What's the fascination with trailer bearings?

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

So I've seen many, many posts over the years about checking hubs with IR guns for excessive heat. I've even seen posts where people check their hubs every stop. :E

My question is why? I have never seen posts where they talk about checking their TV wheel hubs at every stop even though "most" use the exact same bearing type. (packable bearing) It's always the trailer for some reason. I've never seen anybody check their hubs on their trucks after driving around for a few hours. :h

I've owned over a dozen trailers in my life and have never had bearing problems. Ever. I check my bearings about every 7 to 10 years and have never found anything wrong with them. (Brakes are a different story and that is why I even check them that often)

I get checking often with boat trailer bearings. Especially boat trailers that go in salt water. Makes total sense that they can get contaminated with water and salt and they need to be checked often.

But TT bearings? It's a sealed system that see's no contamination. At least under normal conditions. Unless a seal is damaged the grease stays in there and works just fine year after year after year.

I guess it IR gun makers in business and that's a good thing in this economy I guess. 🙂

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Ya, I understand that. I'm very fortunate to own all my trailers now so I don't have to go through that anymore. I understand that would make you a little gun shy.

[swimmer_spe]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
So I've seen many, many posts over the years about checking hubs with IR guns for excessive heat. I've even seen posts where people check their hubs every stop. :E

My question is why? I have never seen posts where they talk about checking their TV wheel hubs at every stop even though "most" use the exact same bearing type. (packable bearing) It's always the trailer for some reason. I've never seen anybody check their hubs on their trucks after driving around for a few hours. :h

I've owned over a dozen trailers in my life and have never had bearing problems. Ever. I check my bearings about every 7 to 10 years and have never found anything wrong with them. (Brakes are a different story and that is why I even check them that often)

I get checking often with boat trailer bearings. Especially boat trailers that go in salt water. Makes total sense that they can get contaminated with water and salt and they need to be checked often.

But TT bearings? It's a sealed system that see's no contamination. At least under normal conditions. Unless a seal is damaged the grease stays in there and works just fine year after year after year.

I guess it IR gun makers in business and that's a good thing in this economy I guess. 🙂

When you borrow a small utility trailer and half way to your destination the wheel passes you along the highway, you get concerned about other trailers.

[Lynnmor]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:


BTW, SKF and Timken both say a slightly too tight of a spindle nut is way, way, way worst than a slightly too loose of a spindle nut. The difference is striking if you look at the chart.

What chart?

Here is one from Timken

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Mr_MrsSchlepprock250 wrote:
OK I wanted to come and add to this bearing thread. We bought our travel trailer new back last July 3rd (2014), we have done two trips to Myrtle beach from central NC, and four trips to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge from central NC. A total of about 2100 miles. We got back from our last trip on Sunday July 19th. We stopped so could pick up my tractor on the way in so my wife towed the camper home and I followed. From the rear the two tires on the rear axle were clearly leaning in/cambered in at the top. So I got a chance to check it out today and discovered three of the four wheel bearings were so far out of adjustment that the seals had failed and the entire hub/brake area was covered in grease. Three of the outer bearings were dark showing that they had been hot. The only inner bearing failure was the one wheel that was dry. That bearing definitely had some visible wear. I'll post some pics as soon as I can but the grease was a dark grey and was very very thin. All this was on a brand new camper with only 2100 miles on it. I was planning on re packing the bearings this fall but I replaced all the bearings and races today as well as using a good "wheel bearing" grease knowing they are properly adjusted. As thin as the old grease was( not too old though) it could've been from over heating but I always check the wheels/hubs with an IR gun at each fuel stop so heat hasn't been an issue. I'm thinking they were using like a general purpose grease and the bearings were definitely not adjusted correctly. Feel free to discuss this and lets hear some thoughts.

Could be lots of things Phil. Or even a combination of thing. Like the wrong grease was used and that caused contamination and that caused bearing spalling and that caused the seals to fail.

If the correct parts are used with the correct grease and the correct spindle nut torque the bearing will last a VERY, VERY long time. I have proof of that on my trailer.

BTW, SKF and Timken both say a slightly too tight of a spindle nut is way, way, way worst than a slightly too loose of a spindle nut. The difference is striking if you look at the chart.

[69_Avion]

I would never trust the axle manufacturer to use enough grease on the axle. They should be checked after you buy the trailer. You could add grease through the EZ Lube system if you have it, but if you don't know what kind of grease they used, that would be a mistake. It really does pay to have the bearings checked.
I just got back from a long summer trip and I decided to repack the bearings. There was nothing wrong with the bearings, or grease, but one hub was seriously worn from the magnet and I replaced the hub and the backing plate/brake assembly.

It does pay to check them every now and then. My hubs on this trailer hadn't been pulled in 3 years. It has two cross country trips on it and several shorter trips in that timeframe.

[Mr_MrsSchleppro]

OK I wanted to come and add to this bearing thread. We bought our travel trailer new back last July 3rd (2014), we have done two trips to Myrtle beach from central NC, and four trips to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge from central NC. A total of about 2100 miles. We got back from our last trip on Sunday July 19th. We stopped so could pick up my tractor on the way in so my wife towed the camper home and I followed. From the rear the two tires on the rear axle were clearly leaning in/cambered in at the top. So I got a chance to check it out today and discovered three of the four wheel bearings were so far out of adjustment that the seals had failed and the entire hub/brake area was covered in grease. Three of the outer bearings were dark showing that they had been hot. The only inner bearing failure was the one wheel that was dry. That bearing definitely had some visible wear. I'll post some pics as soon as I can but the grease was a dark grey and was very very thin. All this was on a brand new camper with only 2100 miles on it. I was planning on re packing the bearings this fall but I replaced all the bearings and races today as well as using a good "wheel bearing" grease knowing they are properly adjusted. As thin as the old grease was( not too old though) it could've been from over heating but I always check the wheels/hubs with an IR gun at each fuel stop so heat hasn't been an issue. I'm thinking they were using like a general purpose grease and the bearings were definitely not adjusted correctly. Feel free to discuss this and lets hear some thoughts.

[ls1mike]

I checked mine this year, they were fine. What I do have is an infrared temp gun. When I stop I shot all four tires and they are usually with in a degree or two of each other and I have not seen them over 106 degress.

[tomman58]

Several opinions but everyone's driving is different. In the mountains you can just about see your own taillights in your headlights. In Dakota it is straight and flat. Your mileage may vary, but some of us go 15K on the trailer yearly. I do.
I am not a bearing expert but Jayco says annually and with my miles I let them do it. Kind of like insurance, cheap price compared to what can go wrong.
Also being retired I am to busy to play being a mechanic to my toys, have better things to do.

[Huntindog]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

So my question to you is, why do you care how others maintain their campers? The only reason I'd care would be if I was buying a trailer used. All other things equal, I'd go with the one maintained every year over one that gets this magical inspection every 7-10.

I don't. The basic question is: Why is there disparity between trailers and TV's because Timken say's they are both a tapered roller bearing.

I could be wrong, so don't slam me, just my observation based on the vehicles I've owned.

You are; but I won't slam you as you have requested.

Hate to break this to you, but what you're doing is not a proper bearing inspection. Do you even remove the inner bearing? How do you possible inspect the bearing without cleaning it off?

Not proper inspection? But yet I have never had a bearing failure. :h LOL, fairies must be inspecting and packing them at night for me!
Hate to break this to you but hubs are a sealed system. If the seals are in good condition and there is no contamination and the grease is in good condition and no spalling on the front side it works for me. Remember, I'm not the one with bearing failures.

You're wrong regarding the lateral forces on bearings on a TANDEM trailer v a car or truck.

See that little 1/8" or 3/16 x 1 1/4" shackle on your trailer? That little piece of sheet metal holds all of that twisting force you like to talk about. How many bearing have you seen fail from side load? (It's really called thrust load but I used common words for you.) There is a reason manufactures use big strong parts in front end steering and suspension parts but scarcely more than sheet metal parts to put with all of that thrust load of yours.

X2 on the shackle. Also the spring hangars are just heavy pieces of tin as well. Fact is that these heavy side loads is an internet myth. It got it's start when the ST tire manufacturers made it up as a selling point for their junk tires.
It has NEVER been independantly verified as fact.
Just the opposite. Guess which tire, LT or ST is tested to a higher standard for bead seat retention force?

The truth is, they are exactly the same. So much for the marketing of STs having stiffer sidewalls to deal with this made up increased force.
If that were true, then the spring hangars and shackles would NEED to be heavier as well...
It ain't rocket science.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

So my question to you is, why do you care how others maintain their campers? The only reason I'd care would be if I was buying a trailer used. All other things equal, I'd go with the one maintained every year over one that gets this magical inspection every 7-10.

I don't. The basic question is: Why is there disparity between trailers and TV's because Timken say's they are both a tapered roller bearing.

I could be wrong, so don't slam me, just my observation based on the vehicles I've owned.

You are; but I won't slam you as you have requested.

Hate to break this to you, but what you're doing is not a proper bearing inspection. Do you even remove the inner bearing? How do you possible inspect the bearing without cleaning it off?

Not proper inspection? But yet I have never had a bearing failure. :h LOL, fairies must be inspecting and packing them at night for me!
Hate to break this to you but hubs are a sealed system. If the seals are in good condition and there is no contamination and the grease is in good condition and no spalling on the front side it works for me. Remember, I'm not the one with bearing failures.

You're wrong regarding the lateral forces on bearings on a TANDEM trailer v a car or truck.

See that little 1/8" or 3/16 x 1 1/4" shackle on your trailer? That little piece of sheet metal holds all of that twisting force you like to talk about. How many bearing have you seen fail from side load? (It's really called thrust load but I used common words for you.) There is a reason manufactures use big strong parts in front end steering and suspension parts but scarcely more than sheet metal parts to put with all of that thrust load of yours.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

cmcdar wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

cmcdar wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

cmcdar wrote:
It's funny that it seems irritating to some that several folks are fastidious about maintenance and safety.

Why should this bother anyone? It should bother people that there are many out there that are willfully ignorant of even the most basic safety recommendations and regulations.

In other words, if I repack my bearings every year - why should this matter to you?

LOL, if you talking to me I'm not irritated at all. I really don't care if you pack your bearings every night at the campground. I just find it fascinating that when I ask people if they do the same with their TV I get a blank gaze with an open mouth.

The question for you is: You say you pack your trailer bearings every year because it has to do with "fastidious maintenance and safety". Do you repack your TV bearings every year too?

I have asked you, if you do not agree with manufacturer's recommendations, how often do YOU think it should be done? Ever? Never?

...waiting for reply...

Actually you didn't. You're confused. It was Dog you asked, and he answered you.

But since you seem to want to know from me, I will tell you.
As several posters have already said, axel makers have no idea what their axles are going to be put on. Couple that with the fact that you can be sued for making a hair dryer and not having a label on it that states: "DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT IN THE SHOWER."

I do all my own work. I check my trailer bearings and brakes about every 7 to 10 years. When I say check, I mean just that, check, not pack. I put about 4 to 5K on my trailer/ year.

It goes something like this: It's been 7 years since I have checked my bearings, time to check them. I pop a hub cap off and take the nut off and pull the drum. I look over the brakes and also the bearings. In 28 years I have owned the same trailer I have NEVER seen anything wrong with the bearings. They have OEM bearings in it. In fact, they pretty much look the same as when I packed them. No rust, grease where is should be, the proper amount of grease, seals look good..........good to go.

The brakes on the other hand have wear on them. Not so much the shoes, but the other hardware. Especially the magnets. They are the biggest wear item by far. This is the main reason I pull the drums that often. Because of the wear on the brake hardware.

As far as when should "you" look at your bearings? I have no idea? I don't know how you use your trailer? I suggest if you used your trailer like these guys do, you check them every trip; and ALSO your TV bearings! You should know what your bearing look like if you check them every year. What do they look like when you check them? Or do you do your own work?

Like I said, it's a sealed system. If the seals are in good shape it won't allow contamination in and grease out so the bearings remain in good shape.

Oh, and to people that say they are not the same bearings, load, bla, bla bla. Not true. TV's can have cartridge bearings or packable bearings in them. Trailers can have packable bearings or cartridge bearings in them. (right Dog :B )They are both designed for weight and load for what they are used for. If anybody thinks that a trailer sees more side load think about this: A truck going into a turn at 40 or 50 MPH. Think of the side load at that speed. It's enormous!!! Like I said, it's a red herring anyway. I have yet to see a bearing fail do to side loading and I have seen a bunch. Besides, the fact that they both are designed for load and stress they are put through.

As far as the Lippert schedule: Is this the same company that built these great frames? :B I think I will stay away from this companies recommendation as far as I can! A few people on this forum have junk trailers because of this companies gross incompetence.

cmcdar I now have answered your question but you didn't answer mine: Do you pack or check you wheel bearings on your TV every year? Also, do you do your own work or do you rely on others for that?

I have posted here several times and even posted pictures of the 'dry' bearings/hubs I found. YES I have checked, repacked my own bearings.
I have previously explained that I have seasonally camped for 17 years However, towing a camper to different locations and maintaining a roadworthy travel trailer is new to me.

I have checked and repacked camper bearings just once since I have only owned my camper since March. I plan to check it at least yearly to begin with.

Now, you certainly are impressive with all of your experience and 'knowledge'. It baffles me, however, that you seem to not be able to comprehend that the general public lacks the very basic level of mechanical inclination to be able to understand what you are even talking about. If you are able to intuitively determine that every seven years is right for you, well wonderful.

If I had not checked the bearings on my 'new to me' camper, I would likely have been in trouble my first time out as there was barely any grease and what was there was all broken down. I am not someone who is neurotic about most maintenance but I sure as hell do not want to be irresponsible either.

New People to camping may have never towed a vehicle. They have no idea that the 'new' tires they bought 5 years ago and only have 100 miles on them, need to be replaced because they have dry rot.

Many people out there on the road towing campers can barely change a lightbulb. Maintenance schedules are guidelines to follow. They are very important to the general public. Without recommendations, most people would NEVER even change their oil (still, many don't).

You have sufficiently dazzled us with your abilities. Please leave some dignity for us regular folks who feel more comfortable going through life with some safety nets.

I might remind you that you are the one that found "dry bearings" not me. I was just suggesting why you found such dry bearings. I have never found "dry bearings" with my maintenance schedule. Don't like it? Move on. You are free to follow any maintenance schedule you deem necessary.

I find it amusing that you never did answer the question I have asked you twice now.

[itguy08]

Huntindog wrote:

Now I am really going to stir things up:
Since TTs do not have odometers on them, and the only way to determine actual mileage would be to log it off of the TV..... I surmise that nobody really knows just how many miles they go on a bearing repack..... Oh there will be some that swear they know.... But in most cases it is only a rough guess... Some guesses will be a LOT rougher than others.... So now for those of you that want a firm milage number.... How will you deal with the fact that you really don't have one at all.

Since thare are some that swear that the 12K limit is the golden rule, and they really don't know when they are getting close to it.... Better repack early so you don't go over.

While I do not know the mileage from the factory to my dealer and whatever miles they put on the unit, I do know how many miles I've put on my trailer. Our TV, a 2011 F150 has a page when you hook the trailer up that you can name the trailer, set up the gain, and it keeps track of the mileage for you while it's hooked up. I know I've put 600 or so miles on it by the dash computer.

[Huntindog]

rwbradley wrote:
Holy cow, went away camping and I missed all the fun. The interesting thing is that the fact in this 8 pages is 12k or 1 year is fact for 2 major manufacturers. The rest of this 8 pages is opinion. I think I will use the 12k or 1 year as a good reference point and then apply my personal experience and personal opinion to arrive at a repacking schedule that suits my personal RVing habits. But in reality it will likely be close to what the manufacturer recommends.
What would be really interesting is if we applied the same opinions in the thread to trailer towing weights (ya I am going there... sorry guys). Just opinion here, not fact but... I wonder if people who repack religiously every year and never miss even by a week are the ones who will never pull a trailer more than 40-50% (dry) of the tow capacity and people who repack every 7-8 years tow at 200-300% capacity??? Is it safe to assume that what I have learned from this thread is that the manufacturers have to put some number to towing weight but that number is not right for everyone, so GVWR and towing capacity of the TV are really rough numbers as the manufacturer really has no idea how you are going to tow and then lawyer fudge factor has to be added in too... will you have 6 kids, 2 dogs and 1000 pounds of luggage going across death valley in the summer or a couple of tiny grandparents with 2 changes of clothes, stopping for groceries every day and only driving 2 hours across the prairies when it is in the 60's??? But regardless for bearing repacking or towing weight or most anything to do with towing, for those who are not very experienced should stick close to the manufacturers numbers and those who are more experienced have some wiggle room because they understand the risks and the factors that make up the numbers?

Now I am really going to stir things up:
Since TTs do not have odometers on them, and the only way to determine actual mileage would be to log it off of the TV..... I surmise that nobody really knows just how many miles they go on a bearing repack..... Oh there will be some that swear they know.... But in most cases it is only a rough guess... Some guesses will be a LOT rougher than others.... So now for those of you that want a firm milage number.... How will you deal with the fact that you really don't have one at all.

Since thare are some that swear that the 12K limit is the golden rule, and they really don't know when they are getting close to it.... Better repack early so you don't go over.

[rwbradley]

Holy cow, went away camping and I missed all the fun. The interesting thing is that the fact in this 8 pages is 12k or 1 year is fact for 2 major manufacturers. The rest of this 8 pages is opinion. I think I will use the 12k or 1 year as a good reference point and then apply my personal experience and personal opinion to arrive at a repacking schedule that suits my personal RVing habits. But in reality it will likely be close to what the manufacturer recommends.
What would be really interesting is if we applied the same opinions in the thread to trailer towing weights (ya I am going there... sorry guys). Just opinion here, not fact but... I wonder if people who repack religiously every year and never miss even by a week are the ones who will never pull a trailer more than 40-50% (dry) of the tow capacity and people who repack every 7-8 years tow at 200-300% capacity??? Is it safe to assume that what I have learned from this thread is that the manufacturers have to put some number to towing weight but that number is not right for everyone, so GVWR and towing capacity of the TV are really rough numbers as the manufacturer really has no idea how you are going to tow and then lawyer fudge factor has to be added in too... will you have 6 kids, 2 dogs and 1000 pounds of luggage going across death valley in the summer or a couple of tiny grandparents with 2 changes of clothes, stopping for groceries every day and only driving 2 hours across the prairies when it is in the 60's??? But regardless for bearing repacking or towing weight or most anything to do with towing, for those who are not very experienced should stick close to the manufacturers numbers and those who are more experienced have some wiggle room because they understand the risks and the factors that make up the numbers?