Back up bearing kit

[Cougarnewbie]

My local farm store has replacement trailer bearing kits by timken. I would like to get a kit to carry with me as a backup. They have a 1 inch, 1 1/4 inch, and a 3/4 inch kit. My seals are 2 1/8 inch I D , so I don't know where to measure to decide which kit I need. I have the original bearing numbers, but get lost trying to cross reference. Any suggestions? I depend on you folks.
Thanks
AL

[wandering1]

Homey B wrote:
OK, I'm new to RV owning, and maybe I missed something here.

We're all talking about changing hubs/spindles/bearings on the side of the road, after an at-speed failure, when we have the spouse/kids/pets all going crazy about "where are we? what happened to the trailer? what are you doing? when will we be going again?"

Talk about steely nerves... For me, there's a time/place for roadside assistance, and this seems like one of them.

IMHO, of course. YMMV, as it quite possibly does.

Keep your bearings packed like your owners manual says and you shouldn't have any problems. I have never had a problem in the past 20 years with bearings.

[wandering1]

Why do you think you would need to carry a spare set of bearings?

[NEWS4US]

You can get Timken Bearings at Autozone. They handle most of our Timken product.

[agesilaus]

Well I didn't do it at roadside, happily there was an exit and CG close by where I noticed the problem. Just north of SLC. But I did the repair at the CG and had a heck of a time finding the parts I needed. But that was mainly because my hub uses the Dexter Nev'r lube bearings. Finding the bearings was not a problem but the other hardware: e clips, washer and so on were a big problem. Since I caught the problem right away, or rather someone else flagged me down, the hub and axle were OK.

BK

[Homey_B]

OK, I'm new to RV owning, and maybe I missed something here.

We're all talking about changing hubs/spindles/bearings on the side of the road, after an at-speed failure, when we have the spouse/kids/pets all going crazy about "where are we? what happened to the trailer? what are you doing? when will we be going again?"

Talk about steely nerves... For me, there's a time/place for roadside assistance, and this seems like one of them.

IMHO, of course. YMMV, as it quite possibly does.

[midnightsadie]

while your on this subject, every time you stop, feel the hub, it should be just a tiny warm. if its hot to the touch, it needs attention. very soon.

[a64armt]

midnightsadie wrote:
I carry a complete hub all put together , and filled with grease ,for my boat trailers ,keep in a plastic bag, ready to install. and the tools to change it. pull yours apart and get the inner and outer bearing numbers and the seal . any parts store should help you.

This is the best insurance policy. If you ever suffer a bearing failure on the road, or at speed, you will probably destroy the hub (or at least the races) as well in the process. It happened to me with our boat trailer. I was lucky enough to have been near a Tractor Supply that was open for another 30 minutes. I was able to buy a non-galvanized hub assembly to get us home and got a true replacement after we got home. Eventually I picked up a spare tire and hub carrier for the boat trailer. We always carry the old spare with our utility trailer now.

Don't forget a brass drift or hammer to remove old portions of the bearing. If they overheat during the failure, they have a tendency to seize onto the spindle.

On the subject of insurance against bearing failure, an IR or Laser thermometer is a great tool to check for abnormal wheel temps when you make stops.


OJ

[ScottG]

In my own case I have found TT bearings impossible to find at Napa or anyplace except for a RV parts store.

[agesilaus]

Sure the right ones are, which is the point I was trying to make.

[hammer21661]

agesilaus wrote:
Your axles and hubs are probably Dexter you might want to check with them for the correct replacements. You can buy third party bearings but I would never think to buy them at a farm store. Those are probably intended for local use flatbed trailers or maybe horse haulers. I have bought replacement bearings at NAPA but I had the right part numbers.

BK

You probably know Timken bearings are good ones. I have to get that out in the open.

[midnightsadie]

I carry a complete hub all put together , and filled with grease ,for my boat trailers ,keep in a plastic bag, ready to install. and the tools to change it. pull yours apart and get the inner and outer bearing numbers and the seal . any parts store should help you.

[agesilaus]

Your axles and hubs are probably Dexter you might want to check with them for the correct replacements. You can buy third party bearings but I would never think to buy them at a farm store. Those are probably intended for local use flatbed trailers or maybe horse haulers. I have bought replacement bearings at NAPA but I had the right part numbers.

BK