Wheel bearings again!

[byways]

A year ago I lost two bearings (nearly at the same time) after extended travel (about 6 hours straight) in hot weather. Both axles were replaced with 6,000 lb. axles (upgraded from 4,000 #).

Last week, while traveling in extended hot weather, I lost another bearing. Each time I stop, I always feel the hubs for any heat build up. Nothing, until now. I pulled in to fuel up and checked my bearings. Found one smoking. Pulled away from the fuel line and the hub immediately broke and the wheel nearly fell off. What am I doing wrong? I do tend to drive a little fast (around 65-67 MPH), but not excessive.

I KNOW the axles were properly lubricated on both occasions (prior to failure). This recent bearing/axle has less than 3,000 miles on it, and is less than 1 year old.

What causes this?

[spike99]

Bamarickandlisa wrote:
It does not take a professional to replace, pack, grease and adjust bearings.
I'm 56 and have been doing them on different types of trailers since I was about 14.
He clearly is not doing the job you are paying him for.

Agree.

Greasing wheel bearings is so easy, anyone can do it. Even my high school son (who does my trailer wheel bearings every spring) does it.

Money saved (from doing it ourselves), goes into more RV mods.

[JJBIRISH]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I set up race cars all time. Extreem camber both + and -. Lots of G force in the turns. Heavy stock cars with slicks that just put a lot of load and abuse on the bearings. I have seen them set up so crazy they are running on the side of the tire. Never seen a bearing at the track or on a trailer fail because of camber.

I have seen home made axels that people have cut in half and widened out and are so far off it's crazy. Lots of tire issues but no bearing failure issues.

I have seen LOTS of bearings fail because they are set up too lose or too tight and no lube but never for camber issues; NEVER, EVER, EVER.

While you can dispute this if you wish, they are not my words…
Taken from Aligncraft Automotive Products trouble shooting chart…
Effects of Positive Camber
Slight positive camber results in a dynamic loading that allows the tire to run relatively flat against the road surface. Positive camber also directs the weight and shock load of the vehicle on the larger inner wheel bearing and inboard portion of the spindle rather than the outboard bearing. Positive camber in moderation results in longer bearing life, less likely sudden load failure, and as a side benefit, easier steering. Excessive positive camber wears the outside of the tire and can cause wear to suspension parts such as wheel bearings and spindles.


I have had to replace three wheel bearings in recent history all were Chinese… prior to that in my life time I have had to replace two wheel bearings one time… they were rear axle bearings in my 95 van quite a few years ago… even they were with-in mfg. spec and did not need replaced… other OE bearings outlived the vehicle, be it a car, truck or trailer… the only exception to this were my dirt race bike wheel bearings that were used in harsh environments all the time, where replacing and avoiding Chinese bearings had big dividends… but then 2 Chinese equalizers cracked and Chinese bolts hangers and bushings wore out before the trailer needed waxed… yam I do know how good that junk is…

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

I set up race cars all time. Extreem camber both + and -. Lots of G force in the turns. Heavy stock cars with slicks that just put a lot of load and abuse on the bearings. I have seen them set up so crazy they are running on the side of the tire. Never seen a bearing at the track or on a trailer fail because of camber.

I have seen home made axels that people have cut in half and widened out and are so far off it's crazy. Lots of tire issues but no bearing failure issues.

I have seen LOTS of bearings fail because they are set up too lose or too tight and no lube but never for camber issues; NEVER, EVER, EVER.

[daveyboy12]

Slap em with grease in the spring and you'll be ok

[gmw_photos]

Why make this discussion about the correct procedure for adjusting so difficult. If you google the dexterservice manual, you will find ( right from the horse's mouth ) this:

Bearing Adjustment and Hub Replacement
If the hub has been removed or bearing adjustment is required, the following adjustment procedure must be followed:
1. Afterplacingthehub,bearings,washers,andspindlenut back on the axle spindle in reverse order as detailed in the previous section on hub removal, rotate the hub assembly slowly while tightening the spindle nut to approximately 50 lbs.-ft. (12" wrench or pliers with full hand force.)
2. Thenloosenthespindlenuttoremovethetorque.Donot rotate the hub.
3. Fingertightenthespindlenutuntiljustsnug.
4. Backthespindlenutoutslightlyuntilthefirstcastellation lines up with the cotter key hole and insert the cotter pin.
5. Bendoverthecotterpinlegstosecurethenut.
6. Nutshouldbefreetomovewithonlyrestraintbeingthe cotter pin.

.....and yes, I see the formatting of the text got confused, but it's easy enough to read thru it....

[CKNSLS]

Barney007 wrote:

CKNSLS wrote:

Barney007 wrote:
I too have experianced wheel bearing failurs and fires within a 6 month period. First make a claim with the NTHSB. Second I had the repairs completed and the AXLES ALIGNED. A good truck/trailer frame shop can do this work. It will cost around 100+ an axle. In my situation the rear axle was the culprit, camber was -1-5/8" and -1.0" on the other. The axles are now alighned and we will see about the other bearings. The trailer is only two years old and YES I too had the CHINA bearings from the factory.

So the China bearings were not defective in your particular situation since it was the axle(s)?

China bearing had a lot to do with it as well as the alignment, those guys from Cali are ID 10 T's Camber had something to do with it, With negative camber the whell/hub is riding on the outer/outboard bearing (for the guys in cali, it the small one) You want a positive camber for the weight of the trailer be on the inner/inboard (the larger bearing) Yes, a person want to use a good quality grease and tighten to manufacture specs.

So all the messed up specs on your axles, camber etc., had very little to do with the issues you were experiencing? And an American made bearing would not have been affected? Is that what you are saying?

[Barney007]

CKNSLS wrote:

Barney007 wrote:
I too have experianced wheel bearing failurs and fires within a 6 month period. First make a claim with the NTHSB. Second I had the repairs completed and the AXLES ALIGNED. A good truck/trailer frame shop can do this work. It will cost around 100+ an axle. In my situation the rear axle was the culprit, camber was -1-5/8" and -1.0" on the other. The axles are now alighned and we will see about the other bearings. The trailer is only two years old and YES I too had the CHINA bearings from the factory.

So the China bearings were not defective in your particular situation since it was the axle(s)?

China bearing had a lot to do with it as well as the alignment, those guys from Cali are ID 10 T's Camber had something to do with it, With negative camber the whell/hub is riding on the outer/outboard bearing (for the guys in cali, it the small one) You want a positive camber for the weight of the trailer be on the inner/inboard (the larger bearing) Yes, a person want to use a good quality grease and tighten to manufacture specs.

[time2roll]

byways wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

Passin Thru wrote:
Buy Timken Bearings. Never lost one of them yet. Pulled trailers lots of miles. Tighten them down until the wheel wont turn and back off 1/4 turn.

Here is an example of incorrect adjustment. You might damage the bearings by tightening them that much. The 1/4 turn is not correct.

Elsewhere, someone mentioned SKF bearings. SKF manufactures many bearings in China.

The OP doesn't want to be involved with the maintainence of his wheel bearings. All I have to say is; good luck with that.

Is that what I wrote? I performed maintenance EXACTLY as the manufacturer suggested (Lippert) and at the correct intervals. Since you're knowledgable in this, why don't you post the correct version for all to see?

Snug up the spindle nut to seat the bearing and losen 1/4 turn might be right. But then finger tight and back off to the next slot for the cotter pin is the part you are missing. back off a 1/4 turn is way loose for the final set.

[byways]

Leaf-Peeper wrote:

byways wrote:
... I KNOW the axles were properly lubricated on both occasions (prior to failure). This recent bearing/axle has less than 3,000 miles on it, and is less than 1 year old.

What causes this?

In a previous and somewhat unrewarding career, I used replace damaged axle housing spindles on over the road trucks, tractors and trailers. The bearing failures in these instances were so severe, the spindle would end up being heavily damaged. Sometimes they got so hot, they'd catch on fire.

Based on my experience, if the bearings were adequately lubricated, there's a high probability the failure could have been caused by the spindle nut being installed too tightly.

My guess is that in about 75% of the failures I saw, the truck or trailer had recently had the brakes serviced (which required the removal of bearings). I believe in most instances the bearings were probably adequately lubricated, but the failures likely occurred because spindle nut was installed too tight, which resulted in insufficient bearing clearance.

I recall an instance where a concrete pumping truck (tandem drive axles) had gotten just a few miles from the service shop after having it's brakes serviced, it had ruined a drive axle housing spindle, for which the road service guy chained-up so it could be driven back to the shop. Before the truck could make it back those few miles to the shop, the other spindle on the same side of the had also failed. Turns out there were two guys involved doing the brake service... one worked the right side of the truck, another on the left side of the truck. Inspection of the spindles on the opposite side of the truck showed no signs of wear or damage. One guy seemed to know what he was doing, the other guy apparently did not.

In a snapshot, here's how I tighten our trailer's spindle nuts (your results may vary):
I'll rotate the hub/drum when tightening the spindle nut to ensure the bearings are able to seat themselves (often done using a pair of channel-locks). After it's snug and without any rotation of the hub, I'll loosen the nut and then retighten it just finger tight. In most instances, the nut will have to be backed off a bit further to allow installation of the cotter pin. After assembly and the wheel/tire is back on, I do a simple lift test... momentarily lift up the bottom/outside area of the tire to be sure there is some radial play detectable.

Thank you for a measure, reasonable, and understandable reply! I appreciate your willingness to contribute real knowledge, rather than opinion, to the discussion.
Byways (OP)

[byways]

Lynnmor wrote:

Passin Thru wrote:
Buy Timken Bearings. Never lost one of them yet. Pulled trailers lots of miles. Tighten them down until the wheel wont turn and back off 1/4 turn.

Here is an example of incorrect adjustment. You might damage the bearings by tightening them that much. The 1/4 turn is not correct.

Elsewhere, someone mentioned SKF bearings. SKF manufactures many bearings in China.

The OP doesn't want to be involved with the maintainence of his wheel bearings. All I have to say is; good luck with that.

Is that what I wrote? I performed maintenance EXACTLY as the manufacturer suggested (Lippert) and at the correct intervals. Since you're knowledgable in this, why don't you post the correct version for all to see?

[coolbreeze01]

An incompetent installer trumps country of origin every time.

[renopker]

Leaf-Peeper wrote:

byways wrote:
... I KNOW the axles were properly lubricated on both occasions (prior to failure). This recent bearing/axle has less than 3,000 miles on it, and is less than 1 year old.

What causes this?

In a previous and somewhat unrewarding career, I used replace damaged axle housing spindles on over the road trucks, tractors and trailers. The bearing failures in these instances were so severe, the spindle would end up being heavily damaged. Sometimes they got so hot, they'd catch on fire.

Based on my experience, if the bearings were adequately lubricated, there's a high probability the failure could have been caused by the spindle nut being installed too tightly.

My guess is that in about 75% of the failures I saw, the truck or trailer had recently had the brakes serviced (which required the removal of bearings). I believe in most instances the bearings were probably adequately lubricated, but the failures likely occurred because spindle nut was installed too tight, which resulted in insufficient bearing clearance.

I recall an instance where a concrete pumping truck (tandem drive axles) had gotten just a few miles from the service shop after having it's brakes serviced, it had ruined a drive axle housing spindle, for which the road service guy chained-up so it could be driven back to the shop. Before the truck could make it back those few miles to the shop, the other spindle on the same side of the had also failed. Turns out there were two guys involved doing the brake service... one worked the right side of the truck, another on the left side of the truck. Inspection of the spindles on the opposite side of the truck showed no signs of wear or damage. One guy seemed to know what he was doing, the other guy apparently did not.

In a snapshot, here's how I tighten our trailer's spindle nuts (your results may vary):
I'll rotate the hub/drum when tightening the spindle nut to ensure the bearings are able to seat themselves (often done using a pair of channel-locks). After it's snug and without any rotation of the hub, I'll loosen the nut and then retighten it just finger tight. In most instances, the nut will have to be backed off a bit further to allow installation of the cotter pin. After assembly and the wheel/tire is back on, I do a simple lift test... momentarily lift up the bottom/outside area of the tire to be sure there is some radial play detectable.

Well put, I feel to tight on the bearings is the bigest factor.

[time2roll]

byways wrote:
Sorry for the confusion. When the axles were installed, the installer (a trailer shop) indicated he personally hand packed and adjusted the bearings. That is the only way I know they were done correctly. I am not a professional, that is why I hired a professional to do the job. My knowledge was based on the reputation of someone else.

I would still call the guy to pick his brain on what happened.

Basically he did a poor job or there was a hidden defect. All you can do is slap some new bearings on and head down the road. Heat and speed will not hurt properly done bearings.

I swear if you carry an extra set of bearings, seal, washer, nut and pin you will never have another problem 😉

[CKNSLS]

Barney007 wrote:
I too have experianced wheel bearing failurs and fires within a 6 month period. First make a claim with the NTHSB. Second I had the repairs completed and the AXLES ALIGNED. A good truck/trailer frame shop can do this work. It will cosr around 100+ an axle. In my situation the rear axle was the culprit, camber was -1-5/8" and -1.0" on the other. The axles are now alighned and we will see about the other bearings. The trailer is only two years old and YES I too had the CHINA bearings from the factory.

So the China bearings were not defective in your particular situation since it was the axle(s)?