I am looking in the owner's manual for my axles (AL-KO) and a couple of things I'm unsure of. I planned on jacking up trailer to work on each wheel, but manual says it's not required (Ultrulube-equipped axles). Second thing is that it mentions using a grease gun (I was told to pack them by hand). Any thoughts, suggestions, opinions, gun options? Also, would any high temp grease be ok to use? I definitely need to work on them - a couple of the hubs are running warm.Thank you much in advance.

I just did mine not long ago... I jacked up one at a time, pumped the grease while turning the tires... I was surprised that it took about a tube per wheel

fun w son wrote:I just did mine not long ago... I jacked up one at a time, pumped the grease while turning the tires... I was surprised that it took about a tube per wheelThat would surprise me too, usually it takes about a golf ball size gob for each bearing.

If they are running hotter than normal, I would want to take a look inside to see how the bearings and hub looks.

PackerBacker wrote:fun w son wrote:I just did mine not long ago... I jacked up one at a time, pumped the grease while turning the tires... I was surprised that it took about a tube per wheelThat would surprise me too, usually it takes about a golf ball size gob for each bearing.The difference is that when you hand pack the bearings individually you don't have to fill the void around the axle between the inner and outer bearings like is required using the grease gun method using the zerk. You have to fill that void before the grease will be expelled out from around the outer bearing and all that grease in the void is doing nothing to provide any lubrication to either bearing.A tube might be a little too much, but around 2/3's of a tube would not surprise me at all and why I no longer recommend using the grease gun/zerk method when that is an option. Hand packing IMO is much better.Larry

Thoroughly clean the bearings when inspecting your brakes. Hand pack the bearings with wheel bearing grease and install a new grease seal. Smack that grease fitting with a hammer so that it can never be used,

Greasing bearings question | Good Sam Community

RoyBell
Explorer
Jun 29, 2017
I plan on doing mine after this weekends trip. 2.5 years and will have roughly 3K miles. RV Dealer said every 5K miles is fine. I rather inspect and pack and be sitting on the side of the road.

I suspect trailer bearings fail quicker because there is a lot of side to side load as you travel down the road. Cars are pretty low and drive straight which eliminates a lot of that strain on axles.
Community Alumni
Jun 29, 2017
westend wrote:

In my situation, I've given up taking anything to be repaired by a dealership (except mounting tires).

I've given up on that too. The last time I had tires changed by the tire shop, I ended up with a tire that vibrated so badly that it nearly took the whole vehicle off of the road. Turns out excessive amounts of lube and water was left inside of the tire caused the problem. You would think that having to add all of those weights to the wheels would be a clue that there's a bigger problem. I bought a cheap manual tire changer and have mounted / balanced my own tires since.

Like Huntindog says, one of the pluses about getting stuff done yourself is that the wife doesn't question tool purchases lol. She's to the point now where she encourages me to buy the better quality stuff and even surprises me with tools that I'm always saying that I wish I had.
rbpru
Explorer II
Jun 29, 2017
Unfortunately the DYI spirit goes not always match ones abilities.

How do you explain the proper brake drag adjustment or bearing side play to folks who have limited mechanical back ground or tools? Fortunately we have internet videos to show the way.

I grew up in a "just do what needs to be done" environment. If you have a TT you will learn to take on new challenges.

Good luck.
_1nobby
Explorer
Jun 29, 2017
If your hubs are running hot....it might be too late.

For some reason trailer bearings don't seem to have the same life span as other bearings. Maybe because they are cheap versions? I dunno. The rear bearings on my old Mercedes have 200,000+ miles on them and they've NEVER been touched.

But I digress.
I, too, am a firm believer in the ...remove - clean - inspect - repack method.

Repacking doesn't have to be hard....you can use one of these......
Huntindog
Explorer
Jun 29, 2017
On the plus side I have amassed a pretty awesome tool collection.... After seeing some of the stuff we went thru, DW never questions a tool purchase ..... In fact, she wants me to get GOOD tools...
westend
Explorer
Jun 29, 2017
Huntindog wrote:
rbpru wrote:
As I mentioned my opinion of dealer service is not very high.

Twice, from two different dealers, I asked for a brake inspection and bearing packing and both time all I got was a cursory look at the pad wear and the bearing lubed through the Zerk. I was not cheap either.

What was disappointing was the reason the brake pads showed little wear was they were half frozen up with grit and grime. Also rather than pack the bearings by hand they just remounted the drum and greased it through the Zerk.

Finally I had a brake magnet fail and decided it was time for "man up" and do it myself. It was messy but at least I knew it was done the way I like it.
This is why I have been doing as much of my own work as possible for many years. It seems that every time I pay someone to do something, I am disappointed in the results. And it costs a lot for that as well.
At least when I do something, it gets done right, or I screw it up and then fix it right, for a lot less money.
This applies to more than just RVs.
Now, imagine that you've had a couple of careers doing the work.......

The crux of having vehicles serviced and repaired, IMO, is the level of attention given by the actual person with "hands on". Dealerships can be filled with detailed, professional people, inhabited by guys that were just looking for a job, or a mix of both.

In my situation, I've given up taking anything to be repaired by a dealership (except mounting tires). I was nearly killed once and have discovered bad work more than I like to remember. As I age, I'll be looking for an individual I can trust or a small shop where bad work isn't tolerated.

So yeah, doing the jobs yourself will insure it's done right and there will be a lot less worry about what has been done.
Passin_Thru
Explorer
Jun 29, 2017
My wife says she will kick you a** for saying that Oldsmokey.
Huntindog
Explorer
Jun 28, 2017
rbpru wrote:
As I mentioned my opinion of dealer service is not very high.

Twice, from two different dealers, I asked for a brake inspection and bearing packing and both time all I got was a cursory look at the pad wear and the bearing lubed through the Zerk. I was not cheap either.

What was disappointing was the reason the brake pads showed little wear was they were half frozen up with grit and grime. Also rather than pack the bearings by hand they just remounted the drum and greased it through the Zerk.

Finally I had a brake magnet fail and decided it was time for "man up" and do it myself. It was messy but at least I knew it was done the way I like it.
This is why I have been doing as much of my own work as possible for many years. It seems that every time I pay someone to do something, I am disappointed in the results. And it costs a lot for that as well.
At least when I do something, it gets done right, or I screw it up and then fix it right, for a lot less money.
This applies to more than just RVs.
rbpru
Explorer II
Jun 28, 2017
As I mentioned my opinion of dealer service is not very high.

Twice, from two different dealers, I asked for a brake inspection and bearing packing and both time all I got was a cursory look at the pad wear and the bearing lubed through the Zerk. I was not cheap either.

What was disappointing was the reason the brake pads showed little wear was they were half frozen up with grit and grime. Also rather than pack the bearings by hand they just remounted the drum and greased it through the Zerk.

Finally I had a brake magnet fail and decided it was time for "man up" and do it myself. It was messy but at least I knew it was done the way I like it.
crazyro
Explorer
Jun 28, 2017
rbpru wrote:
It is always better to take apart and inspect, but it means nothing if you do not know what to look for.

Just what percentage of the TT owners even know what a drum brake is let alone how to check one out. The same with bearings and hand packing.

The trailer axle industry knows this and has addressed the issue with fairly simple solution.

It is true that much of the TT maintenance information appears on YouTube and other sources for those who like doing things themselves.

However, I will admit hand packing bearing and cleaning up brake shoes looses some of it charm when you are sitting on the ground covered with grease and brake dust and grime.

I suspect that most folks will leave it to the dealership though my experience with them was not been very satisfying.

I'm thankful for all of you AND a neighbor who used to camp but got out of it when they moved cross-country (though he's caught the bug again because of us). He came over last night and helped me get everything checked out, cleaned up, bearings repacked, etc. We are good to go!

Speaking of dealerships - I called a local RV place (not a dealership, but service) and they wanted almost $300 for both axles to clean up and repack. I simply thanked him and hung up. :)