[NH_Bulldog]

I use the back of my hand to feel each of the wheels at a fuel stop. Not very scientific, but you can easily tell if one is hotter than the others.

On my recent trip, I found the driver’s side rear wheel very hot at a fuel stop. I jacked the wheel to check the bearings and found a broken spring hanger. We limped it to the next campground and got a welder to come out and weld the hanger. While I had the wheel off I decided to pull the hub and check the brakes and bearings. The bearings were good, but I repacked them anyway. However the brake pads fell out when I pulled the drum. It appears both the primary and secondary pads came unglued from the shoes and were binding in the drum creating the heat. The rest of the trip went good and there were no more temperature issues.

The likelihood of more than one wheel heating up at the same time is very low, so as much as I love gadgets, the back of my hand is all I need.