whats the big hype about wheel bearings? how do i know if mine are going out?

i keep reading about faulty ball joints and i really cant find any info on them

 

Generally you can hear them grinding...

 

the hype is the cost of the unitized front wheel bearings, with that type bearing.
you have to buy the hub and bearing as an assembly which is more expensive than the bearings alone......

 

is there an easy way of checking them? i have to replace my front driverside axle seal so im gonna be down in there... anything else i should look into replaceing while im down there?

 

Jack each side up, and spin the wheels. You can hear grinding if they are bad. Then grab the wheel at 12 and 6, and wiggle it. You should be able to feel excessive movement, if either the bearings are bad, or if the ball joints are bad. If you do feel excessive movement, then you need to look at the ball joints, and see if the movement is there.
There is a bunch of hype about the unit bearings, but lots of trucks use them- it is what it is. Replace the bearings with good quality ones, and drive on.

 

mine didn't make any noise..none..
but after jacking the tire up..i found it was loose..I think it was the inner bearing..SHOT!! it was one those aw crap moments..I had just gotten back from a 800 miles trip..on the trip I noticed something wasn't quite right..

-dkenny