wheel bearings made in the USA

[Gee Whiz]

FR 2013 5th wheel model 3550RL: checking brake shoes and bearings I see that the bearings are made in China???? 1st wheel hub I pulled had a leaking seal, grease on my brake pads. Can I buy bearings made in the USA any more? Where do you purchase your bearings?

[dannyabear]

Hard to find made in usa anymore; look on the box for country of origion, made in mexico or canada is better than china.

[SaskCampers]

Just buy Timken bearings. Regardless of where they are made, they are made to Timken's standards.

[rattleNsmoke]

Some Timkens are still made in the good 'ol USA. It will say on the box. Check with you local auto parts store when you replace. I understand National Bearings are still being made here, but that probably depends on the application. Two seasons ago I noticed excessive play in my Lippert SBS(sealed bearing system) design. I called Lippert and they sent out two brand new conventional axles with traditional bearings. All I had to do was swap my brake drum hardware over. What a disaster that SBS design is. There are plenty of threads showing premature failures and horrific damage.

[Cheeselog77]

Gee Wiz, rattleNsmoke is correct. I changed my wheel bearing last month with Timken bearings made in the USA. I went to the local Napa auto parts and they had them the next day. It costs more but I think it is worth the cost. China bearings are about 15 dollars a tire and USA bearings are about 50 dollars a tire which includes the races. I have the ultra lube axles but I am not sold on them. I have been working cars for 40 years now and I have never had a bearing failure. I always get 50,000 miles on them and then I re grease them (my cars). You just need to use high quality high temp grease and pack them well. I do re grease the axles on the trailer every other year. Good Luck with your project.

[Twisty]

Originally Posted by TheSasks

Just buy Timken bearings. Regardless of where they are made, they are made to Timken's standards.

^^That^^

[okietom]

Stick with USA made, just because they say Timken means nothing if they are made in china. Little to no quality control on anything Chinese regardless of specifications...

[Cheeselog77]

X2

[snapper]

Gee Whiz you need to check out the following thread that was posted on this forum regarding your exact problem.[URL]. The NTSB is investigating this dangerous condition.

2013 310BHDS 'Coachman Freedom Express, Liberty Edition

[Gee Whiz]

I mentioned on this post that I was pulling my trailer wheels and checking brake pads and changing out bearings, races and seals. Well after pulling two more wheels I discovered that the outer bearing race is turning inside the hub. I have read on FR forums and after asking other mechanics, this is a no-no. I called Lippert Components and of course I got the run around. What's going on here? Now I must pull the first wheel again and re-check it

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by okietom

Stick with USA made, just because they say Timken means nothing if they are made in china. Little to no quality control on anything Chinese regardless of specifications...

Do you think Timken is going to put their name on lesser quality bearings just because they're made in China???? I don't think so!

[rattleNsmoke]

Is there a blue-ish band on the race as if it were burned in the hub? The only way the race could turn is if 1) The race bearing and race are the wrong size(too small) or 2) The race was never tapped down hard (set) into the hub and it was just floating around. Regardless, the bearings and races should be replaced at this point. If bearing size is a question, bring the hub with you to a quality machine shop\auto parts store and have them mic it out.

[Iwannacamp]

The bearing has gotten hot and RUINED the hub. New hub is a must.

[Iwannacamp]

Ps: Timken bearings have been made in other countries for years. I have taken taper bearings out from Japan and USA that came from the factory in automotive applications that had Japanese bearings in Dana equipment and the replacement Timken bearings were USA.

[indybp57]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Do you think Timken is going to put their name on lesser quality bearings just because they're made in China???? I don't think so!

They may not know. The Chinese are notorious for slipping in sub-par components and materials during production. I used to work for an electronics firm that started producing in China and one of the hardest lessons learned was that they required constant oversight. If they ran out of a particular component they would slip in a similar one without regard for how it impacted the performance of a product. It would never be discovered until the product started failing in the field.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by indybp57

They may not know. The Chinese are notorious for slipping in sub-par components and materials during production. I used to work for an electronics firm that started producing in China and one of the hardest lessons learned was that they required constant oversight. If they ran out of a particular component they would slip in a similar one without regard for how it impacted the performance of a product. It would never be discovered until the product started failing in the field.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

If it is a Timken, I wouldn't worry about it regardless of where it is made. Timken is not a "Johnny come lately" manufacture and are fully aware of quality problems as is Goodyear and other name brand companies.

Just remember the old ad, "The name doesn't go on until the quality is in." or something like that.

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

If it is a Timken, I wouldn't worry about it regardless of where it is made. Timken is not a "Johnny come lately" manufacture and are fully aware of quality problems as is Goodyear and other name brand companies.

Just remember the old ad, "The name doesn't go on until the quality is in." or something like that.

The quality goes in before the name goes on. Zenith tv's