Trailer Bearings and seals

[BIGNASTY]

Im replacing the wheel bearings and seals in the TT are Timken and Chicago Rawhide products still what they were when I was younger or have the fallen to the way of China crap also. If so what to use now?

 

[jray]

I can't say for sure, what you'll find in the way of bearings for your particular trailer, but if I was going to replace them I'd go to NAPA auto parts. I recently replaced the wheels bearings on a chinese Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer. Went to NAPA and they cross-referenced the bearings to German made bearings. Yep they were expensive about 30 dollars a piece, but they'll probably outlast the rest of the trailer.

 

[VZarich]

There are no wheel bearing made in the USA any longer. To the best of my knowledge they are all made offshore. Very sad!

 

[BIGNASTY]

There are no wheel bearing made in the USA any longer. To the best of my knowledge they are all made offshore. Very sad!

Yes it is our Country is more and more dependent on others

 

[Jim W]

Here is the Timken Catalog for their aftermarket bearings and seals for Automotive and Light duty trucks use.

http://www.timken.com/EN-US/products/Documents/BSAC1990andNewerOrder7564.pdf



I would then look up for a Timken Distributor in your area to buy.

Jim W.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Thanks for the catalog. I was wondering if like everything else Timken has gone China. They were when I was a bit younger the main player in bearings and I didnt mind paying for the best but if its made in China I dought if the best still applies

 

[Jim W]

Would you consider Parker Hannifin, a major US manufacture of hydraulic fittings?

Well when I was retiring from the Big tractor company, that makes those Highway Yellow tractors in 09. We were buying fittings from PH and I found out that they have switched manufacturing to China, so they could be competitive in the hydraulic fitting market.

The rep from PH claimed they would stand by their fittings and no one could tell where they were manufactured. Regardless of what manufacturing country. He claimed that if a fitting were made in Italy or Germany and or China they would all perform the same and have the same warranty.

Did you know that most of the high strength metric bolts that are sold in this country are manufactured in Italy.

We are a world economy now and inter-tied so much so. That what we take for a product made in the US, most of it is just assembled here with parts from all over the world.

Jim W

P. S your computer if bought with in the last three years, it was probably manufactured in China.

 

[BIGNASTY]

China

Im not saying that China makes crap products (KIND OF ) The problem that I have with products made in China is that they are given specs from American based companies. The company sends the work to China because they will work for nothing over there I understand that. The problem is when China takes it upon themselves to CHANGE the product at will. Look at the toy industry we give them the specs NO LEAD and what do they do ADD LEAD. Same with the dog food problem they just took it upon themselves to add a filler of Melamine. The list goes on and on and on until we and other consumers QUIT buying the stuff that China changes it wont stop. So getting back to my wheel bearings IF Timken does have them made in China are they the specs that Timken layed out or did China change the metal quality to what they want and then I pay the price for their GREED by loosing a wheel bearing and rolling my rig. MAYBE if I have a choice I wont use China made products.

 

[Grizzly]

BIGNASTY, you may just as well get used to it. This country only produces three things anymore, beer, prostitutes and taxes.



george

 

[BIGNASTY]

well there was a time when the first two were the necessities of life but I can do without TAXES

 

[macdaddy]

Im replacing the wheel bearings and seals in the TT are Timken and Chicago Rawhide products still what they were when I was younger or have the fallen to the way of China crap also. If so what to use now?

With regular care and lubercation, how often should the bearings be replaced?



Mac

 

[VZarich]

With many tens of thousands of miles towing many different trailers I have never worn out a bearing. Part of that regular care is disassembling those bearings, cleaning, inspecting, repacking the grease, and setting the preload. Done properly once a year you will never see bearing failure.

 

[mwilson]

With many tens of thousands of miles towing many different trailers I have never worn out a bearing. Part of that regular care is disassembling those bearings, cleaning, inspecting, repacking the grease, and setting the preload. Done properly once a year you will never see bearing failure.

To add to the above...



NEVER SPIN them with air pressure while cleaning



Always check the inner race (peek in between the rollers to see it) for any signs of missing material, pocks, rust spots, etc. Any evidence of damage in there calls for replacement, same goes for the rollers.



Don't worry about some slack in the cage, that just keeps it all together when bearing is out and the rollers spaced apart when installed.



Mike.

 

[BIGNASTY]

With regular care and lubercation, how often should the bearings be replaced?



Mac

Mac I repack mine every year without fail. My TT is a 05 I just replaced the wheel bearings not because I had to but because 2 were China 1 Tiawan 1Romanian. I have had the TT from day 1 and have a BUNCH!!! of miles on it. I just wanted to have all matching POS wheel bearings and like I said I really put the miles on my TT and the worst possible thing to me would to be on the side of the road having the wife #@$%! followed by the inevitable :-{} and ruin our outing. I replaced them with bearings from Napa they are German but who knows if they didnt have them made in China. I forgot to add when at Napa I bought this packing tool ive never found one that worked untill now this is a great tool and the mess of repacking wheel bearings is a thing of the past Lisle Corporation

 

[BSeyler]

Geno's has that for 20 bucks - very handy, indeed.

 

[MLee]

First year of owner ship of my trailer decided to use the EZ lube zerks. 2nd year decided to hand pack and inspect the bearings and seals. I found that three of the four seals were in as they should have been. The fourth came out with the bearing when I removed the drum and remaind on the axle shaft. This indicated to me that the seal was not properly installed when the axle was assembled. Very little grease got past the partial seal that I had, which was good.

 

[Jeff Knight]

SKF has bearings made in mexico.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I also have the EZ lube hubs I have never used them for anything other than adding a little grease to the bearings. They were not intended to replace the repacking of the bearings. If you look at the hub the grease only comes out of 1 hole on the back of the spindle. On some of our longer trips I would jack up the axle and add some grease as I spin the tire. Did it do anything ? I dont think so if it did it surely wasnt going to replace repacking the bearings. Personally I think it is some kind of sales gimmick. On some of our trips we would run from So Calif to Glacier Nat park non stop. I like driving the wife would sleep and I drive for the next 21 hours Im sure that the EZ lube hubs are not going to let enough grease in for that.

 

[HBarlow]

I also have the EZ lube hubs I have never used them for anything other than adding a little grease to the bearings. They were not intended to replace the repacking of the bearings. If you look at the hub the grease only comes out of 1 hole on the back of the spindle. On some of our longer trips I would jack up the axle and add some grease as I spin the tire. Did it do anything ? I dont think so if it did it surely wasnt going to replace repacking the bearings. Personally I think it is some kind of sales gimmick. On some of our trips we would run from So Calif to Glacier Nat park non stop. I like driving the wife would sleep and I drive for the next 21 hours Im sure that the EZ lube hubs are not going to let enough grease in for that.

EZ Lube hubs are best known for providing excellent lubrication to brake drums and shoes. If anyone pumps in sufficient grease to do any good they often blow out the seals or grease finds its way onto the brake shoes.

Dexter Nevr-Lube hubs are much better. They use sealed bearings warranted by Dexter for five years and then are replaced. Much like the sealed front hubs on our Rams except that Nevr-Lubes only require bearing replacement, not hubs.

 

[BIGNASTY]

As I said! EZ lube is a sales gimmick. To be honest about it Harvey I dont like the Never lube. I would like to have the regular old YOU GOTA GREASE it wheel bearing on the trailer and the DODGE. Giving a time limit on a never grease bearing of any kind is like playing Russian Roulette with an automatic