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Old 01-15-2019, 10:40 PM   #1
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Wheel Bearing service

We purchased a 2018 Hathaway 36CK2.
Our unit is stored indoors miles away and is inaccessible,, so....what type of bearing do my wheels have and how often to service, repack, etc?
We did not order it, it was dealer stock so we assume the bearings are what the factory would install as their standard.
The most annual mileage might be 3 to 4 thousand miles.

Thanks very much.
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Old 01-15-2019, 10:46 PM   #2
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We purchased a 2018 Hathaway 36CK2.
Our unit is stored indoors miles away and is inaccessible,, so....what type of bearing do my wheels have and how often to service, repack, etc?
We did not order it, it was dealer stock so we assume the bearings are what the factory would install as their standard.
The most annual mileage might be 3 to 4 thousand miles.

Thanks very much.
This information should be in you owner’s manuals, specifically the axle manufacturers manual. There should be a list of axle types and the corresponding bearings. Your axle wt (type) is on the sticker on the trailer for cross reference.
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:31 AM   #3
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X2 on the axle manual for your specific trailer.

Now I am lazy as far as it comes to servicing the wheel brgs! I have the dealer service my trailer axle wheel brgs! Why? Being almost 70 years old it is getting harder and harder to get up off of the ground for me and servicing my truck is enough for me. I have learned over time that sometimes it is better to pay to get somethings done. Just my opinion for my needs.
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Old 01-16-2019, 11:02 AM   #4
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X2 on the axle manual for your specific trailer.

Now I am lazy as far as it comes to servicing the wheel brgs! I have the dealer service my trailer axle wheel brgs! Why? Being almost 70 years old it is getting harder and harder to get up off of the ground for me and servicing my truck is enough for me. I have learned over time that sometimes it is better to pay to get somethings done. Just my opinion for my needs.
Lol, me too, just shy of 70 also. There are 2 types of men in this world. Those who like to lift heavy objects and those who don’t. The worst case scenario is a man who doesn’t like to lift heavy object marries a woman who does.

I get my bearings inspected/repacked every 10,000 miles, which was recommended by my dealer. I have a local tire shop that works on heavy equipment and RVs do it. While their at it I have them inspect the brakes, axles hardware and grease all the grease points.
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Old 01-17-2019, 10:58 AM   #5
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I have mine done every two years by a trailer company. Easier than buying and hauling all the equipment around to do it myself.
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Old 01-17-2019, 11:29 AM   #6
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If you haven't done or had them done since you left the dealership with it...have your bearings repacked before you take your next trip!

It is pretty common knowledge that the wheel bearings from the factory are rarely, if ever, packed and greased enough for any kind of use.

When I bought my 5'ver new I had the dealership do the bearings, despite their cries that it was brand new and shouldn't need it done.

And I just had them done again last spring before I hit the road for a 6 month full-time run in it.

I know someone right now that just bought a 2019 TT a couple of months ago and on their first trip they lost a wheel bearing about 200 miles away from home.

Ended up going home instead of camping.
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Old 01-17-2019, 11:42 AM   #7
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Did it myself before our 4,000 mile trip that we just got back from, as a last minute "i'm gonna regret this if I don't do it" kind of thing. First hurdle was getting the bearing seals. I figured they'd be easily available at any auto parts store. Advance was closest to me and the guy couldn't get past the fact that he couldn't look up the vehicle on the computer. I finally found a part number he could look up and he found one in stock like 10 miles away, and i needed 4, obviously. I went another mile to a local parts place and the guy at the counter knew what it was before he even had it in his hands. It was certainly a chore, especially because I had to get all 4 wheels off at once to be able to bring them to the tire shop. One of the hubs gave me a real fight and I had to loosen the brake tension to finally get it (i hate adjusting drum brakes!) I got one of those little cone shaped bearing packers that connect to the grease gun to pump grease through and I thought it did an ok job, but not great. I also think i made a mistake by not sort of packing the interior of the hub with grease. While we were out on our trip I added a set of bearing buddies (or the reese version, at least) so I could pump them up with grease and have a little more peace of mind. We did not see any heat to speak of on any of the bearings, so I guess I did a pretty decent job, but I'll probably try to re-do it in the spring or the following year just to check up on everything. In the meantime it has now logged about 3500 miles in 3 weeks, much of that at 70 mph in hot and cold temps with no issues. One of my issues was wrestling with exactly how tight to put the castle nut, I was certainly not making it tight, but I was nervous that I might err on the side of loose too much, to the point that the bearing races would not be fully engaged. Again, I guess I did OK, but it's always in the back of my mind that I might have made something worse by messing with it. I was under the gun and working in not ideal conditions, weather wise, but we were due to leave on our trip so I had to do the best I could, and it worked out.

Moral of the story:
Make sure you have plenty of time to allow for issues that could pop up.
Make sure you can get the grease seals before you mangle all 4 of them taking them off!
and on that note, get a seal remover tool.
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Old 01-17-2019, 12:14 PM   #8
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I got the tag number from the axle. When to axle manufacturer's website and looked up the part number and crossed to another brand and ordered from Amazon(25 yrs in parts business).

RV Motorhome Trailer Motorhome Trailer 10 Pack Seals For 3500 Pounds, I.D. 1.719
on Amazon
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Old 01-17-2019, 12:15 PM   #9
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My wheel bearings were in fine shape when I dis-assembled them for cleaning and hand packing them (after the first couple years of use). I have the Dexter EZ lube zerks on my spindles which I do not use. I'd rather see them, to inspect and hand pack them myself. You may receive advice all over the map for time intervals for service. Myself, I consider every couple years plenty. I always ask people how often they get their front wheel bearings (or rear wheel if it's a front drive) re-packed. The majority have NEVER had it done. Even on 10 year old vehicles with 100K miles on them. Not much difference in the bearings between them.
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Old 01-17-2019, 07:48 PM   #10
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Lube bearings

Being new to rv ing The manufacture suggest that they be done every year,i have a 2019 cc Champane with the ez lube.I popped of the caps and bought specific wheel bearing grease and gun and did it.There are videos on you tube on how to do it.The last gentleman explained how he made his dealer redo,I can see why it shows when you put the grease gun on the zerks and pump in the new grease the old grease comes out,well some came out not a whole lot i used almost 1 tube of grease per wheel bearing withe the ez lube sytem.
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Old 01-18-2019, 10:32 AM   #11
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Being new to rv ing The manufacture suggest that they be done every year,i have a 2019 cc Champane with the ez lube.I popped of the caps and bought specific wheel bearing grease and gun and did it.There are videos on you tube on how to do it.The last gentleman explained how he made his dealer redo,I can see why it shows when you put the grease gun on the zerks and pump in the new grease the old grease comes out,well some came out not a whole lot i used almost 1 tube of grease per wheel bearing withe the ez lube sytem.
I would be checking your brake as you may have greased them. I too have the EZ-lube system on my trailer. Every year I will pump in two squirts of grease between the wheel BRG's being repacked. But I never put in a whole tube of grease (any size of grease tube) in and wheel BRG joint this could/will blow out the rear seals and grease your brakes.
Just my very humble opinion.
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Old 01-18-2019, 10:57 AM   #12
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...i have a 2019 cc Champane with the ez lube. I popped of the caps and bought specific wheel bearing grease and gun and did it. ... I can see where it shows when you put the grease gun on the zerks and pump in the new grease the old grease comes out. Well some came out, not a whole lot. I used almost 1 tube of grease per wheel bearing with the EZ-Lube system.
When they assemble the axles at the factory (not FR), they use just enough grease to lubricate the bearings. When you first use the EZ-Lube zerks you have to fill the entire cavity on the hub before any grease gets pushed out the front. So, it's completely normal to use an entire tube of grease on each wheel the first time you use them.

Having said that, I always recommend pulling the hubs and inspecting the bearings and brakes the first time you get ready to grease them. The first time I pulled ours, the brakes were soaked with grease and I had never put an ounce in them.
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Old 01-18-2019, 11:02 AM   #13
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When they assemble the axles at the factory (not FR), they use just enough grease to lubricate the bearings. When you first use the EZ-Lube zerks you have to fill the entire cavity on the hub before any grease gets pushed out the front. So, it's completely normal to use an entire tube of grease on each wheel the first time you use them.
And don't rely on any dealership to fill them up with grease unless you press the issue...and stand right there while they do it to make sure they really did it.
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Old 01-18-2019, 11:13 AM   #14
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Being new to rv ing The manufacture suggest that they be done every year,i have a 2019 cc Champane with the ez lube.I popped of the caps and bought specific wheel bearing grease and gun and did it.There are videos on you tube on how to do it.The last gentleman explained how he made his dealer redo,I can see why it shows when you put the grease gun on the zerks and pump in the new grease the old grease comes out,well some came out not a whole lot i used almost 1 tube of grease per wheel bearing withe the ez lube sytem.
It's likely that over time the complete filling of a spindle cavity with that much grease will cause some to weep past the seals, as it warms up and expands. This will ruin your brake linings and probably the drums as well. Once the grease penetrates the porous surface of the linings and drums, there is no practical way to remove it all.
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Old 01-22-2019, 08:35 AM   #15
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When they assemble the axles at the factory (not FR), they use just enough grease to lubricate the bearings. When you first use the EZ-Lube zerks you have to fill the entire cavity on the hub before any grease gets pushed out the front. So, it's completely normal to use an entire tube of grease on each wheel the first time you use them.

Having said that, I always recommend pulling the hubs and inspecting the bearings and brakes the first time you get ready to grease them. The first time I pulled ours, the brakes were soaked with grease and I had never put an ounce in them.
Do you know if, on an axle that is NOT an EZ-Lube, but with bearing buddies, if it will flow through the outer bearings and into the inner cavity and eventually toward the inner bearings? I found that it seemed to load the springs just by what seemed would be the volume of grease to fill the area outside the outer bearing.
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Old 01-22-2019, 10:47 AM   #16
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Do you know if, on an axle that is NOT an EZ-Lube, but with bearing buddies, if it will flow through the outer bearings and into the inner cavity and eventually toward the inner bearings? I found that it seemed to load the springs just by what seemed would be the volume of grease to fill the area outside the outer bearing.
Yes, but!

Bearing Buddies (BB) work differently than EZ-Lube. You fill the BB with grease until the spring is compressed and then spring pressure basically pressurizes the hub through the bearings to the inner seal in order to keep water, etc. out. If you started off with an empty hub cavity, the BB would eventually fill the hub with grease by you continuing to add grease as the spring in the BB relaxed. However, while you're adding grease to the BB's, the inner bearings could be starved of grease.

The proper way to install BB's is to completely fill the hub cavity with grease. That way the BB's are pressuring grease and not air.
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Old 01-22-2019, 10:07 PM   #17
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Do you know if, on an axle that is NOT an EZ-Lube, but with bearing buddies, if it will flow through the outer bearings and into the inner cavity and eventually toward the inner bearings? I found that it seemed to load the springs just by what seemed would be the volume of grease to fill the area outside the outer bearing.
Bearing Buddies ONLY purpose in life is to keep a positive pressure on the hub. They don't grease anything. Really no need for bearing buddys on any trailer except a boat trailer. In my opinion, they are the only way to go with a boat trailer as long as you only put enough grease to keep a positive pressure and that's it. The people that continually put a squirt of grease in those are the people that blow the rear seals.


I never use the EZ lube unless I pull the hub imediately after using it to make sure it didn't blow the rear seal. It's important to pull the hub yearly anyway to check the brakes. That's when you check the bearings and repack.
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Old 01-23-2019, 07:15 AM   #18
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Yes, but!

Bearing Buddies (BB) work differently than EZ-Lube. You fill the BB with grease until the spring is compressed and then spring pressure basically pressurizes the hub through the bearings to the inner seal in order to keep water, etc. out. If you started off with an empty hub cavity, the BB would eventually fill the hub with grease by you continuing to add grease as the spring in the BB relaxed. However, while you're adding grease to the BB's, the inner bearings could be starved of grease.

The proper way to install BB's is to completely fill the hub cavity with grease. That way the BB's are pressuring grease and not air.

Thank you, I think now that I put nearly 4000 miles on them and I have some slight concerns about the rear seals that I will disassemble and re-pack in the spring before our first big trip.
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Old 01-23-2019, 07:18 AM   #19
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Bearing Buddies ONLY purpose in life is to keep a positive pressure on the hub. They don't grease anything. Really no need for bearing buddys on any trailer except a boat trailer. In my opinion, they are the only way to go with a boat trailer as long as you only put enough grease to keep a positive pressure and that's it. The people that continually put a squirt of grease in those are the people that blow the rear seals.


I never use the EZ lube unless I pull the hub imediately after using it to make sure it didn't blow the rear seal. It's important to pull the hub yearly anyway to check the brakes. That's when you check the bearings and repack.
Thank you for your input on this. I guess I understand what you are saying about the bearing buddies for boat trailers, they did give me some peace of mind, though, even if it was a false sense of security. As I said in the other reply I will probably do another axle service in the spring before our next big trip.
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Old 01-23-2019, 09:21 AM   #20
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I would rather spend a couple of hours repacking my own bearings every year than spend a day at a repair shop 1000 miles from home while they replace my my bearings, seals, and brakes. I do my bearing myself, and correctly.
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