What's the fascination with trailer bearings?

2oldman wrote:
I felt the same as you, but I thought I better check them periodically anyway. One day at a rest stop I noticed one hub was warmer, not by a lot, just warmer than the other 3. Over the next week or so it started getting noticeably warmer.

I had a mobile RV repair service check it out. Sure enough, that bearing was getting ready to fail and showed signs of burn marks. Yes, the man showed me what was wrong.

You don't have to buy a temp gun, but I think it's folly to not check them. I don't know what kind of rig you're talking about, but mine is a heavy fiver with 4 wheels. And I dry camp a lot, often in strong winds, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that dust gets in there. It gets in everywhere else.

Trailer axles carry a lot more weight than a car or truck. A simple check and prevention can save you a lot of roadside grief. I think automatic replacement every year is a bit much, mine lasted about 5 years.

A few questions for you.

#1. Do you do your own bearing work?

#2. So why did the bearing began to fail? (bearings just don't decide to fail. What was the root cause?) Blown seal? Lack of grease? Contamination? Too tight of spindle nut?

#3. When was the bearing checked last and who did the checking?

#4. Do you also check your TV hubs during the day while towing or not? If not, why not?

As far as trailer being heaver: That has nothing to do with it. Bearing and hubs are designed for the amount of weight that they carry. That's why a 3/4 ton pickup hub has a bigger bearing than a 1/2 ton pickup hub. And a class 8 big rig has way bigger bearings than that of a pickup truck. Same way for trailers and their axel and hubs. A 20' TT won't have the same axel or bearings that a 36' heavy TT will have.