Wheels: how hot is too hot?

We stopped at just past the halfway point on our 210 mile trek to let our golden retrievers out for a break, and I did the traditional walk-around-the-rig routine. I put my hand on the left trailer hub and it sure seemed hot. Not scalding hot, but hot enough that I couldn't keep my hand on it for too long.

We were new boaters last year, so I'm not sure what to expect here. The trailer is a 2008 Shoreland'r with surge brakes and Bearing Buddies. I doubt the trailer has more than 1800 miles on it. And I'm pretty sure the dealer checked the bearings last fall when I took the rig in for winterizing.

So, was the heat I was feeling from the bearings, or could it have been from the disc brakes, or ? We completed the trip up north and back with no incidents.

Oh, and about how many miles can a trailer with 2500#s on it go before the BBs need to be refilled?

Thanks. -Ken

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

I ceck my bearings every spring and before every trip over 50 miles. Jack the trailer, try to move the wheels. They should not ove.
I grease them in the spring and before every trip as well. Regardless.
Not too much, just until the inner cap is at it's line. You should be able to tell where to stop. Too much grease, you run the risk of blowing out the rear oil seal. As far as hot, I have never actually touched my bearings. I DO check the rims. This will tell me if I have too much friction, or even if my breaks are hung up. I am sure someone will have a better and more descriptive answer, but hey...it's a start
Also, I would never take for ganted that the marina did anything that they were not specificaly asked to do. If you were'nt billed for it, didn't happen. If you were billed for it...check it anyway.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

I sure wouldn't assume that the dealer did anything about looking at your bearings unless you specifically told him to. Definitely worth pulling the hub for a looksie!

Which brakes do you have? If you have the Tiedown stainless ones, you may have a warped disc that would cause this problem as well.

You really should not be putting grease into the bearing buddy every time you go out. That will just cause grease to blow out the rear oil seal. You want to put grease in the bearing buddy until the cylinder just starts to move and then stop. If the grease is not leaking, there is usually no need to add more except for taking into account the little bit of air that bleeds out over time.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

I would think thats to hot. I check and replace or add grease to mine every time i make a long trip. I trailer my boat from Cincinnati, Oh. to Lake Okeechobee Fl. three times a year and my bearing never get more than luke warm to the touch. If i stay local i check them about every 3rd or 4th time out. Trust me breaking down on the side of the road is no fun and it only takes a few minuets to check.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Navy Jr. said:

We stopped at just past the halfway point on our 210 mile trek to let our golden retrievers out for a break, and I did the traditional walk-around-the-rig routine. I put my hand on the left trailer hub and it sure seemed hot. Not scalding hot, but hot enough that I couldn't keep my hand on it for too long.

We were new boaters last year, so I'm not sure what to expect here. The trailer is a 2008 Shoreland'r with surge brakes and Bearing Buddies. I doubt the trailer has more than 1800 miles on it. And I'm pretty sure the dealer checked the bearings last fall when I took the rig in for winterizing.

So, was the heat I was feeling from the bearings, or could it have been from the disc brakes, or ? We completed the trip up north and back with no incidents.

Oh, and about how many miles can a trailer with 2500#s on it go before the BBs need to be refilled?

Thanks. -Ken

Click to expand...

Ken, that's too hot. Even with the 10" rims on my pontoon trailer towing at 70 mph, I can hold my finger tips against the hub. ( 330 mile trip one way )

Unless "trailer maintence" is specified in the winterization package at the dealer, they did NOT do anything to the trailer at all. Either specify that they do it or do it yourself.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Good post. Seems to me the answers to your post are going to have to be subjective. I don't think you can get an answer with empirical evidence on this one.

My axle with the brakes gets noticably hotter than the free axle. the Air temp was 102 on sunday and I had some traffic so when i got home (40 miles of hills and some highway travel) the braking axle was what i would consider hot. I could hold my fingers on it, spit did not evaporate off it right away, but it was generally uncomfortable to do. It was consistent to both hubs on the axle just as the non brake axle hubs were both warm. Its something that I am watching but not alarmed.

If you have a warped disc I would assume that it would be hot only on the side with warp. Its a relatively new trailer so there could be some air bubbles still in the packing. Ditto on pumping just enough to be able to rock the BB.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Thank you for the replies. Yes, I'm leaning towards the brakes as the source of the heat. The BBs appear to be loaded with grease as I can still rock the cap back and forth.

Yes, warped discs could be the problem. I learned years ago that one major cause of disc damage is excessive torque on the lug nuts. It's always a good idea to check the torque ourselves after every tire service (e.g. rotation). I came home one day after getting the tires rotated on my car and discovered they were torqued at 125 lbs!

I rotated the Shorelandr' tires (including the spare) myself this spring and torqued them according to the manual that came with the trailer.

Also, this morning I reread the Shorelandr' manual on the disc brakes, and there is something about surge brakes and going down hills; that the brakes would be actuated if the trailer tongue was forced forward due to shifting into a lower gear during the decline or if the descent was just steep enough that gravity moved the tongue forward. We were driving through some up and down terrain at the time, so maybe that is why they were hot.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

I've never had hubs that hot, and I check them every trip regardless the distance. From STC to Faribault it was maybe body temp at best, and thats a 120 mile drive non-stop. I would repack them just to know what you're dealing with, don't ever assume the dealer did it. I'd rather it be a brake problem vs. a bearing problem. One of the boats I have is a hand me down, and back when it was new the trailer lost a wheel on 35 going to Pine City due to a bad bearing.

I keep an extra hub, along with grease and tools, in my trailering kit that I don't leave home without.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Drove my boat home 150 miles at 70 mph last yr, hubs were cold to the touch at halfway point, got home and pulled a wheel to inspect berings, they fell out, bearings rolling all over the place.

Just cos they ain't hot don't mean anything.
The best advise I've heard is change bearings every couple of yrs, unless you don't go anywhere. Very cheap ins.

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Re: Bearings: how hot is too hot?

Navy Jr. said:

....

Yes, warped discs could be the problem. I learned years ago that one major cause of disc damage is excessive torque on the lug nuts. It's always a good idea to check the torque ourselves after every tire service (e.g. rotation). I came home one day after getting the tires rotated on my car and discovered they were torqued at 125 lbs!

I rotated the Shorelandr' tires (including the spare) myself this spring and torqued them according to the manual that came with the trailer.

.......

Click to expand...

Unequal torque values on the lugnuts will/can cause warpage. I help wrench at a race shop ( road racing ) and all lug nuts are torqued to exact values. It's even more important with aluminum wheels.

125 ft lbs may be excessive for your car but that is the correct value for my 4wd 3/4 ton suburban.

Re: Wheels: how hot is too hot?

I carry an infrared thermometer gun when towing. You can find a name brand temperature gun for about $55 if you shop carefully.

Every stop I check the temperature of all the tires, bearings, and brakes. If towing on a interstate highway on a cool day, if I pull off into the rest area and coast to a stop the bearings will generally only be a few degrees above ambient.

On hot sunny days the side of the rig in the sun is always much warmer than the side in the shade. Running on asphalt will drive the tire temperatures up.

The bearings should not be substantially different in temperature than the brakes. The heat from the brakes will tend to raise the bearing temperature.

I do not recall a bearing that was really hot to the touch, except the time I had a dragging brake. That put the bearing over 200-degrees. It failed as soon as I came to a stop because the cooling air blast ceased and the heat soak froze everything.

Re: Wheels: how hot is too hot?

Bearings should be cool, tires warm up though.

Re: Wheels: how hot is too hot?

I use an infrared temp reader when I take the traileron the hiway. I check them at each stop. They are always just a few degrees above ambient, here in AZ thats about 110 or so. I do notice the brake axel is cooler than the non brake axel by about 7 degrees. I think this is due to slightly more weight on the back tires (Backs are hub only-no brakes) but thats just my opinion, they were all serviced by me the same way with the same torques and these readings are very consistant.