05
Jan
Then take a gob of grease and smooth it into the hole. Trailer bearings do have harsher invironment then cars and trucks because they are abused by being used less and exposed to no running environment that induces moisture by being parked and the longer they are parked the more they need attention.
In such a case it is very easy for the axle and the wheel to detach.
Why you pack the baring on trailers. From that point you could blow a tire but you have a spare. If you smoke a wheel bearing it can be a big problem all the way to the point of needing a new axle. Bearings are the most important part on a towable.
Anybody can pretty much pack the bearings if they can read or watch you tube but the important part is can they properly inspect them. Trailer wheel bearings carry the entire weight of the trailer so repacking your trailer bearings is a critical part of your regular trailer maintenance. Bearings require grease to prevent friction and ensure the wheel turns freely but overtime the grease starts to break down.
Because of this it is important for a travel trailer owner to regularly check the condition of their wheel bearings on an on-going basis. Repacking a wheel bearing involves routinely greasing these mechanisms in order to lessen the friction that is caused by the wheel spinning around the axle. If you have any sort of trailer whether its a large car hauler a boat trailer or a small 48 the wheel bearings should periodically be greased.
This means repacking trailer wheel bearings. The trailers hub assemblies come apart to do this. Fortunately unlike a car trailer hubs come apart extremely easily and this job isnt too bad.
You can use a hand grease gun to easily add grease to your bearings as needed. You can check your lubricant level by pressing on the edge of the piston inside the Bearing Buddy. If you can rock the piston the hub is properly filled.
If the piston doesnt move add grease until the piston moves outward about 18 inch. How often you need to grease your bearings will depend on how frequently and in what conditions you. Trailer bearings filled with a series of metal balls are located in the center of each wheel of a trailer.
They reduce rotational friction and allow each wheel to spin freely around the axle. All bearings require a good supply of lubrication to work correctly and must be repacked with fresh grease to prevent damage to the bearing and the wheel. One of the most important things you can do to make sure that you get to your destination is to check that the wheel bearings on your car or trailer are packed with grease.
This will ensure that you have a smooth drive on safe tires and that get you to where youre going. So read the steps listed below and learn about how you can pack your. You will want to pack the bearings with grease as you are reinstalling the trailer hubs.
Check out the video I attached to see how this is done. The bearing buddies are a great way to make sure the assemblies are topped off with grease but you still want to pack them initially. This happens without any kind of excessive friction on the axle of the trailer.
When neglected the wheel bearing may leak and deteriorate. Foreign objects such as dirt can actually contaminate bearings and this may lead to the assembly breakdown. In such a case it is very easy for the axle and the wheel to detach.
Bearing buddies were a great invention for the guy that travels less than 50 miles from the lake and submergies the trailer bearings at the ramp each time. White lithem grease is used its water proof and the hub is pressureized to keep water out ok the down side on long hauls the open area of the hub is also a cooler to keep the bearings cool and to disperse heat the cages on the roller. For adequate trailer wheel bearing maintenance you need to check your bearings on a regular basis.
Jack up the trailer and secure it on adequate capacity jack stands. Check wheels for side-to-side looseness There should be a very slight amount of play in the wheel typically 18-inch or less. This is because the wheels spin a lot faster due to their small size.
The faster the wheels spin the more stress on the bearings. All in all you should take into consideration the use of the trailer in determining how often the bearings need grease. Trailer bearings that are properly maintained can out-last the trailer itself.
Unlike regular trailers The 1 issue with boat trailers is that the bearings get immersed in water and can therefore easily become contaminated and begin corroding because of the water intrusion without. 11 Clean and pack the inner bearings. Use the technique described for cleaning and packing your outer bearings.
Wipe out the hole in the hub of the drum where the inner bearing was. Then take a gob of grease and smooth it into the hole. Be sure that the grease fills the races inside the hub where the bearing fits.
And yes I feel I am been insulted when I compare cars and truck bearings to trailer bearings. Trailer bearings do have harsher invironment then cars and trucks because they are abused by being used less and exposed to no running environment that induces moisture by being parked and the longer they are parked the more they need attention. Replacing the wheel bearings drums and backing plate on my trailer.
Dexter axles have a grease fitting to add grease to the wheel bearings. Should I pack the bearings with grease then install or can I just add grease using the grease fitting after they are installed. Wheel bearing maintenance frequency depends on the trailer type wheel size and average load weight.
Some manufacturers recommend inspecting and greasing an RVs wheel bearings once every season or at least every 10000 miles. But boat trailers with small wheels require re-packing every 2000 miles. The cones are packed with a good axle bearing grease.
Packing is done either with a packing attachment for a grease gun or hand packed Filling a hub full of grease as is the case with a dust cap that has a lube fitting on it like a Bearing Buddy isnt necessarily the best way to treat a bearing but one can get away with it if the load isnt to great and the temp and distance travailed isnt to great. Since bearings are made of hardened steel they can rust very quickly it can be as fast as overnight if exposed to moisture. This is why you shouldnt store your RV for long periods of times on grassy areas.
The steel can be like a magnet drawing in the moisture and causing damage.