By Dustin Simpson
Here, I’ll explain the importance of a wheel bearing pack service and will show you what we found on a unit recently on our lot. When was the last time you inspected your brakes and bearings?
During a recent wheel bearing pack service we found the following items on an RV unit:
• The brake shoes were worn down on three out of four brakes. This also caused damage to the drums.
• The roadside rear brake magnet wiring was cut in half and the backing plate/shoe and the drum were rusted.
• All bearings were burnt and loose in bearing cages due to lack of lubrication.
Causes of brake failure
Making sure that the brakes and suspension are in good working condition is key for any RV. With that being said, a lot of braking and suspension systems go unchecked and can cause accidents and trailer fires. We want to make sure this is prevented so trips can be enjoyed with family and friends. Trailer brakes should be inspected yearly or more often, depending on performance.
There are many causes for brakes to not work properly:
• Poor connections
• Open circuit
• Insufficient wire size
• Broken wires hanging below the axle
• Improperly set up controller
• Internally shorted magnets
• Defective controller
• Brake wire shorted to ground somewhere in the system
• Corrosion between the ground wire and the brake wire in the electrical connector plug
Wheel bearing pack service
A wheel bearing pack service is recommended every 12 months or every 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Whether you are a DIY guy or gal or you utilize an RV repair shop, be sure to get this service done if your RV is due (based on mileage and/or time) or question the functionality of your brakes.
A thorough service will include:
• Inspection of brakes and bearings for wear or damage
• Cleaning and repacking of wheel bearings and replacing the seals
• Cleaning and adjusting the brake shoes as well as testing the operation
• Adjusting tire pressure and torquing wheels to specifications
• Inspecting shackle links, springs, hangers, all welds and wiring at axles
If you would like to see a wheel bearing service completed from start to finish, watch the video below.
If you want to learn more about wheel bearings, check out this additional video:
More from Dustin
Dustin owns and operates California RV Specialists, an independent RV repair shop located in Lodi, CA. He thrives on sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm of RV repair and maintenance with his team, customers, and virtual friends.
Make sure you check out Dustin’s website, California RV Specialists, and their YouTube channel for more helpful information, and see our published articles on RVtravel.com and other social media pages.
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RVDT2736
How unsafe is it to work with no jack stands?
You are braver than me!
how do you jack and support the trailer? Your guys are experienced and just know. You reference the owners manual. My manual doesn’t say sh00t about jacking support or the torque specs you mentioned. When you “check” the components, what the …. do you look for? another tech article or video that doesn’t really inform.
A really common question, and I suspect many won’t answer for liability reasons. The one common thing everyone agrees you should not do is place a jack on the axle cross member. Bend this tube and your wheels will lose alignment.
With dual axles you can put the other axle on a ramp. With my single axle, I use a wood block and bottle jack below the welded leaf spring connection to the frame. Once up, I have a pair of adequately weight rated stacking screw jacks I put on the frame just outside the leaf spring. Always chock the other side, and if possible hitched to the tow vehicle with its parking brake on.
I have learned to watch mechanics. Unless they have been properly trained on servicing trailer axles, I have caught several just roll a floor jack under the axle. Exactly where they should not be lifting the trailer!
Just recently I upgraded from manual adjust brakes to self-adjusting. Standard instructions have you starting and stopping up to 50 times for initial adjustment and burnishing. A mechanic can substantially do the pre-adjustment while on jacks so after a few start/stop you burnish the brakes and you’re done. I offered to explain to the mechanic how to do this, but the manager said his mechanic already knew.
He didn’t. He misinterpreted the drag of the magnet as the shoes making contact with the drum. I ended up spending 2 hours on a lonely paved road (glad we had one); and based on drag and my IR thermometer, 40 minutes before the shoes even lightly touched the drums.
Thank you for sharing the videos and discussing a proper brake service, Dustin! Demonstrating the potential problems and listing the aspects that should be checked are beneficial to ensuring the owners are educated consumers if hiring a shop to perform the service or repairs. Have a great day and safe travels!