How often do most of you repack the wheel bearing on your travel trailers, and what's the best way to do it. Owners packet that came with our used Roo 23SS that we bought a year ago says with the bearings we have i just have to pump grease in the zerk and don't have to take the hub apart. But it also says you should take them apart every year to check for wear?
So.... Why did they put a grease zerks on the thing......(and say don't have to take apart.... So you don't have to take them apart . The last camper that I had for 15 years. It had no grease zerks and in that amount of time I only took the bearings out twice and repacked them. There was never any sign of wear any where. Have you put any grease in the zerks since you bought your unit? You should if you have not as the factory seems to not fill them completely. Get each wheel off the ground so that you can spin it and slowly pump a little grease in the zerk as you slowly turn the tire. Do not jack the tire up by the axle as you may distort it, but on one of the u-bolts. When grease starts flowing out around the nut, you are done. wipe off the overflow.
There are a few threads on this subject that you can look up.
Wish I never heard of Zerks! I put Bearing Buddys" on my popup last year, replaced and repacked the bearings while I was at it, and hauled the PUP to Co. From Mi. Decided to pump some grease in the Zerks while in Estes Park and consequently noticed the brakes misbehaving as we hightailed it over The Divide to avoid the Great Flood last summer. By the time we got to Moab, the trailer brakes were seizing. Turns out, my efforts at adding additional grease resulted in compromising the inner seal and ruining the pads and the rest of the brake mechanisims. Subsequent discussions and $200 in repairs led me to join the camp of bearing experts who believe that Bearing Buddies are not a good idea. Just inspect and repack yearly (depending on distance traveled) and fuggetaboudit. Jist saying....
Bearing Buddy's are not good for trailers with brakes for the exact reason you experienced. The EZ lube axles direct the excess grease out the front away from the rear seal and brakes whereas the BB direct it against the rear seals and subsequently to the brakes.
If you have the modern hubs with zerks, they work fine and I don't see the need to pull the bearings every year. (Bearing Buddies are another story as OC mentions). I've got 30K miles on my trailer. I "zerk lube" the hubs twice a year. After 5 years and 25K, I had the bearings examined. They were perfect. Repacked them, reinstalled them. Will be "zerking" for another 5 years.
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2021 F350 Lariat 7.3 4X4 w 4.30s, 2018 Wildcat 29RLX
2012 BMW G650GS, Demco Premiere Slider
1969 John Deere 1020, 1940 Ford 9N, 1948 Ford 8N
Jonsered 535, Can of WD-40, Duct Tape
Red Green coffee mugs
That is good to know! So my "new" 2009 Roo 21 RS most likely has EZ Lube fittings and I can use the zerk fitting with no problems? How can I tell when I have applied enough lube and is it ok to mix different color or types of lubricant grease? Thanks for the advice.
If you have the modern hubs with zerks, they work fine and I don't see the need to pull the bearings every year. (Bearing Buddies are another story as OC mentions). I've got 30K miles on my trailer. I "zerk lube" the hubs twice a year. After 5 years and 25K, I had the bearings examined. They were perfect. Repacked them, reinstalled them. Will be "zerking" for another 5 years.
At the factory, they do not fill the hubs with grease (just the bearings) when they install them.
Some rules on Ultra-lube axles:
1) ALWAYS use the correct spec grease - too thin and the grease will run out when hot; too thick and you will not be able to get a good flow using a hand grease gun.
2) ALWAYS use a hand grease gun. If you need more pressure than that or the hub won't take grease, you have a clogged Zerk; clean or replace. Air pressure grease guns will blow out your rear seal because the grease is pushing against the bearings and the full hub; the rear seal is will pop before the pressure can move the remaining grease out of the way.
3) The first time you fill an empty (or recently repacked/inspected hub), it will take a lot of grease. Don't worry; it will come out the front like it is supposed to.
4) Remove the entire cap (not just the rubber) for a new fill or bearing flush. There will be a LOT of dirty grease coming out. Never stick your finger in the bearing cap to scoop out the grease (sharp edge; don't ask how I know).
5) Put a squirt in before every trip and every few thousand miles. Wait till you see the blackened grease be replaced by clean grease (will retain the color of fresh). Every so often there will be a LOT of black grease as the rear bearing dirty grease gets pushed through the front. Just keep going until it is clean grease.
I repack every three years or when the brakes need to be changed.
At the rally, I had new self adjusting brake assemblies installed and the technician said my bearings still looked like new after over 25,000 miles.
Herk
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Herk
Thanks for sharing that valuable information. I went to the manufacturer website ( www.al-kousa.com) and downloaded the pdf owners manual for my axels and it had this to say about grease:
Grease
Use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product
with a minimum dropping point of 440o F.
I assume the link you posted meets these specifications.
I will look for it or a comparable product at my local NAPA outlet.
Thanks again for all the help.
Jim
At the factory, they do not fill the hubs with grease (just the bearings) when they install them.
That's for sure! Mine took a LOT of grease the first time. And that is an important first thing to do when you get your new trailer.
__________________
2021 F350 Lariat 7.3 4X4 w 4.30s, 2018 Wildcat 29RLX
2012 BMW G650GS, Demco Premiere Slider
1969 John Deere 1020, 1940 Ford 9N, 1948 Ford 8N
Jonsered 535, Can of WD-40, Duct Tape
Red Green coffee mugs
Herk
Thanks for sharing that valuable information. I went to the manufacturer website ( www.al-kousa.com) and downloaded the pdf owners manual for my axels and it had this to say about grease:
Grease
Use a high temperature, automotive type wheel bearing grease produced by a reputable manufacturer. The soap type should be lithium complex or equivalent. Use NLGI Grade 2 product
with a minimum dropping point of 440o F.
I assume the link you posted meets these specifications.
I will look for it or a comparable product at my local NAPA outlet.
Thanks again for all the help.
Jim
The drop point in Red n Tacky is a bit thicker than the minimum and still flows very well using my hand grease gun. I like the red color as it makes determining when the old grease is out. Any NLGI #2 lithium complex exceeding 440 is good to go.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Yes, on the Red N Tacky with a Drop point of 540. I went 3 years before repacking. just because I didn't know any better. Sort of Out of Sight out of mind. When you first buy your camper that sort of thing isn't discussed nor brought up. You either find out the hard way which is when something happens or by accident when it happens to someone else and you hear about it and the wheels start turning. I would do what the manufacturer recommends. It is always good peace of mind to do it and know that it is done before you start traveling. preventative maintenance.
It is always good peace of mind to do it and know that it is done before you start traveling. preventative maintenance.
This is an important point. The technique in my post assumes you start from known good freshly packed bearings. If you have never had them done, don't start just using the Zerks.
Get them inspected and repacked by a competent mechanic; then you can maintain them yourself using a similar technique. Obviously you can have them repacked and inspected as often as you feel comfortable with.
The MFR states annual inspections and you can certainly go with that if you are comfortable repacking them yourself. Having a shop do it annually is an expensive option, though.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Thanks to all of you for the good info,we are heading out on our first trip of the year this Friday. So i thought i needed to address the bearings. I have a 2011 Roo 23ss so i have 4 bearings. I had bought grease a couple of weeks ago it was Lucas brand Marine grease NLGI Grade 2 Lithium with a drop point of 550,so it exceeds the specs. It took 10 pumps each to get the grease to start coming out then i put another 30 in each, thought i might be running out so stated over puting 5 in each then 5 again and new grease finally started to come out of the first one and i ran out, so i think i am good to go! I do have the Ultra Lube Axles that Herk 7769 talked about. So again THANKS everyone, Now time to start CAMPING FINALLY!!!
I've had mine repacked once already and will be due after this summer. My RV dealership said after so many miles, but I can't remember how many he said. We didn't camp much in '12 and did mostly local last summer, but just took the Roo to TX, so once I winterized in the fall, I'll pay to have them repacked.
I've had mine repacked once already and will be due after this summer. My RV dealership said after so many miles, but I can't remember how many he said. We didn't camp much in '12 and did mostly local last summer, but just took the Roo to TX, so once I winterized in the fall, I'll pay to have them repacked.
Repacking wheel bearings is a dealership moneymaker.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Too each his on but from reading other forums I believe that the EZ Lube has mixed success. Seems some grease with the wheel off the ground and go on down the road while others blow seals and ruined brakes. As a minimum I would inspect each brake to ensure that grease has not gone past the seal and onto the brakes. That will give you an idea the condition of the system.
Wife's cousin followed the jack it up, spin the tire while injecting grease. After nearly crashing he found the brakes coated with grease and $600. later he decided that inspections was the route to take. As for me, I inspected the brakes when I got my rig home, repacked and do another inspection every 2 years. The manufacturer of the EZ Lube system says you still need to do an inspection of bearings. Sometimes by age and sometimes by mileage.
No matter your flavor of maintaining, I've never seen a well maintained cage bearing fail. All that I've seen failed were neglected or improperly adjusted. YMMV, all disclaimers apply.
No matter your flavor of maintaining, I've never seen a well maintained cage bearing fail. All that I've seen failed were neglected or improperly adjusted. YMMV, all disclaimers apply.
Seen quite a few in our Test Dept. @ IH East Moline & Hinsdale. IL years ago and some were in oil bath systems i.e final drives/transmissions. Bearings do fail from defects as well as from improper maintenance/adjustment.
. The last camper that I had for 15 years. It had no grease zerks and in that amount of time I only took the bearings out twice and repacked them. There was never any sign of wear any where. Have you put any grease in the zerks since you bought your unit? You should if you have not as the factory seems to not fill them completely. Get each wheel off the ground so that you can spin it and slowly pump a little grease in the zerk as you slowly turn the tire. Do not jack the tire up by the axle as you may distort it, but on one of the u-bolts. When grease starts flowing out around the nut, you are done. wipe off the overflow.
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