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 get the wheel bearings repacked after so little use?

I look at it this way, yes and I will tell you why. building a TT is not rocket science. so many things on a TT that can go wrong in a short period of time and or use. if they build a TT that is so apt to have something go wrong and if they build them so nilly nelly what makes you think they packed the wheel bearings right the the first time when they put them together. in short I pack mine just as soon as I get the new TT home. I don't trust the way they build TT's nowadays

As long as you know it was repacked properly at some point and the brakes are operating normal I would go 20,000 miles or 10 years before I checked. Actually I just did that ;)Only pulled them off to install disks and all looked just fine.

I should have been more specific. We had the wheel bearings repacked in 2016 prior to putting on 50 hours of highway travel.

Repacking the wheel bearings | Good Sam Community

_1nobby
Explorer
May 13, 2017
I'm an aircraft mechanic. We are all about preventative maintenance.

That being said....I do it myself and then monitor my mileage.

Cheap a** Chinese bearings need a little more love....so for me 5 years or 10,000 miles.
jfkmk
Explorer
May 12, 2017
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
spike99 wrote:
Inspecting brakes every 7 years???? Scary...

Remember....

There's reasons why many regions are forcing mandatory annual brake inspections on trailers. They are forcing the law because people don't understand the reasons to do it annually. When inspecting (clean and replace worn out parts) brakes, then repack the bearings with fresh grease at same time. Easy DIY task - since hubs are off anyway. And, it saves lives as well...

And when selling your trailer, remember to tell possible buyers you do annual brake inspections and bearing care. Tell them you do it every 7 years and see how fast they run away.... LOL!!!

Why is it scary? Do or did you pull the hubs every year on your TV? Why not? Scary! LOL
The bearings on my tv are sealed, no maintenance bearings. Basically run to failure. No maintenance required.
What are you going to do when you get a trailer with sealed cassette bearings? How are you going to inspect them?
Then I guess you don't have to repack them

You do realize that the bearing system is a sealed system don't you?
Er...no they're not.
If you use a good quality grease it's there for life. And for all you nit pickers yes I know that "some" inferior greases will separate. I don't use those and my recommendation is you don't either.

I have hubs on my place that are over 50 YO. Pull the hub and guess what? Yep, grease still there. Bearings still there and in good shape.
Place???
Remember.......

There's reasons there are states that don't let you pump your own fuel. They are forcing the law because people don't understand how complex and dangerous it is to pump your own fuel!! SCARY!!!!

And it saves lives as well!!......... :B :B
jfkmk
Explorer
May 12, 2017
spoon059 wrote:
If I am the buyer, I couldn't care less if you inspected them every 20 miles or 20 years....

It would make a big difference to me. If you haven't done such simple maintenance like repacking the bearings in 20 years then, to me, there are other things you've ignored as well.
hawkeye-08
Explorer III
May 12, 2017
If the bearings are done properly and you have light use, there is no reason to repack yearly, but I would not go beyond perhaps 3-4 years due to reasons posted above about making sure the grease is up to the task. I would also likely repack sooner if a longer trip was planned (maybe more than 100 miles from home)..
Ron3rd
Explorer III
May 12, 2017
Saskatchewan wrote:
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 get the wheel bearings repacked after so little use?

No.
spoon059
Explorer II
May 12, 2017
spike99 wrote:
Inspecting brakes every 7 years???? Scary...
....

And when selling your trailer, remember to tell possible buyers you do annual brake inspections and bearing care. Tell them you do it every 7 years and see how fast they run away.... LOL!!!

OH NO!!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

How would frequency of brake or bearing inspections have any bearing on a sale? If I am the buyer, I couldn't care less if you inspected them every 20 miles or 20 years... All that matters is the condition they are in at the minute I complete the sale. Oh, and by the way, I won't take the seller's word for it anyways. I would inspect the brakes and bearings on any used trailer that I bought anyway...
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
May 12, 2017
True story proxim2020. That's why I recommend the best axel bearing grease you can get.

I have a few friends that have greaseable axels. I asked one time what "kind" of grease he was shooting into his axel? I could tell by the blank look on his face that he thought all greases were the same and there was no chance he was using axel grease in his gun.

Way back when I bought some expensive synthetic grease for my race car from a big name brand company. The stuff was garbage. Total garbage. After about 6 months the stuff started to phase separate.

After that, I stuck with a brand I have been using for over 40 years with no problems what so ever. I will continue on using that same brand and I have an idea I will have the same "luck" I have been having. :)
Community Alumni
May 12, 2017
The problem with grease over time is that the base oil breaks down chemically over time reducing how much protection it's providing. This is one of the reasons why even lubed for life sealed bearings eventually fail. The presence of grease doesn't tell the tale of how much protection the base oil is offering to metal parts, how much of the oil is still present in the grease, or what level of contamination the grease has experienced. Blackstone not only does oil analyses on motor oil, but grease as well. This will truly tell if the grease is any good or not. But hey, sometimes you get away with things in life, sometimes you don't.
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
May 12, 2017
spike99 wrote:
Inspecting brakes every 7 years???? Scary...

Remember....

There's reasons why many regions are forcing mandatory annual brake inspections on trailers. They are forcing the law because people don't understand the reasons to do it annually. When inspecting (clean and replace worn out parts) brakes, then repack the bearings with fresh grease at same time. Easy DIY task - since hubs are off anyway. And, it saves lives as well...

And when selling your trailer, remember to tell possible buyers you do annual brake inspections and bearing care. Tell them you do it every 7 years and see how fast they run away.... LOL!!!

Why is it scary? Do or did you pull the hubs every year on your TV? Why not? Scary! LOL

What are you going to do when you get a trailer with sealed cassette bearings? How are you going to inspect them?

You do realize that the bearing system is a sealed system don't you? If you use a good quality grease it's there for life. And for all you nit pickers yes I know that "some" inferior greases will separate. I don't use those and my recommendation is you don't either.

I have hubs on my place that are over 50 YO. Pull the hub and guess what? Yep, grease still there. Bearings still there and in good shape.

Remember.......

There's reasons there are states that don't let you pump your own fuel. They are forcing the law because people don't understand how complex and dangerous it is to pump your own fuel!! SCARY!!!!

And it saves lives as well!!......... :B :B
time2roll
Nomad
May 12, 2017
Above someone posted $300. Dang after 7 years you could just replace it all with disks. Then see if the buyer baulks.