10 replies to this topic

[w4drr]

Let me throw this item out of discussion.
If anyone has been negligent in wheel bearing care, it is me. You can read a lot of stuff on the "other" site about this topic, and everyone seems to have a strong opinion about it. I had my bearings re-packed the first year after buying our Outback. I took it to CampingTime, and I believe all they did was squirt new grease into the EZ Lube zerks, and charge me an arm-and-leg. That was....gulp....3 years ago. A couple of weeks ago, I finally broke down, went to our almost-local Tractor Supply, and bought a good hand-pump grease gun along with a couple of 14 oz. tubes of Lucas Red 'N' Tacky #2 grease. It was pretty much textbook; I pumped it in, and the old grease comes oozing out. After about 40 or 50 strokes, I could see the new red grease start to come out. The old grease looked perfectly fine to me, with no signs of contamination or water getting in. We typically only put maybe 1000 miles a year on our Outback, so I wonder if I have really violated any hard and fast rules in waiting so long. Some of the folks on the "other" site swear that if you don't completely tear-down your hubs, and clean and re-pack your bearings every year, the wheels will fall off on the next trip. And then, I have read on other sites that 5 years or 5000 miles is all that is needed for the complete tear-down, clean, and re-pack, if the grease is periodically replaced via the EZ Lube couch-potato method.
Comments? Opinions? Will I have the Outback taken away by the state and placed in a foster home, due to my abuse and negligence?

Bob

[campingnut]

well bob , im with you on this one.
i check and add new grease twice a year. ive asked around and you will get 100 differentr storys each time.
some old guy told me he had a trailer for many years maybe put 1000 miles a year on it.
he never had his repacked. just checked and added new grease as needed.

so i guess if you never let them over heat. keep good check on them you will be fine.
i guess thats what im hoping for.
lamar

[Crawfish]

First, for most of those people on the other site, they think the world is coming to an end any day now. They are scared of their own shadows. They are taking the maintenance of the camper to the farthest extreme and throwing away their money at the same time. Don't get me wrong these campers are not built that good so maintenance is required but not at the rate they are saying. I get a lot of good laughs from some of them all the time.
I was raised on a farm and we had to take care of our tractors, trucks, other vehicles and trailers ourselves. What we did on our vehicles and trailers were every time we had it jacked up to change a tire or other reasons we would check the bearings by grabbing the wheel and see if there was any movement or looseness from side to side and up and down. If not the bearings were fine and if they did we would break the hub down and visually check the bearing otherwise we would just add new grease once a year. The bearings are really tough and can stand up to a lot of abuse and the grease made for them is some really tough grease that does not break down that easy. The one thing that will break down the grease quicker than anything is water. The only time we would pack the bearings were when we put in new one's and then you have to because they have no grease on them at all. If we did change out the bearings with new ones the race will need replacing also. That is the part that the bearings ride on. If not the new bearing you put in will go bad in no time. I wonder how many of those people on the other site do that. Some people might say what I am doing is wrong but it doesn't really bother me because I know what I am doing from experience. If people feel like they need to break down their hubs and check their bearings once a year is fine, just a lot of trouble if you ask me.


Leon

[Slingshot]

Leon, I could not agree anymore with your statment!!!!!! I pretty much do all the same as you &
never lost a bearing in any vehicle or trailer I have owned. But the way my luck has gone the
last couple of weeks it could happen anytime------ but that is another story.

[Wolfpackers]

Hmmm. Estimating the mileage from the factory to two dealerships before I bought the 5'er, it now has just over 8000 miles on it, 7200 since I got it 2 yrs ago. I drive THRU a creek 4 times each May (12 times total now) and the water level probably 12-18" deep. It's possible the bearing are exposed to crick water for a short time.

I wonder if I should break 'em down ? I don't think mine have a grease fitting on them.

[Crawfish]

Brent, the type of hubs that come on campers are the same type hubs they put on boat trailers. The grease fitting is located right in the center of the hub. There should be a rubber stopper there that you can remove and under it is the fitting. These hubs are pretty water tight so I would go as far as to say the bearings should be fine, just need to change the grease in them. To replace the grease just do the same thing Bob did and you should be fine. It wouldn't hurt to jack up the wheels and check for any movement of the whole wheel from side to side and up and down. If there is then break down the hub and check the bearings.


Leon

[Wolfpackers]

Thanks Leon, I'll add that to the list of things to do on the camper. I hope I have grease fittings, had to change a tire last year and just don't recall seeing one after removing the lugs and cover piece that fits between the lugs. I do know there's a rubber piece on the end of it tho.

Brent

[Contender*]

Just my opinion here but I believe the "paranoia" over wheel bearing breakdowns have come from boat trailers. I am slightly anal about checking my bearings once a year on all my trailers but I don't repack every time. If I find a little play in the hub I'll break it down and check the grease, if the grease looks like it's breaking down or kinda milky (water) then I'll clean good and repack. If the grease looks good I just tighten the nut a flat at a time till the hub no longer has play in it.

[Crawfish]

Contender*, on Jun 7 2009, 09:03 PM, said:

Just my opinion here but I believe the "paranoia" over wheel bearing breakdowns have come from boat trailers. I am slightly anal about checking my bearings once a year on all my trailers but I don't repack every time. If I find a little play in the hub I'll break it down and check the grease, if the grease looks like it's breaking down or kinda milky (water) then I'll clean good and repack. If the grease looks good I just tighten the nut a flat at a time till the hub no longer has play in it.

Welcome Contender. Glad you found us. That is basically what I do every year. Good advice.


Leon

[3LEES]

Same here. I check them for play and grease once a year.

Dan

[Reverie]

I have done my own hub and brake maintenance since I bought the trailer. This year I was experiencing a pull in the trailer brakes I couldn't fix so I took it to the people at 3-Way Camper in Marietta. They pulled my brakes and my hubs and repacked the bearings in the process. Here is what they suggested. First of all, the hubs on most Keystone products do not like being packed till the squirt. The issue is that they will most likely squirt at the back of the hub a lot earlier than the front so people (like me) tend to keep pushing it in. The grease at the back can gunk up the brakes (they did mine) and cause problems down the road. Someone posted a link to the hub manufacturer that illustrates how the grease actually flows through the hub assembly and I recall it also suggested no more than two squirts and specifically warned against filling till it squirted out.

These are my thoughts. Your results may vary...

Reverie