Brake replacement, great results only to find out bearing is going out, yuk!

[Cowdog353]

Had brake shoes and magnets with backing plate changed today, was cheaper to buy as a complete set up. They were replaced and still had minimal braking. Found some faulty wiring and repaired same. After drive home checked heat on bearings and found one neverlube bearing running 50% hotter than others. All bearings were checked visually but not measured for slack or wear. Oh well break out the pocket book! Very glad I found it now rather than later.

Firm believer in heat guns, $10-15 infered gun saved possible hundreds or more plus the danger of wheel falling off.

Seems like there have been a rash of bearing failures

Jim

[pugsly]

Yeah I really like those non-contact thermometers. Makes it really easy to do a quick walkaround when you stop, and you don't even have to bend over or get your hands dirty.

[RV_]

Jim we found the same, that the whole assemblies were less than replacing the parts.

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

Did the bearing get slightly over tightened during the installation of the hubs? Were the bearings repacked as long as the wheels and hubs were off?

[Cowdog353]

It's a neverlube bearing, does not require packing and was tightened to 150#. Thanks for the reply.

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

Ah. I guess that explains it. Thanks!

[Big Greg]

Mntom, sounds like you don't like Nev-R-Lube bearings. We have over 72,000 miles and never had a problem. I did replace the originals with non Chinese Nev-R-Lubes after 7 years and 60,000 miles. Greg

[rdickinson]

I have the chrome hub covers so taking a temp from that side is difficult. I shoot the back of the drum on the opposite side to check temps. You can see where the red dot is. Just pretend it is an Isis insurgent, you cant miss.

[Randyretired]

Good catch. A friend's 5er lost a wheel because of a Lippert never lube failure. We spent weeks repairing the 5er doing sheetmetal replacement and fiberglass repair. The wheel nearly tore the rear cap off and put a hole in it. Some structural repair was also needed along with wiring.

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

Mntom, sounds like you don't like Nev-R-Lube bearings. We have over 72,000 miles and never had a problem. I did replace the originals with non Chinese Nev-R-Lubes after 7 years and 60,000 miles. Greg

No Greg, I have no experience with them and I assumed (yep......) that they were like mine.

[Cowdog353]

Estimate 30k plus miles on my neverlubes. Not really biased against them but seems like I've heard about a lot of failures lately. Don't know where mine were made, will check on tear down and maybe replace if alien.

Jim

[Big Greg]

The replacement Timken Nev-R-Lubes that were installed on our fifth wheel 2 years ago are stamped "Made in France". I had specified no Chinese bearings. Greg

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

We have about 80K miles in 10 years on Nev-R-Lubes. But 2005 was before Lippert and non-American manufacture.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

We had 1 go bad in Texas. A quick Google search found a Dexter parts dealer that had the bearing in stock and a press capable of doing the swap. Bearing cartridge was in the $170 range. Pressing was free.

From what the guy told me is that there is "Play" already set in the bearing. But he never said how much was normal, or excessive. They did say that doing tight 90* turns where the wheels were dragging or not having the axles un-torqued when parked put stress on the bearing cartridges.

For instance, you back into a hard 90* site and don't have enough room or time straighten the rig out completely. There is still sidewall stress on the tires, rims, and bearings. As the tires and bearing cool they contract putting more force on the cartridge.

[gjhunter01]

I also use a temperature gun and repack/inspect bearings every 10k miles. I can't remember ever having a trailer bearing fail and I have hauled a lot of trailers in the past. I have replaced many vehicle bearing hubs due to bearing failures. I prefer/insist on a grease type bearing over a hub assembly any day.

Greg

[RBH]

Had one never-lube failure. Found it by jacking up and checking play on each wheel. The bad one had a huge amount of play. The funny thing was that it wasn't the bearing that failed, but the hole in the hub that the bearing was pressed into had worn excessively. The bearing itself was still tight and smooth. We had Kodiak disc brakes installed by Mor-ryde with the integrated hub/disc. Don't know if it was a defective hub from the get go or what exactly happened. I now carry a spare hub/bearing/rotor assy. and check play a couple of times a year as well as temps while towing. Kodiak supplies the bearings and hub/rotor assys.