Bearing problems on a long tow

I am towing my trailer 1800 miles in a few weeks and I was told on a previous post that I will most likely have my bearings go out on the trip. If my bearings do go out, will the trailer wheels lock up, or what can I expect? Will I still be able to pull the trailer to the next exit or will it be a fix on the side of the highway? I don't want a surprise when the time comes. Thanks for the help.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

Why would your wheel bearings go out, overloaded, pitted/scored and then repacked old bearings? If in doubt, repack the bearings and inspect everything closely while you are in there. Carrying a spare hub, completely greased and loaded with bearings (ready to bolt-on) wouldn't be a bad idea for that long trip.

I always check my trailer wheel bearings while on long trips, right after coming off the freeway, fuel stop. Touch the wheel hub, it will be warm but you should be able to hold you hand on the hub. If it's too hot to keep your hand on the hub,,, you have problems.

I've saw the aftermath of a real bad blown wheel bearing, nothing could be done except replace the entire axle. The only thing holding the wheel in place was the retaining nut that was fused/welded to the axle shaft, wheel fell off the trailer when it was jacked up

Then again, nothing is perfect and what looked good 1000 miles ago could come apart, flawed bearing, center cap knocked off dumping grease, rookie at the shop tightened the bearings too tight, etc...

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

If my bearings do go out, will the trailer wheels lock up, or what can I expect?

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Ayuh,...

As noted by Dan,...
Unless the trailer is in Disrepair, or severely Overloaded,..
There's No reason to think you can't tow 3600 miles, muchless only 1800 miles...

If the bearing go to 'ell as it's being towed,...
It's Doubtful that the wheel will Sieze,...
It's much more apt to fly Off,+ Pass you going down the hiway....

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

In addition to what everyone has said, when a bearing fails, it is broken right now -- not 5, 10 or 20 miles from now. Continuing to drive with a failed bearing means the damage only gets worse and it gets worse in a hurry. Loss of a wheel is a very high probability and when that happens, the spindle on the axle may actually shear off rendering the axle useless. You would also be in need of a flat bed tow truck and you know what the costs associated with that is. Spend a little money up front and have the hubs disassembled, cleaned, bearings checked, replaced, packed and reinstalled with new seals and pre-load properly adjusted. The spare hub is a good idea.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

You can expect a lot of smoke because of the grease heating with the spindle and the metal....

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

If your bearing are fine there is noneed to worries, just take with you a spare bearing and a grease gun, you will be just fine....

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

If there is any doubt about your bearings remove them and inspect very carefully. I would replace the bearings and the seals and carry the old ones as spares.
Lots of good quality wheel bearing grease and set properly (not too tight)
As was said check them after about 10 miles..if they are cool you should be good to go. Check at each stop you make.
Tires should be inspected for any cracks or deformities, pressure checked and wheel nuts not seized. Sucks to find all this out on the side of the interstate.
A well maintained trailer will go 10 000 miles without any trouble.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

I would re pack the bearings before you leave.
I recently bought my boat and the previous owner said that he had just packed and replaced the bearings. I took the cap off one side of hub and there was plenty of grease so I didn't check the other side. (Huge Mistake) I was at a lake near a few hours from my house and the bearings went out. The only thing that held the wheel on is the retaining nut. Believe me that it is not fun working on your trailer without the proper equipment on the side of the road. I was lucky to be able to piece it together to get back home but the axle was destroyed. A few hundred bucks later it is as good as new. Good luck on your trip.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

What size are the wheels? If your running 8 or 10" tires you may have to watch bearings and tires closely.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

I have been boating for 42 years, all with trailer boats. The only bearing failure I experienced was when a hub cover came off, and the grease blew out. And yes, it was on an 10" tire.
Now, what do I do? I have a dual axle trailer, with 4 wheel disks. i use bearing buddies. The trick with bearing buddies is: don't fill them until the little piston comes all the way out. The grease will expand under heat, and has nowhere to go. The pressure will blow off the BB. After individually packing the bearing, and packing some grease between the bearing while disassembling, fill them only until the piston just barely rocks, while rotating the tire. I clean down the bearings once a year in solvent, inspect and reinstall with fresh grease. The preload adjustment is critical. If you don't know how, or don't want to do the above, seek professional service.
As said above: If the bearings are in good condition at the dtart of the trip, they are packed and adjusted correctly, and checked every so often at the start of the trip, they will probably make it OK.
Other things to take with you:
A mechanics floor jack, rated 2 tons. ( About 20 at Wallys world), X lug wrench, impact socket that fits the lug nuts, and a 2' breaker bar. ( For when the X wrench don't make it) Spare lug nuts 9 and grease under them before torquing to about 95 ft/#, spare bearings, a can of grease ( rated GL2) and a small hand operated grease gun. Some rags and a can of GoJo, and a 3' X 1" 1/2" plywood for under the jack. The shoulder of the roads are soft...
murphy's reverse law: If you have the parts and the knowledge to change them, they will never fail.
Have a good trip, and enjoy that boat.
Don't forget to service the tow vehicle......

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

Let's use a little logic here! On a rear wheel drive vehicle, the front wheel bearings are lubricated just like your trailer bearings--and they don't fail in 100,000 miles or more. And you don't worry about them. So, if your trailer bearings and seals are in good condition and properly lubricated they should last the trip too. Still Nervous? For less that 100 bucks you can replace the bearings and seals and start the trip with known good bearings and fresh grease. Then you can relax.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

Frank Acampora said:

Let's use a little logic here! On a rear wheel drive vehicle, the front wheel bearings are lubricated just like your trailer bearings--and they don't fail in 100,000 miles or more. And you don't worry about them. So, if your trailer bearings and seals are in good condition and properly lubricated they should last the trip too. Still Nervous? For less that 100 bucks you can replace the bearings and seals and start the trip with known good bearings and fresh grease. Then you can relax.

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I have to agree with the above post, there's no reason why a good set of bearings or hub would fail if properly maintained.

I've towed small trailers all over the country, and have done so for years. I've never had a failure. I've had a few flat tires, but at that most were older tires that failed due to age not speed or rot in particular.

I have seen trailer hubs and bearings fail, they are usually smaller wheels or bearings that have not been kept greased or maintained.
The last one I happened upon was on a trailer with 8" wheels, about 6 years old, the guy was towing it at highway speed, the bearings failed do to lack of grease, the bearings disintegrated and then seized to the hub and spindle, the result was a locked up left trailer wheel which then tore loose of the trailer. It ripped the entire spindle off the axle itself. It was one of those stamped steel U shaped galvanized axles. When I stopped, the trailer was sitting on the ground, the wheel and spindle gone. I had an empty flat bed in tow, so I offered to haul his boat to the next exit. We found the wheel and spindle about a mile down the road on the shoulder. The boat was only a 14' tinny, so all we had to do was push and drag it onto my trailer and strap it all down.
The other wheel was just as bad, nearly ready to fall off itself. I asked the guy if he ever greased them and his answer was that he just bought the boat a few years ago and didn't think he had to grease them that soon.
He learned the hard way. (I towed the boat to a local service station and then noticed a few months later that the trailer was still there but with no boat. The station owner told me that the guy came with a new trailer, took the boat and abandoned the trailer. He told me if I wanted it to just get it go away. I loaded it up and left. It's not fixed and under my boat with two brand new hubs and spindles.

If your planning a trip, make sure the bearings are in good shape, clean, well packed with grease and well adjusted and you should be fine. Its a good idea to install a pair of bearing buddies or red eye bearing caps so you can add grease along the way. When traveling distance, I normally carry a spare hub and a few sets of bearings just in case, but have never needed them. Always carry a grease gun and grease and some basic tools.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

I agree with all that was said. I ave 8" wheels on my trailer and have no fear of towing for hours on end. Of course the first thing I did when I got the boat was new bearings and races and I check them regularly.

One tip My Old man gave me was to NOT to any repairs to the vehicle or trailer less then 2 days before the trip. if you fouled something up on the repair, its going to pop up within a few miles. its always best to do any repairs the weekend before and then drive it around a bit.

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

Yes make sure everything is tip top i learned the hard way i did one side and not the other tor the front part of the hub of and the only thing holding it on was the nut and the front bearing seized
i use green grease not cheep around here about 8.00 a tube great for marine applicitions

Re: Bearing problems on a long tow

I had the bearing go out on my Searay trailer (pictured). I had just bought the boat and of course the owner told me he just had them done.

I am the type of guy who checks his mirrors every 3-5 seconds, good thing - once the smoke started blowing I stopped immediately.

Bearing completely disintegrated, wheel nut still holding wheel on axle and spindle OK... Whew...

Then I had to get towed - forget about it, 6 hour wait for the next available 18 wheel tractor trailer flatbed. I have never seen an entire set up (tow vehicle and all) on the back of a truck.... Thank god for AAA as it was a $400 tow for 25 miles.

Keep all previously recommended parts on hand, check and repack bearings and have fun!!