Wheel bearings:

20 years ago

Might i give some advice to anybody who has not yet towed a tent or utility trailer!

First: Figure on repacking the wheel bearings every 1,000 miles or less, especially if towing in hot country! The grease deconstructs greatly because the wheels turn faster than a car or truck, there-by generating more heat!

Buy one of the bearing packing kits at the auto parts store, and use yer grease gun to put the grease in the hub bearings! do not use chassis grease! There is a good, heavy bearing grease sold at parts stores, for trucks and heavy vehicles, and which i would use. I do not recommend those bearing grease caps like used on boat trailers! The grease doesn't get into the bearing as it should!

Now, those little wheels and tires on tent trailers, etc., turn at high revolutions, which builds up heat in the tires and bearings! Most of those tires are recommended to be inflated to much higher pressures than car tires! A lot of folks think the tires will blow out, if inflated that high! Not so! Flexing of under-inflated tires causes much more tire destroying heat! Those tires and wheels do many more revolutions than yer car or truck tires!

I saw a man towing a fully loaded slat side trailer, with the tires flexing badly! I told him his tires needed more air, and was told that i didn't know anything about that subject! I left the place after he did, and found him alongside the road, with a tire shredded to bits! did I stop? No-no, just kept on going! Dumb people stop, don't they? A toot of the horn and a cheery wave made my day!

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Comments (5)

tplife
20 years ago
Around here folks with those utility trailers convert them over to 15" tires and rims, it's no big deal and the bearings last a long, long time.
hippy
20 years ago
"... do not use chassis grease!"

You must be referring to EP grade grease. For I have used NAPA's Bearing and chassis grease for years without problems. We use it on all of our heavy equipment at work and it does not break down with heat or pressure at all the way EP grade grease does.

"..I do not recommend those bearing grease caps like used on boat trailers!"

What is the problem with using "Bearing buddies" on your trailer hubs?

They just force grease through the bearing for it can not get between the hubs outer or inner race. They also help with keeping dust and water out of the bearings.

Again I have used them for years on my trailers and I've yet to have a bearing failure since I began using them.

Improper tire care
Overloading the trailer
Never servicing the bearings

Are the three main reasons for bearing and tire failure on trailers of all types regardless of tire or trailer size.
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dalew
20 years ago
Dexter really has two types of these "add grease" hubs. The older and original hub was the Bearing Buddy and it was primarily designed for boat trailers that were being backed into water with the hubs being submersed - and the idea was to add grease and displace the water that would seep into the hubs - especially salt water!

The newer add grease hubs are called "E-Z Lube Axle" that actually disperses the grease to the critical points with the bearings. The objective here is to make certain there is adequate lubrication between regular maintenance schedules.

Deter says both of these hubs, as well as the regular hubs, are supposed to be serviced (disasembled and re-packed with new grease & seals) annually or every 15,000 miles.

Dale
rustyj14
Original Author
20 years ago
Dale: I hadn't heard of the new type of bearing grease caps. And, by chassis grease versus bearing grease, bearing grease used to be thicker, more fibrous than the regular chassis grease. Now a days, it seems to have been changed to a more softer type of product! The other problem with bearing buddy caps was that the grease didn't seem to travel to the inner bearings. Another thing to check is the grease seals on the inner side of the hub!
One time, we towed our tent trailer to Texas in mid-summer. I had repacked the hubs before leaving home. Next day after arrival at our destination, i removed one wheel/ hub combo, and found the grease very deteriorated, where-upon, i repacked them both before leaving for home!
Rusty
dalew
20 years ago
Yeah, Rusty, the newer "E-Z Lube Axle" will be found on the newer popup campers and utility trailers (not sure about the TT's & such). The objective of these newer hubs is for reasons exactly as you described on your Texas summer run. Get where your going on a long haul and you can make certain the hubs are up to par on grease content.

As for the different types of grease, I know right what your talking about. However ... there have been so many changes in lubricants in the past fifty years, it's a wonder any of us old fogies can keep up! Sort of like these #&*@^' computers ... when you buy them they are obsolete! And I have to depend on my Grandchildren to keep me abreast of what's going on with them!

Dale

Wheel bearings:

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Wheel bearings:

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