My bearing failure story
This weekend I had a bearing failure on my trailer. I had no idea until somebody flagged me down with frantic hand gestures. I knew something was wrong but didn't know what. I looked in my mirrors but...
Forum Discussion
CHINA BEARINGS, say BEARING # MADE IN CHINA
TIMKEN bearings made be made in China, but they scream TIMKEN® embossed on the cage.
Just like HONDA gets some of their engines cast in China. They are slightly different than ROARING BUTTERFLY engines, also made in China.
Under proprietary management beneath Korean Whip supervision, the Chinese can produce great parts. But anything important designated with no brand merely MADE IN CHINA is a krapshot. Mostly the first four letters.
What is NOT BEING MADE the least clear here in this thread, is the failure was due to bearings or to lube failure. Like me and amzoil most greases I see are hopelessly fraudulent with regards to meeting their own specs. Try YOUR GREASE your lovely pet favorite brand and do your own home DROP POINT TEST on it. It's a mere thermal test of when the grease melts. Oooooooo does your favorite boutique grade grease list the Shell Oil Four Ball Wear Test PROOF? Of course it doesn't. The Timken load shear test? Yuze gotta be joking. Really superior grease can really help to minimize failures, but the blue, green, yellow snot I run across isn't worth the cost of the tube it comes in. Sta-Lube, Miracle This, and HooHah that, are hyperpromoted sludge. Molybdenum sulfide MOS2 is not worth one red cent without superb base stock, wear additives and thickeners. Teflon is garbage for genuine ball or roller bearings.
In 1995 I went to Mexico in a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup grossing 9,620 pounds. A 33' Prowler trailer grossing 10,280 lbs., and it went all the way to Yucatan, where I dropped off the trailer, and much of the load. OVER TEN TONS. Eight wheels on the ground. Oregon to Salina Cruz to Playa Azul. The trailer had (8) ply tires and the truck had load range F tires.
In 200(8)? I heard from the owner. He pulled down the trailer wheels to check the brakes ("What the heck is this stuff?"). It's 3752 Lubrication Engineers Almagard 3752.
Quicksilver has SQHD axles with a Rockwell front axle, and Stemco oil filled bearings.
There is just no valid reason for bearing failure. Sorry.
TIMKEN bearings made be made in China, but they scream TIMKEN® embossed on the cage.
Just like HONDA gets some of their engines cast in China. They are slightly different than ROARING BUTTERFLY engines, also made in China.
Under proprietary management beneath Korean Whip supervision, the Chinese can produce great parts. But anything important designated with no brand merely MADE IN CHINA is a krapshot. Mostly the first four letters.
What is NOT BEING MADE the least clear here in this thread, is the failure was due to bearings or to lube failure. Like me and amzoil most greases I see are hopelessly fraudulent with regards to meeting their own specs. Try YOUR GREASE your lovely pet favorite brand and do your own home DROP POINT TEST on it. It's a mere thermal test of when the grease melts. Oooooooo does your favorite boutique grade grease list the Shell Oil Four Ball Wear Test PROOF? Of course it doesn't. The Timken load shear test? Yuze gotta be joking. Really superior grease can really help to minimize failures, but the blue, green, yellow snot I run across isn't worth the cost of the tube it comes in. Sta-Lube, Miracle This, and HooHah that, are hyperpromoted sludge. Molybdenum sulfide MOS2 is not worth one red cent without superb base stock, wear additives and thickeners. Teflon is garbage for genuine ball or roller bearings.
In 1995 I went to Mexico in a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup grossing 9,620 pounds. A 33' Prowler trailer grossing 10,280 lbs., and it went all the way to Yucatan, where I dropped off the trailer, and much of the load. OVER TEN TONS. Eight wheels on the ground. Oregon to Salina Cruz to Playa Azul. The trailer had (8) ply tires and the truck had load range F tires.
In 200(8)? I heard from the owner. He pulled down the trailer wheels to check the brakes ("What the heck is this stuff?"). It's 3752 Lubrication Engineers Almagard 3752.
Quicksilver has SQHD axles with a Rockwell front axle, and Stemco oil filled bearings.
There is just no valid reason for bearing failure. Sorry.
