Help with wheel bearings. - Page 2

A32Deuce · 12-29-2019, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradmond

Estimated 2800 miles on the trailer? I wouldn't mess with it if it were mine. A boat trailer yes but not a camping trailer with that low miles.

I helped someone do their bearings and there was hardly any grease on the factory bearings. May have had a third of the miles on it but sat a lot. If in doubt or piece of mind, do them!

mnoland30 · 12-29-2019, 02:10 PM

My theory on tires is that the manufacturers go with tires that will barely hold up an empty trailer. Once you load it, you are overloading them. Go with a higher load rating if you can. Also, for years the speed rating on trailer tires was 65 mph. Now you can buy tires with speed ratings of 81 and 88 mph. Once I switched all of my trailer tires (3 trailers) out to higher load and speed ratings, I have not had a blowout in the last 3 years. I got mine at eTrailer and they were Taskmaster load range D and speed rating 81. Happy Camping!

In 30 years I lost one bearing on a boat trailer. I haven't packed a wheel bearing in 20 years. That said, it would be nice to have a spare set of bearings and seals and a can of grease to take on the road. I have a friend who carries a complete hub as a spare. Easier to change on the road.

rlocicero · 12-29-2019, 04:57 PM

Towmax tires suck. I had a set with only 2100 miles and about 3 or 4 years old. One literally blew apart causing over $2000 damage to my trailer. My Goodyear endurance tires are fine.

Brickie · 12-29-2019, 05:13 PM

Tires I use...
https://simpletire.com/duro-225-75r1...0015225d-tires

DouglasReid · 12-30-2019, 08:16 AM

we have had good luck with etrailer.com for parts and even tires. If the order exceeds 499 the shipping is free, so a set of tires and anything else you need will ship free. We have used them several times and never had any failures of any tires we purchased through them.

$20 per tire to mount and balance them at a local tire shop on your rims and you are all set, cheaper than if you purchased them locally.

If I were you Id remove at least one tire/wheel to gt the bearing numbers.

Bear in mind, one of the things you are looking for is a race, particularly the inner race of the outer bearing on each hub that is spinning in the hub. That is the bearing and race that takes the most load when backing tight and the tire is literally being pushed sideways. The LF and RR are the worst it seems.

If the race is spinning new hubs and bearings are in order. If not, the bearings can safely be reused after cleaning and inspecting them for any signs of impending failure.

ALWAYS use new rear seals/

Chuck_S · 12-30-2019, 09:08 AM

My Roo has been thru a couple sets of tires. And lots of wheel bearing grease.

The bearings and spindles, however, are original. Coming up on 15 (fifteen) years of biennial cleaning and repacking. Maintenance is paramount.

-- Chuck

hca1961 · 12-30-2019, 09:31 AM

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful and valuable information.

I have ordered a couple of sets of Timken bearings and 5 new Dexter seals (one extra just in case I mess one up). Figure I'll jack up the trailer, pull two tires off of one side, take the rims to my tire guy and let him mount new tires while I clean and repack bearings. Hopefully I can do the other side the next day.

I talked with my tire guy today. His top-of-the-line recommendation was the Goodyear Endurance tire. He said he would order them, then mount and balance them on my rims for $125 each, which is actually a great price. (Same tire at popular website is $122 per tire.) His second recommendation was a Carlisle LR-D tire for $87 each.) He recommended both of the above tires over the Maxxis simply based on his experience over the years. I'll probably go with the Goodyears unless someone convinces me otherwise!

I appreciate everyone's help and advice. Even though my TT is a Springdale/Summerland/Keystone, I found this forum to be extremely helpful and have continued reading it.

Thanks again!

HCA1961

DavidBo · 12-30-2019, 12:45 PM

Never hurts to have an extra part just in case. Before you start tearing the old seals out, verify that you have proper replacements. It's also a good idea to get the new seal started with a few light hammer taps to get it square and even then drive it home with a block of wood or bearing driver if you have one.

pgandw · 12-30-2019, 02:26 PM

I was able to get National seals (#44251) at my local auto parts place to match the L44649/L68149 bearings. Key to getting the right seals and bearing numbers was the hub size - in my case Dexter 10x2.2.5 inches. Auto parts place and Dexter on line had cheat sheets based on hub size.

When I repacked my bearings, I clean the bearings and hub in a tub of degreaser. Visually check to make sure bearings and races and hub are clean of old grease. I then pack the bearing itself as full as I can (I used Lucas Red the last time), put a good smear on the race, and a light smear on the rest of the hub interior. Makes the next repacking a lot easier and cleaner if the hub is not full of old grease. The only grease that lubricates is what is in contact with the bearing rollers and on the race. The light film in the hub is just for corrosion prevention (I used to have boat trailers in South Florida).

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan

Draytondave · 01-02-2020, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hca1961

We have a 2012 Springdale Summerland 2670 that we purchased last year from a good friend of mine. He only towed the TT twice a year, to and from the same campground about 100 miles from home. Unfortunately, he never did any maintenance to the wheel bearings, so I think it's long overdue. I plan to repack the bearings and change the grease seals myself, but need to order parts prior to disassembly.

The axle (double axles) was made by AL-KO, which was later acquired by Dexter, I believe. I'm hoping some of you experts can help me with numbers from the axle.
Pertinent numbers, I think, are:

T35AD 85/68.5TM 545ULE W/SW4B

I think each axle is a 3500 pound 5-lug on 4 1/2" hub that uses L4469 outer bearings and L68149 inner bearings with a 10-19 seal, but I'm not sure.

I was also thinking of purchasing new tires for the TT. While they have plenty of tread left on them, they are PowerKing TowMax ST tires. Being newly retired, we're on a self-imposed budget. While I've read that Goodyear Endurance tires are top of the line, I'd like to spend a little less money. Any advice?

Thanks, everyone. I sincerely appreciate the help!

HCA

To be honest my trailer is a 2008 Flagstaff 831RLS It has been many thousands of miles. I monitor the wheels for heat build up but as of yet have never changed the bearings out. Just like I have never changed out the bearings on my truck. My buddies have changed theirs out and of the three of them two had stub axels go after doing it. You need to make sure you get the right torque on the wheel nuts if you do it yourself. With the few miles you have on them I say leave them alone. Just my pennies worth

NMWildcat · 01-02-2020, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draytondave

To be honest my trailer is a 2008 Flagstaff 831RLS It has been many thousands of miles. I monitor the wheels for heat build up but as of yet have never changed the bearings out. Just like I have never changed out the bearings on my truck. My buddies have changed theirs out and of the three of them two had stub axels go after doing it. You need to make sure you get the right torque on the wheel nuts if you do it yourself. With the few miles you have on them I say leave them alone. Just my pennies worth

Once again, bearings on any close to modern automobile are sealed, completely different from those on RVs. Can't even compare them in any meaningful way.
And if you really implying that maint/replacement of parts causes failures, I'm not even sure how to reply to that. If that was the case, all my old vehicles/RVs would be total junk by now

skipatroller · 01-02-2020, 09:56 PM

OK I can understanding staying on a budget but if there is anyplace you should not "CHEAP" out on it is tires and bearings. If you have the ability remove 1 drum and take the bearings to a reputable auto parts supplier and they will get you quality replacements, do not forget to replace the race as well, if your bearings have any wear on them so will the races, it would be like doing half the job.

In regard to the tires, I have multiple work trailers, along with boat and a new Bighorn 39MBH and they all have goodyear tires on them with very good success. Having the proper load range is a crucial detail everyone overlooks or as other say, "CHEAP" out on. it is always OK to go to the next load range or two, yes it costs a few extra dollars but isn't the safety of you and your family worth it.

gafoether · 01-03-2020, 08:48 AM

I would think that our trailers undercarriage would be about the same. My Rookwood has Dexter axials and a bearing buddy system. I packed my bearings 3 years after buying and I'M glad, much of the grease was liquidfyed. If your also has this setup the procedure is as follows.

Buy at least 2 tubes of high temperature bearing grease, grease gun, empty plastic bag lined coffee can with lots of paper towels, long small headed standard screw driver, jack and jack stands.

Jack up 1 tire at a time. Remove the rubber cover from the bearing buddy, then pack paper tower inside your wheel cone to keep grease out of it. Attache the grease gun and as you slowly pump grease in rotate the tire by hand the older.nasty grease will come out of around the bearing buddy.

Now how does this?: There is a grease passage down the middle of the shaft to the back of the inner bearing, while turning the tire it evenly distribute the grease to push out the old grease out the outer bearing.

As old grease comes out, remove with paper dowel on screwdriver and wipe into coffee can with paper towers in it. After a while the brown liquid, will turn to brown soft grease and then start to turn color of grease added. Continue until the grease coming out looks like the grease in the gun. Turning the wheel the entire time. When complete restore cleanliness plug and move to the next.

This was so easy that I will do it annually

hca1961 · 01-03-2020, 09:17 AM

Thanks for all of the help and advice! I do appreciate it.
I can't tell you all how much I have learned from this forum; I love it!

gafoether, does your TT have true Bearing Buddies or an Ultralube or EZ-lube system? Mine has AL-KO (later purchased by Dexter) 3500 lb axles with the Ultralube system, which sounds like the one you describe. The bearing maintenance/repacking procedure that you performed on your TT was the same as one recommended to me by a local tire guy. I was torn between doing that procedure and actually breaking down each hub for a manual inspection and repacking. Given that my TT is almost 8 years old, I had decided to take them apart, clean, repack with grease, and reassemble with new grease seals. Now, I'm uncertain as to which route to take. While I do (usually) enjoy maintenance chores, I'm reminded of the old adages:

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

and, my favorite and one that I often find so true,

"The enemy of good is better."

RobertK · 01-03-2020, 12:05 PM

One suggestion: DON'T BUY ANY TIRES MADE IN CHINA! We had not one, but TWO blowouts from so-called "top-of-the-line" China tires. China cheats on tire quality and the blowout cost us $12,000 in repairs.

markjamestx · 01-03-2020, 02:43 PM

I agree that you should replace the wheel bearings, but you should go to the next step while doing so. Just after 20k miles on my 2017 TT, I replaced not only the wheel bearings but the spring shackles, bushings, equalizers and brakes. More money than I wanted to spend but being safe is my first concern. Included new tires as well. The suspension components that manufacturers include on new trailers are the "cheapest" they can get. Dexter sells a Heavy Duty set that includes shackles, wet bolts (grease fittings) and steel bushings. Brake assemblies come as a unit, unbolt from the axle and bolt the new on, simple as that.

markjamestx · 01-03-2020, 02:44 PM

markjamestx · 01-03-2020, 02:54 PM

I agree that you should replace the wheel bearings, but you should go to the next step while doing so. Just after 20k miles on my 2017 TT, I replaced not only the wheel bearings but the spring shackles, bushings, equalizers and brakes. More money than I wanted to spend but being safe is my first concern. Included new tires as well. The suspension components that manufacturers include on new trailers are the "cheapest" they can get. Dexter sells a Heavy Duty set that includes shackles, wet bolts (grease fittings) and steel bushings. Brake assemblies come as a unit, unbolt from the axle and bolt the new on, simple as that.

Garyfnmyers · 01-03-2020, 03:07 PM

Just taking the time or money to properly repack the bearings. It not only gets all of the old grease and wear particles out but you can visually inspect the bearings for chipping, pitting or wear and get a good look at the brakes. Most of the time you will find the grease has a silver tint with particulate that you do not want there. This is a sign that a bad day could be in your future. A bearing can seem perfectly fine but be ready to share a really bad day with you. I have seen a bunch of chipping failures on factory units with poor quality imported bearings. These give little warning. The time and money spent dealing with a damaged spindle on your vacation/trip will far outweigh doing it the right way. Another tip, carry a laser temperature gun and check your wheel hub temps after stops. Easy to do when fueling up.It's a handy tool for many things.

Dakota 1120 · 01-03-2020, 06:13 PM

I packed/replaced wheel bearings in vehicles and various equipment for decades and ONLY used USA made Timken bearings with great success.

A year after purchasing my camper, I pull a wheel/hub to check the bearings ... it had China made ones. I went to a local supplier that has bearings for near anything, purchased two new sets of Timken bearings and Dexter seals. I packed both sets and installed one new set in my camper. The second set was wrapped, packaged in a zip lock bag w/new seals and stored in the camper w/my tool kit so available if ever needed.
Also, ran factory tires until last spring when replaced them with GoodYear Endurance, 8 ply tires. I was amazed at how much easier and better the unit pulled.

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