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Trailer bearings are a common maintenance item that
some ignore until it is too late. The hub and axle are damaged and/or
the wheel falls off altogether.
Depending on the type of usage and quality of the axle and lubing
system installed, maintenance schedule should include at least a
yearly visual inspection of the condition of the bearings and seals.
It takes about an hour to repack a set of axle bearings.
The first step is to remove the grease cap (item 9) and cotter
pin (7) and spindle nut (8). (Note that there may be a washer
behind the spindle nut, on some axle assemblies.) The entire hub
assembly will then slide off of the axle (items 1 -6). Remove the
inner seal (item 1) and extract both the inner and outer bearing cones
for cleaning. After cleaning and re-greasing of the bearings...
reverse the process.
Make sure to clean the axle shaft and inspect it for
damage near the inner seal surface. Corrosion, burrs, and scratches on
the axle will damage the inner seal quickly. If the axle sealing
surface is damaged, install a "Spindo-Seal" kit instead of
the regular style inner seal (1). The "Spindo-Seal" kit
comes with a special stainless sleeve that slips over the axle, to
cover the original axle sealing surface, and a special inner seal to
match the new sealing surface.
When tightening the outer nut, be sure to spin the hub
in the direction of normal travel. Make sure the bearing cones are
well seated in the bearing cups. Check the hub for wobble. The rolling
torque is about 3-5 inch pounds, for most axles.
Note: The diagram bellow,
shows that the inner and outer bearing cup are on the
"outsides" of the inner and outer bearing cone. This is
misleading and not correct. The bearing cones slip into the bearing
cups which are pressed into the hub with the wide end of the taper
facing outward.
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