Check your hubs

[nfisherman]

Maybe this will save someone problems. Check the grease in your hubs, even if you think you have a brand new trailer. I noticed that one of the hubs on my trailer was warm when I brought it home from storage last week for a trip this weekend. I pumped over 1/2 tube of grease into my hubs. They ran much cooler on my weekend trip and I gained 3 mpg while towing. There was a little bit of grease in the hubs but clearly not enough. I picked it up last month in “brand new” condition. It hadn’t been off of the dealer’s lot. I pulled it 850 miles to get home. I have no idea how I made it home without ruining a bearing. After finding this and a few other issues I’ve had, I wonder what I really bought for my mandatory $900 setup fee.

[spoon059]

Hopefully this will save some problems... check your brakes after cramming two tubes of grease into your bearings.

And 3 mpg gain from greasing your bearings...?

[us71na]

I would suggest pulling the brake drums and checking your brakes. Most likely you grease job blew out the seal and also greased your brakes!!!

[nfisherman]

Originally Posted by us71na

I would suggest pulling the brake drums and checking your brakes. Most likely you grease job blew out the seal and also greased your brakes!!!

😁 I know. It seems weird, but the mpg improvement was real. The improvement lasted for the out and back parts of our weekend trip. It wasn’t just a tailwind or something. No, I know how to grease these bearings. I didn’t blow out a seal and my brakes work fine.

However, I do plan to do a real repack of the bearings sometime when I have time just make sure that everything is ok. It’s hard for me to believe that nothing was damaged by insufficient grease.

[Midnightmoon]

Speaking of hubs, we followed a couple with an older Coachman TT in to the Flying J off of the Lamar exit of I-80 yesterday in PA. The right rear wheel on their trailer had a very profound lean to it. Most likely a hub/bearing failure.

We were both fueling at the RV islands and I mentioned to them about noticing their wheel as we were pulling in. They had no idea what I meant about the possible failure and drove off without even looking at it. I guess that all you can do is try sometime.

[travelingjw]

Let's just hope this doesn't end in a catastrophic failure that affects others.

[Scott91370]

Originally Posted by spoon059

...after cramming two tubes of grease into your bearings.

1/2 tube...

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by Scott91370

1/2 tube...

If it's a half tube per bearing, and 4 total bearings, my hand calculated math is 2 tubes.

[Lake Huron]

They all come from the factory like that, just enough grease on the bearings. What you did was fill the entire hub, big empty space between the inner and outer bearings with grease. That's why they took so much. Depending on the size hub you have, a half tube per hub is about right. I wouldnt be too worried about doing any damage due to "lack of grease" on them.
Just remember, when you grease them using the zerk fitting on the end of the spindle, make sure you have the wheel off the ground and you spin it while you are HAND PUMPING grease in there. Dont use a air or battery powered grease gun.

[nfisherman]

Originally Posted by spoon059

If it's a half tube per bearing, and 4 total bearings, my hand calculated math is 2 tubes.

I guess I should have been clearer. No. It was 1/2 tube for all four hubs, not 2 tubes total. That’s still a lot of grease for a trailer that should have been ready to go from the dealer.

[nfisherman]

Thanks, Lake Huron. That’s exactly what I did. Things seem fine now and i don’t notice any warmth in the hubs when I tow.

[Edutron]

Save all that trouble and convert to wet bearings and disc brakes. You'll wish you did!

[billcf7]

Originally Posted by edutron

save all that trouble and convert to wet bearings and disc brakes. You'll wish you did!

x 2

[linedriver]

Originally Posted by Edutron

Save all that trouble and convert to wet bearings and disc brakes. You'll wish you did!

Do you have links on how to convert to wet bearings and disc brakes?

[Lake Huron]

For anyone that has wet bearings, I have 3 wet bearing disc hubs I've been trying to get rid of.
Long and short of it when I did my conversion from drum to disc the company sent me 2 grease hubs and 2 wet hubs. I called and let them know of the issue and they were sending me 2 new grease hubs. Only one hub showed up and it was a wet hub also. The second hub was lost by fed ex. I did eventually get my correct hubs, it just took a little while. Thanks COVID!
They arent doing me any good sitting around my house. Make me an offer, I want them gone.

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

No hubs - no turning wheels - no trailer.

Each spring I take my trailer to an axle shop and have them repack or replace the bearings and check the brakes. I also have a complete set of bearings, races, seals in my spare parts box. It's worth every dime.

On the road, I check them often with my fingers or a thermometer.

[billcf7]

I know Moryde doesn’t offer wet hubs anymore cause they were having issues with caps cracking and oil leaking out

[Yooper906]

Originally Posted by billcf7

I know Moryde doesn’t offer wet hubs anymore cause they were having issues with caps cracking and oil leaking out

Just asking what is a Moryde "wet" hub?

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by Yooper906

Just asking what is a Moryde "wet" hub?

It's a hub where the center cap has a rubber seal and you fill it with a lubricant, many times it's a type of oil and as the wheel turns the oil lubricates the bearings. So instead of packing grease into the bearings the oil does the lubricating.

[OTR AGIN]

What is the preferred jack placement for raising tire enough to turn for wheel bearing greasing? Can both axles be lifted per side?

Thanx
Jerry