Wheel bearings are one of the essential parts in the assembly of the travel trailer hub, tires, and wheels. They play an important role for the wheel to turn freely on the axle, so you can drive smoothly. But to keep the wheels spinning without any hiccup, you need to grease the bearings. How often should you grease travel trailer wheel bearings?
When it comes to maintenance, we often ignore the wheel bearings. Most of us will just replace them if they start giving troubles. No need to spend that extra money! You can save a lot by repacking them with grease. Let’s get you up to speed on how often and when to apply the grease.
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How Often Should You Grease Travel Trailer Wheel Bearings?
The truth is, wheel bearings should be greased at regular intervals. How often, though? Well, there are several opinions regarding this issue.
Some people say you should inspect them every season. This is mainly applicable if you consider how often your trailer gets used. If you run it for short trips once in a while, then seasonal check-up is the right thing to do.
Some suggest checking them every 1 or 2 years. However, the smartest solution is you should have a look at the wheel bearings by the miles they have covered. Considering that, check the bearings every 10,000 to 12,000 miles.
Yet again, the regularity of wheel bearings maintenance depends on the category, wheel size, and average load weight of your trailer. For example, you need to repack a boat trailer’s wheel bearings with small wheels every 2,000 miles. To figure out what sort of trailer you own, consult the owner’s manual of the trailer.
To find out the mileage of a trailer, go through the owner’s manual. Contacting the travel trailer dealer will also work.
Alternative Ways to Determine the Greasing Time
Bearings might leak when they are neglected. Also, their condition deteriorates over time with dirt and dust. It can cause the wheel to disassemble from its mechanical integrity, which is dangerous.
So, if you can’t keep track of the mileage, you need to find other ways to fix a greasing schedule. Go through these tips below to sort out the conundrum of how often should you grease travel trailer wheel bearings:
Time Frame
You can choose to grease them every 1 or 2 years. Yes, it’s not the best advice but still better than no greasing at all. In this case, the bearings will be, at least, get checked and greased.
Whenever You Remember
Forget about how often you should grease travel trailer wheel bearings! Why? Because you can inspect them anytime you want to find out if they need to be greased.
Act accordingly by what you find out after taking a look at them. It’s a good remedy as long as you remember about the maintenance of bearings.
Noisy Wheel
There are some other ways to know wheel bearings need to be greased. You can notice carefully how the wheel feels. They could make squeaky noises at times, which warrants taking a look at the bearings.
Actually, any unusual sound is a reminder for you to examine the bearings. Always remember that before wheel bearings fail out-and-out, they will grumble and you will know it’s time to check them.
How to Grease and Repack Wheel Bearings
It’s somewhat costly to hire an adept car mechanic to grease and repack. You could do this at home given you have the basic mechanical knowledge of vehicles. Let’s start with the process:
Step 1: First, buy some high-quality wheel bearing grease.
Step 2: Disassemble the bearings from the wheels one by one carefully. Then, wear hand gloves and put some grease on the palm and take a bearing.
Step 3: Now, start dipping the bearing on the grease by its backside. Keep doing this until you see the grease coming out through the front side. Continue doing this all around the bearing.
Step 4: Once you are done greasing the inside of the bearing, go for the outside. Apply some grease on its body with your finger, so they get inside the rollers properly. Don’t wipe any grease as the bearings are supposed to be installed with being entirely covered with grease.
Step 5: You can now reassemble the wheels and bearings. Be careful when putting the parts together. While reassembling, try to get the torque of the wheel appropriate. Take help from the owner’s manual in this regard or contact the manufacturer.
Conclusion
Wheel-bearings carry the entire weight of your trailer. The grease on the bearings disintegrates gradually when you run the trailer. If you want wheels to perform their best, you need to keep bearings lubricated. This guide will help you regarding how often should you grease travel trailer wheel bearings.