Temperature gun for brakes and bearings?

[Jvandererlip]

Is anyone using a temperature laser gun to monitor brakes and bearings?
I'll be hitting the Smokey Mountains in the spring towing a travel trailer. I thought it would be good information to have.
What number values should I be looking for as a maximum?
I'm an airline pilot and I constantly monitor brake temperature while taxiing. It seems really strange not to have that information available. Do any trucks or big rigs display brake temperature?

[Grit_dog]

I ran out a bearing last month that looked like frosty the snowman. An IR gun would have told me it was cold!

[deltabravo]

Fordlover wrote:
I have a Fluke IR temp gun I really like. But I rarely think to use it, so perhaps your post will remind me next time I'm towing.

Ditto.

Fluke is kind of spendy, but I love mine.

There's lots of less expensive alternatives, especially at Harbor Freight.

Bearing / hub temp is what I mostly check.

2010 I had a flatbed trailer that kept eating tires and smoking bearings at one wheel position. Temp gun was very useful on that trip.

[Lynnmor]

shum02 wrote:


Say what you will that it should not happen if you've done PM but Mr Murphy can show up at any time and prove you wrong. $20 for one of this units is some pretty cheap insurance in my world.

I've had the cheap Chinese wheel bearings begin to fail with little increase in temperature. My suggestion is to not waste grease on that cheap junk and replace with Timken bearings. Yes, checking temperature is a good thing, but knowing the temperature of junk is only a little help.

[demiles]

I’ve used one of these to prove that ESC is working and applying braking without turning the light on the dash. This was tested while traveling on a windy day with 35 mph gusts.

[shum02]

Lynnmor wrote:
Had a brake caliper hang up on a nearly new truck, the problem was discovered with a cheap HF temperature gun. Fixed quickly under warranty and the trip was not ruined. Ignorance is not bliss.

x2

I've had a hot bearing on a trip and when I got to the camp ground(was a little over a half hour away) I changed it out(I carry two complete sets with me.

My last check while fueling up saved me doing it at the side of the road, which I have done and that sure is no fun! 🙂

Say what you will that it should not happen if you've done PM but Mr Murphy can show up at any time and prove you wrong. $20 for one of this units is some pretty cheap insurance in my world.

[Lynnmor]

Had a brake caliper hang up on a nearly new truck, the problem was discovered with a cheap HF temperature gun. Fixed quickly under warranty and the trip was not ruined. Ignorance is not bliss.

[WTP-GC]

Over the years, I've read many discussions related to the use of an IR gun for checking temps of wheels, tires, bearings, brakes, etc. Despite having read countless discussions on this topic, the fact remains that you'll never read any definitive statements regarding the required temps or when one temp is way too much. Even varying temps mean little to nothing except HUGE variations. On a hot summer day, I've had times when you wouldn't dare touch the tire on the sun side, but the shady side will be just a hair more than warm. Put the gun away and enjoy the trip instead of spending half the time worrying about temp data that you don't know the answer to in the first place.

[spoon059]

Yes, as well as tire temps. Like others, I don't look for a specific temperature but rather look for them to be similar. Tire temps will give you an idea if one tire is lower in pressure (hotter, due to increased flexing) than the other.

[sayoung]

Fordlover wrote:
I have a Fluke IR temp gun I really like. But I rarely think to use it, so perhaps your post will remind me next time I'm towing.

I used the Fluke when I was working and also have the Harbor Frieght gun also, for checking our rv stuff get the cheap HF .

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

I carry one but if I can find it I will leave it home. No reason for it really.

If you are overheating your brakes on a modern tow vehicle (or trailer)to the point failure you are doing something very, very, very wrong!

If you don't do maintenance to your bearings you should not be on the road. If you do; you don't need to gun them every 2 hours or whatever.

[pigman1]

A cheap one from Harbor Freight is not a bad idea, but I'd only be comparing wheels. It's easy to tell if you're overheating the brakes. Yes, there's the hot brake smell, but the real test is how much you're pushing on the brake pedal. If you've used the PAC brake/engine brake/downshift procedure correctly, you foot will be on the floor. Foot on the floor = cool brakes. If you're continually pressing the brakes, SLOW DOWN AND DOWNSHIFT. It's really that simple.

[shum02]

colliehauler wrote:
Like Rover Bill pointed out look for variances for spotting a problem. I have a a IR temperature gun for that purpose as well. Harbor freight has them for very little money. Fluke makes a higher quality unit.

Same. I read for consistent temps between brakes and bearing. If one is high or lower you know you have some issues.

[Lynnmor]

If you have calibrated hands that can detect a temperature difference in the four hot hubs, then you don't need the temperature gun. Just get your hands dirty and then go into the Crapper Barrel.

[ls1mike]

I have one. I check them when I stop. They usually run between 100 and 115. Even after some long dowhills, but with the weight of my truck and trailer being pretty close if I leave the truck in third I don't have to hit the brakes very often. I like having it at least I know that all the bearings/brakes/tires are within a few degrees of each other.