PM for a 500 Mile Round Trip

[JESSE1]

IF you are going to reuse the old grease seals, instead of prying them out and taking a chance on damaging them that way, I'd remove the cotter pin, castle nut, washer and outer bearing, then put the castle nut back on loosely and jerk the wheel straight off. That will pop the rear, or inner, bearing out along with the seal.

That's a real good tip to know. I've never done that before but I do usually replace the seals.

 

[brandoro]

I agree with Bird, if you have any doubt that the bearings are in good shape, change them. If you spin them before disassembly and they sound rough or after you have them dissassembled and washed up if you see any signs of pitting or corrosion That goes for the races in the hubs too, they can be driven out and new ones tapped in. Bearings are quite reasonably priced, usually the seals will be the most expensive part.
None of it will cost as much as a breakdown on the road.

 

[john_bud]

WHen you pack the bearings, put a big sloppy hunk of grease in your left palm. Hold the bearing in your right hand like a donut, with the smaller side up. Press the outside edge of the bearing into the edge of the grease gob, push down and drag it out. You keep doing that until grease comes out from between the rollers and the top. Then you turn slightly and repeat. Not hard, but messy. Don't wear you Church clothes!

On putting them back. RobJ had a pretty good talk on it. But, I have only had trouble with bearings when they were too loose. You don't want too tight,but that's easy to feel. Too loose will heat up the bearings FAST.

A tip is to get the cheap 10 buck IR temp measuring dealie from Harbor junk. Then measure the hubs at 25 miles. Mine will run about 10-15 degrees higher than outside temp.

I would also get spare fuses and bring along a jack, jack stands and some real tools in case you do get a flat. Chances are, you won't but be a good scout.

jb

 

[SnowRidge]

A tip is to get the cheap 10 buck IR temp measuring dealie from Harbor junk. Then measure the hubs at 25 miles. Mine will run about 10-15 degrees higher than outside temp.

Or each time you stop for fuel or relief, you could just walk back to the trailer and put your hand on each of the hubs. If one is bad or starting to go bad, you will know it. It will be noticeably hotter than the others.

 

[crbr]

If unsure of the bearings, I'd replace them. You already have the hub apart for repacking. Put in new bearings (and rear seals), then install the Bearing Buddy. Done deal.

Genuine Bearing Buddy Web Site

Be sure and buy the bra for each Bearing Buddy. It will keep your wheels clean, Otherwise, it will be a total mess. I have these on every trailer here around the house. Wouldn't be without them.

.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Thanks for all the replies!

I hadn't thought about the jack, and I would have completely forgotten a lug wrench if John Bud hadn't mentioned "real tools". I always just figure the jack in the truck is good, but I've never tried it with the trailer. I've got a floor jack that won't take up too much room that I can take. I know it works with the trailer because I've used it before. I don't have a spare wheel for this trailer, but I may talk my friend out of a few extra tires just so that if something goes wrong I at least won't have to foot the bill for the tires.

The truck is in good shape. I had it serviced, and I've been keeping up on maintenance to pull the RV this summer.

I've obviously never repacked the bearings on this trailer, and I have no idea what the guy who had it before me did. There is a grease zerk on the back side of each hub. I've put a few pumps of grease in it every now and then. Does that change the equation at all?

I watched the movie that Radio posted, and it looks like packing the bearings is pretty simple. But, JimBrown has a good point about being under a deadline.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm not sure, but I seem to recall reading never ever retread a trailer tire. I would make sure those tires can handle the load properly.

Do the wheel bearings, no question. Make sure you have a sturdy jack and some big blocks of wood, just in case you have to work in dirt. A couple of jack stands along for the ride wouldn't hurt a bit.

Almost forgot, got brakes?

Any recollection what the concern on retreads was? Anyone else care to chime in on this one?

I don't have brakes, and I'm not going to be able to get them before the trip. Up until about two years ago, I'd never pulled a trailer with brakes. I believe in brakes now, but I still have a lot of experience planning ahead and leaving room to stop.

 

[Bird]

I like the Bearing Buddies, but only on trailers without brakes. I never had the bra for mine, but I think they're a good idea.

 

[crbr]

Any recollection what the concern was? Anyone else care to chime in on this one?

Take notice on any interstate highway with OTR tractor/trailer rigs. You'll see retreads scatered all over the road every so often. They don't care so much with additional wheels per axle.

Personally, I'd never run a retread. They are just not safe for my preferences when I look at all of the road gators. They come apart for some reason (heat, load, less than standard mfg. quality, etc).

 

[Bird]

There is a grease zerk on the back side of each hub.

Now I'm really confused. I can't recall every seeing or hearing of a grease zerk on the back side of a hub. On vehicles with hydraulic brakes, I've had people ask if the little bleeder screw was a grease zerk, but I'd really like to see what we're talking about here.