twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted September 14, 2018 Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 Can someone help me out. We've put a good amount of miles on this rig (probably at least 15k), so I"m guessing it's time to "repack" them? The dealership wants to charge $70/tire, so $280 for our 5th wheel. Help me understand exactly what this part does, can the work be done at home and is there any indication of a possible failure, before it actually happens? Thank you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shaffecv 12 Posted September 14, 2018 Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 Do the axles have EZ lube hubs? (A rubber cap in the middle of the lug nuts with a grease fitting under it .) If it does you just need to jack the wheel off the ground and put a pump or two of wheel bearing grease in the fitting while spinning the tire. Our race trailer has well over 70,000 miles and that's all that I've ever done, usually twice a year. If you don't have EZ lube hubs $70 per wheel is not a bad price. Just be sure they are installing new seals because they must be removed in order to grease the bearings. And should not be re used. While jacked up grab the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and wiggle it. There should not be any play or the bearing will need to be torqued. Which is a bit complicated if you have never done it. But can be learned through YOUTUBE. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ImDownWithDisney 342 Posted September 14, 2018 Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 I have EZ lube axles but I still take them down and inspect. Basic procedure is... Remove hubs and inspect drums and brake mechanism Remove bearings and clean in kerosene, inspect bearings and races for roughness/pitting, etc Hand pack bearings with a good grease Install new seals and reassemble, set pre load, and adjust brakes if necessary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ImDownWithDisney 342 Posted September 14, 2018 Report Share Posted September 14, 2018 And yes failure is a possibility. I've lost a whole hub and wheel on the road. I had to leave the trailer on the shoulder, go buy a hub and brake, cut the bearing inner race off of the spindle, hand polish the gauled spindle, and reassemble on the side of the highway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted September 15, 2018 Report Share Posted September 15, 2018 $70 per wheel sounds reasonable to me. The bearings are what carry the load of the trailer on the wheel axle. As the grease ages it can harden and not lubricate as it should or if it has been overheated relocated away from the axle. That means more friction and more wear of the bearing and/or spindle. You might get lucky and have some forewarning such as abnormal tire wear, grinding noise, etc but are more likely to have no warning other than the failure of the parts. Imdown gave the basic procedure. It isn't overly complicated but it one of the dirtier jobs as you are dealing with grease and laying on the ground under the trailer if you need to adjust the brakes. Torquing the wheel axle nut takes a bit on knowledge on how the parts should feel once properly torqued. You also need to take care not to get grease on the brake shoes or dirt on the bearings/axles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted September 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2018 On 9/14/2018 at 5:07 PM, shaffecv said: Do the axles have EZ lube hubs? (A rubber cap in the middle of the lug nuts with a grease fitting under it .) If it does you just need to jack the wheel off the ground and put a pump or two of wheel bearing grease in the fitting while spinning the tire. Our race trailer has well over 70,000 miles and that's all that I've ever done, usually twice a year. If you don't have EZ lube hubs $70 per wheel is not a bad price. Just be sure they are installing new seals because they must be removed in order to grease the bearings. And should not be re used. While jacked up grab the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and wiggle it. There should not be any play or the bearing will need to be torqued. Which is a bit complicated if you have never done it. But can be learned through YOUTUBE. I don't know what type we have... the rig is at the dealership right now. Thanks for the feedback :) On 9/14/2018 at 7:00 PM, ImDownWithDisney said: I have EZ lube axles but I still take them down and inspect. Basic procedure is... Remove hubs and inspect drums and brake mechanism Remove bearings and clean in kerosene, inspect bearings and races for roughness/pitting, etc Hand pack bearings with a good grease Install new seals and reassemble, set pre load, and adjust brakes if necessary See... I kind-of understand what you're saying and I have no idea what you're saying. It's been a long day, so I'll need to google/YouTube all of this stuff. The shop that installed our tires, is going to rotate and balance them on Monday. They charge $50/axle to repack the bearings. I figured I'd go this way, this time... simply so I can have the benefit of watching what they do. This way I'll now at least a little more, than I do right now. LOL 37 minutes ago, keith_h said: $70 per wheel sounds reasonable to me. The bearings are what carry the load of the trailer on the wheel axle. As the grease ages it can harden and not lubricate as it should or if it has been overheated relocated away from the axle. That means more friction and more wear of the bearing and/or spindle. You might get lucky and have some forewarning such as abnormal tire wear, grinding noise, etc but are more likely to have no warning other than the failure of the parts. Imdown gave the basic procedure. It isn't overly complicated but it one of the dirtier jobs as you are dealing with grease and laying on the ground under the trailer if you need to adjust the brakes. Torquing the wheel axle nut takes a bit on knowledge on how the parts should feel once properly torqued. You also need to take care not to get grease on the brake shoes or dirt on the bearings/axles. Thank you :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted September 15, 2018 Report Share Posted September 15, 2018 5 minutes ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: he shop that installed our tires, is going to rotate and balance them on Monday. They charge $50/axle to repack the bearings. I figured I'd go this way, this time... simply so I can have the benefit of watching what they do. This way I'll now at least a little more, than I do right now. LOL $50 is a lot better than $70. Any competent mechanic should be able to repack the bearings as the procedure is pretty much the same on any axle whether a trailer or vehicle. The same goes for the drum brakes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted September 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2018 Just now, keith_h said: $50 is a lot better than $70. Any competent mechanic should be able to repack the bearings as the procedure is pretty much the same on any axle whether a trailer or vehicle. The same goes for the drum brakes. Well.. they are charging $50 per AXLE (so $100 total) compared to $70/wheel ($280 total). I honestly do think we have an EZ lube axle because the rig is new (I think that's all Lippert puts out, as of 2012 or so. I think....). But, we'll see. Either way, figured it was a good way to familiarize myself with what that area looks like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ftwildernessguy 778 Posted September 16, 2018 Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 I used to do my own when I had a smaller trailer. Now I pay my guy when it goes in for inspection. I have ez lube hubs, never use em. If you get too enthusiastic with the grease it can squirt thru the rear seal and get on the brakes. Not a good thing. Ez lube was meant to be used on boat trailers, but somewhere some RV manufacturer decided it was a great idea for RV's. djsamuel 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted September 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 2 hours ago, ftwildernessguy said: I used to do my own when I had a smaller trailer. Now I pay my guy when it goes in for inspection. I have ez lube hubs, never use em. If you get too enthusiastic with the grease it can squirt thru the rear seal and get on the brakes. Not a good thing. Ez lube was meant to be used on boat trailers, but somewhere some RV manufacturer decided it was a great idea for RV's. Sadly, it feels like most of an RV is made up of something that really shouldn't be used to construct an RV. We honestly believe that ours is put together by glue and staples...yet it is "designed" to be driven down a road? Sigh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted September 16, 2018 Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 14 hours ago, keith_h said: $70 per wheel sounds reasonable to me. The bearings are what carry the load of the trailer on the wheel axle. Yep, about 1 hr per wheel to do it right. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 I use the infrared heat gun to check bearingsnat every stop. Since I got the tps, I need something to do. 🙂 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 9 hours ago, caveat lector said: I use the infrared heat gun to check bearingsnat every stop. Since I got the tps, I need something to do. 🙂 Haha. I thought about getting an infrared heat gun...but then we got the tpms for our rig. caveat lector 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 3 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: Haha. I thought about getting an infrared heat gun...but then we got the tpms for our rig. Splurge and get one at Harbor Freight when they are on sale. They are fun to play with. I got one to check the stone temps in my pizza oven. And now my wife uses it to check the temps of her heat press. It even has a laser pointer built in to help you aim it. caveat lector 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ftwildernessguy 778 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 They are also good for checking the air temp coming out of your AC ducts. caveat lector 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Just now, ftwildernessguy said: They are also good for checking the air temp coming out of your AC ducts. And cats can chase the red dot! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 5 hours ago, Travisma said: Splurge and get one at Harbor Freight when they are on sale. They are fun to play with. I got one to check the stone temps in my pizza oven. And now my wife uses it to check the temps of her heat press. It even has a laser pointer built in to help you aim it. Sounds like I may need to reconsider one... 5 hours ago, ftwildernessguy said: They are also good for checking the air temp coming out of your AC ducts. Oh, I hadn't thought of that!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LONE-STAR 370 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 On 9/14/2018 at 6:04 PM, ImDownWithDisney said: And yes failure is a possibility. I've lost a whole hub and wheel on the road. I had to leave the trailer on the shoulder, go buy a hub and brake, cut the bearing inner race off of the spindle, hand polish the gauled spindle, and reassemble on the side of the highway. I was setting here looking at campers, then you remind why I don't want one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ImDownWithDisney 342 Posted September 18, 2018 Report Share Posted September 18, 2018 4 hours ago, LONE-STAR said: I was setting here looking at campers, then you remind why I don't want one. Lol I just saved you some $ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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