Axle Damage - How bad is this?

[knot]

We have a 2020 Rockwood 8291rk that we've put about 8,000 miles on. Recently the TPMS has been reporting higher than normal temps, so we had someone come out to repack the bearings and service the breaks. We're travelling through 100F degree temps, but TPMS reporting 150F+ seems way too high.

Now for the fun part: one of the axles shows damage on both sides. See attached images. Two bearings were starting to burn up and were replaced. Grease was badly needed on at least two wheels (the two with the bad bearings).

Tell me: how bad is this? Is it safe to assume this axle needs replacement? Has anyone had any luck with warranty replacement? What should I be doing to prevent this? Seems like the factory should have greased these better.

[myredracer]

Bearings will run hotter on one side of a trailer if it's in the direct sun. I would not go by a TPMS for temp. and would use an IR gun. Bearings don't run on the spindle if that's what you're meaning and I can't see where the damage is. May not be anything wrong? Factory bearings are typically cheap offshore stuff. Bearings need to be correctly pre-loaded. Too loose or too tight will cause problems.

Good luck on getting that covered by warranty. BTDT. A few years ago while away on a long trip I found a couple of bearings where running much hotter than the others using an IR gun. We had previously gotten the brakes, bearings and seals looked at by the dealer. When I got home, I discovered over-tightened axle nuts and two colors of grease. I don't think the dealer actually did anything and just pumped in more grease. Either the dealer or the axle manufacturer over-tightened the nuts. After talking to both of them, they said they would pay for any needed work. But they didn't. I went ahead and replaced all bearings myself with new Timken ones. That was 5-6 years ago and no problems since.

[knot]

> I can't see where the damage is

Here is an image with some arrows to help point it out. I could just barely catch my fingernail on the wear lines you see. The other axle showed no such wear and was perfectly smooth.

[llr]

I don't really see any issues either.

How to the new bearings fit on the axle? The should slide on easily but not have noticeable play on the axle.

[myredracer]

It looks like maybe it just needs a little emery cloth or work with a fine file to remove the scratches. The bearing cone should slide on snugly but should not need to be tapped in place. Taking photos of shiny objects is not easy.

[Blackrock]

Looks OK to me. It's not burned blue. Clean it all up with some emery cloth. If the new bearing is a little loose just go ahead and dimple the spindle with a center punch.

[Mike134]

Originally Posted by knot

> I can't see where the damage is

Here is an image with some arrows to help point it out. I could just barely catch my fingernail on the wear lines you see. The other axle showed no such wear and was perfectly smooth.

Remember the bearing race doesn't spin on the spindle it just sort of walks around it (that's why it get that smooth shine to it), the roller bearings do all the spinning inside the roller cage which it why it's important to properly pack them with grease.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Looks OK to me. It's not burned blue. Clean it all up with some emery cloth. If the new bearing is a little loose just go ahead and dimple the spindle with a center punch.

What he said.... especially the part about not being blue.

[TitanMike]

For the record, emery cloth is the wrong choice for this. Emery is a "grinding" abrasive. A smoothing "Crocus Cloth" is what one should use on spindle surfaces.

[Blackrock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

For the record, emery cloth is the wrong choice for this. Emery is a "grinding" abrasive. A smoothing "Crocus Cloth" is what one should use on spindle surfaces.

Oh dear me I never knew that emery cloth could damage a piece of hardened steel. I guess I did it all wrong for the last 65+ years.

[Curion]

You can Clean that up with Emery cloth, you are just going to polish it, with it and smooth it out so the bearing slides on easy, It is hardened steel and would take more than emery cloth to take much off to matter. I have had to take grinding flap dick to clean some up for a temporary repair to get a customer going.
I would worry more about were the seal rides in the larger shaft, See if it will clean up with emery cloth, if not there are speed sleeves you can find. that slide over the damaged area, they are very thin stainless sleeve that the seal can ride on. You would have get a set of digital calibers and measure the diameter of the seal area to order. they come in lots of sizes,or contact axle maker and see if they will give you the info. Would order a extra can be a pain to get on some times. i checked my bearings and greased them after about 1500 miles and 3 took a fair amount of grease to get a return out the bearings.

I did this for years in the Marine shop i owned, to save a customer from having to replace a axle if the damage was not more than you have.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Oh dear me I never knew that emery cloth could damage a piece of hardened steel. I guess I did it all wrong for the last 65+ years.

Spindles arent that hard. Around Rockwell 50 C. The hard parts are the replaceable cups/races. After all, if a groove was worn in it by a rubber seal? Or scratched?

[Daniel.mullins4]

Check tires for abnormal wear, I had bent axle and that bearing ran hotter, tire was wearing quickly on inner