Bearing Maintenance

[JohnD]

When you were shopping did someone suggest that your trailer came with a 1 year plus miles warranty?

That is BS . . . and you know it.

 

[codycarver]

Just want to do the maintenance now to avoid problems later. Thanks for all the help.

Now there's a novel concept. Maintenance BEFORE it becomes a problem.

I check mine every time we stop...... reach through the wheel if it's hot you have a problem. Some folks keep them fancy heat testing thing-a-ma-jigs but my fingers work okay too. BTW I keep two spare sets of bearings, races, seals, and tub of grease in the trailer just in case.

 

[codycarver]

That is BS . . . and you know it.

I have no idea what you were told but reading this thread I get the impression you think your entitled to a warranty longer than the one given.

 

[JohnD]

I have no idea what you were told but reading this thread I get the impression you think your entitled to a warranty longer than the one given.

Yeah . . . right . . .

I carry a spare tire for not only my truck, but my trailer . . . and spare wheel bearings for not only my truck . . . but my trailer . . . and my wife's car . . . and my wheel barrel!

And I always have spare underware in case I krap my shorts!

Really???

Do you live on planet earth???

 

[cookie]

Ok, a real "green horn" question. What is the best way to tell if a bearing is still in good condition. Completely disassembling the system or is there a simpler way?

There are no shortcuts.
Pull them, clean them, inspect them, repack them and reinstall.
And as has been recommended here, use new seals.

Peace
Dave

 

[JWalker]

After you clean the old grease from the bearings look for evidence of nicks, scratches, pitting, corrosion, etc. Also examine the raceways. If you see anything suspect replace it. Replace the seal anytime you remove the hub.


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Hey Lyle, you think I can get it in the budget to have all the bearings changed for everyone at the PA Rally. Yeah, I wish.....

 

[travelin2]

Now there's a novel concept. Maintenance BEFORE it becomes a problem.

I check mine every time we stop...... reach through the wheel if it's hot you have a problem. Some folks keep them fancy heat testing thing-a-ma-jigs but my fingers work okay too. BTW I keep two spare sets of bearings, races, seals, and tub of grease in the trailer just in case.

X2. Every stop I do a walk around, visual inspection of both the TV and BH, I look underneath, "kick" the tires all around, and hands on the tires & wheels. Gadgets are also known to fail.


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[JWalker]

Okay, next question. What type of bearings? Make, model manufacture?? Also, what type of grease?

Again, thank you. I'm learning as I go.

 

[travelin2]

Hey Lyle, you think I can get it in the budget to have all the bearings changed for everyone at the PA Rally. Yeah, I wish.....

I can wait until then! Let me know how that goes for you!!!!


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[JohnD]

Okay, next question. What type of bearings? Make, model manufacture?? Also, what type of grease?

Again, thank you. I'm learning as I go.

Seems it is pretty obvious that Heartland is putting infuriuer products and parts on our trailers from the factory!

Now . . . if only we could only get them (Heartland) to back their products when they fail with said infueriur parts!

 

[travelin2]

Okay, next question. What type of bearings? Make, model manufacture?? Also, what type of grease?

Again, thank you. I'm learning as I go.

Jamie, I'll let others chime in here as there can be as many suggestions as there are members reading this thread!
I'm going to a trailer supply house that has been in business for years and at one time was a manufacturer next time I'm down country. I'll go with their recommendations when I'm ready to redo mine. Of course, it has to warm up about 50* first !


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[JohnD]

When you were shopping did someone suggest that your trailer came with a 1 year plus miles warranty?

Doesn't matter . . .

Let me ask you this . . .

If you had less than 5000 miles on your Heartland trailer and you have had mot only wheel bearing failure, but a very massive axle failure as well . . . what would you not only expect . . . but want from Heartland?

Answer me truthfully . . .

 

[Jim.Allison]

Any name brand NLGI 2 moly. Without doing a lot of research you can just use [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mystik JT-6 - Multi-Purpose Grease, found at many national chain auto parts. Get the Red. The green is for boat trailers. The grease is read so that you can determine that the hub has been purged, if you are using a purgeable lube system such as EZ-Lube system.

[/FONT]Name brand greases that indicate they are hi-temp wheel bearing grease are properly formulated to stick to the rollers as they turn. You need the hi-temp, not necessarily because bearing run hot, but rather your hubs get hot during braking.

You have to go to the axle manufacturers parts sheet to determine the bearing required, then you need to shop for the really good bearings, Timken, Koyo, are a couple of names that come to mind. Look for CR (Chicago Rawhide) seals, These are the names in the business. What you don't do is buy bearing from the bulk bin at a trailer parts store. For someone who is going to to do a year on the road, a whole drum and brake assembly with bearings is a good item to have on board. It can be used as a complete unit or cannibalized as needed.

One mistake people make is they buy a grease gun that will barely pump grease into a ball joint. Put a few bucks into a decent grease gun also. A pistol grip 5000 psi model is a good one to consider.

Okay, next question. What type of bearings? Make, model manufacture?? Also, what type of grease?

Again, thank you. I'm learning as I go.

 

[cookie]

Let me remind everyone that this thread is about bearing maintenance.
Not other peoples problems.
Lets get back on track.

Peace
Dave

 

[Jim.Allison]

I read somewhere in the thread that one should change the seals anytime a hub is removed from the axle. I don't think this is necessary. It is true that you will have to replace the seals when you repack your bearings, because the seal will be destroyed in order to access the inner bearing.

Everyone has their methods, but if you have the EZ lube system, you can fill the grease until you get a purge, then on every trip you can shoot a little grease into the EZ lube, in this manner you always have bad grease coming out and good grease coming in.

 

[jnbhobe]

Jamie, hand pack the bearings like Daves video and you'll be fine foe a few years. Just don't rely on what was done at the axel manufacturer. Do it your self and you know it's right.

 

[danemayer]

Doesn't matter . . .

Let me ask you this . . .

If you had less than 5000 miles on your Heartland trailer and you have had mot only wheel bearing failure, but a very massive axle failure as well . . . what would you not only expect . . . but want from Heartland?

Answer me truthfully . . .

Truthfully John,

My RV came with a 1 year warranty. Other than tires, and slide toppers, I don't think anything has just worn out - rather every failure has been some type of defect. Of course I'm not happy when something fails. But I understand what it means to have a 1 year warranty. The price of my trailer included a certain amount of warranty coverage for defects. The warranty is not free; it's included in the price.

Given the cost of some repairs, I didn't think that 1 year was enough. I would have preferred Heartland offer a 2 or 3 year warranty and would have paid for it. But since Heartland and their vendors only offered 1 year, I bought a 3 year extended warranty. It didn't cover some defects. It did cover others. I broke even.

Truthfully, I don't understand when people argue that the defect they experienced should somehow be treated as a special kind of defect. Defects are defects. I don't get it when people argue that the warranty should be written differently, to cover their situation; i.e. mileage rather than time. The warranty is written the way it's written and covers what it covers.

Sometimes Heartland and their vendors make goodwill accommodations and pay some or all of the cost of a post-warranty repair. But that doesn't mean they do that on every problem. And it doesn't mean that my problem will be covered on a 5 year old trailer because of a "defect."

So truthfully, when the 1 year is over, you're out of warranty.

 

[porthole]

Ok, a real "green horn" question. What is the best way to tell if a bearing is still in good condition. Completely disassembling the system or is there a simpler way? Never really worried about it before. Until about 5 years ago, we probably only put 1000 miles or so on a year. Now the trailer is just a weeee(haha) bit longer and heavier. And we put on 4 times the miles. Just want to do the maintenance now to avoid problems later. Thanks for all the help.

Spotless clean and inspection. Since you don't have experience, take a gander at a Timken bearing damage analysis brochure.

http://www.timken.com/EN-US/product...Analysis-with-Lubrication-Reference-Guide.pdf

 

[codycarver]

Yeah . . . right . . .

I carry a spare tire for not only my truck, but my trailer . . . and spare wheel bearings for not only my truck . . . but my trailer . . . and my wife's car . . . and my wheel barrel!

And I always have spare underware in case I krap my shorts!

Really???

Do you live on planet earth???

I live in Cody Wyoming. Not sure what shorts have to with bearings but since you asked if the trip is long enough I bring a pair or two just in case.

I keep extra parts so if something happens I'm not sitting on the side of the road stewing for three hours waiting for someone to show up only to find they don't have the correct part and need to go back to town but won't be able to get there before they close so I'll be back tomorrow.... instead I'm back on my vacation in no time no worse for the wear..... or stick with your plan.... whatever works best for you.

 

[TravelTiger]

Doesn't matter . . . they (Lippert or Dextor) hide behind the one year protection as well!

Believe me . . . I know . . . already been on the phone with them!

Don't you think that you should get at least 5000 miles out of their axles and bearings after the initial purchase of your trailer???

I didn't . . . which is why I am upset!

I would think that Heartland would back me up since they are the ones that chose the axles that were put on my trailer from the Heartland factory!

John, I had a dealer tell me you should have it done every 2500 miles. Obviously I thought, "what the what?" I am sorry you had the issues. But luckily you know and can be proactive for the future. Trust me, when I discovered too-flat springs at month 13, I wasn't happy. But I replaced with better quality parts, and they have been doing their job just fine ever since.

I've discovered RVing is not a passive or cheap hobby.


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