Trailer Maintenance, have you checked your bearings and brakes recently?

Basil Faulty · Guru

Trailer Maintenance, have you checked your bearings and brakes recently?

dave06 · Guru

Basil, common problem, people tend to think "she'l be right for this trip, I'll do her before the next one" I dont know how many bearings I have replaced from people coming through in the last couple of years, have to be in the dozens,

I keep on raving about it but NOBODY listens, check ALL your gear BEFORE the trip, when it breaks it's too late, you rely on other peoples good will to get you out of the poop and I can tell you now, it's not always going to be there

most of my out of hours non paid work is from common maintenence problems that is not done, I get sick of telling people "to check it from now on" but the ones I help, do so, but then I just get a fresh batch within a week or two

I've had seized brakes that have caught fire, busted stub axles from seized bearings, spring shackle bolts that have just had enough, busted springs from rust, bent axles from overloading, I've even seen a worn out tow ball bolt, come a little loose and drove with it for MANY miles the ammount of kilometres it would take to wear out a spring shackle bolt to the point of breakage is beyond my reckoning it would have to be multiple tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands without any grease, the noise should be a give away surely???

I have people coming in this weekend (arent I lucky) stuffed bearings. there will come a stage where I will say "no more, enough is enough

the cheap chinese pins have a habit of wearing through prematurely, if you have one, chuck it and go back to the hayman reese one, it's not worth it, they are not a good fit right from the word go, and the steel is softer

if you put the pressure type bearing seals on, commonly known as "bearing buddies" please do not pump them up right out until the nipple is flush with the outer edge, this puts too much pressure on the inner seal and "blows it", you will lose your grease, dirt will then enter and the seal fails completely and finally the bearing gives out

they are good things but pump them to about halfway please if you must use them at all

-- Edited by dave06 at 17:35, 2008-11-21

Gary and Kerry · Guru

I have the caravan booked in 11/12 to have brakes,bearings and suspension checked before we go away end of Jan. Rather get it checked here before we go than it break out in the miidle of nowhere

As far as any sort of vehicle maintance I am a dummy. Can change a flat but thats about it.

Van is going to Darios again tommorrow, still having problems with the fridge, will run all day on gas then go out sometime during the night. Must go out fairly early because its not cold when I check normally around 6am.
Runs fine on 240.

Wombat 280 · Guru

I check the boat trailer / van bearings and all the other bits that are prone to failure on a regular basis . I can understand the effects a salt laden environment has on boat trailer components but one has to ask why a road trailer / van needs such regular maintenance , how long , if ever. since anyone checked the same on there tow vehicle let alone it's basically the same set up . Most drivers have brakes done when Jax Tyres or Bob Jane are doing a tyre change , what about 50 - 60000 km wheel bearings never.

dave06 · Guru

well we are of course not dealing with the common garden variety "road trailer" we are dealing with beasties that travel hundreds of kilometres on gravel roads pounding the paint and protective coatings off and then through creeks and over gibbers, and to top it off they leave them sitting on lawns for the rest of the time that it is not in use.

if you buy a good quality camper trailer or caravan and look after it, you will get years and years of good service from it, the trouble comes in when one buys a secondhand one and then continues the abuse that it has already been suffering for years if you leave a trailer/van parked for six months or more the grease begins to harden and will not "flow" over the bearings, so even if the trailer/van has done minimal mileage the bearings will soon be knackered

when I get new tyres put on any of my vehicles, they are never interested in brakes, unless you specify it then it is an extra charge that most people would say "I wont worry about it this time" it's on the ramp off with the tyres on with the new ones and grab the cash,

if you are talking about the tow vehicle then thats a different kettle of fish altogether, most are right up to date with the log book service and shining like a two bob watch, but towing a trailer or van that has seen no maintenence for its entire life

depending on use if you repack the wheel bearings every 3-5 years whilst in "normal" use of say 50 - 100 kms per month, then that should be fine for normal running, do a few laps of aust. or a couple outback jaunts and you bring that back to before EVERY TRIP!!! do it right, no problem, dont do it, big trouble!!!

-- Edited by dave06 at 20:08, 2008-11-21

Basil Faulty · Guru

I'm not a great afficianado of Bearing Buddies because as Dave has said if you follow the installation instructions and fill them with grease then the grease will expand, has to go somewhere so either blows the rear seal or blows off the BB. If you want this type of setup then I'd reccomend the "Dura Hub" system : http://www.durahub.com/
It is oil filled with a clear viewing lens which allows you to see if there is any water, or metal filings floating around. Not cheap around $100 per axle but as close as you can get to "set up & forget". My feelings are that the less viscous oil will provide better lubrication than grease and as the wheel revolves centrifugal force keeps the oil on the ouside of the bearing surfaces anyway leaving the air in the middle to allow for expansion.
I am in no way connected with dura hub......

Cupie · Guru

G'day ..

Been away for a bit so I am somewhat late in contributing to this .. but here goes ...

I tow a 2.6ton 21'6" Jayco which results in lots of wheel weight ... so if I am home for more than a month, I put it on axel jacks until ready to go again. This not only relieves the weight on the bearings & tyres, but also makes it dead easy to service the running gear.
I check the bearings for play by 'shaking' with a hand on top & bottom, spin the wheels for free movement & the comforting 'ching' 'ching' as the break pads touch the drum. A test of the electrics is easy on mine by operating the 'break free' and ensuring that every wheel breaks. Every 10,000Km or before any long trip, I check & regrease the bearings. This includes checking the break pad 'meat' & condition of the solinoid & drums for wear. With the van off the ground it is easy to readjust the breaks.
It is also easy to check out the springs & shackles & grease the latter, with the van on jacks.

So far so good ... 150,000km of bitumen travel & still on the original 10yr old breaks & bearings.

I replaced all the tyres after 5 yrs even they still had more than legal minimum rubber left. I thought that at only $100 each that was good insurance.

Yes .. I agree that the hitch pin aught to be of the Hayman Reese variety.

cheers .. Graham

dave06 · Guru

graham thats a damn good maintenence routine and I wish it was adopted by one and all, it would certainly save me a lot of skun knuckles and swear words

Basil Faulty · Guru

Cupie wrote:

I replaced all the tyres after 5 yrs even they still had more than legal minimum rubber left. I thought that at only $100 each that was good insurance.

Thats good practise, tires deteriorate from exposure to the elements as well as wear. One van manufacturer (Golf maybe) provide pull down "blinds" to cover the wheels when you are parked to stop the sun cracking the tyres.