Just because I like to be prepared.. How do you determine the bearing size for your axles so as to keep a spare set on board? I suppose I could take the hub off and measure with a caliper but, there's got to be an easier way.

Get the bearings in the parts list in the manual for your axle. The manuals from Dexter & Lippert are available on-line. There should be a label on your axle with specs and model #. I find that the bearings for the Dexter & Lippert 3,500 lbs axles are the same. I see your 2017 Coleman 262BH trailer likely has a pair of 3,500 axles. Here's Lippert's parts list for those: 122089 Outer bearing cone, L44649 125102 Outer bearing cup, L44610122092 Inner bearing cone, L68149 124296 Inner bearing cup, L68111

If you're organized enough to cary a spare set... why wouldn't you want be sure that the brgs & seal you're caring be are right ones??? "easier way" could be a disappointment..

The numbers are right on the bearings.

Just an observation BUT ... surely by now the RV industry could be using bearings that don't need any servicing at all, just as the automotive industry does. Sure, any car / truck bearing could fail but it's pretty rare, I've had but one bearing fail on all the vehicles I've ever owned for the last 50 years, and when it did fail it wasn't a matter of life or death, replace it now or else. It just got noisy so the service manager said to just bring the truck in at my convenience, in the meantime I could continue to drive it, no biggie ... so why are we still dealing with this nonsense with our trailers? Good grief, is it not time we can have tires that don't blow up at a moment's notice for no apparent reason and bearings that don't fail during the lifetime of the trailer?! :M

My spares already packed with grease and stored in plastic jar. Then jar in plastic bag. I only use "double lip" seals. Hope I never need them on the road.

Spare bearing question.. | Good Sam Community

Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 27, 2018
time2roll wrote:
Last year I swapped my drums for disks and in the process replaced the bearings with the same low cost "junk" from China. Previous service was TEN years ago and probably 40,000 miles on the same bearings.
The point is if you carry a spare they will never fail ;)

In the last TEN years, maybe even cheaper junk has made its way into trailer parts. I know that my cheap junk Chinese bearings had manufacturing defects that caused failure, and you read it here before. Do whatever makes you happy, but you are aware that others had problems and you discount whatever they report.
time2roll
Nomad
Jun 27, 2018
Last year I swapped my drums for disks and in the process replaced the bearings with the same low cost "junk" from China. Previous service was TEN years ago and probably 40,000 miles on the same bearings.
The point is if you carry a spare they will never fail ;)
falconbrother
Explorer II
Jun 27, 2018
Huntindog wrote:
SoundGuy wrote:
Just an observation BUT ... surely by now the RV industry could be using bearings that don't need any servicing at all, just as the automotive industry does. Sure, any car / truck bearing could fail but it's pretty rare, I've had but one bearing fail on all the vehicles I've ever owned for the last 50 years, and when it did fail it wasn't a matter of life or death, replace it now or else. It just got noisy so the service manager said to just bring the truck in at my convenience, in the meantime I could continue to drive it, no biggie ... so why are we still dealing with this nonsense with our trailers? Good grief, is it not time we can have tires that don't blow up at a moment's notice for no apparent reason and bearings that don't fail during the lifetime of the trailer?! :M
Lippert had them, my TT came with them. Dexter (last I looked) still makes them. They were considered a premium upgrade.

Around 2014 I lost a wheel when the sealed bearings failed. I wrote about it here at that time. I called Lippert and was told that they no longer made those axles or any parts for them. They offered me a buy one get one free deal on replacement axles. After looking around (The Dexter sealed bearings are very close to the same) I could not beat the deal they offered me. I really did not want the remaining axle since it was an orphan. So I ended up replacing my 5200# axles with 7000# axles at a very good price.
I always like to upgrade whenever I have a failure.

I never want sealed bearings when I can avoid them. I had a buddy that had sealed bearings on his 5er and had a wheel fail on the way to the beach. I'd rather have a bearing that I can service/lube. I have had two old Harleys that had tapered roller bearings. I lubed (re-packed) them with every tire change and after 100,000 miles they looked brand new. Heck, the old 1988 FLHTC had nearly 200,000 miles on those bearings and they were still in great shape.
CharlesinGA
Explorer
Jun 27, 2018
While I have never had a hub/bearing unit fail, I really don't trust them either. I have never had a bearing failure on a conventional opposed tapered roller bearing setup on a car or truck either, and they didn't get repacked all that often, every 30K to 50K mi if they were lucky.

I'll stick with what the axle people are building now. Why replace a hub when it only needs bearings?

Charles
SailingOn
Explorer
Jun 27, 2018
You want to be able to change a failed bearing on the road.
Sure way to know you can is to change one at home.
And, of course, in the process you could look at the numbers and measure, too.
Huntindog
Explorer
Jun 27, 2018
SoundGuy wrote:
Just an observation BUT ... surely by now the RV industry could be using bearings that don't need any servicing at all, just as the automotive industry does. Sure, any car / truck bearing could fail but it's pretty rare, I've had but one bearing fail on all the vehicles I've ever owned for the last 50 years, and when it did fail it wasn't a matter of life or death, replace it now or else. It just got noisy so the service manager said to just bring the truck in at my convenience, in the meantime I could continue to drive it, no biggie ... so why are we still dealing with this nonsense with our trailers? Good grief, is it not time we can have tires that don't blow up at a moment's notice for no apparent reason and bearings that don't fail during the lifetime of the trailer?! :M
Lippert had them, my TT came with them. Dexter (last I looked) still makes them. They were considered a premium upgrade.

Around 2014 I lost a wheel when the sealed bearings failed. I wrote about it here at that time. I called Lippert and was told that they no longer made those axles or any parts for them. They offered me a buy one get one free deal on replacement axles. After looking around (The Dexter sealed bearings are very close to the same) I could not beat the deal they offered me. I really did not want the remaining axle since it was an orphan. So I ended up replacing my 5200# axles with 7000# axles at a very good price.
I always like to upgrade whenever I have a failure.
BarabooBob
Explorer III
Jun 26, 2018
I just bought a new Viking 17RD and the first thing I do to it will be installing Timkin bearings. It is worth it for my piece of minds. Pretty cheap insurance.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 21, 2018
I had no problem getting USA Timken from Summit Racing. I would guess that some sizes will be made in other countries, but a good brand probably has some semblance of quality control, unlike the cheap, self-destruct Chinese bearings that came with my Dexter drums from eTrailer.
myredracer
Explorer II
Jun 21, 2018
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
deltabravo wrote:
TIMKEN.

Go to a bearing house and buy genuine made in USA Timken bearings/

Skip the made in China bearings.

Pretty hard to do now days.
I had no problem getting US-made ones here in Canada. I just told the industrial supply house that's what I wanted and they told me that's all they get and they arrived in under 2 days.
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Jun 21, 2018
deltabravo wrote:
TIMKEN.

Go to a bearing house and buy genuine made in USA Timken bearings/

Skip the made in China bearings.

Pretty hard to do now days.