa.

I looked up lippert 5200 lb axles and the grease seals are larger. My outside diameter is similar to your inside. I still find it hard to believe that they cost 5x's as much but who knows. If napa was any pricier I would have probably used etrailer especially with all the positive reviews. The guy seemed really knowledgeable at my napa store so if your still deciding on monday ill stop by and see what they say.
mosseater
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2015
I go to Kaman Bearing locally and they crossed over a very good double lip seal for about $11 per. $23 is out of line, IMO. A competent bearing shop should be able to get you good seals for less than that. Personally, I'm not sure how much trust I'd put in a $3 seal.
mrekim
Explorer
Apr 24, 2015
2012Oudoorsman wrote:
That seems weird I'll have to check the part number

Thanks, that would be great. I can call my local NAPA with a part number. For some reason the don't seem to be able (or willing) to cross the more expensive one to find other options.
2012Oudoorsman
Explorer
Apr 24, 2015
I just bought my skf grease seals yesterday from napa an $5 and change a piece and they were made in the usa skf seals. My axles are 4400 lbs alko which as far as I know are the same as 5200 dexters just smaller 10x2.25 brakes. That seems weird I'll have to check the part number