Wheel bearings

[N7SJN]

After 12 years and 10's of thousands of miles a tire tech advised me that I should have my brakes and wheel bearings checked. Bottom line breaks were still good and the wheel bearings also. I do not advise everyone to do this, however I have seen postings that say twice yearly checking is a good idea. Was I just lucky by not checking or is this the norm?

[Aqua-Andy]

SoundGuy wrote:
Interesting to me is the fact we're all still dealing with this nonsense. :M I've owned so many vehicles over many decades I can't even remember them all, yet I don't recall ever having to replace or even service the wheel bearings ... until recently. For the first time in my life a wheel bearing on the front driver's side of our 11 yr old Chevy Avalanche went south and had to be replaced ... first time this has ever happened to me. Surely by now the RV industry could install bearings that don't need yearly repacking and under normal circumstances won't fail during the lifetime of the trailer. :S

Actually they do. If you disassembled that failed wheel bearing from your Avalanche you would find of all things, two tapered bearings filled with grease. The trick is they use quality parts and not Chinese ****. GM uses Timken bearings as OE. So replace your bearings with a quality product and use good grease, you should be good for years. Other posts claim there is a difference weather on a truck or trailer, there really is not.

[N7SJN]

Thanks for the replies. I believe my question has been covered.

[SoundGuy]

Interesting to me is the fact we're all still dealing with this nonsense. :M I've owned so many vehicles over many decades I can't even remember them all, yet I don't recall ever having to replace or even service the wheel bearings ... until recently. For the first time in my life a wheel bearing on the front driver's side of our 11 yr old Chevy Avalanche went south and had to be replaced ... first time this has ever happened to me. Surely by now the RV industry could install bearings that don't need yearly repacking and under normal circumstances won't fail during the lifetime of the trailer. :S

[NHIrish]

azdryheat wrote:
I've got three axles and I've yet to do anything to the bearings or brakes in 2 years of owning it. I'm not worried about it. When was the last time you checked the bearings on your truck? Are the trailers any different?

Yep...

[Lynnmor]

laj32 wrote:
They told me to repack the bearings every year weather it needed them or not. Got all set to try my self and turned out i just had to pop a cap off the wheel and shoot some grease into the dimple thingy. No more squeaking 😕 I do that every year and all has been well for about five years (albeit more sitting then moving).

You are joking......... right???

[laj32]

They told me to repack the bearings every year weather it needed them or not. Got all set to try my self and turned out i just had to pop a cap off the wheel and shoot some grease into the dimple thingy. No more squeaking 😕 I do that every year and all has been well for about five years (albeit more sitting then moving).

[Shadow_Catcher]

As with many things there are different grades of bearings and as with many things many of the come from China where quality control may or may not be a force, or just price. I replace the Chinese made beings on our Dexter axle with Timkin and used synthetic grease.

[MarkTwain]

Redcatcher70 wrote:
I had my brake shoes and bearings checked about 3 weeks ago. After pulling the tires off, both the Mechanic and I examined them and saw no defects in the tires or bearings. I am old school, I think $49.00 a year is good insurance to eyeball something you can not see and also have a trained pair of eyes look at them also. JMHO.......

RIGHT ON:):):)

[Redcatcher70]

I had my brake shoes and bearings checked about 3 weeks ago. After pulling the tires off, both the Mechanic and I examined them and saw no defects in the tires or bearings. I am old school, I think $49.00 a year is good insurance to eyeball something you can not see and also have a trained pair of eyes look at them also. JMHO.......

[Community Alumni]

azdryheat wrote:
I've got three axles and I've yet to do anything to the bearings or brakes in 2 years of owning it. I'm not worried about it. When was the last time you checked the bearings on your truck? Are the trailers any different?

There are some differences. A lot of your 2wd trucks come with a non-serviceable sealed front hub bearings. There is no maintenance required for these. You simply listen for any grumbling or excess play and if any is detected then you replace it. Axle bearings are typically lubricated via a gear oil bath from the differential. The fresh oil bath greatly extends the life of bearings sometimes extending the service life to the life of the vehicle. The bearing systems in vehicles these days are designed for longevity.

A little bit of preventative maintenance doesn't hurt. Even though I know my axle bearings should be fine, I still pull my axle shafts every couple of years to inspect the seal and bearing for wear. It's cheaper to catch a problem before it turns into a real problem. When you turn a blind eye to things, sometimes you get bit, sometimes you don't. A story of someone successfully turning a blind eye shouldn't be used as par for the course though.

[corvettekent]

I have Dexter Nev-R-Lube bearings on my 2004 Carriage. I wonder how long they are good for.

[srt20]

A bud of mine lost a wheel going down the road from a failed wheel bearing. It was greased every year through the bearing buddies, but apparently they don't do a good job of greasing the inner bearing.

He lost the wheel and tire, luckily it didn't hit anyone, or at least no one reported it. He never found the wheel and tire.

Take it for what it's worth folks....

[Lynnmor]

8 months, 11,000 miles:

Good Luck!

[evanrem]

I checked mine after 5 years and had a grease seal damaged, one brake wire cut and another brake missing a clip that holds the magnet on. this was just on the right side, I still got to check the lefts. Every other year for me.

[ken56]

My last trip started out with about 18k miles on my unit. We burned up a wheel bearing on our 2nd day on the road......cost me a new axle. Service your bearings.