Repacking the wheel bearings
We have a lightweight single axle travel trailer we don't use all that much each year. Last year we put around 25 hours of highway travel on it. It as the same the previous year. Is it necessary to ge...
Forum Discussion
I would still have the bearing inspected and repacked regularly. Grease is just an oil suspended in a thickener. The oil is doing all of the protecting. As the grease sits, the oil bleeds out of the grease exposing sections of the bearing. Even with good seals small amounts of moisture gets into the hub, allowing corrosion to take place on the metal's exposed surface. Another good reason to pull the bearing is that some signs of imminent failure can't be determined by touching a hub. Irregular wear patterns, pitting, etching, chipping, corrosion, etc are things that are best evaluated by eye or touch.
I inspect mine once a year, but go ahead and replace the grease while I have them out. There's 8,760 hours in one year. I think I can spend a couple of them looking after the bearings. An ounce of prevent is worth a pound of cure. I would look into doing to inspecting and repacking yourself. You don't have to be a forensic metallurgist in order to inspect bearings. Just keep a couple a spare bearings around as a reference of what it should look like. If you don't like what you see then toss the old and put in the new.
I inspect mine once a year, but go ahead and replace the grease while I have them out. There's 8,760 hours in one year. I think I can spend a couple of them looking after the bearings. An ounce of prevent is worth a pound of cure. I would look into doing to inspecting and repacking yourself. You don't have to be a forensic metallurgist in order to inspect bearings. Just keep a couple a spare bearings around as a reference of what it should look like. If you don't like what you see then toss the old and put in the new.
