Wheel Bearings

[Cardinal camper]

Is it necessary to repack wheel bearings yearly.i know it is recommended, but what do you think??

[caper]

It is good low cost insurance. A wheel bearing that lets go on a highway is a pain in the @ss. It can also be costly. You are at the mercy of the local repair shop. I had a bearing go last spring. It cost almost $3000 to have repaired. This is a large amount and the job should have been cheaper but when you are in a new city and do not know where to go you take your chances. I had to have all 4 drums replaced new brakes all around The spindle was damaged when the bearing over heated and had to be repaired. Plus 12 hours labour.

[Forbes]

An oz of prevention is worth a lb of pain...do it and save yourself the pain of paying big time.

[Cardinal camper]

Tks. I think I will go ahead and get that done before spring.

[Herk7769]

If you have the EZ Lube axles; pump fresh grease through the bearing until the old grease is flushed out every time you take it out, I believe you can extend the bearing dis-assembly and repack for 3 years. I have NO data to back this up.

The manual says to remove and inspect annually. I think it is overly conservative, but so far so good (will do mine this summer for the first time).

I am taking the camper to FL this winter (again) and if I lose a bearing I will have a lot of egg on my face for sure. Time will tell.

[Cardinal camper]

Tks. I do have EZ Lube. RV is 010 so make check this year to make sure. Happy Travels!!

[wyo700]

I really must have got lucky. I never put anymore grease in my bearings all summer and our camper was new. I did check them for heat every time I filled up and they were cool. And I did also check for play once and it was good. I am gonna pump some grease in them this year before our first trip.

[rattleNsmoke]

That yearly inspection also reminds you to readjust the brakes. Helps keep you safe.

[Oaklevel]

Annually is probably a good idea.... my personal answer is it depends...... on how much & where you travel....... if you end up in standing water (hopefully not) or real dusty areas or great distances....... If you are a local weekend camper again just an opinion ever 2-4 years. If you go cross country... annually would be a very good idea.
Probably will get egg on my face too...... I don't do it annually ......I run five different size trailers. Not had a problem yet but..........

[comfun1]

Just curious, why should it be necessary to treat these bearings differently than those in a car or truck? A boat trailer I can see since they are submerged frequently.

[Oaklevel]

I'm probably going to start something........
Todays cars for the most part have sealed wheel bearings that you can not grease. The are replaced when they start to go bad usually part of the CV joint. Older rear wheel drive cars you greased (repacked) more often...
Quality wheel bearings do last longer but guess where most of todays bearings are made. More maintenance helps. Plus trailer bearings are not necessarly the same quality (not the word I am looking for) (rated service) Trailer hubs are more cheaply made. Smaller...........

[camper1999]

I repack mine every year cheap insurance. As someone else said it is a good time to check the brakes and tires as you have them off. I also carry one set of bearings with me when I am on the road. Once again cheap insurance and will save me a lot of "vacation" time and money if it happened, compared to finding someone to fix them, I am all about making sure my trips are as worry free as possible.