Wheel bearing maintenance schedule

[blubuckaroo]

We've got a 2019 Passport. We've put about 5000 miles on it.
I was looking at the Lippert axle manual that came with it, and it recommended bearing service every 1 year 12000 miles.

I tend to be a "maintenance nerd" when it comes to this stuff, and always do my own. Also, the manual has very good instructions with photos.

My question is, is it really due for this maintenance already?

[chuckster57]

Most of use the 1 year rather than miles unless your putting a LOT of miles on your unit. Make sure you replace the seals and DO NOT use the zerk fitting to add grease.

[KCSA75]

I wouldn't be worried about repacking wheel bearings at 5,000 miles. If it'll make you feel better pull the wheels and take a look, but I bet you'll find they're just fine.

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Most of use the 1 year rather than miles unless your putting a LOT of miles on your unit. Make sure you replace the seals and DO NOT use the zerk fitting to add grease.

This may have been discussed before but first I've heard this one. I was excited to see the zerk fittings on my Monty. I'm always willing to learn so why shouldn't I use them?

[chuckster57]

If you use the zerk and put too much grease in the bearings it will push out the back side of the seal. Then your brake pads and magnet get wet and wont work as designed. If the drum gets wet too, it can be cleaned but again your braking performance is greatly dimished.

there will be others that disagree with me, but after years of taking wheels and drums off to see why the customer complaint is "my brakes don't work anymore" I will NEVER recommend using the zerk.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by jsb5717

This may have been discussed before but first I've heard this one. I was excited to see the zerk fittings on my Monty. I'm always willing to learn so why shouldn't I use them?

If you follow the directions (most people don't) it will say something to the effect of do not use a pneumatic grease gun, raise the wheel off the ground and rotate the wheel while SLOWLY inserting the grease.

The theory is it works by inserting grease via a drilled orifice into the center of the spindle. The grease is supposed to flow in both directions, thru the braerings and push out the disk with zerk fitting. What typically happens is if the bearing has some old, stiff grease in it, or you apply too much grease pressure, the new grease will exit out the path of least resistance which typically is the inner grease seal. Then the grease give the brake linings and all the brake componets inside the drum a nice coating of fresh grease.

[tech740]

Originally Posted by flybouy

If you follow the directions (most people don't) it will say something to the effect of do not use a pneumatic grease gun, raise the wheel off the ground and rotate the wheel while SLOWLY inserting the grease.

The theory is it works by inserting grease via a drilled orifice into the center of the spindle. The grease is supposed to flow in both directions, thru the braerings and push out the disk with zerk fitting. What typically happens is if the bearing has some old, stiff grease in it, or you apply too much grease pressure, the new grease will exit out the path of least resistance which typically is the inner grease seal. Then the grease give the brake linings and all the brake componets inside the drum a nice coating of fresh grease.

The port is actually back by the seal and inner bearing. It goes through the inner bearing and out the front. I will not use mine again either last 5th wheel got all new brakes after I soaked the old ones in grease when a seal leaked.

[JRTJH]

Dexter and Lippert make axles for all types of trailers. For the most part, axles on a commercial trailer used daily for transport of commercial goods and is towed 100,000 miles a year are exactly the same axle (by part number) as an RV manufacturer will install on an RV that's used by a "weekend warrior" and towed 3,000 miles a year or a "full time RV'er" and towed 60,000 miles a year.

So, the "maintenance requirements" are written to cover both extremes of the "end user schedule"... Annually for those who tow "a little bit" and every 12,000 miles for those who might tow 200,000 miles a year.

Now comes the good part: If you've never taken your hubs off, inspected the bearings, brakes, seals, do you even know if the axle components were installed properly, greased properly at the factory during assembly and not damaged as they were stacked in piles at Keystone before installation on your trailer or "twisted and damaged" as the trailer was "pushed sideways on dollies" as it was moved down the assembly line.......

In other words, if the bearings have NEVER been inspected (since the trailer was delivered to you) it's a good idea to establish a "baseline" so you KNOW exactly what you have under your trailer and whether it even meets minimum expectations for the amount of grease and the proper installation of internal components.....

I'd recommend that if you haven't yet, that you do "hub/bearing/brake maintenance" so you have a "known condition" not a "expected and hope they did it right condition"..... After establishing that "baseline" then, depending on how much you tow, you could make a decision whether to do bearing maintenance annually (that's what I do) or defer to a "every 2 year plan" or ???? But, until you "know what condition they're in" the condition is an "unknown".....

Here's how your axles were treated "on the line" at Keystone before they were installed on your trailer. Prior to that, they were in a "stack behind the building", probably 100 or more on pallets, "out in the rain".

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by jsb5717

This may have been discussed before but first I've heard this one. I was excited to see the zerk fittings on my Monty. I'm always willing to learn so why shouldn't I use them?

The cheap a## seals, especially the originals, will let the grease pass through filling the brake drums full of grease which doesn't help the braking much.
Even if you follow the instructions, jacking up each wheel spinning while pumping grease slowly you still have no way of telling until you remove the brake drum whether it blew by or not. Personally will NEVER use the EZ lube zerks!!! The best way is to always hand pack the bearings, by doing so you can visually inspect the bearings, races & brake assemblies.
If this is a new trailer I'd definitely do the bearing maintenance now, some those folks putting then together at the factory aren't the sharpest pencils in the drawer, then you know the condition for next season & unless you travel lots of miles or don't mind doing the maintenance once a year should be good, if not traveled much every couple years.

[jsb5717]

All good to know. I appreciate the feedback and insight. It's always good to learn from the experience of those who have been there.

[CWtheMan]

I’ve inspected and repacked thousands of wheel bearings of all sizes. They are precision made from top stock materials. Very seldom do they fail without being damaged from improper service or installation.

Preventative maintenance is a $$ deal for service departments. So recommending maintenance intervals may not reflect on the ability of the materials involved. Bearing grease does not have a short shelf life. It’s very durable especially high temp grease. You’re not going to wear wheel bearings out unless they go dry for some reason or another.

When the RV trailer gets to the dealership from the factory without any telltale (visual) leakage or wheel wobble, there is a very high probably the wheel bearings were properly installed. Remember, damages from the factory to the consumer are very probably going to cause a recall action from the vehicle manufacturer or NHTSA.

However, I do recommend the removal and inspection for high mileage, or at the end of the first year of use. If you do not have the experience to properly inspect the bearings & seals; have the work performed by a bearing shop. When replacing your bearings, make sure you have the proper load capacity.

[blubuckaroo]

My '77 Bronco still has the original front wheel bearings at over 300K miles. I contribute that to my maintenance schedule of wheel bearings, gear boxes, and brake fluid after trout season each year. I use it for some deep water creek crossings to get to my favorite spot.

I learned to pack wheel bearings when I was twelve. We had a cotton farm, and dozen four wheel cotton trailers.
Dad took me out with a gallon of grease and a five gallon can of gasoline. He showed me, on the first one how to knock the seals out without ruining them, pack the bearings, and adjust them properly. The rest were mine each year until he sold the farm when I was thirty.

[fbird77]

I am a auto mechanic. It is cheaper to maintain than repair. Think of along the lines of changing oil.over time the grease degrades.now that said repack my bearings every spring. If only put a couple of thousand miles I would use a quality grease and repack every other year. For most people it'll be the age of the grease to cause problems, not the miles. As others have said replace the seals. Don't use the zero fittings they cause more problems. Most of my commercial customers have them repacked once a year, typically when the dot inspection is done.

[bobbecky]

Just as important as packing new grease into the bearings is the inspection of the brakes. Last fall, I did my annual bearing repack and brake inspection on our rig, and out of the four brakes, one was broken and several parts were gone, ground up inside the drum. These were Dexter self adjusting brakes and were in excellent condition the year before at the last maintenance. There was no prior indication of a problem with any of the brakes, but this one was no longer providing any braking action. If I had not done the annual maintenance, this would have never been discovered and we had only 3/4 of the braking ability the way it was. Like has already been suggested, do the annual maintenance to keep yourself and others safe.

[blubuckaroo]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

Just as important as packing new grease into the bearings is the inspection of the brakes. Last fall, I did my annual bearing repack and brake inspection on our rig, and out of the four brakes, one was broken and several parts were gone, ground up inside the drum. These were Dexter self adjusting brakes and were in excellent condition the year before at the last maintenance. There was no prior indication of a problem with any of the brakes, but this one was no longer providing any braking action. If I had not done the annual maintenance, this would have never been discovered and we had only 3/4 of the braking ability the way it was. Like has already been suggested, do the annual maintenance to keep yourself and others safe.

This is another reason I do my own brakes and hubs. I've worked in licensed brake shops, and I've seen how they push the work through.

[nrkmann]

Lugs are not rusty so I doubt that these were in the rain.

[Roscommon48]

Keep it simple.....I'd just do it once a year and check everything out.

[linux3]

JHMO, every year we store our TT indoors.
Every year, in April I get the trailer and drive to the dealer for a delux de-winterize and bearing repack.
We put around 12k miles a year and have had no problems. Maybe I'm just lucky.
I winterize myself but the delux includes sanitizing and I like tha and don't want to do itt. Do the wheel bearings need repack? Shrug.
Do I feel better pulling for the next season? Yes.
Could I do it myself? Maybe but I don't want to.
In the grand scheme of things this is not a major issue. Pick what you feel good about and makes your travels relaxing.

[Astroinfidel]

I bought a used 2009 Everest, and the dealer told me that the bearings had just been repacked. I put 20,000 miles on it, and when I took them for a repack in Yuma, the mechanic said they looked fine and didn't need it. Not sure why wheel bearings in cars and pickups are usually good for at the very least 50,000 miles, yet we consider repacking the RV wheel bearings as low as every 5000 miles. Lack of use in the off season maybe? But wouldn't everything stay coated with grease and not corrode even if sitting all winter?

Dean

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Astroinfidel

I bought a used 2009 Everest, and the dealer told me that the bearings had just been repacked. I put 20,000 miles on it, and when I took them for a repack in Yuma, the mechanic said they looked fine and didn't need it. Not sure why wheel bearings in cars and pickups are usually good for at the very least 50,000 miles, yet we consider repacking the RV wheel bearings as low as every 5000 miles. Lack of use in the off season maybe? But wouldn't everything stay coated with grease and not corrode even if sitting all winter?

Dean

Most modern vehicles have sealed ball or roller bearings that are not serviceable. The trailer has conical open cage bearings. The RV bearings are subjected to different loads and stresses such as tire scuffing during tight turning maneuvers.