jgilbert

Where does one take a 27' travel trailer to have the bearings serviced/ repacked and /or otherwise checked out. I have been seriously deficient in this regard. Have had this trailer since 2000 and have not done this yet. I wish to rectify this before embarking on another spring/summer travel season.<br><br>Any ideas?<br><br>Joe

KATOOM

Next time you pack them or get them packed buy a set of bearing buddies (or whatever the X-brand calls them). Every once and a while give them a little grease and your set to go. Just make sure you use the same grease because some arent compatable.

jgilbert

Thanks for the idea about the bearing buddy, however, I cannot service the bearings myself. I keep the trailer in one of those storage places because I have no room for it at my house. I am not capable of doing this type of service to my trailer, hence my question still stands, where does one take a trailer to have its bearings serviced?<br><br>Joe

RickCJ

You can try a Garage!!

KATOOM

Hey jgilbert, this is something ANYONE can do with a simple $15 grease gun that can be kept in the trailer for that matter. 5 minutes of your time plus $15 grease gun and $3 in grease tube will save you $$$. But any tire shop will do it. Just watch them so you dont get the shaft.

Big dawg

You might want to try an RV Dealer, most of them have a service department, or they can recommend a shop for you to go to. <br>Big dawg

MrBilly

Not sure the idea of bearing buddies is a good recommendation. They were designed as an easy means for getting water out of the bearings, like after putting a boat in the water.<br><br>Bearing maintenance requires that you check the condition of the bearings, and the seals - this is NOT done with buddies. <br><br>I had special axles put on my new cattle trailer because the dealer told me all I had to do was squirt some grease in. Once I got the trailer and read the book - it says to check the bearings and replace the seals and repack each year. So, money wasted. There is one axle, Dexter Nev R Lube, that is actually designed to be maintenance free, no need to check inside and no seal replacement. See at: http://www.dexteraxle.com/pdf_files/...Nev-R-Lube.pdf<br>

Bill1374

Don't use bearing buddies on a travel trailer. Too much grease will blow past the seals and get on the brake shoes. Then you get no brakes.<br> The best bet would be an RV dealer if you can't do them yourself. Or your friendly neighborhood garage. Get someone who understands electric brakes as when you do the bearings, its also the time to check the brakes and make the adjustments.<br><br>Bill

KATOOM

I have used Bearing Buddies for years on trailers with brakes and never have I had a problem! Opps, I was wrong. The very first trailer I had lost a bearing and hey guess what, no bearing buddies!!! You just cant go shoving all the grease you can get in them. As for checking the bearings, all I have ever done is jacked up the tires, check side to side play and spin for noise and free movement. What else is there. Am I supposed to disassemble the whole set up every year? If you want to go ahead. Dont get me wrong, I do pull thing apart every once in a while but were talking many many miles. Like I said before no bearing problems from me! Anyway someone said they were designed for boat trailers. Dont boat trailers have brakes???

spots

I have seen more boat trailers with cooked bearings with bearing buddies than ones without. ( I had the luck to work at a shop between the lake and the city, about half way, just far enuff for people to get stranded.)The ones without get repacked and new seals every year. The brg buddies give a false security, and the trailers don't get looked at. A little bit of water sitting in the hub and viola rust, corrosion and failure. What u got invested in your trailer and truck? Spend 100 bucks a year and have your brgs and seals and brakes looked at. Cost you a few bucks a wheel if you do it yourself. Cheap insurance. Sucks to lose a wheel middle of nowhere :'(

Patrick Campbell

Old, old post but I just got a new big trailer and would like to take care of it. I don't know what the previous owner has done to it, if anything.

What all should I consider replacing... bearings? brake springs? shoes? backing plate? drum? What all else is there to these axles. Have not ever messed with trailer axles really. It's got 3x 7000# Hayes I think. But I see a Dexter drum on 1 of the axles (interchangable?). Any positive way to identify them?

BearKiller

As a general rule, Dexter will have an oval brake magnet; whereas Kelsay-Hayes will have a round magnet.

Also, Dexter will pretty much have their name all over everything.

Patrick Campbell

Are the bearings, backing plates, hubs/drums, etc. compatible if I replace everything? etrailerpart.com guys say they are.

Eskimo

Bearing buddies are the devil. Send me 4 caps and I'll send you the ones that came on my trailer.

CoastalDav

There is a Camping World store in Fort Worth, TX. You might give them a call and see if they will quote you a price. Their work is good nation wide for 12 months for some stuff and forever on other stuff. Here's a link.

http://www.campingworld.com/stores/stores.cfm?store=103

Dave