sealed wheel bearings

[RVnwithRAM]

I just bought a used 5th. wheel 2001 Sunnybrook with two slide outs and found out it has sealed wheel bearings . I have had owned 2 other campers which I always packed the bearings . Are these sealed bearings reliable and is there not any maintance to perform ? I haven't heard any one discuss this and was concerned that they will hold up ok and not leave me stranded on the side of the road some place. Any one have this type bearing on your rig?











95 Dodge Ram 2500 5 spd. #8TST Plate

AfE breather boost , egt, fuel pressure & eng. temp

gauges.

 

[Hoefler]

Sounds like Dexter axles. No real maintenance to them, after so many miles, you replace them. If you remove them, you have to use a torque wrench to reinstall them. There is no rule of thumb for them, they have to be torqued. Check with your dealer or Redneck trailer for information on them

 

[gathomas]

What do think the chances are those "sealed bearings" are made in china ??
A country not exactly known for metallurgical expertise, much less Quality control procedures.
This is the direction most all of these manufactures are going. As long as the eye candy looks good !! Most people will never know how the sausage is made or where. This applies to our trucks as well, no matter the brand.

Their ultimate goal is to make it near impossible for most of us to work on our vehicles - more $$$ for the service dept.

 

[ata]

You have to remember that a lot of cars and trucks have been using sealed wheel bearings for years. Even dodge has been using them on the front of there 4X4's since 1994. Are they any good, just like anything else some last some don't. The thing I like about them is you run them until they go bad. All you have to do is jack the tire off the ground and grab the top and the bottom and rock it. If you feel alot of movement back and forth it needs to be replaced. How often should this be done? Whatever makes you happy. I do it about every 1000 miles.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

You have to remember that a lot of cars and trucks have been using sealed wheel bearings for years. Even dodge has been using them on the front of there 4X4's since 1994. Are they any good, just like anything else some last some don't. The thing I like about them is you run them until they go bad. All you have to do is jack the tire off the ground and grab the top and the bottom and rock it. If you feel alot of movement back and forth it needs to be replaced. How often should this be done? Whatever makes you happy. I do it about every 1000 miles.

YUP - other than wheels that are used in wet or submerged applications, such as boat trailers, I like sealed bearings. The typical older RV wheel bearings REQUIRED that they be completely removed, disassembled, re greased and reassembled with new seals - and then carefully adjusted for proper "looseness" to avoid damage in use. That gets old after a few years - and leaves lots of room for various carelessness and misadjustment issues.



The Asians have been using their own bearings in Toyotas, Nissans, and others for decades now - and we don't see any unusual amounts of them alongside the roads with failed bearings as compared the supposedly "USA MADE" vehicles...



All things being equal, I'd trade the old style wheel bearings in our RV for sealed ones in a heartbeat!

 

[Hitchhiker-01]

You probably have Dexter Nev-R-Lube axles. Dexter had a few problems when they first came out. Dexter switched to an American made bearing, that solved the problem. Go to Dexter's web site, Dexter Axle - Trailer Axles and Running Gear Components - HOME. You will find all the info. you need. They may send you the Dexter Axle Operation Maintenance Manual. You need to know what your axle capacity is.

Jack

 

[HBarlow]

I agree with Gary above. The sealed bearings made by Dexter seem to be a good product. My HitchHiker fiver has the sealed bearings that don't require lubrication.

It's approaching three years of age and has never been serviced and been trouble free so far. With the old fashioned hand pack bearings I would have already had the pleasure of jacking up each wheel carrying 3,000 lbs. , removing eight lug bolts, removing a heavy wheel and tire, disassembling, cleaning, and repacking the bearings at least twice and be looking forward to another one in a few months. Somehow that doesn't strike me as fun anymore.

The Dexter bearing assemblies are good for five years, perhaps warrantied for five years.

I think you can find a downloadable service manual on the Dexter website that you can download and print for yourself.

 

[georgej]

The Dexter neverlube bearings are warranted for 5yr/100k miles. There is no maintainance to the bearings themselves but do continue to check the brakes on your rig every year. You will need a six point socket and the longest breaker bar you can find to break the nut loose. Remove a snap ring in the bore and slide the brake drum off the spindle. The torque setting for installation is 150 ft lbs. Pretty easy and clean project for a drum brake job.

I don't give any more worry to the neverlubes than I do to front axle bearings on my truck.

 

[RVnwithRAM]

Thank's to everyone for the good information you shared with me about the wheel bearings. I appriciate it very much.

Arlon

 

[THoltz]

Dexter never lube bearings are good for 5 years/100,000 miles per their website.



Dexter Axle - Trailer Axles and Running Gear Components - Nev-R-Lube Bearings