Wheel Bearings

[HGL]

How often do you all pack your wheel bearings? My husband is doing it every trip. This to me seems really excessive for a 120 mile drive. I could understanding if the trailer were a boat trailer and being immersed multiple times in a week.

Thanks!

[bucky]

Once you own a boat trailer near salt water you get a little skittish. BTW don't trust Daves's Trailer Sales in Glen Burnie MD, their warranty is 30 feet or 30 seconds.

[hawkeye-08]

Likely overkill, it actually may cause more problems as it increases the risk of an error when doing it. Once a year (unless you tow many many miles) is over kill, but easy enough to do and gives a chance to check brakes. We don't travel very far or often so I don't even do it yearly.

Perhaps he could get an infrared temp gun and log the hub temps so he would know if one was heating up more than the others? Once he has done this a few times, he should notice that the brakes are fine and the bearings are fine and there is no need to do it as often.

It is good he is doing it too often than not often enough though.. some folks never pack the bearings or check the brakes until there is an expensive problem to fix.

[HGL]

It probably has something to do with the a fact that when we got the trailer, either the manufacturer/dealer, over packed the bearings and our breaks & drums were covered in the grease. The manufacturer replaced all bearings/rotors/breaks when we took the trailer back to them, due to some major warranty issues.

No, I'm not joking in that he will pull the wheels/bearings and re-pack. Having had horse trailers/boat trailers, I remember doing them with my dad about every 5 years. Adding grease to the boat trailer, every time it was in the water...Horse trailer - adding once a year as it might get 1500 miles on it in a year.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Some men drool over the latest issue of Hustler. If packing wheel bearings Tweaks His Beakie, it's a cheap endeavor. Personally, I find visiting friends who use a television remote control like a veteran telegraph key puncher who stutters to be irritating.

Seriously, he may be the "worrier" type. Like a driver who periodically taps a brake pedal on a empty flat highway or checks a rear view mirror on a multi-lane highway when he has no intention of changing lanes. I've left new pencils on my desk and three days later found them on someone else's desk amidst a dozen other long pencils that look like a rat has had-at-the-eraser.

Hope this made you smile. At least you know the trailer bearings and brakes are well maintained.

[fj12ryder]

Sorry, government bureaucracy doesn't count. That is just a money generator for the state. I was speaking of you personally checking all four wheels of your vehicles every year.

[Lynnmor]

fj12ryder wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

stickdog wrote:
6 years never packed them 40,000 miles. Nev-R-Lube.

How did the brakes look when did your annual inspections?

You pull the wheels and check the brakes on your car every year? And you are likely to put a lot more miles on those. The yearly inspections recommended by the builders are more CYA statements.

It is a required PA state inspection.

My car does not have magnets, drum brakes or grease fittings.

[RJsfishin]

Your husband must not fish, hunt, or golf !

[beemerphile1]

Maybe the DH is using it as an excuse to stay out of the house? :B

Repacking is a semi-major task in that it involves jacking the RV and removing each wheel and brake drum. It is hard to imagine someone doing it every trip.

[Tvov]

I would think even just giving an EZ-Lube axle a pump or two every trip is way too much grease.

Is your husband actually "repacking" the bearings, or just checking them? Maybe he is just checking wheel lug tightness and seeing if there is too much bearing play on a new trailer? First couple trips that is something to do, then after that go to a yearly (or more) schedule as many others here have posted.

[eHoefler]

In the day before unitized bearing assemblies, the front wheel bearings on your car/truck, had a service interval of 30,000 miles.

[nineoaks2004]

Once a year as per the Manuf. directions, More than that can lead to problems with too much grease and can get expensive as the rear seal needs to be replaced because if it gets worn can cause grease on the brake linings. If it has the EZ lube fittings on the outside hub too much grease can cause rear seal to leak and throw grease on the brakes.

[fj12ryder]

Lynnmor wrote:

stickdog wrote:
6 years never packed them 40,000 miles. Nev-R-Lube.

How did the brakes look when did your annual inspections?

You pull the wheels and check the brakes on your car every year? And you are likely to put a lot more miles on those. The yearly inspections recommended by the builders are more CYA statements.

[kknowlton]

We had lots of problems with wheel hubs on our last TT and we now try to get them repacked about every 5000 miles. For many people, that will be once every other year!

[Lynnmor]

stickdog wrote:
6 years never packed them 40,000 miles. Nev-R-Lube.

How did the brakes look when did your annual inspections?