Burnt bearing, axle damaged, need tow truck

gmucha · 08-16-2021, 04:50 PM

Advice needed please:

Recently on a 5 hr trip, we burnt out a wheel bearing which caused damage to the axle and it needed to be replaced. BTW, I did have the unit in to the shop in May to have new tires put on and requested them to service the hubs, which apparently was missed. We have a 30' tongue to bumper travel trailer. We called for a tow using the roadside assistance coverage from Progressive. 9 hours later a flat bed tow truck arrived. The camper was too large to put on the flat bed.

What is the proper way to tow a camper with a damaged axle? I will eagerly await your responses before I tell you about the nightmare we experienced.

Thanks,

Glenn

Marcm157 · 08-16-2021, 05:06 PM

A low boy trailer would be my best suggestion. As second option the tow company may be able to use wheel dolly's.

**Midnightmoon** · 08-16-2021, 05:08 PM

If you are stuck along the roadway, you could remove the wheel and tie up the axle to the frame with a ratchet strap. That will allow you to move to a safe location on 3 wheels (assuming your your trailer is dual axle) to work on it. Hopefully, a mobile RV service or even a commercial Truck/Trailer can meet you there to fix it.

**norty1** · 08-16-2021, 05:57 PM

I have a buddy whose Nevr Lube bearing froze up and welded to the axle. He drug it into a truck stop very slowly and next morning called a trailer repair service. They ordered a new axle with everything attached and brought it out in a few days and replaced it in the truck stop parking lot.

I think a couple of new tires were in order also!

gmucha · 08-16-2021, 07:09 PM

First off the belly side of the trailer is sealed so there is not option to tie up the axle to that.

Tow 1: The option did not work at first because the dolly is not wide enough to accommodate the width of trailer tires. The dolly was finally attached to the inside of the axle on the damaged side with a ratchet strap and connected to the tire of the opposite side. The driver did not have the 2 5/16 ball and wanted to tow it with a 2" ball. I had to tow the leaning camper 20 miles on winding mountain roads to a shop.

Tow 2: The same company assured us they could fix it. They returned, removed the second tire on the damaged axle and towed it 50 miles to their shop (3 hrs from home). Mind you its a 30 foot trailer. We watched him travel down the highway at 40 mph bouncing our back axle over every bridge expansion joint.

The trailer is at another axle shop at home after I noticed the equalizer was contacting the frame mount. The front axle, leaf springs, and shackles damaged and need to be replaced as well. My best guess is that that occurred during the first 2 tows.

if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any.

Marine71-76 · 08-16-2021, 07:32 PM

Just an FYI since it is not clear on your post...whenever you break down, it is advisable to call law enforcement. Why? They will actually come out & assess the situation & get you the correct equipment needed to move your unit.

Yes, been there but with a larger 5ver. Although we did call the police when the tire sheared from the hub we were in very difficult area to get cell service. The State Troop saw us the next morning & politely scolded us for not calling the police. Once we showed him our cell phones, he said he would speak to the 911 staff (not sure that really happened). Anyway he said he would have been able to get the correct equipment dispatched instead of us having to spend the night along I-70 in the middle of nowhere Utah.

And when our F450 stopped running while towing (on the freeway no less), the police stayed behind us until the tow truck could get to us.

Woodworker · 08-17-2021, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine71-76

Just an FYI since it is not clear on your post...whenever you break down, it is advisable to call law enforcement. Why? They will actually come out & assess the situation & get you the correct equipment needed to move your unit.

Yes, been there but with a larger 5ver. Although we did call the police when the tire sheared from the hub we were in very difficult area to get cell service. The State Troop saw us the next morning & politely scolded us for not calling the police. Once we showed him our cell phones, he said he would speak to the 911 staff (not sure that really happened). Anyway he said he would have been able to get the correct equipment dispatched instead of us having to spend the night along I-70 in the middle of nowhere Utah.

And when our F450 stopped running while towing (on the freeway no less), the police stayed behind us until the tow truck could get to us.

Being a tow truck driver in my other life the other good thing about calling the police or State Trooper is when they call a wrecker service it's one they have a contract with. Since bids go out every year not only do they have a timed response but the tow rates are much lower. Any State Trooper or City Police call we answered the tow was around $35 up to 20 miles verse the $60 for the first 10 miles charged for a regular tow. I used to tell everybody I knew if you need assistance on the side of the road call the police you'll save money and hassle.

us71na · 08-17-2021, 06:29 AM

Your axle may have been serviced but it was done improperly. If the bearings were repacked and the mechanic over tightened the axle nut, the bearing would over heat and cause the problem.

RedHorse1 · 08-17-2021, 07:33 AM

I’m “armchair quarterbacking” your problem but a TPMS might have alerted you. Not 100% sure if it would have saved the day tho. The hot bearing would have to heat the hub which would heat the rim which would have to heat the air in the tire enough to be detected. Kind of a Rube Goldberg chain of events.
Side story, my neighbor had a dry bearing that spun on the spindle and scored it a bit. I was able to dress it with a file and save the axle.

**Midnightmoon** · 08-17-2021, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by us71na

Your axle may have been serviced but it was done improperly. If the bearings were repacked and the mechanic over tightened the axle nut, the bearing would over heat and cause the problem.

This is a very good point. It wouldn't be the first time in recent memory that someone has had a failure after supposed bearing service at a dealer/shop.

I'm really particular about a lot of maintenance and bearings are one of those things pretty much best to leave alone unless we do the service ourselves and can be sure that they are done correctly.

gmucha · 08-18-2021, 09:50 AM

Thanks for all the advice. I definitely have had a fast track education on trailer suspension and bearing maintenance. In addition, I will always call law enforcement first and make sure I request a low boy trailer if a tow is needed. Any other method is unacceptable for a tandem axle trailer.

On another note, Progressive finally got back to us and seems initially very helpful about help out and reimbursing us for damages that occurred. We will see if that comes to fruition. Make sure you take lots of pictures is there is ever an issue to support your claim.

Cincinnati Kid · 08-18-2021, 10:18 AM

The question is- do you trust your dealership to do the work right? If not, you need to find someone else, or learn how to do it yourself.
Towable wheel service is something that can be learned, and requires minimal tools.

16WhiteColly · 08-18-2021, 11:57 AM

If you go to the Lippert Components website, under support documentation, there will be an Axle Service Manual that will explain the entire process for axle maintenance. It takes longer to jack up the trailer, than it does to clean and pack the bearings.

Jim Davis · 08-18-2021, 12:34 PM

This is also why I drive my DW crazy by pulling over after about ten miles on the first day and physically touch each wheel hub. I also do it at every stop, food, gas latrine, etc.

Marine71-76 · 08-18-2021, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Davis

This is also why I drive my DW crazy by pulling over after about ten miles on the first day and physically touch each wheel hub. I also do it at every stop, food, gas latrine, etc.

We don't stop after the first 10 miles but we definitely check at every stop. That is how we found our tires were rubbing on the kitchen slide.

Yooper906 · 08-21-2021, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 16WhiteColly

If you go to the Lippert Components website, under support documentation, there will be an Axle Service Manual that will explain the entire process for axle maintenance. It takes longer to jack up the trailer, than it does to clean and pack the bearings.

It takes longer to jack up the trailer, than it does to clean and pack the bearings? Not in my experience. Cleaning and packing bearings involves jacking the trailer, pulling the wheel, then you can pop the dust cap off and pull the cotter pin and unloosen the castle nut. Then pull the hub. If you really want to clean the bearings, buy the seals. Pry out the rear seal, wash the bearing and repack. Front bearing is already out, repack same way. Keep things clean, put everything back together and torque castle nut to 50 lbs, then unloosen back to the next slot on the cast nut. Spin the wheel by hand. Should turn freely. I don't know how you are doing a clean and repack in less time than it takes to raise your camper.

Lynn Bauer · 08-21-2021, 02:21 PM

We had same issue, however husband caught it in time before we damaged axle. This was how we had to go. Thank goodness there were no low bridges on the way to the repair facility. Backing onto the trailer was pretty tricky.

Bill Johnson · 08-21-2021, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yooper906

It takes longer to jack up the trailer, than it does to clean and pack the bearings? Not in my experience. Cleaning and packing bearings involves jacking the trailer, pulling the wheel, then you can pop the dust cap off and pull the cotter pin and unloosen the castle nut. Then pull the hub. If you really want to clean the bearings, buy the seals. Pry out the rear seal, wash the bearing and repack. Front bearing is already out, repack same way. Keep things clean, put everything back together and torque castle nut to 50 lbs, then unloosen back to the next slot on the cast nut. Spin the wheel by hand. Should turn freely. I don't know how you are doing a clean and repack in less time than it takes to raise your camper.

If you pull out the outside bearing and put the nut back on the axle, pull the wheel toward you the rear bearing and seal come right off.

Hollander Mutthaulers · 08-21-2021, 05:38 PM

I have a quite-trusted frame-axel-brake shop repack or replace our trailer bearings every spring. Costs about $140 and is well-worth the security. I also carry a complete spare set of bearings and check for heat at most stops. We tend to travel long distances at 65-70 mph which is rough on trailer bearings.

After about 3,500 miles this spring I noticed some grease streaks from under the cap. Not sure what that means, but will contact the above shop. Would appreciate any thoughts on how serious loosing some grease from the bearing is. Is that normal or should it be repacked?

dxrobertson · 08-21-2021, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Davis

This is also why I drive my DW crazy by pulling over after about ten miles on the first day and physically touch each wheel hub. I also do it at every stop, food, gas latrine, etc.

Exactly. Every stop grasp all outer hubs. If have hubcaps, can also reach around behind and grasp where axle meets hub. Feel the heat.

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