Wheel bearing maintenance interval

[kopy_kat]

I’ve seen posts that say to repack every 12 months or 12,000 miles...since I only tow a little over 1,000 miles per year, do really have repack every 12 months? Does the wheel bearing grease degrade as the trailer sits in storage?

Thanks, Larry

[ajriding]

How many years between service means NOTHING on a trailer. MILEAGE is the only number you can use to reference service intervals on moving parts.

On the other hand, things like weather sealant and caulks are ONLY time sensitive and have no connection to mileages.

[Cummins12V98]

Keep an eye on hub temps. Once a year lift the tires and grab the left and right edges and give a push pull. Small amount of slop is fine, do this right after adjusting bearings as it will give you the "FEEL" of what is good.. Quality grease, bearings and seals run it several years.

[JIMNLIN]

How often I repack the bearing depends on how many miles I use the trailer.
When I towed trailers for a living I repacked or had them repacked every 25k-30k miles. In this type of work we may put 75k-100k miles a year. Plus trailers in commercial service unlike a same GVW RV trailer have a annual inspection requirement. Frame inspected for cracks....suspension parts checked for worn or broken parts....hubs pulled and brakes and bearing inspected. At that time a determination can be made if repacking required.

Repack bearings on my rv trailers ??
On new or used rv and non rv trailers the first thing I do before putting them on the road is pull the hubs. Dexter was bad about not putting enough grease in the new hubs or even no grease at all other than what the bearing mfg had on them to stop rust issues. At that time I did a repack to my satisfaction.

Used trailers ?
My current rv trailer was 3 months used and was supposed to have had the brakes/bearing serviced by the selling dealer. On the way home with it the brakes squealed and chattered. I knew what that meant so first chance I pulled a hub. Sure enough the grease seal was blown out by a grease gun and the insides covered in grease. Two other hubs were the same. Cleaned it all up and installed a new set of brake shoes all around and repacked bearing by hand.
I repack my rv trailers about every 5 years @ 5k-7k miles a year average. I also pull the hubs each spring and check for any brake issues that way I don't need to use a grease gun for my trailers bearings.

RV folks don't pull trailers many miles per year so brakes/bearings/tires are talked about in terms of years of service with miles of service never mentioned. Some pull so few miles they have never had a flat tire or wore them out or had a bearing go out while on the road.

[spoon059]

fj12ryder wrote:
Just to be clear about the EZLube system. You really can't overgrease the bearings with this system if it is working correctly. The grease will go in the zerk, through the rear bearing, through the front bearing, and out the front of the axle.

I suspect most people that have blown out a grease seal haven't followed directions. The directions say to slowly pump grease while rotating the wheel. If it wasn't necessary, they wouldn't tell you to do it.

That said, I don't use them either. Its easier to yank the drum, check the rollers and pack by hand. I also have a bearing packer that you can use a grease gun to pack. That wastes some grease, but not nearly as much as using the EZLube system.

[Ltrip]

kopy kat wrote:
Thanks for the replys. The factory DID NOT do an adequate grease job, nor did the delivery dealer who “said” he re- packed all bearings...which led to a complete replacement of all bearings two years ago. The trailer shop here in Reno, Kro-Built Trailers, did the job right (including properly adjusting the electric brakes).
So I’m thinking that I’ll wait at least one more year before having it done again...especially since campgrounds are still closed at this time. ??

Take care all, Larry

Larry, I am in Spanish Springs and use Kro-Built as well. I know the recommendation is 12 months. I use a 24 month schedule. Kinda splits the difference between the 12 monthers and the 36+ monthers. I just had Kro-built do mine last week. Cheers,

[Gdetrailer]

fj12ryder wrote:
We have to have our motor vehicles inspected every year, and I think that is bad. I can't imagine being forced to do trailers too.

I can kind of see the "logic" behind doing passenger vehicles, I think it's mostly a waste, and a revenue raiser, but I can kind of see the reasoning behind it. But I'd be really unhappy having to have my trailer done. Sounds like you need to have a talk with your elected officials and have this money making proposition taken off the books.

We get charged $13 for a 2 year motor vehicle inspection. What do they charge for trailer inspections?

In some respects, sort of glad there IS an inspection in PA for trailers, at least you have a far better chance that at a min the brakes are in some sort of working condition and the break away system should be functioning..

Fairly good chance folks who do not have this type of safety inspection have partially to not working brakes and have no idea as to what a break away system is and just like yourself, many years have elapsed between doing something that the axle manufacturers TELL you to do yearly or 12,000 miles whichever comes first..

Generally, the grease does not go bad for a long time unless it is dunked or directly exposed to water, it doesn't get lost, but, grease however can be affected by humidity, moisture does get into the bearings from hot/cold cycles and enough moisture will cause rust on the bearings and bearing surfaces which does lead to failure.

Periodic clean and refresh of the bearing grease will do no harm, in fact is far better than rolling around with 9 yr old grease which over time has separated, has rust in it or has been exposed to high humidity and not been used much.

Additionally, bearing surfaces do wear down during use, they do require periodic adjustment to maintain proper settings.

Doing it right from the start can make a world of difference in how long your bearing last, how good your brakes work and really does not take all that much time out of life if you plan the process out well.

Couple a jacks, some jack stands, blocking, tire iron, pliers, big flat blade screw driver (get center cap off with), hammer (helps to put center cap back on) spare cotter pins, inside dust seal, bearing grease, mechanics gloves (helps with the grease) and some disposable shop towels..

Takes me maybe 15 minutes per drum and on my trailer that is a mere 1 hr of "inconvenience" to ensure my brakes and bearings are up to snuff for the season.

VS the inconvenience of losing a wheel bearing somewhere 500 miles from home I think 1 hr of prevention at the beginning of my camping season is well worth it!

[fj12ryder]

Gdetrailer wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
No, and No. Repack every few years when you get the urge. This, of course, presupposes the fact that you know the bearings were greased properly when you first bought it.

IMO doing it annually is completely unnecessary. Other people have other opinions. Mine have been greased once and checked once, in 9 years.

In PA, we do not have that "luxury" since every trailer that is 3,001 lbs GVWR and higher are required an Annual PA State Inspection.

That Inspection requires the mechanic to pull one of each sides of the trailer and inspect the brake assy.

SO, just to make sure the mechanics are not cheating me, I PULL ALL drums, check the action and measure/inspect the brake linings BEFORE I drag it to the inspection station.

In the process, I clean out the old bearing grease and refresh with new grease.

This is called being "proactive", this way I do not get surprised nor can the mechanic play games trying to pad the bill.

I also take my trailers to an inspection station where I can stay with the trailer and tow vehicle (some do not allow customer in the inspection area). This way I can observe the mechanic and make sure they set the bearings correctly.. You would be surprised just how many mechanics that went through the certification process do not know how to set the bearings properly!

Had one young new mechanic last yr that had never seen drum brakes and did not know how to set the bearings.. I had to teach the mechanic, hopefully will remember how to do it for the next trailer customer!

In most cases, once a yr or every 12,000 miles which ever comes first is what Dexter used to recommend for inspecting brakes and at that time it is not all that much problem to simply remove extra old grease and refresh with new grease while you have it apart..

We have to have our motor vehicles inspected every year, and I think that is bad. I can't imagine being forced to do trailers too.

I can kind of see the "logic" behind doing passenger vehicles, I think it's mostly a waste, and a revenue raiser, but I can kind of see the reasoning behind it. But I'd be really unhappy having to have my trailer done. Sounds like you need to have a talk with your elected officials and have this money making proposition taken off the books.

We get charged $13 for a 2 year motor vehicle inspection. What do they charge for trailer inspections?

[time2roll]

Flan wrote:
How does one know how many pumps of grease to squirt into the easy lube axles?

None for RV trailers. Feature is for boat trailers.

[Gdetrailer]

fj12ryder wrote:
No, and No. Repack every few years when you get the urge. This, of course, presupposes the fact that you know the bearings were greased properly when you first bought it.

IMO doing it annually is completely unnecessary. Other people have other opinions. Mine have been greased once and checked once, in 9 years.

In PA, we do not have that "luxury" since every trailer that is 3,001 lbs GVWR and higher are required an Annual PA State Inspection.

That Inspection requires the mechanic to pull one of each sides of the trailer and inspect the brake assy.

SO, just to make sure the mechanics are not cheating me, I PULL ALL drums, check the action and measure/inspect the brake linings BEFORE I drag it to the inspection station.

In the process, I clean out the old bearing grease and refresh with new grease.

This is called being "proactive", this way I do not get surprised nor can the mechanic play games trying to pad the bill.

I also take my trailers to an inspection station where I can stay with the trailer and tow vehicle (some do not allow customer in the inspection area). This way I can observe the mechanic and make sure they set the bearings correctly.. You would be surprised just how many mechanics that went through the certification process do not know how to set the bearings properly!

Had one young new mechanic last yr that had never seen drum brakes and did not know how to set the bearings.. I had to teach the mechanic, hopefully will remember how to do it for the next trailer customer!

In most cases, once a yr or every 12,000 miles which ever comes first is what Dexter used to recommend for inspecting brakes and at that time it is not all that much problem to simply remove extra old grease and refresh with new grease while you have it apart..

[fj12ryder]

Just to be clear about the EZLube system. You really can't overgrease the bearings with this system if it is working correctly. The grease will go in the zerk, through the rear bearing, through the front bearing, and out the front of the axle.

As to whether the EZLube system is really needed is a moot point, i.e. up for debate. If the bearings are greased properly, you don't really need to add grease until the next time they are checked. I was a proponent of the EZLube system, but have decided that it really isn't necessary. All JMO of course.

[Campinghoss]

I checked my 2002 Sunnybrook fiver once in 14 years and they were fine then and fine when I sold it. I always check for play each year and if I detect too much play I would pull them.

With that being said now I will speak as to zerk fittings on hubs. Like a op said a couple of pages back, take them off and throw them away. When we picked up the new fiver in my sig after a couple of thousand miles I noticed that the braking was becoming increasing less. I pulled the hubs and found that the factory had over greased the bearings significantly. My trailer has zerk fittings but they are hidden under the center cap and the owner manual does not mention them. The hubs were so greasy I had to take them to a friend of mine to put inside his part washer. I cleaned the brake pads with Brake Kleen and regreased the bearings and put back in. Only grease your bearings manually as you cannot tell when too much grease had been applied.

[spoon059]

bucky wrote:

I bought this rig in January and the brakes pretty much sucked. The pic is what I found when I pulled the drums.

But no rust at all... you gotta appreciate that!

[dodge_guy]

Flan wrote:
How does one know how many pumps of grease to squirt into the easy lube axles?

No one does! Disassemble them, inspect them and do it right. Just pumping grease does not tell you what kind of shape the bearings or brakes are in.

[DustyR]

I think the photo that 'bucky' presented show's and says what we all need to see on a newly acquired unit. I picked the unit in my sig up and with in 20 miles needed a fully out brake application to avoid a accident in front of me. The units braking action was more than adequate for normal driving, although didn't give me a lot of confidence moving forward. I decided to do a bearing and brake inspection before towing again. The bearings had been over packed with the zerks provided and had contaminated two of the four braking assemblies. Bearing were repacked and the contaminated brakes were replaced, braking during a road test was much better.

Long story short, if I had not inspected the brakes and bearings I would have been relying on two brake sets to stop 9000+ pounds of fifth wheel.