What intervals do you repack your wheel bearings on your travel trailers. I have an older (1995) 30FK SunnyBrook. I repacked them the first year I bought it. Since then we put 3000 miles on it over 3 summers. this will be the 4th summer. Should I look at them again or can I go longer? i usually do my car hauler at 10,000 mikes but I haul that almost every weekend. the TT only is used 5 or 6 times a year. What intervals do you all use?

Thanks

Matt

 

I do mine on my TT and my car hauler every 3 years, and recommend the same to my customers. When I disassemble mine, they always look pretty clean still, but this way I know I won't have problems. Mine don't travel an extreme number of miles, so time-related breakdown is my bigger worry.

 

Often I just throw new bearings in my trailer when I have the hub off anyway, peace of mind and it's really not much cost.

 

I try to do mine once a year. Usually ends up to really be every other year.

 

I got a 33' Sunnybrook and I pull the tires once a year. Sitting all winter makes things worse, not better. 4 years is probably stretching your luck. Besides, you need to check the brakes, too. They like to rust all winter (hear a funny rattling sound from the trailer wheels?).

Matt, if you don't already own an air-compressor (doesn't everyone here?), tell your wife it's a necessity for safety reasons. Otherwise, you can't possibly pull the traier wheels every year. Go big, man.

 

Dexter says 12 months or 12,000 miles in their downloadable manual. Al-Ko says 6 mo/6,000.

Sitting I think is tough on them, as grease can break down and/or they don't get warm enough to drive off accumulted moisture.

I try to do mine annually, but it usually turns out to be every other year.

I'd get something that meets NLGI GC-LB. I like to use synthetic. I'd also suggest not reusing the seals. Sometimes saving money isn't worth it.

 

I repack the bearings every Spring before we start camping for the Summer.

I don't repack the boat trailer. Its got oil bath hubs and it makes maintanance easy. I drain the oil,pull the bearings,check them out and re-install. IMO oil bath hubs are the way to go.

 

Thanks for all the responses. Looking at the reciepts this morning it looks like it was 2 1/2 years ago i re packed them. So i am due for a repack this year. Although not til it warms up alittle.

Matt

 

I try to do mine annually. My mileage ranges from a low of about 3K to well over 11K per year. It gives me a chance to check the brakes and inspect everything else. I don't typically clean out the old grease or add more, just pack some existing from the hub into the bearings. I don't even replace the seals every time although most recommend it. Before I get blasted for that practice keep in mind that this RV has nearly 70K miles on it in less than 9 years and is in excellent condition. I have replaced the brakes twice and when in that deep, I replace seals, clean out all the grease and start fresh.

Dan

 

I always take the label from the seals, write the repack date on it, and pin it up inside the battery compartment of my fiver. That way I know the last time it was done, and know what seals to buy before I yank it apart. It helps with my motivation.

 

"Before I get blasted for that practice keep in mind that this RV has nearly 70K miles on it in less than 9 years and is in excellent condition."[/I]__________________________________________________ _______________

I'm with you on that. I owned my 1996 fiver for 8 years and towed it to Watson Lake, Yukon, all over British Columbia and Vancouver Island, up and down the Oregon and Washington coasts, and across the country to Boston, Mass. I believeI packed the outer bearings once when I checked the brakes. Never had a problem.

 

Anybody figured out how to put "Bearing Buddies" on the newer Dexter axles? I had them on a second hand Prowler that had major miles on it. Seemed to work very well.

 

2 years on the outside, 1 year if you cover a lot of miles. There is nothing more critical than the bearings or the brakes. Break downs on either can be catastrophic.
I think the Bearing Buddies are OK. If you go to their web site, you can order Neoprene inner seals, that resist(avoid?) grease going into the brake area. This is the biggest issue with them. Most RV dealers do not like them, but I think you can extend your maitenance interval, maybe a year, with them.
After 3 years, they need a look.
My $.02!

 

Didnt know they had a web site. Thanks for the info. They seemed to work really well on that Prowler. The model that I had would not allow overfilling. I forgot, I have them on an old utility/ATV trailer (at least 25 years with the buddies on it) and have never looked at the bearings. Course with no brakes, over filling isnt a problem. Thanks again.