Install new tires/grease bearings by self?

[Luminajd]

Our camper is a 2012, we bought in 2013, and have never greased bearings (whoops!!). We tow about 500 miles each summer.
Questions:
From reading on here, it sounds like it is time for new tires (judging by how long tires typically last)
We would like to do this as cheaply yet safely as possible. It is possible to buy new tires online and install in the driveway, but do they need to be balanced or anything like that?
How about bearings, husband says he doesn't want to, but this forum makes it sound pretty easy...
Is it reasonable to install new tires and grease bearings all from home? I haven't even called a tire place or dealer because I am scared to hear how much they would charge for tire installation and packing bearings.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

[westend]

Lynnmor wrote:

jfkmk wrote:

spadoctor wrote:
Someone here has had 3 set fail doing their own work because they don't trust anyone else.

That's pretty stupid. I hope they don't do their own oil changes as well!

Well I'm pretty stupid. I allowed the Ford dealer to do my first free oil change. They added more than 2 quarts too much of the wrong oil. They admitted that they have done the same to every 6.7 diesel for more than 2 years. I was the only stupid person that caught it. Been doing my own for well over half a century, guess it's best to continue.

Glad you caught it.
It's not as exciting as having your vehicle at WOT because of a dealer oil change, though. Luckily, I was on open road with a convenient pull-off after I killed the engine.
Cause---Dealer's tech required to check air filter at oil changes. When reassembling, the canister bit off a piece of the air filter flange that eventually lodged in the throttle body. Ford has a totally different flange material since 2005.

[Lynnmor]

jfkmk wrote:

spadoctor wrote:
Someone here has had 3 set fail doing their own work because they don't trust anyone else.

That's pretty stupid. I hope they don't do their own oil changes as well!

Well I'm pretty stupid. I allowed the Ford dealer to do my first free oil change. They added more than 2 quarts too much of the wrong oil. They admitted that they have done the same to every 6.7 diesel for more than 2 years. I was the only stupid person that caught it. Been doing my own for well over half a century, guess it's best to continue.

[jfkmk]

spadoctor wrote:
Someone here has had 3 set fail doing their own work because they don't trust anyone else.

That's pretty stupid. I hope they don't do their own oil changes as well!

[apr67]

arush19 wrote:
New tires every 4 or 5 years? Assuming there's plenty of tread, I thought they should be replaced between 7 to 10 years? You should check the manufacturing date stamped on the tire to determine the actual life of the tires.

I replace tires when the manufacture no longer warranties the tire any longer. Typically 5 years from date of manufacture, but check with the tire company. If you have an issue and it damages your trailer or worse, and the tire is 1 day out of warranty, the tire company tell you to lump it.

I had 3 year old china bombs go on one trip (lost 3 tires in 1 day). Got 1k from the company for the tires and the damage to the trailer.

[spadoctor]

I agree...properly packed a bearing should not need repacking for at least 30K miles. I for one do my own work having been in the business years ago and have never had a failed bearing no matter the origin. Someone here has had 3 set fail doing their own work because they don't trust anyone else.

[Aqua-Andy]

rbpru wrote:
In general the thought is to have the bearings greased once a year or 5000 miles.

I bet this recommendation comes from the same people that are charging $125/hour to do the job. 5K miles is way overkill if they were done properly. I have taken many trailer bearings apart with over 30K on them and they have looked perfect. Like I said in my other post these bearings worked fine in automobiles going 30 to 50K between being repacked, what is different about trailers?

[rbpru]

In general the thought is to have the bearings greased once a year or 5000 miles.

Some like to disassemble the wheel and axel so they can inspect and hand pack the bearings. Others are content to use the EZ lube grease fitting and lube the assembled on the TT.

If you go to an RV dealer they will use the EZ lube feature. Quite frankly, if you do not know how to hand lube a bearing or what to look for in a worn bearing, there does not seem to be much reason to take it apart.

I just finished hand packing the bearings on my lawn tractor, not hard once it is jacked up but it is messy.

It is similar with the brakes, most TTs are the older style drum and shoe with an electrical actuator. Unless you are familiar with inspecting and adjusting them it is easiest to let the local shop do it.

I did the brakes on my pop-up but left the TT brakes for the folks with the heavy tools for jacking up the TT.

None of this is rocket sience and some feel more comfortable if they do it themselves. Others would rather leave it to the pros.

Labor rates in our area are $125.00 and hour or more so I tend to do the little guys myself.

[westend]

arush19 wrote:
New tires every 4 or 5 years? Assuming there's plenty of tread, I thought they should be replaced between 7 to 10 years? You should check the manufacturing date stamped on the tire to determine the actual life of the tires.

If you ask at tire shops, they'll tell you that 5 years is the life of a tire. I think maybe Michelin even publishes that as the same.

I don't want to remember how many tires I've mounted with irons. For $10/tire w/balancing, it's not worth the grief to do it myself.

I read a lot of guys on the Forum are repacking bearings every year. That is excessive, IMO, for the typical weekend warrior. I also don't hear much about different types of bearing packing tools. If you don't use the tool, you're missing out on the proper grease application.

There is enough art or feel about packing bearings and adjusting brakes that a teacher should be present or have someone knowledgeable do the work. Losing a bearing while on the road is a miserable experience, besides the consequential damage.

Good luck with your trailer. Treat it right and it will last a long time.

[arush19]

New tires every 4 or 5 years? Assuming there's plenty of tread, I thought they should be replaced between 7 to 10 years? You should check the manufacturing date stamped on the tire to determine the actual life of the tires.

[Aqua-Andy]

with only 2000 miles of towing I would not even worry about the bearings, maybe just pop the covers off and make sure the grease is not burnt. The old rear wheel drive cars would go many tens of thousands of miles without any maintenance using this same bearing setup. I don't know where all this bearing paranoia comes from but it is not necessary. If you were talking about boat trailers I would feel differently, but you are not immersing your hot travel trailer hubs in cold water every time you go on a trip.

[tatest]

Growing up around an auto service shop in an era when front wheel bearings were not "permanently lubricated" I learned to pack bearings before I was nine years old, so I would probably do that job myself. It can be messy, but I still have a tub of bearing grease in my garage, and can't remember not having the grease any time in the past forty years. Packing grease is not the problem. The problem is learning to get the hub adjusted right when you reassemble it.

Every place I've bought tires included installation and "lifetime" balancing in the tire price, or at worst showed it as an added charge of $10-15. When tires still had tubes in them, and we never much bothered about wheel balancing, I changed many car-sized tires with a mallet and 2-3 tire irons, up to an hour's labor per tire. I quit doing that when the world switched to tubeless tires, because the physical effort became huge if you didn't have the power equipment for the job. There are guys out there doing road service for truck tires that still change out tires the hard way, but at my age I won't be doing it, I'll pay the tire shop.

FWIW, when I took six light truck tires in to have valve stems replaced with metal, involving unmounting the tire on one side of the wheel, my tire shop did the job for $10 a wheel, including cost of the new stems, and removing/installing on my motorhome sitting out in the driveway. The work is hard enough it is worth paying to have it done. Don't make your husband try to do it.

Buy the tires online? My local dealer buys the tires online, sells them to me at the price the online supplier would charge me retail.

[Lynnmor]

73guna wrote:
Its a lot of work, but it can be done.
If your not mechanically inclined I'd pay to have the work done.
You dont want to ruin a tire bead or over tighten the bearing nut.
And figure by the time you buy all the tools it may be cheaper to have a shop do it.
When Im feeling cheap I'll mount my own tires and have a shop balance them.

This is the best driveway method ive found, works great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57yyTqiKpe0
http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-tire-changer-69686.html

Bearing packer
http://www.harborfreight.com/bearing-grease-packer-69027.html

To do the bearings, all you need is a large pliers, a hammer and a block of wood. The cleaning takes me the most time and it requires a pan, brush, towels and solvent.

If you back off the brake adjustment, install the hub and wheel without grease or the grease seal, you can balance the entire assembly pretty good. Use a few drops of thin oil on the bearings and leave them slightly loose so they turn freely. Add weights as needed. Mark the wheels so that they can be put back on the same way. Don't laugh at this method, your drums were never balanced at the factory and paying for spin balancing will not result in a balanced assembly.

I have that tire changer, and would not say that it works great, but it is slightly better than simple tire irons.

[73guna]

Its a lot of work, but it can be done.
If your not mechanically inclined I'd pay to have the work done.
You dont want to ruin a tire bead or over tighten the bearing nut.
And figure by the time you buy all the tools it may be cheaper to have a shop do it.
When Im feeling cheap I'll mount my own tires and have a shop balance them.

This is the best driveway method ive found, works great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57yyTqiKpe0
http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-tire-changer-69686.html

Bearing packer
http://www.harborfreight.com/bearing-grease-packer-69027.html

[SprinklerMan]

The good news about the bearings is , thats 2000 miles . If they were properly greased from the factory they should still be fine . But it cant hurt to check them . My work van had 100,000 miles , I checked the bearings when I did the 3rd set of brakes , they were fine .