Wheel bearing R &R

[BackofBeyond]

Like many Oliver owners, and forum lurkers - I repack my own wheel bearings, grease the chassis, and anything else that needs doing. Recently I did my wheel bearings, Dexter has a decent video on the topic if your so inclined, and I ended up replacing both sets on the left side of my Oliver. Once I clean them really well  - I do a close inspection to ensure they are good to go back on. I found some indication of damage - these are the bigger  inside bearings. 

If you look opposite the black dot- between the black lines you can see what I'm referring to. You cant see it, but where the indention is on the top side between the rollers is a polished spot, indicating it rubbed on the bearing race.  I'm not sure if they were manufactured this way, or if damaged during assembly.

I put new Timken's in their place. 

So perhaps some of the failings we have read about may have come about from this sort of longer term wear. These had 13K miles on them, the bearing cups/races looked fine.

Hope this is of interest to ya'll. 

RB

Edited March 13, 2020 by BackofBeyond
complee

[Geronimo John]

I have averaged about 8500 trailer miles for each of the past two years.  I do my own R&R as well and use the synthetic lubricant that John D. recommended a year or two ago.  My original bearings look good, and I just replaced the seals with Timken made (National) ones.  I have a spare set of bearings and seals on board just in case.  They were purchased from an authorized Timken distributor.  They were not inexpensive.....

All that said, at what mileage or age point is a bearing change recommended "just because"?

Thanks,

[John E Davies]

5 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

I have averaged about 8500 trailer miles for each of the past two years.  I do my own R&R as well and use the synthetic lubricant that John D. recommended a year or two ago.  My original bearings look good, and I just replaced the seals with Timken made (National) ones.  I have a spare set of bearings and seals on board just in case.  They were purchased from an authorized Timken distributor.  They were not inexpensive.....

All that said, at what mileage or age point is a bearing change recommended "just because"?

Thanks,

There is no guidance on a replacement interval. It is a judgement call by the tech or owner who does the job. I personally would want to trash the original cheaply made bearings by 15,000 miles. Mine are OEM and have been repacked once, and in my mind are are due now (12,000 miles). I have Timkens and good seals ready to go.

Once you have high quality parts installed, I would let them go indefinitely with regular visual inspection and lubing at about a 10k interval. I think it is really important to watch for signs of distress - play and overheating, grease leakage, funny noises - and be ready to act right away in case there is trouble. Having a seal leak and screw up one brake will ruin a trip. The brake may lock up, making it impossible to tow the trailer without adjusting the controller really low. Which makes it dangerous if your TV has marginal brakes.

Disc brakes have huge advantages over drum brakes in so many ways. The biggest one IMHO is that a failed seal will just dump grease outside the hub, not all over the brake mechanism. Once you contaminate one drum brake, they must be replaced in pairs. What a stupid design.....

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by John E Davies

[Geronimo John]

John D.

Very well said.  

Mahalo!

[dewdev]

My 2018 Elite II has about 8,000 miles on it. I am thinking that maybe I should check the bearings at around 16,000 miles. What do others recommend for the amount of miles to check the bearings?

I would like to purchase some Timken's bearings and seals to have on hand.

What size are the bearings and seals on the Elite II? Better still - what are the Timken part numbers?

Are they available at automotive stores like NAPA?

 

Thanks

Richard

Edited February 3, 2021 by dewdev

[mjrendon]

Richard, 

Check this thread for the information you requested.

Mike

[BackofBeyond]

1 hour ago, dewdev said:

My 2018 Elite II has about 8,000 miles on it. I am thinking that maybe I should check the bearings at around 16,000 miles. What do others recommend for the amount of miles to check the bearings?

I would like to purchase some Timken's bearings and seals to have on hand.

What size are the bearings and seals on the Elite II? Better still - what are the Timken part numbers?

Are they available at automotive stores like NAPA?

 

Thanks

Richard

Richard, 

I cannot remember what the interval quoted in the manual states - but I grease mine at least twice a year - depending on mileage, and once a year - again depending on mileage, - clean and repack the bearings.

As for authentic Timken's - I would find a reputable dealer - most auto supply house will probably have to order, a good bearing supply dealer will have them. I used Amazon- will not next time. 

I replaced one side because under inspection I found a slight deformity - in all reality it would most likely have been fine.  

Some folks are more inclined to shorten the interval, some go the other way - I just try to use distance on the  bearings to decide the interval. Quite honestly - if I was not running about the country - and stayed relatively close to home - I would double this interval. I have yet to do my farm use  tandem axle bearings - in 7 years - greased them a few times.....

Mike pointed you to the posts. with all the needed info. 

Good travels

RB

[JRK]

I have looked through the manual in the University, but do not see the model number for wheel bearings. Which Timken bearings/seals would I buy for an Elite I, single axle?

I'll be putting about 5,000 miles on the trailer before I get home after picking up in March. I plan to have replacements for such items that might wear out/fail that will prevent me from driving, such as wheel bearings.

Thanks

John

[rideandfly]

John,

Jason can confirm you have a 5200 pound Dexter axle on a new manufacture Legacy Elite single axle trailer.

Our LE2 has 5200 pound Dexter axles. Took the following Dexter bearing/seal numbers off of our Dexter axle build sheet. Crossed the Dexter numbers over to Timken & Chicago Rawhide numbers. Dexter also has a build sheet with brake, seal, bearing, and dimension information  available for your axle when you give Dexter the axle serial number stamped on the axle.

 

2 Each Bearings Dexter # 031-029-02 or Timken # 15123 

2 each Bearings Dexter #031-030-02 or Timken #25580

2 each Seals Dexter #010-036-00 seal or CR #22532

Hope this helps,

 

 

 

[NCeagle]

For anyone buying bearings from any manufacturer online, there's a relatively new app from the World Bearing Association that helps identify counterfeits.  Search "WBA Bearing Authenticato‪r"‬.  I used it recently on my ipad (IOS) and I think it's also available for Android.

[JRK]

Helps a lot

thanks

john

[ScubaRx]

On 2/5/2021 at 9:02 PM, rideandfly said:

2 Each Bearings Dexter # 031-029-02 or Timken # 15123 

2 each Bearings Dexter #031-030-02 or Timken #25580

2 each Seals Dexter #010-036-00 seal or CR #22532

Hope this helps,

 

 

 

These are the correct bearing and seal Part Numbers for all the Elites and the VERY FEW Elite II's that are equipped with 5200 pound axles.

[Pat Maundrell]

Don't new Olivers use the "Never Lube" Dexter Axles?

[Overland]

12 minutes ago, Pat Maundrell said:

Don't new Olivers use the "Never Lube" Dexter Axles?

Correct, starting this year.  I have them on mine and they're zero maintenance other than occasionally checking for any leakage or play in the bearing.  You'll still have to lube the suspension bushings, however.

Edited February 11, 2021 by Overland

[BackofBeyond]

On 2/11/2021 at 11:02 AM, Overland said:

Correct, starting this year.  I have them on mine and they're zero maintenance other than occasionally checking for any leakage or play in the bearing.  You'll still have to lube the suspension bushings, however.

I am always a little wary of never lube - but then - what do I know. 

[Fargoman]

Hi Overland,

Are the Dexter Nev-R-Lube axles on your trailer a retrofit? I contacted Jason about the possibility of the Nev-R-Lube axles being available in time for the September 2021 delivery date for my Elite 2. He replied that it would depend on when Oliver starts installing them on the 2022 models, and if there is a good supply, as they are currently experiencing problems with vendors being able to meet demand.

[Overland]

15 minutes ago, Fargoman said:

Are the Dexter Nev-R-Lube axles on your trailer a retrofit?

No, they were part of a one-off disk brake experiment Oliver did for me. 

[Fargoman]

Thanks Overland,

Your earlier post where you stated that the Nev-R-Lube axles would be available "starting this year" made me hopeful that our trailer would have those axles, but Jason's reply that "it will depend on when the plant starts installing them on 2022 models and if there is a good supply" made me question that.

Do you know what Oliver considers a 'model year' - began production in, or delivered in a given year? We ordered our Ollie in November 2020, understanding that production and delivery would happen sometime in 2021, making our Ollie a 2021 model.

 

[quoyle]

I have a 2019 Elite I (purchased Oct 29,2019). Would the bearing/seal numbers be the same for my model year? If not how could I find them?

many thanks.. tom

 

 

2 Each Bearings Dexter # 031-029-02 or Timken # 15123 

2 each Bearings Dexter #031-030-02 or Timken #25580

2 each Seals Dexter #010-036-00 seal or CR #22532

[Ghostriderc227]

These had 13K miles on them, the bearing cups/races looked fine.

 

RB,

Not certain if you replaced the bearings AND the bearing races.  I do hope you replaced both the race and bearing.

Just replacing the bearing is not a good idea.

 

Steve.

[John E Davies]

36 minutes ago, Ghostriderc227 said:

Just replacing the bearing is not a good idea.

This is a great point, not only is it not a good idea, it is very bad. A used race with a new bearing will probably cause failure in a short time because the used one has some wear, even if it isn’t visible... New Timkens  are sold as matched sets, meaning the two parts were machined for a (nearly) perfect fit. Cheap poor quality no-name ones, especially counterfeits, most likely were not, even if they come packed in the same box or blister pack. It is definitely a buyer beware situation. Don’t be a cheapskate if you tow a lot of miles, and never be one if you tow in really remote locations.

Also, keep the removed bearings separated, keep track of where they came from so you don’t accidentally install one into the the wrong wheel! That actually means you installed two wrong ones, with two possible failures! I put a blue paper shop towel on the ground at the axle and put the drum and the removed bearings on it, then I take the parts to my bench to clean, lube or replace one set at a time. That greatly reduces the chance that you will have  a “senior moment”. But that can still happen, I recently drove in my last inner seal backwards. 😳 I caught my mistake right away but I had to drive to a bearing store for a replacement, and to buy a spare…

John Davies

Spokane WA