Another damaged bearings thread

[Rleog]

Hull 244, LE II. 2017

Approx 30,000 miles on the trailer.  Bearings first repacked at 9,100 miles. Repacked a second time at 22,000 miles. 
After another ~8,000 miles I decided to inspect and repack them again. The pics below are the outer bearing from the L (streetside) forward wheel.

I carry an infra red temperature ‘gun’ and regularly monitor the wheel temps near the hub when on extended trips. There was no indication of that wheel having elevated temps.

I also carry spare bearing sets and tools to change them on the road.

I changed out all 8 sets of roller bearings and races yesterday and today. This outer bearing and race was the only pair that was damaged.

Carry spare bearings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John E Davies]

What grease have you been using? Was there any excess play in the hub? Any unusual sounds when you spun the tire? You lucked out by catching that early enough. Nobody likes to deal with a smoking hot seized hub in the middle of nowhere. Thanks for posting the pics.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Rleog]

Of the 16 sets of bearings/races for the 4 wheels, only the one outer bearing and its race were damaged. There was no excessive play, nor was any bearing torqued too tightly. I used the same procedure on all wheels.

The grease is Mobil 1 Synthetic.

 

Mobil 1™ Synthetic Grease, the official automotive grease of NASCAR, is an advanced full synthetic grease formulated with a proprietary blend of high-performance synthetic base stocks and a lithium complex soap thickener. The thickener system provides a high dropping point, while additives impart excellent extreme-pressure properties and resistance to water wash, rust and corrosion. The proprietary blend of high-performance synthetic base stocks used in Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease gives reliable lubrication over wide temperature ranges -50 C (-58 F) to 246 C (475 F). Outstanding structural stability coupled with high performance synthetic base stocks make Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease an outstanding all-purpose automotive grease.”

Excellent Resistance to Rust and Corrosion

• Longer life of bearings and chassis lube points when exposed to corrosive environments

Outstanding Structural Stability

• Provides effective lubrication over extended periods of time

Exceptional wear protection under heavy loads

• 20 % Improved wear protection ².

• Provides bearing protection while cornering and other conditions where bearings temporarily experience heavy loads.

Excellent resistance to water wash

• 40% better resistance to water wash out³ from heavy rain storms or exposure to high amounts of water.

Improved grease bearing life

• 3X improvement in grease bearing life^4. 
 

(From the Mobil 1 website)

 

 

[topgun2]

Nothing "wrong" with that grease.

I find your picture and the wheel bearing location interesting.  If there is a wheel that would have this kind of issue I'd first guess that it would be on the curbside wheels.  My thinking is that with the "crown" of most roads the curbside wheels get more of the weight (of course assuming that the trailer was "balanced in the first place) and that more often than not the curbside roadway surface tends to be a bit rougher than anything more towards the center of the roadway.  In this case with the information given it would appear that this is a case of a "bad" bearing.  Indeed, they all will wear out at some point but this would appear to be somewhat early.

Glad you caught the problem BEFORE it became a "problem".

Bill

[connor77]

Can anyone ascertain what caused this?  Is this a bearing quality issue?  Just normal wear and tear?  Since RLEOG has done regular maintenance and used a premium grease it would appear to me that this is a bearing quality issue.  I'm asking because the answer will likely determine if I swap out the original Dexter (Chinese) bearings (when I'm ready to do this service) instead of cleaning and repacking them.  The answer might also motivate me to do this sooner than the recommended 10k or 12k miles that Dexter suggests.  

[Frank C]

1 hour ago, connor77 said:

Can anyone ascertain what caused this?  Is this a bearing quality issue?  Just normal wear and tear?  Since RLEOG has done regular maintenance and used a premium grease it would appear to me that this is a bearing quality issue.  I'm asking because the answer will likely determine if I swap out the original Dexter (Chinese) bearings (when I'm ready to do this service) instead of cleaning and repacking them.  The answer might also motivate me to do this sooner than the recommended 10k or 12k miles that Dexter suggests.  

I had the same concerns as you.  So when I did my recent annual maintenance I swapped out the original Dexter supplied bearings with new genuine Timken bearings from an authorized Timken distributor near me here in Pennsylvania, and verified as genuine Timken using the WBA bearing app.  There are a lot of counterfeit “Timken” bearings on Amazon so be careful what you buy.    Some of the original Dexter installed China bearings showed some odd discoloration on the races that appeared thermal/heat related (see photo) even though they had always been well maintained/greased, so I didn’t want to take any chances so I replaced them.  Thankfully the axle spindles were still in perfect condition.