Community Forums

Pawjam3 · 10-30-2013, 11:07 AM

Is there a way to tell when the wheels need packing on my 30 ft. Chapparal 5ver? Thanks.

jesilvas · 10-30-2013, 11:16 AM

Not really, until you pull them apart to inspect, then you just go ahead and do the work.
How often do you pull it and how far?

BFlinn181 · 10-30-2013, 11:17 AM

You can use a calendar or the odometer on the TV. In other words, it depends on how much you use it. Some folks do it yearly, others every 5-8000 miles, or 2-3 years. I think it also depends on whether you do it yourself or pay someone else to do it. It's not a hard job, but you will get your hands dirty. I like doing it myself so I know the condition of bearings and seals and it's done right. Others prefer to depend on others.

It's not the same as a boat trailer's bearings that get heated up in travel then plunged into water. They should be serviced more often and can benefit from Bearing Buddies that allow grease into hubs and keep it under pressure. RV trailers don't need the BB and can have failure due to blown seals using BB.

Ray,IN · 10-30-2013, 05:24 PM

Both Dexter and Elco-Kober axle manufacturers say every 12 months/12,000 miles, whichever comes first. This is also an excellent time to closely inspect, clean, and re-adjust the electric brakes.

sk734 · 10-31-2013, 04:07 AM

You might want to check them out by pulling them and inspecting. Sometimes from the manufacture the grease has already blown by the seal when built and needs attention since grease on brake shoes is a serious problem. I think 2-3 years if done right by hand pack. If in doubt check them out. Good luck.

TeJay · 10-31-2013, 04:21 AM

There are many posts regarding this issue. My position is a bit different and you can do a search for the posts. The "pump the hub full of grease" method can and will lead to problems if not done correctly. On all other RWD cars/trucks these type of bearings are packed about every 30-40,000 miles. Why do it sooner (12,000 miles or 12-months) on a TT???? I believe it's done so you'll inspect the cheap china (overloaded) bearings so you'll catch any problems that will surface. Also the grease they use is a lot thinner than standard quality bearing grease. It has to be thinner because the passages it has to get travel through to get that grease to the rear bearing are very small. Thinner grease pumped under pressure leads to blown inner seals. Many a new TT owner has reported having blown seals right from the factory. Blown seals usually ruins the brake linings.

Hand-pack with a quality synthetic bearing lubricant. Mobil 1, Amsoil and there are others. It's not a bad idea to also replace those china bearings with Timken, or TOYO. Both are quality bearings.

JM2CW
TeJay

Franka548 · 10-31-2013, 02:52 PM

The recommendation is yearly or 12,000 miles. I do mine every spring before my first outing. It allows me to check the brakes, springs, and hangers. also a thourough inspection of the tires. The only wheel bearing that I have ever lost was on my car trailer when I forgot to pack them one year. Remember that the sitting for long periods of time are worse on them because the weight on one spot pushes the grease out from between the roller and race. This is the biggest reason for the yearly repack.
Frank

Swamp Man · 10-31-2013, 03:22 PM

Do what the manufacturer of the axle says. They ought to know. If you use the trailer a lot, then you might want to shorten the service intervals.

TXiceman · 10-31-2013, 07:04 PM

First year, I would pull the brake drums for inspection and then repack the wheel bearings. After that, knowing the quality of the bearing pack, I would probably go two years.

Ken

oldbeek · 11-02-2013, 10:15 AM

40,000 miles or 5yrs if the axles are not overloaded.

Greytraveler · 11-02-2013, 03:43 PM

Right or wrong, my service says every two years to repack, new seals, inspect the brakes, etc. I do it and so far so good.

TeJay · 11-03-2013, 05:12 AM

Many have reported, "That's what THEY recommend so That's what I do." That's OK. I don't disagree with an inspection but remember how much influence those LAWYERS have on these types of decisions. I'll go back to what was ALWAYS done on regular vehicle bearing maintenance. We did it every 30-40,000 miles or when we did a brake update. If that lube was good for that many miles before why all of a sudden is it not good to go 30,000 to 40,000 miles??? IMHO, they are just covering their butts.

Now if it eases your mind to pull apart, inspect and re-pack every year or 12,000 miles that's fine. However here's a caution. If I'm going to do that OK. I know what I'm doing and many of you who do your own maintenance also know what you're doing and it will get done properly. If you don't mind paying somebody else to do it that's OK as well as long as you know they will do quality work and not over tighten the bearings causing you a problem down the road. My caution is simply this. Every time you perform service you (or the guy that you hire) opens yourself up for making an error. Performing a service sooner that is necessary open yourself up for those errors more often that I believe is necessary.

If the maintenance is done correctly and you drive 1,000 miles with no problems then it should be good for at least 20,000 miles or 2-3 years.

TeJay

caissiel · 11-03-2013, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeJay

Many have reported, "That's what THEY recommend so That's what I do." That's OK. I don't disagree with an inspection but remember how much influence those LAWYERS have on these types of decisions. I'll go back to what was ALWAYS done on regular vehicle bearing maintenance. We did it every 30-40,000 miles or when we did a brake update. If that lube was good for that many miles before why all of a sudden is it not good to go 30,000 to 40,000 miles??? IMHO, they are just covering their butts.

Now if it eases your mind to pull apart, inspect and re-pack every year or 12,000 miles that's fine. However here's a caution. If I'm going to do that OK. I know what I'm doing and many of you who do your own maintenance also know what you're doing and it will get done properly. If you don't mind paying somebody else to do it that's OK as well as long as you know they will do quality work and not over tighten the bearings causing you a problem down the road. My caution is simply this. Every time you perform service you (or the guy that you hire) opens yourself up for making an error. Performing a service sooner that is necessary open yourself up for those errors more often that I believe is necessary.

If the maintenance is done correctly and you drive 1,000 miles with no problems then it should be good for at least 20,000 miles or 2-3 years.

TeJay

Totally agree. Every time something is worked on is one more possible problem. Proper PM can be done by monitoring temperatures and vibration over taking things appart in the heavy industry. But bearings usually fail by misuse so leaving it alone is as good.

oldbeek · 11-04-2013, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caissiel

Totally agree. Every time something is worked on is one more possible problem. Proper PM can be done by monitoring temperatures and vibration over taking things appart in the heavy industry. But bearings usually fail by misuse so leaving it alone is as good.

Agree x2