China bashing for bearings

[dave10a]

After, experiencing a bearing failure with my "easy lube" bearings, I have done some research on the bearings Dexter supplied with my trailer and found that the bearings were built in China under license from LYC North America. The quality of the bearings are on par with Timken and in fact Timken is in collaboration with LYC. I noticed that many on this forum are quick to bash China manufactured parts, but lack quantitative and solid reasoning behind the bashing-- other than it is manufactured in China. My bearing failures were after I followed the manufacturers recommendations of routine service. This leads me to believe that either the load on the bearings is at the margins of design or the "easy lube" is simply a marketing ploy that provides a false security for long distance travel or a combination of both. In any event one should forget the "easy lube" feature and maintain there bearings the old fashion way by hand packing/inspecting them frequently. The other alternative would be have oil bathed bearing for those who put on a lot and frequent miles. Oil bearing offer superior performance in those who do a lot of travel. I know some will think oil bearings are prone to leaking but that is not supported by any factual information that I can find. Besides oil seals would most likely seep before a catastrophic leak, providing warning to have them service. At least that has been my experience with oil seals in a lot of applications.
Also I just purchased some spare bearings that were built in China under license from VNC North America which is ISO listed and have no reason to believe they are of inferior quality.

 

[mobilcastle]

When I hand packed my bearings they were in excellent condition. I am not sure who made them but I have lippert axles. I don't believe they were ever packed. The rig was 3 years old at that time.

 

[scottyb]

When I packed my bearings after 1-1/2 years, they were in perfect condition. I went to a Dexter parts dealer to buy some spare parts to carry with me. He said he would be glad to sell me the Timkens at 3X the price, but he didn't recommend that. I will repack mine at the beginning of of each season, and will treat my EZ Lube system as if it were standard bearings. I understand how EZ Lube or Buddy Bearings are beneficial for boat trailers, but they don't seem to accomplish much on these rigs, other than a false sense of proper maintenance.

 

[MTPockets]

It's not the bearings. I spent my entire career in the bearing business, troubleshooting, teaching maintenance, selection, application, and can tell you that a properly selected bearing, then failure is always due to improper lubrication and contamination. I'm sure Lippert, Dexter, etc. All select proper bearings for the loads; so, somewhere along the line not enough grease or dirt introduced during assembly. And, it only takes a spec to start the failure. Once it starts there is no stopping it until bearing and raceway is replaced.

 

[jnbhobe]

Two quick things here. I was at Mor-ryde this week, Scotty is right Timkins are 3X the money $125 for china stuff and $350 for timkin per wheel. I heard those prices quoted. DVR installs IS on their trailers and always had oil bath bearings on the rigs sitting there for alignment (Mor-Ryde does 3 units a day for DVR) All the units there this week had greased bearings because they leaked and had too many failures.

 

[Jim.Allison]

I don't buy anything Chinese unless I can't help it. My focus is on the American worker who pays taxes that ultimately pays my social security. Its time to stop choking this countries workers, business and manufacturing. As far as Chinese bearings are concerned, there are definitely two types of products that are manufactured in China. Those that are manufactured to specification by a reputable non Chinese company, and those that are made by a Chinese company. I guarantee you that just like we are getting ripped on Chinese tires, you will get ripped by such bearings.

I too have been in the industrial bearing and parts business, I have sold bearings, sprockets, pulleys, belts and gearboxes manufactured all over the world. To both OEMs and end users. I have seen every kind of failure that can happen in those components. American companies excel in the manufacture of these industrial components. All I can say is, there are few manufacturers of excellent bearings, and chinese companies are not among them. Like a previous post stated that bearing failure can begin early on. That is true, and that flaw could be during the manufacturing process.

Its not that Timken is a better bearing, it is that Timken is a more reliable bearing. Reliability is the name of the game. But I'm always amazed that Americans won't buy American products. "The dealer was willing to sell Timens at 3x the price." I would think that Chinese bearings should not be 33% of an American product, they should be about 5% the price of the American product. They can probably put that bearing on a store shelf in the United States for about .50 cents per unit. We are getting so screwed by China and Americans are stepping up to take the abuse.

Proud to buy American when I can.

 

[dave10a]

I don't buy anything Chinese unless I can't help it. My focus is on the American worker who pays taxes that ultimately pays my social security. Its time to stop choking this countries workers, business and manufacturing. As far as Chinese bearings are concerned, there are definitely two types of products that are manufactured in China. Those that are manufactured to specification by a reputable non Chinese company, and those that are made by a Chinese company. I guarantee you that just like we are getting ripped on Chinese tires, you will get ripped by such bearings.


Proud to buy American when I can.

I too would prefer to buy American, but it is difficult to find anything these days that is built in the USA--- including Timken products. The problem is our government policy and taxation that has driven many companies off shore-- Write to your Government representative if you don't like what is going on -- Meanwhile all we can do is our homework to ferrite out the facts from feelings. I remember when companies started to relocate out of country and China in particular. The folks in Washington felt it was better that we trade goods than bullets. However, things may have gotten of control where their economies are exploding at our expense. Taxes, energy and government poliy are the key.

 

[Gary521]

A set of Timken bearings can be had for about $25 per wheel. All axles, regardless of supplier, Lippert or Dexter, use the same bearings. Check the parts list and then check the prices from a supplier like Rockauto. If somebody is attempting to charge $100 or $300 something is not quite right. You gotta do your homework.

 

[JanAndBill]

After wearing my arm out trying to grease my EZ lube hubs (Dexter doesn't recommend using an air operated grease gun), and still never getting any grease out the front of the hub, I finally gave up and went the hand pack route. I found out when I pulled the hub, that they only packed grease around the bearings, the whole inner section of the hub was empty. It would have taken close to two tubes of grease just to fill the void. When I repacked the bearings I also hand packed the hub with grease so I should be able to use a grease gun now. The bearings were stamped made in china, as were the grease seals. Surprisingly the bearings were still in excellent shape. The replacement grease seals stamped "Dexter"" and "Made in China", were $5 at a local parts house, comparable seals by US manufacturers were $25. I have no doubt that Timken bearings would also be much higher.

 

[Gary521]

To claify my post, all axles of the same weight class use the same bearings regardless of axel supplier.

 

[dave10a]

What country is stamped on Timken bearings? Also bearings with China stamped on them also list the manufacturer's initials. A google search will identify that company and then one can better determine the quality from that search. The bottom line is the axles used on Heartland and most other trailer mfg's are supplied near the design limits. Whereas high end trailer and boat mfgs' that supply trailers for tournament fishing use trailers that are oil lubed because the anticipate the owner will put on many miles traveling to tournaments. I don't know if Heartland offers better axles that are intended for many miles of highway travel--

 

[MTPockets]

Grease is the best choice for RV's. We full time and move around a lot, but do stay put 3 - 5 months. Grease retains the oil and stays in the bearing where it's needed while stationary. Oil bath is a fine system, but it is not necessary nor of any benefit for the type of use an RV trailer sees.

 

[marvmarcy]

I recently installed 17.5" wheels and GY114 215/75/17.5 tires, replacing my 16" wheels and GY614 tires. I noticed some of the bearings were loose and noisy so replaced them all with Timkins (bearing cones, races and seals. I saw how the zerk on the hub lubes. It only injects grease near the inner bearing. The hole where the grease comes out by the inner bearing can have a sharp edge that can damage the seal, so be sure to polish it before reassembling. When I had my bearings repacked last fall, they probably weren't tightened enough when the hub was reinstalled. This likely caused the wear which showed up as a growling noise when turning the hub. Yes, Timkins are more expensive, but I wanted to rely on their performance. I've just driven 1,100 miles in two days at 70+ mph in 90* weather. I'm pleased with my investment so far.

My truck has oil bath bearings and they are extremely reliable, only one outer seal started leaking a few years ago and was cheap and easy to replace.

The key isn't where the product is made but the level of quality control by the American company at the manufacturing plant. Apple Computer makes almost everything overseas with great QC and few problems.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Change parts houses! They saw you coming!

After wearing my arm out trying to grease my EZ lube hubs (Dexter doesn't recommend using an air operated grease gun), and still never getting any grease out the front of the hub, I finally gave up and went the hand pack route. I found out when I pulled the hub, that they only packed grease around the bearings, the whole inner section of the hub was empty. It would have taken close to two tubes of grease just to fill the void. When I repacked the bearings I also hand packed the hub with grease so I should be able to use a grease gun now. The bearings were stamped made in china, as were the grease seals. Surprisingly the bearings were still in excellent shape. The replacement grease seals stamped "Dexter"" and "Made in China", were $5 at a local parts house, comparable seals by US manufacturers were $25. I have no doubt that Timken bearings would also be much higher.

 

[porthole]

Apple Computer makes almost everything overseas with great QC and few problems.

Present new products excluded ?

 

[Jim.Allison]

They are to be forgiven, they can make repairs while I wait in my living room. Plus that my computers have been working from the day that I brought them home. I think I have rebooted them once or twice in 5 years. LOL. I give them a pass.

Present new products excluded ?

 

[JanAndBill]

Change parts houses! They saw you coming!

Jim the local price on National's was anywhere from $21 to $27 plus tax. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d....oap?ck=Search_N2506_-1_-1&pt=N2506&ppt=C2389 one of the higher prices. The cheapest internet price I found on genuine "National" was in the $15 range, but then you had shipping, and I didn't really have time to wait for delivery. There were lower prices out there, but when I investigated further they weren't "National" but copycats. One of our better independent parts houses carries the OEM "Dexter" seals for RV dealers and repair shops in the area. They are actually stamped with Dexter and the Dexter part number. They're also stamped "made in china". The most obvious difference between the China and National is the coating on the metal part. Maybe that's why Dexter recommends using Permatex or similar product when replacing the seal. Not sure about the quality of the seal itself, but frankly it's not as critical on a grease filled hub anyhow, unless you plan on submerging the hub.