Forum Discussion

Bluedog's avatar
Bluedog
Explorer
Aug 14, 2022

Wheel Bearings

I have a 28 ft. TT and had the wheels bearings completely serviced in 2019. I have used the trailer only twice since then for 2 trips of 400 miles total.
I would like to make another trip of about equal mileage but my regular establishment has changed hands and only handles automobiles so will not work on a TT.
I conversed with the local RV dealer and he is booked up until late September. He advised that since there are only few miles since servicing to take the end caps off (these are E-Z Lube), shoot some grease in and call it good.
My understanding is that this is a no-no and especially since they have not been disassembled for 3 years. I know the recommendation is for 1 year but have had TT's for 20 years and never followed that time frame. I did the whole thing every 2 years and had no trouble. But they were not E-Z Lube.

Need advice!
  • You won't have any problems.

    I own a '72 Cutlas that sits for months at a time then gets driven to a car show or just taken out for a trip. Haven't looked at the front wheel bearings in 5 years. No need to. My fellow classic car enthusiasts feel the same way.
    Only on forums will you find fear mongers

    Just my 2 cents
  • I would pull one hub, check bearings for proper amount of grease, and look for any sign of rust or contaminates. If one is good, likely all are good, as done at same time, by same person.

    You shouldn't need to pull the seal on rear bearing, just look closely, with good lighting. Looks good...reinstall, take your trip.

    If you had done a complete bearing service yourself, knowing that the job was completed properly, then I'd just go on the trip, not worry about it.

    Jerry
  • I would continue to run without worry. Usually I would say the first pack is especially important as I assume the bearings are assembled at the factory with the same quality care and precision as the rest of it.
  • If the bearings have been properly greased by your shop, then no reason to just shoot some in. It isn't like the bearings lose grease.

    The thing is, you really do not know what the shop did..

    On EZ lubes, you can't just blindly shoot grease into the fitting, there is a procedure that you need to follow.

    You must rotate the wheel while adding grease via grease gun. Failure to rotate the wheel can result in grease pressure building to the point the grease pushes out the inner grease seal and then it ends up on the brake shoes.

    That means you need to lift each wheel off the ground enough to be able to turn it while adding grease.

    Turning the wheel while adding grease allows the grease to push through the inside bearings easier, back into the spindle to the outside bearings and then you should see grease push through the outside bearing.. Once that happens you can stop adding grease.

    If the shop never used a grease gun, then the inside of the hub won't have much grease and it can take a lot of grease to fill the void the first time.

    I personally don't care for EZ lubes they waste a lot of grease and makes servicing and inspecting the brakes a real mess and chore to do.. I don't personally use it as I have one trailer with and one trailer without and simply remove the drums, inspect and clean bearings once every two yrs. One small container of grease lasts me many yrs and I use a lot less rags.