Are Your Trailer Wheel Bearings Ready to Roll?

The importance of repacking bearings before you hit the road this summer.

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After extensive use of your RV trailer or fifth wheel last season and following a long winter in storage, components like fridges can stop working, propane tanks need to be inspected, and house batteries may need recharging.

A number of other systems and components should be also addressed in the spring but unless you know why they should be done, they can often be neglected. Simply put, you just want to get out on the road and arrive at a campground to enjoy your holiday. However, one task that should be done annually is inspecting and/or repacking the wheel bearings on your trailer.

Bearing Repack 101

First of all, it’s important to understand what is involved with repacking trailer wheel bearings. You may have a general idea why but basically, wheel bearings allow the wheel to spin uninhibited on the axle. When they are properly packed with grease, they function freely without causing friction.

However, what happens if there isn’t grease on the bearings or old grease is left too long unchanged? Similar to why oil changes are required for a car engine, if the grease on the bearings is not changed (or they are not repacked), they will lose their protective properties. They may also lose their viscosity and potentially cause them to overheat, break, and fail altogether.

As a result, this would cause an immediate headache during your travels. If bearings stop functioning properly during travel, the wheels could become very hot and you would require immediate roadside assistance. In the worst-case scenario, the wheel could come right off the axle. Not only would this put an end to your travels but it would be financially devastating and extremely dangerous.

The best way to avoid such a disaster is to have your bearings repacked annually (e.g. in the spring after winter storage). Short of being a technically-inclined DIY’er, booking a one-day appointment at your local RV dealer to have them repacked far outweighs the headache of breaking down on the highway.

This is the best way to ensure they are not damaged or there isn’t scoring due to dirt or other debris. One of the sure signs that the bearings need to be repacked is the wheel rims will be hot after just a few hours on the road. This is a major warning sign that something is wrong.

Some RV trailers come with a built-in greasing system for bearings. Although these are effective and offer time savings on the road, it’s always best just to do a detailed inspection and ensure the grease is repacked properly for peace of mind.

Since the hub needs to be removed to repack them, this is also the time to inspect the trailer brakes including the pads, the brake magnet, etc. Sometimes there isn’t forewarning that brake components are broken until they start to fail. Remember, the brakes on an RV trailer don’t squeal like those on a car.

It’s important to spend a lot of time planning and preparing for trips. Whether you get out for just a couple of weekends during the season or spend months on the road, one of the last things you want to experience is a bearing failure. This is just one task that you can do to ensure safe travels and enjoy a summer filled with amazing moments outdoors - and not along the side of the highway.

Article courtesy of ArrKann Trailer & RV Centre, an RV dealer, parts and service centre with locations in Edmonton, Calgary Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Carstairs. For more details be sure to visit www.arrkannrv.com