Interesting comment from RV repair business....

[cpaharley2008]

Took BlackJack into authorized Dometic repair center about 3 miles from my house today. They have me scheduled for Wednesday but may start tomorrow. I asked that they contact me once the old one is removed, since I'm so close I'd like to come down and inspect the new one before install as well as the cavity.
I then asked about having the bearings repacked and brake adjustment, cost is $100 per axle. He mentioned that since the trailer was only 18 months old that the bearings should be fine as most trailers are done around 20,000 miles or 5 years. I mentioned that I already have at least 17,000 miles. He said "in that case the bearings should be repacked, it is the miles that wear out the grease, not the age".
I thought that was an interesting attitude on bearing maintenance.

[rfs]

Jim, Your RV techs surprise at how many miles you've towed in 18 months no doubt comes from what he sees as "towing averages". We drive past a storage lot most every day, and it's interesting to note that a lot of the time most rigs just sit there. Some are only gone a weekend or two a season. Probably shouldn't call them travel trailers. Hope your fridge install goes smoothly. Gotta keep that Yeungling cold. Big weather down in Fairfield the past few days.
Dave

[MyronL]

Very timely info on repacking the bearings, Jim. With 17,265 miles on my 19 I have been wondering about this myself. It's a job I don't feel like doing myself any more, especially 4 times.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Very timely info on repacking the bearings, Jim. With 17,265 miles on my 19 I have been wondering about this myself. It's a job I don't feel like doing myself any more, especially 4 times.

Did mine today; a rear seal had leaked and contaminated a brake shoe. Have put around 12K+ miles since 9/17. I could see the grease had started thinning. Am not going to us the EZ Lube at all. As stated previously I replaced the bearings as it was $6 /wheel with rear seal and two new bearings. My OCD about no races was put to rest talking with enough people.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Did mine today; a rear seal had leaked and contaminated a brake shoe. Have put around 12K+ miles since 9/17. I could see the grease had started thinning. Am not going to us the EZ Lube at all. As stated previously I replaced the bearings as it was $6 /wheel with rear seal and two new bearings. My OCD about no races was put to rest talking with enough people.

Rossue may seem like a dumb ? Where can I buy new seals and bearings ? I have about 9000 mi since Nov 2013 . Do I need to do this before my trip ? Thanks, Pat

[Rossue]

If you go to Dexters website you can find distributors. In the LA area it is Redneck Trailer Supply. Ask for Jordan.

[Rossue]

Pat- I would definitely check those bearings before your trip.

[J Mac]

We tend to put fewer miles on our trailer because we tend to stay at campsites for extended periods of time. We could easily go on a 5 week tour and only put on 2700 k.

[Rossue]

Forgive me, quoting the church lady- "isn't that special".

[float5]

Dexter says every year or 12,000 miles, complete repack.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Pat- I would definitely check those bearings before your trip.

Thanks Rossue . I guess I need to look into this . Pat

[gbaglo]

I'd much rather pay somebody to repack my bearings than make it a DIY project. My mechanic has a solvent tank and can easily flush out the old grease. The solvent gets filtered and recycled. I tried to do it myself once and ended up with a half gallon of contaminated gas to get rid of.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'd much rather pay somebody to repack my bearings than make it a DIY project. My mechanic has a solvent tank and can easily flush out the old grease. The solvent gets filtered and recycled. I tried to do it myself once and ended up with a half gallon of contaminated gas to get rid of.

I use to have a 1964 Chevy and I used to do the bearings . We see how busy I am . I don't like to pay for things I can do . Money is getting harder to come by now . Pat

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Floating Cloud

Dexter says every year or 12,000 miles, complete repack.

I have always considered every year or 12,000 miles to be excessive and unnecessary. In many years of trailer ownership, I have found that 20,000 to 25,000 miles or 3 years is a perfectly acceptable service interval. And I have never had a bearing problem on any trailer. My grease of choice is Lucas Red 'n Tacky (or Lucas Heavy Duty). Mobil 1 Synthetic would be my second choice. Off course, a boat trailer with wheels immersed in water, especially salt water, demands more frequent bearing maintenance. But as Dinna D likes to say, YMMV!

[kvermeulen]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Rossue may seem like a dumb ? Where can I buy new seals and bearings ? I have about 9000 mi since Nov 2013 . Do I need to do this before my trip ? Thanks, Pat

I would definately check them. But i doubt that they will need replacing. When inspecting just add a little grease if required.

ken

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

I have always considered every year or 12,000 miles to be excessive and unnecessary. In many years of trailer ownership, I have found that 20,000 to 25,000 miles or 3 years is a perfectly acceptable service interval. And I have never had a bearing problem on any trailer.

This is similar to the schedule I use too. Never had a problem in 25 years of travel trailers.

[LeonW]

I just took The Skylark into a trailer place because we have about 14,000 miles on it. They said the grease was both plentiful and clean, and the brake pads have plenty of wear left on them. So I figure I will take it in again, probably in about a year.

[padlin]

Do you know how they determined the grease is plentiful and clean?

[LeonW]

Originally Posted by padlin

Do you know how they determined the grease is plentiful and clean?

They told me they inspected them -- I don't know anything about bearing repair, but I assume this means they took the bearings out, or at least removed the caps and looked at them closely enough to know if they needed greasing.

[MyronL]

A fun job but somebody's gotta do it.