Wheel bearing maintenance

[ChuckS]

Personally Id look at those OEM bearings before spending money on bearings and races that might not be needed at all.. And Timken bearings arent any better than Dexter OEM bearings and races... IMO

The 10-36 double lipped seal can be found at most good auto parts and trailer stores as well as on line

The bearing and race numbers previously posted can also be found at most decent auto parts stores

My axle bearings .. 7K Dexter axles.. 2014 Alpine... over 35K miles... Cleaned and hand packed once a year with Red & Tacky grease... the best you will ever use

No fancy bearing packer.. Old school palm method.. Been doing it this way for over 50 years now..

[German Shepherd Guy]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

JMHO, but I’ve been doing axle services on trailers for a while now. Can’t say I’ve seen many failures of the OEM bearings except in cases of poor maintenance. FWIW, I would clean them grease with good grease and run them.

Howdy Chuckster, Just want to make sure I understand what you are saying. I can clean and then repack the bearings I have? Reuse the race too?


This is another spring job on the list and I have never done it before so am a little trepidatious.


Thanks,
Oak

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

Howdy Chuckster, Just want to make sure I understand what you are saying. I can clean and then repack the bearings I have? Reuse the race too?


This is another spring job on the list and I have never done it before so am a little trepidatious.


Thanks,
Oak

I'll defer to Chuck to answer your specific questions, but it seems you're not familiar with the job of inspecting and repacking bearings on a travel trailer.

One fact that you should always consider is that any "bearing/race system" (for lack of a better term) is a "matched set". As the bearing rolls in the race, the small imperfections that are introduced when they are machined as individual components will make that specific bearing/race pair a "matched set". So, when you do your maintenance, ALWAYS maintain every bearing to its matched race. In other words, do not intermix parts. Keep each hub separate so you ALWAYS keep the pair together in the same hub upon reassembly.

DO NOT MIX BEARINGS AND RACES ON REASSEMBLY.

[LewisB]

I remove, clean, inspect, and (provided they are not pitted or worn) re-use the OE bearings - never had a problem with OE as long as they are serviced.

If the bearing is replaced, then you should always replace the matching race. I sent pictures of the label on the Dexter 7K axles of my 2018 Raptor to E-trailer who found correct part numbers. I purchased grease seals and one spare bearing & race for my parts drawer in case I ever needed it out on the road. Last I checked, E-trailer sells both Timken and other (China) bearings.

I've been using the following for years and always had good luck. Quick, easy, insures full grease, and a heck of a lot LESS messy!
https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-64...896413&sr=8-20

[Lee]

Hi,

I've used the "palm of the hand" method for 30 years and for the heck of it I tried this:

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-34550-H...omotive&sr=1-2

First I clean all old grease from the bearing then set it in and press (with hand pressure) new Red and Tacky into the bearing. Works like a champ.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Lee

Hi,

I've used the "palm of the hand" method for 30 years and for the heck of it I tried this:

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-34550-H...omotive&sr=1-2

First I clean all old grease from the bearing then set it in and press (with hand pressure) new Red and Tacky into the bearing. Works like a champ.

Current shop uses that. It works great!!

[Rdynbama]

Hey Chuckster I did a quick inspection and measured seal and got bearing numbers and found one wheel that grease had gotten past the seal and was on the pads and magnet so it’s a good thing I checked. Keeping in mind this was on a one year old rv that came from the factory that way
Everything thing else looked fine and after reading your post I can’t say I’ve had any problem with oem bearings as long as they are maintained
So I’m gonna get some good grease and the next weekend I have off do a thorough cleaning ,inspect and re pack
Btw I found another problem both front jacks are leaking oil!

[ChuckS]

First I would download this Dexter axle service manual and read it. There is a section specific to wheel bearing maintenance and also covers the minor difference in the EZ lube clip ... which you have versus the old style cotter pin.

Critical step .. IMO when reinstalling hub and axle nut is the INITAL nut torque to 50 Ft lbs... then back off nut till finger loose and finger tight to install EZ clip

IF you use Timken bearings their initial torque is different that OEM Dexter bearings... theris is 25 ft lbs..

Dexter service manual...
https://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/defa...sn=cfe1e328_42

Dexter video on how to remove, clean and inspect, lube and install bearings, seal, and steps to torque axle nut and back off

https://www.dexteraxle.com/resources...ng-maintenance

Timken trailer bearing Torque Info

https://www.timken.com/wp-content/up...eplacement.pdf

Pics of my Dexter OEM race with 35K miles of towing and a few pics .. dont get stingy with the grease but wipe off any that might stick out past new bearing seal once it is seated in the hub

[chuckster57]

RV-
Repair

Vehicle

[Rdynbama]

Thanks
I have the manual downloaded on the desktop and have watched the video from Dexter
What grease are you using?

[ChuckS]

Red & Tacky for the last several decades is all I use on wheel bearings on my RV and motorcycles .. suspension also

[markcee]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Current shop uses that. It works great!!

Ditto for me. First trailer, and I never did a bearing repack on anything in my life. The hand method looked pretty time consuming so I bought the Lisle after seeing it on an RV Youtube video and it worked outstanding. I cleaned off old exterior grease with brake cleaner, inspected each bearing and then it thru the Lisle 3x to remove the old and insert the new. It made quick work out of the job. Worth the $20 for a newb like me!

[Rdynbama]

Ten four thank you
That’s Lucas right?

[ChuckS]

Yup

https://lucasoil.com/products/grease/red-n-tacky-grease

[xrated]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

On the Dexter 7,000 lb axle, the inner bearing will be 25580 with the race 25520. The outer bearing will be 14125A with the race 14276. You will use 10-36 seals for this axle. The bearing and race numbers are not Dexter numbers, but are industry standard numbers, so you can get any manufacturer's bearings with these numbers and they are the same. The seal number is the Dexter number K71-305-00, but the 10-36 will get you the correct number seal. If you go to page 80 of the manual, at this link, you will see the bearings, which they refer to as the cone, and the races are referred to as the cup. Page 78 has the seals, and the entire manual is an excellent thing to have, as it has everything you need to know about their axles, torques, and all maintenance. https://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/defa...sn=cfe1e328_42

Thank you for that link. I guess I kind of new there should be something like that manual on the Dexter site, I just hadn't looked for it yet. I downloaded it and put in my Documents in my trailer folder.

[Rdynbama]

I have the manual downloaded and thanks for the info

[GHen]

Just in case someone is reading this with a Lippert axel. I have a 2017 5200# axels and when I pulled the brake drums off to repack the wheel bearing, the brakes were covered with grease. I now understand there is a class action lawsuit against Lippert because of safety issues. The problem is that during manufacturing the seal surface still has the lathe marks on the axle journal. The roughness acts like a file to prematurely wear the seal.

In my case, I was able to smooth the surface and installed new seals (and Timken bearing and new brake assemblies). Everything seems to be fine now but only time will tell after a few more trips. My braking ability improved dramatically.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by GHen

Just in case someone is reading this with a Lippert axel. I have a 2017 5200# axels and when I pulled the brake drums off to repack the wheel bearing, the brakes were covered with grease. I now understand there is a class action lawsuit against Lippert because of safety issues. The problem is that during manufacturing the seal surface still has the lathe marks on the axle journal. The roughness acts like a file to prematurely wear the seal.

In my case, I was able to smooth the surface and installed new seals (and Timken bearing and new brake assemblies). Everything seems to be fine now but only time will tell after a few more trips. My braking ability improved dramatically.

A few years ago there was a rash of seal failures on the new Grand Design reflections. Of all the failures I saw, I never saw any deformities on the spindles.

[GHen]

In this case I could run my fingernail across the journals and it would catch in the groves left by the lathe. I don’t know how they finish them after they are cut, but they must have missed both of mine. I never looked any further into the lawsuit since I believe I solved my issue.

[skids]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Personally Id look at those OEM bearings before spending money on bearings and races that might not be needed at all.. And Timken bearings arent any better than Dexter OEM bearings and races... IMO

The 10-36 double lipped seal can be found at most good auto parts and trailer stores as well as on line

The bearing and race numbers previously posted can also be found at most decent auto parts stores

My axle bearings .. 7K Dexter axles.. 2014 Alpine... over 35K miles... Cleaned and hand packed once a year with Red & Tacky grease... the best you will ever use

No fancy bearing packer.. Old school palm method.. Been doing it this way for over 50 years now..

Your hand doesn’t look that old. It must have something to do with the nutrients in the red & tacky grease!