ARRRRRRRGGGG... Ever had a trailer burn a bearing ? On side of road half a day.

[ARC]

I always check bearings... and keep spares...
EXCEPT TODAY !!! heh
What a damn day is all I can say...
Sheessh people if you own a trailer be it a boat trailer or whatever... CHECK.
Best way to check is to jack each side and grab tire with both hands....
one on each side and try to wiggle it...
Any "play" and it should tightened or replaced...
Cotter pin removed and castle nut slight tight...
Bearing buddies or not...
IF YOU HAVE semi a lot of "play"... REPLACE BEARINGS before you drive it.
OR you will feel like I do...
First time for everything I guess... gotten complacent I guess.
Arrrrrg.
Off to shower.

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

I always check bearings... and keep spares...
EXCEPT TODAY !!! heh
What a damn day is all I can say...
Sheessh people if you own a trailer be it a boat trailer or whatever... CHECK.
Best way to check is to jack each side and grab tire with both hands....
one on each side and try to wiggle it...
Any "play" and it should tightened or replaced...
Cotter pin removed and castle nut slight tight...
Bearing buddies or not...
IF YOU HAVE semi a lot of "play"... REPLACE BEARINGS before you drive it.
OR you will feel like I do...
First time for everything I guess... gotten complacent I guess.
Arrrrrg.
Off to shower.

That sucks_ been there couple times....

 

[kingskid1611]

Did your tire run amuck?

 

[pepperj]

Ouch!The pain of having it happen. I've been lucky for bearings but had a Square nail go through the trailer tire last summer and no spare, tried to plug it at the farmers place and had no luck, so it was a 2 hr round trip.

 

[dirtlooter]

yep, it happens, always when you are at least fifty miles from home, minimum. the last time, four years ago. the good thing, when stopped, it was nearly in front of a very nice logger who just happened to have everything and even refused to let me change it out. I sent a new one back plus a gift certificate to a restaurant. I thought I would be spending the night there to keep from losing everything.

 

[ARC]

UM no... the tire would have been an easy fix...
I normally have only owned dual axle trailers...
Bearing are a FAR worse scenario...
Believe me... tire verses bearings... arrgg no comparison...
EXCEPT if you are on highway and a tires blows...
then that can be really really bad if situation is just right...
Anyway...
ALWAYS buy a double axel that is rated ABOVE what you need...
this way if EITHER prob happens...
You pull over and remove problem tire... and continue on... at least either to "better" place to do repair... or home or whatever.
With a single axle trailer which is what I just had the PLEASURABLE experience with... you are screwed.
BTW... a tire... as long as you are in a NON rural area ... like one with a Wal-Mart or a west marine etc...
You can walk in and buy the tire and rim in one shot from like 60-100 ish dollars depending on rim and tire size

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Knock wood - have not had bearings go on a trailer.

Have lost a bolt on a leaf spring and the fender dropped onto the tire and started the tire burning from friction.

Have had a spildle pull out of a square axle and the wheel come off. That one was after a 350 mile trip pulling a 2,800 lb boat, including a detour through the center of Philadelphia due to a chemical spill on the highway (got my windshield cleaned two dozen times), when I was making the turn into our driveway! Talk about a guardian angle.

 

[ARC]

With bearings... you better know what size... is it straight or slant... blah blah...
BUT the real problem has to do with getting the old ones off...
The heat from the "burn" and the scratches from the destruction inside the "hub" area from metal parts beings "chewn"...
is the real culprit...
The "spindle" / axel hub area will have even the slightest chew... but that WILL PREVENT new parts going on...
BUT... here is the BEST (worst) prt....
The OLD bearings heat welds the "race" (a part of the bearing assembly) to the axle... WHAT A NIGHMARE !!!
Over an hour...
3 mechanics and myself...
AND and GF that has her "time" ... oh god.

 

[ARC]

Knock wood - have not had bearings go on a trailer.

Have lost a bolt on a leaf spring and the fender dropped onto the tire and started the tire burning from friction.

Have had a spildle pull out of a square axle and the wheel come off. That one was after a 350 mile trip pulling a 2,800 lb boat, including a detour through the center of Philadelphia due to a chemical spill on the highway (got my windshield cleaned two dozen times), when I was making the turn into our driveway! Talk about a guardian angle.

I love this post Charlie... heh
Reading that story just made me not feel so bad...

OH I forgot... when I got out in the CVS parking lot to check what the hell was going on...
I had my PERFECT ... BABIED... cell phone on my lap...

YEP... cracked the glass...
Still works... but pissed is under statement.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Ah, the joys of trailering. Was it raining?

I was trying to think of how many flat tires I have had over the years (35 of trailering). I think at least six. I always carry a ready spare and a full tool box.

 

[uzd]

In the summer heat, after a long drive to the lake, I try to let'em cool b4 submerging. Don't know if it helps but there is nothing that ruins a good time like a side of the road episode. I'm sure everyone has had a near catastrophe towing a trailer, my first boat tow, on a busy freeway the winch line broke and the 17'' boat nose went straight up. The motor skag kept it w/the trailer. The cars behind meparted like the Red Sea. Learned a valuable lesson.

 

[ARC]

NO LOL !!! BUT...
that is so funny you just said that... heh
SO... we are *****ing and YES you are gonna "love" this part...
We ARE SWEATING OUR ASSES OFF... I mean dripping wet..
It had to be friggin 90 in that damn parking lot...
No joke man...
ANYWAY... One of the guys there says... "well it could be worse"... "it could be raining"...
The old line from the movie Young Frankenstein...
Of course I just looked up at him WITH BEARING GREASE ALL OVER ME... which has got to be the
WORST grease BOTH in smell and "durability"... which in my case only seemed to work well when I went to wash my hands of it.

***** word WAS B word.... rhymes with old lady who rides a broom.

 

[ARC]

In the summer heat, after a long drive to the lake, I try to let'em cool b4 submerging. Don't know if it helps but there is nothing that ruins a good time like a side of the road episode.

Actually uzd...
In theory of course...
submerging WHILE hot would be in a way... tempering them... aka strengthen them...
I am not sure though.
hmmm food for thought.

 

[chirper97]

Pulling single axle trailer containing Polaris RZR, looked in rear view mirror and saw billowing black smoke. The bearing had completely melted away up allowing a wheel to collapse onto the axle, helter skelter.

Lucky for me I have AAA RV coverage and had trailer towed to repair facility....required new axle and bearings. Way beyond my skills.

The AAA RV coverage is recommended. I also used it for another disabled trailer that was transporting 9 kayaks, for a tow of 100 miles!

 

[ARC]

Welp... that brings me to the good side...
Three younger mechanics just standing around with nothing to do...
saw me... and was like "man that is a really cool trailer... need some help.
... man o man...
they had no tools... I did.
the helped me all the way through... even lifted the damn thing caty wompus so I could get good shot at "race" piece...
that single piece... took an hour to REMOVE.

 

[uzd]

I'm not a metallurgist but I've heard the sizzle when the hubs hit the water. Ever grab a wheel/component shortly after bearing failure?

 

[ARC]

I went to Auto Zone... they wanted to parts me to death... each separate part etc... and the kits they had looked cheap...
I went to wall mart... only had one size.... not my size...
went to a local place/guy I knew he gave me a loner bearing/hub and parts... all of which were wrong...

FINALLY went West Marine... sheeesh...

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

That's another great habit. When trailering every time you stop, walk around and put your finger on the hubs. I do this at the end of our road . . . just in case.

 

[uzd]

That's another great habit. When trailering every time you stop, walk around and put your finger on the hubs. I do this at the end of our road . . . just in case.

Excellent advice

 

[pepperj]

Driving down out of the San Bernardino Mountains Ca. driving a /64 Rancharo, heard some noise looked in the side mirror didn't see anything, then I heard it again, and nothing in the mirrors. Finally figured it out when I went around a left hand curve the noise would be there, bearing?brakes? nope I saw in the mirror the problem the mag wheel was fully extended past the fender! Seems the D ring or retainer clip holding the axle let go, something different and a little scary at 60 mph.

Had a car Rental in 1978 and was on a detecting trip with my brother, decided to drive over the mountain to visit family. Got to the top of the range and got a flat tire, tried to change it and the studs came out while trying to take off the lug nuts. So after snapping off two studs we tightened the other three down and drove on the flat. Well we were cutting off the rubber when it started beating the sides of the car up, then after a few more miles the sparks started flying and there was a terrible sound-gas tank fell off the drivers side, seems the bracket wore off. Well it was a moment, as here we are on top of a mountain in the middle of the night, in a crap rental (car was new) stuck. Along came a motorhome and gave us a lift back to the city. I left the piece of crap with the keys in it on top of the mountain, car rental company "NOT IMPRESSED"