Too Much Grease - no "free lunch"

[mkosu04]

This past weekend I decided to clean and regrease my bearings on my 2016 Wildwood 31KQBTS. I bought it new last year, so I never touched the bearings.

I was surprised to find the grease zerk fittings when I started working. I decided to pull the wheels anyway, and clean the bearings by hand (the old fashioned way).

I was even more surprised to find that 3 of the 4 brakes were fouled with grease!
This was as-shipped by the factory!

It appears that the factory tech pumped in so much grease (so fast maybe) that it pushed around the rear seals and was into the brakes.
Maybe this is why I needed my brake controller gain set at 9... I thought it was high, but it was a new trailer and heavier than my old one.

After cleaning out tons of grease - I estimate at least 1.5-2 cups of grease per wheel (luckily I had lots of old rags) I did the old-school packing of the bearings with new grease.
Unfortunately it took several hours longer to clean the grease from the axles and brakes... usually this is only a 2 hour job for 4 wheels.

I don't understand how you could be sure that the grease is in the proper location and is fresh if you just use the grease zerk to pump in new grease. The old grease around the axle had gotten somewhat "crusty", and it was surely exposed to a lot of heat during driving. And you don't know what grease was used by the factory - so you would be mixing your grease with the existing grease. Are they fully compatible?

I think its worth the time to take it off, clean it (this is also your chance to look for any damaged bearings), and know that you have all the old grease removed and new grease fully packed into the bearings.

My lesson: Don't use the grease zerk fittings... re-grease your bearings the manual way.
It takes a little longer - but if it means avoiding a burnt bearing/wheel/axle while driving then it is worth it.

[Davidg]

I agree with you. The wheel bearings in our trailers are not like boat trailer wheel bearings. I'm thinking that putting a shot or two or 30 into the hub area is just asking for trouble and is nothing more than a "feel good---I did something" action. Chances are good that the grease in the grease gun is a different grease than what was used to pack the bearings, which begs the question; "Are they compatible?"

In addition, the bearings should be repacked and seals replaced every couple of years anyway. I only put a couple thousand miles a year or less on my trailer, so I only do mine every other year, and they've always looked great. But I want to inspect the bearings and replace the seals anyway. I plan to stick with every other year bearing repacking.

I'm replacing my drum brakes with disc in the next week anyway, so that will be my new starting date for bearing repack.

[PhoneDude 8289]

I had close to the same problem with the grease seals on our RV when we first took delivery. About two months after taking delivery I was going to clean the bearings and check the brakes, had one wheel grabbing on gravel when I applied the brakes. Two of the seals had leaked grease and ruined the brake shoes. Cleaned the grease from the drums and back plates, replaced two sets of brake shoes and cleaned and repacked bearings by hand (I'm old school). Removed the zerks and installed plugs. Now I clean, inspect and repack bearings the old way. I feel better about doing it that way and it takes much less grease.

[wana65stang]

" clean the grease from the axles and brakes... "

I have yet to see a set of brake shoes that have been grease contaminated perform the way they should, no matter how much they have been cleaned . Just my opinion

[doc73]

Originally Posted by wana65stang

" clean the grease from the axles and brakes... "

I have yet to see a set of brake shoes that have been grease contaminated perform the way they should, no matter how much they have been cleaned . Just my opinion

Yep, those brakes are shot.

[Kenny kustom]

Originally Posted by doc73

Yep, those brakes are shot.

Bingo.

[mkosu04]

The majority of the grease was on the magnet, not the shoes. One of the brakes had signs of a small amount of grease on the edge of a shoe, but not on the friction surface.

I'm still getting pretty good friction (tested by applying trailer brakes only while driving at slow speed). I'm guessing it will be even better now that I've cleaned the magnets.

I'll keep a very close eye on it and test it every trip. If the performance degrades I will put new brakes in it.

[trees]

The manual wants the brake inspection and bearing repack every year. I think the problem is moisture, water, rusting and grease. Best to be proactive, as unlike the tow vehicle where in the drive can more easily detect vibration, noise, slack or loose wheel, the trailer wheels and brakes just about go in to failure mode before noticing.

I was wondering what solvent do you use to clean bearings? They used to recommend mineral spirits is that still the best. I onced used some brake cleaner, but then noticed some orange color on the rag. I'm pretty sure it was microscopic rust quickly forming. I sprayed WD-40 on them and wiped clean removing the orange stuff. Bearings still good.

Also, bearings are made to strict manufacturing specifications and ratings. If they are spec'd properly any bearing manufacturer bearings should work. For the common trailer bearing, the most important component is lubrication and minimizing the water, dust, and heat. High grade grease, with moly would be an improvement, but the big one as you say annual survey and repack.

[flymhi]

I've never thought about something from the factory being done incorrectly on an RV...

Now i feel the compulsion to go check my 2017 wheel hubs on my Coachmen. Thanks for the heads-up!

[HAMMDOWN]

IMO once the brake shoes get contaminated with grease REPLACE them! I have been a mechanic for 30 years and would never let you leave my shop until they were replaced.

[mnoland30]

I've had bearing problems once in 30 years on my boat trailers. And those get submerged several times a year. Are people really having problems with bearing on travel trailers? I know in the old days I changed the oil in my car every 3000 miles, and now I change it once a year. Lubricants today are much better. Does anyone repack their TV bearings anymore? I'm just wondering if they really need to be checked that often. I've had my 2009 for two years, and I check the temperature when I'm traveling, but I haven't repacked the bearings. Is anyone else out there like me?

[firsthere]

There is no grease relief port (like Bearing Buddys), when the pressure inside the bearing housing gets too high it goes out the seals...into the drums...onto the brakes. When the shoes are greased, they get hotter thereby increasing the pressure.

I really don't think bearings need service unless heat is noticed when checking or excessive play. Maybe every tire change.

[DrippingDuo]

Thankfully we had the bearings repacked after the first year. Now we just need to grease every other year.

[trees]

The condition of TT's tires, wheels, and brakes are important. We need to use the heat gun and tire pressure gage to access or monitor conditions. I will repack bearings annually for the purpose of initial assessment of brakes and bearing lubrication. Following year just to get a better understanding of need to do such. My experience wheel bearings are extremely reliable and low maintenance, until there not. I just want to have a few years experience, especially with brake wear.

If one were to commit to the annual inspection, it may be worth it to put the TT on blocks or stanchions and take the wheels off during storage? Keep rims rust free, tires round, and enjoy easy brake and bearing inspection. May be an anti theft device as well? For most, at least those that don't live in the SW region, I doubt if the tire covers worth it. The tires age so fast, cracking not a problem. I would like to read comments on this subject and real life experiences if covering improve lifespan of tires.

[mkosu04]

Originally Posted by trees

I was wondering what solvent do you use to clean bearings? They used to recommend mineral spirits is that still the best. I onced used some brake cleaner, but then noticed some orange color on the rag. I'm pretty sure it was microscopic rust quickly forming. I sprayed WD-40 on them and wiped clean removing the orange stuff. Bearings still good.

I do not use any solvent on the bearings - I just use several rags. First rag gets the bulk of the grease off. Second (maybe 3rd if needed) clean rag is used to wipe it until the grease is gone. Keep rolling the bearing across the rag at an angle to "roll & wipe". You will see very tiny amounts of grease on the edges of the roller, but its 98% clean.

I usually decide that its "good enough" when you hear the rollers rattle when you shake it. This is a good sign that you have all the grease out of the inside. If you shake it while still greasy it is silent due to the sticky grease holding everything still.

Not sure if this is a "great method" but it has served me well over the years.

PS - you can usually use the last rag from the 1 wheel as the first rag on your next wheel.

[mkosu04]

Originally Posted by DrippingDuo

Thankfully we had the bearings repacked after the first year. Now we just need to grease every other year.

What does this mean?

Typically "repacking" a bearing means cleaning it and "packing" it with new grease. I'm confused that you use the terms repacking and greasing separately...

How much driving do you do each year? I only put about 1200 miles on mine (very low compared to many RVers I'm sure... we do a lot of local camping) but I still repack my bearings every spring.

Its cheap insurance against burning up a bearing/wheel/axle potentially. I'm still using the same tub of high-temp bearing grease I bought 5 years ago.