wheel bearing maintenance

[scottsandy]

how many of you do your own wheel mantenance on your 5th wheels?
we bought a 2006 cardinal LE last year and I want to know what is the sugested wheel bearing maintence for this

[DriVer]

Originally Posted by scottsandy

how many of you do your own wheel maintenance on your 5th wheels? We bought a 2006 cardinal LE last year and I want to know what is the suggested wheel bearing maintenance for this

Most likely you have Dexter Axles or other primary supplier of axles for towables. I would find out exactly what axle I had and then go to the manufacturer's website. They should be able to give you a breakout on the parts and have instructions about wheel bearing maintenance. If your rig has lots of miles, it might be time to do the maintenance. IMHO, a 2006 fiver shouldn't need too much maintenance wheel bearing wise.

[Larry]

If you have servicable wheel bearings (not never lube), I always packed mine at the beginning of the season. I usually tow 12-15000 miles a year though, if you do a lot less maybe strecth out to every 2 years. Don't forget that you also need to be inspecting the other components and adjusting the brakes as well.
Larry

[RVhauler]

My Kountryaire 5er has Dexter 7K triple axles with electric 12-i/4 X 4 drum brakes. I repack the bearing each season using a grease with a 500 degree drop point and replace the seals. I disassemble the brake shoes/conponets/clean/inspect and reassemble lubing pivit points/rub points and check magnets for holding power. Shoes can be pre=adjusted thru the use of a brake drum caliper

[Ray,IN]

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/1080235/f/...edule_9-10.pdf recommends servicing bearings and inspecting brakes every 12,000 miles or 12 months. Here is a how-to for servicing axle/wheel bearings: Servicing trailer bearings - 1

[Rvpapa]

Most say to repack every 12k miles. I personaly think that is a bit often since the front bearings on a 2WD truck are only done in the area of 40k. That beimg said, pulling drums to eyeball the brakes at 12k is a very worthwhile idea. Just keep a spare set of seals, that way Murphy says you will never need one. The one thing to remember if you are doing bearings is to use the same brand of grease as last time unless you remove every bit of the old product. Two different brands can do strange things when mixed together in a hot loaded bearing.
Art.

[GR izzly]

I tore my 09 down after one season and to my suprise an outer bearing on one axle was in bad shape and i was glad i checked them because the factory uses the cheapest bearings from china they can find, worth while replacing the whole works with TK or something north american made imho

[Ray,IN]

Last time I looked, Timken bearing are made in Japan, and seem to be high quality.

[IC2]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Last time I looked, Timken bearing are made in Japan, and seem to be high quality.

Timken bearings are made in 27 different countries. With my current order for the 4 outers from Rock Auto Parts, I can only hope that they were made almost anywhere but China where the OEMs originated

[milzat]

Originally Posted by RVhauler

I repack the bearing each season using a grease with a 500 degree drop point and replace the seals. I disassemble the brake shoes/components/clean/inspect and reassemble lubing pivot points/rub points and check magnets for holding power. Shoes can be pre=adjusted thru the use of a brake drum caliper

Same here.
I remove, inspect & repack my trailer wheel bearings every 12 months. Most manufacturers recommend 12,000 miles or 12 months.

My company(self employed) performs RV & Trailer maintenance and recommend the same(wheel bearings & brakes).

[scottsandy]

Thanks for all the great info on wheel bearing maintenance.
I did find out what we have for bearings, the are "easy-lube"
I lifted the wheels so I could spin the wheel while pumping in grease, and kept pumping till I saw grease comming out the front as per the instructions. some needed a lot of pumpin, 10-12 pumps on a standard size gun. so I hope I am all set. I will check them out down in florida to check for wear and tear on the brakes. should be ok as the dealer said there are brand new

[JeffinTD]

Personally, even if a trailer has the easy lube setup, I prefer to pull the drum so I can clean and inspect the brakes, and inspect the wheel bearings when I clean and repack them.

Trailer bearings tend to build up moisture more than the front bearings on vehicles, I think because trailers are more likely to sit for long periods.

Both Dexter and Al-Ko have excellent service manuals downloadable for free.

[IC2]

Originally Posted by JeffinTD

Personally, even if a trailer has the easy lube setup, I prefer to pull the drum so I can clean and inspect the brakes, and inspect the wheel bearings when I clean and repack them.

Trailer bearings tend to build up moisture more than the front bearings on vehicles, I think because trailers are more likely to sit for long periods.

Both Dexter and Al-Ko have excellent service manuals downloadable for free.

Not a problem if you feel that you need to inspect the Dexter Easy-Lubes, but be well advised to spread something under the assembly and have a roll of paper towels or rags handy as well as rubber gloves when you pull the drums - there is a LOT of grease and it drools. Then you will need 2-4 tubes of grease plus a one pound can to pre lube the cleaned bearing. Tractor Supply and WalMart have the recommended Mystic High Temp grease.

Additionally - the replacement bearings noted a couple of posts above arrived and are US made Timkens and are physically superior LOOKING vs the Chinese OEMs that Dexter supplied

[JeffinTD]

Yeah, those do make a mess when you take them apart. If you disassemble and regrease by hand, though, you don't need to fill the entire hub.

I just like the idea of getting all the old grease out. Pumping on the fitting seems to just push a ribbon of fresh grease through all the old stuff.