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How often should you grease trailer bearings?
When Should You Grease Your Bearings With a larger travel trailer, you should grease your trailer wheel bearings every 10,000 miles or once a year, whichever comes first. If you have a smaller travel trailer, however, you’ll need to grease your wheel bearings every 2,000 miles.
How do I know if my trailer bearings need grease?
Keep your hand on the wheel and spin it. If you feel any motion that is not smooth, hear any noises, or if the wheel does not spin freely, the wheel bearing is defective or needs lubrication.
Can you over grease trailer bearings?
There’s no such thing as too much grease for bearings! You would not pack grease in the hub otherwise and not in the drum since the brakes would not be able to grab with grease in the hub. Grease caps, dust caps, and bearing protectors have to be installed right to avoid losing them.
How much grease do you put in a trailer wheel bearing?
It is equally important to retain the grease around the bearing. For traditional greases (NLGI Nos. 1 and 2), pump a ring of grease into the entire circumference of the wheel hub and coat the hub cap inner wall. The housing should only be half full of grease.
Can you put too much grease in a bearing?
When it comes to regreasing bearings, more is not always the better option and actually can be a costly mistake. Too much grease volume (overgreasing) in a bearing cavity will cause the rotating bearing elements to begin churning the grease, pushing it out of the way, resulting in energy loss and rising temperatures.
Should trailer wheel bearings have play?
For adequate trailer wheel bearing maintenance, you need to check your bearings on a regular basis. Check wheels for side-to-side looseness – There should be a very slight amount of play in the wheel, typically 1/8-inch or less. If the wheels are loose or spin with a wobble, the bearings must be serviced or replaced.
How much grease should you put in a bearing?
FOR STARTERS, note that most sealed bearings come pre-greased from the factory with a 25%-35% grease fill. This is all the grease the bearings will ever need, because the relubrication interval (explained below) is longer than the expected life of the bearing.
What kind of grease do you use for trailer bearings?
LMX Red Grease A heavy-duty, premium grease rated for just about every application, including marine trailer-wheel bearings. It resists water well and sticks in place, so it’s excellent in outdoor applications, but it isn’t specially formulated for wheel bearings.
Are bearing buddies a good idea?
Bearing Buddies are a great way to keep grease in a trailer hub. I recommend them as long as you are aware that it’s very easy to put too much grease in a hub with these which will blow out the seal. They have no problem being used on longer road trips so the would work well for you.
Do I grease a tow ball?
You do not need to grease your trailer hitch ball. That is entirely up to you. However, greasing it is recommended. Greasing will help ensure that the trailer hitch ball keeps its structural integrity, and it will help prevent it from squeaking.
How do you know when a Bearing Buddy is full?
The air pockets inside the hub cavity and Bearing Buddy® will work their way out past the piston (or blue ring) on the Bearing Buddy®. You should see the piston extend out or the blue ring past the front of the Bearing Buddy® when it’s properly filled.
How warm should trailer bearings get?
About 130-140 is too hot to touch and anything above that probably too hot for a wheel bearing. Compare it to your hot water temp at home. If you can’t touch the wheel then I would consider them too hot… warm to the touch is OK.
How long do bearing buddies last?
Some experts give them a life span of 85,000 to 100,000 miles.
Why does bearing temperature increase after greasing?
Too much grease builds pressure, pushing the rolling elements through the fluid film and against the outer race. The bearing now has to work much harder to push the rolling elements through a mud bog of grease. The increased friction and pressure from too much grease raises the temperature inside the bearing.
What happens if you don’t grease bearings?
The inside of the bearing race of the wheel hub was likewise HOT, dry and had metal stuck to it. THAT’S what happens if you don’t grease the wheel bearings. They run dry, get hot, literally weld their parts to the hub and spindle, and the wheel falls off.
How much does it cost to repack trailer bearings?
Trailers tend to be cheaper to repack professionally (think $100-$200), but don’t underestimate the power of the upsells a mechanic might try to give you. If you’re serious about cash, you can likely save a few bucks by repacking your bearings yourself.
How much does it cost to replace bearings on a trailer?
Some Class A RV owners have stated that it cost anything from $300 to $500 to replace the bearings. Depending on how much you use your trailer and how many miles you get on it, you can wait till about 20,000 miles before your wheel bearing has to be repacked.
