Trailer Bearings and Races: When Should They Be Replaced?

How often should you replace your trailer’s wheel bearings? What should you look for as a sign that it’s time for bearing replacement? How about the race? Important questions! The TrailerSmith covers the ins and outs of replacing the trailer wheel bearing and race. He also goes further and shows how to remove the old ones and install the new ones. He even shows how you can remove a really stubborn race. If you replace the bearings, it is imperative that you replace the race, as well.
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Links to useful products:
Bearing, Race, and Seal Driver Set amzn.to/3Ac6C96
Bearing Punch Set amzn.to/4dmED4T
Lisle Bearing Packer amzn.to/3UYHQQQ
Channellock Pliers amzn.to/3wEFQoR
Brake Parts Cleaner amzn.to/3zTgMvu
Regular Bearing Grease amzn.to/4bH5nwK
Marine Grease Tube amzn.to/46TP9OI
RTV Silicone amzn.to/462w2ly
Shop Towels In A Box amzn.to/3SgG7FL
Dust Cap Installation Tool amzn.to/4cP5O8S
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included in the video descriptions may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that we provide we may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting the channel so we can continue to provide you with content.
Check out Texas Custom Trailers for any trailer needs you may have. And if you’re local, check them out for your trailer service needs! If you aren’t local, but need a new trailer, they can ship it to you! Tell them The TrailerSmith sent you!
www.txcustomtrailers.com
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#thetrailersmith #utilitytrailer #texascustomtrailers #towing #trailerrepair #mechanic #diytrailer #trailers #trailerwheel #trailerbrakes #brakeadjustment #wheelbearings #trailerhubs #trailerdrums #grease #trailerbearings #fyp #utilitytrailer #cargotrailer #rv

[@mrdragon1653]

I would have no reservations bringing my trailer to your shop! Thank You for sharing with this DIY!

[@TheTrailerSmith]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@BAWhite-rf2bs]

It's always great to hear about these procedures from a PRO, not some guy out in his garage and is a CPA by trade. A PROFESSIONAL like yourself deserves to be recognized, thank You VERY much......

[@rickallen3267]

I'm in the process of reconditioning my faithful 30 year old utility trailer . Thanks for the great information. Perfect timing for me to find you.

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Best of luck! And thanks for watching!

[@kevinherm3036]

I've changed a lot of bearings/races but the weld out removal is new to me...probably taken a torch to some though! Thanks for that nugget of knowledge.

[@N-M424]

Great video. My experience with bearings has been the China bearings can be unpredictable. When you are running at the limits of the bearing (90%+ spindle load rating / high speed / rough roads) the China bearings have not been consistently lasting. I suspect the hardness and surface finish of the bearings to vary significantly. I have not had a Timken bearing fail under the same conditions. I try to be as scientific as possible setting my bearings to 1-5 thou end-play measured with a dial indicator using arbor shims as often with a standard axle nut one slot is too loose and the next is too tight. Properly packed either by hand or bearing packer with a quality grease. It is tedious work but beats a road-side repair or tow. I still carry a full roadside repair setup with a pre-loaded hub, chisels, hammers, files (included thread file), etc. for the trailers without swappable spindles.

[@drizler]

I’ve been playing with these things since the early 70s. Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t they used to be sold as a set with the race?

[@N-M424]

@@drizler Yes, you can get them packaged as a set (cup/cone) or individually.

[@yak9147]

This was the video that covered the bases for me , thank you , TrailerSmith!

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Glad to hear it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@charliebuffkin7704]

I appreciate you sharing all of this great information. It makes me realize how deficient I have been in my trailer maintenance. Thanks and keep up the great videos!

[@davidfutrell8546]

Great job!!! I thought I was doing good until I started watching your videos. I need to pick up my game a bit.

[@JT-lq4yd]

Good morning Trailer Smith I have been bad at maintaining the bearings on my rarely used utility trailer. I believe there are lots of people like me 😂. I recently found your channel and found it to be extremely informative on the subject.

[@smiley3303]

USA all the way for me. Timken all day. I love your videos thanks for the insights.

[@BJSmith-ll3uw]

Alot of timkin are China made now days

[@sprint48219]

I agree but most bearings now are made in Chinese factories by the companies that are labeling them so Timkin can be made at a factory run by Timkin in China But you can't turn your back on them because they will slide you improper materials if you're not watching closely and a lot of bearings and other equipment will go out the back door when nobody's looking and be sold on the Internet

[@johnbannister501]

Excellent Presentation!! You have an excellent talent for explaining how and why!!

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Thank you kindly! And thanks for watching!

[@trinitytoo]

@@TheTrailerSmith I agree. And I'm not a mechanic or a tech - jsu a small trailer owner. Great video, great presentation, well filmed. A+.

[@KH102695]

I'm in the process of changing out the bearings and races on my Toy Hauler. The original bearings that came out of it are Chinese and they look like new. This Toy Hauler has two 7000 pound axles and is usually fully loaded to approx 17,000 pounds. Thanks for all your knowledge and experience.

[@bluethunder1951]

Wow, that was very informative on race removal, I usually end up splitting the tough ones with a sharp cold cut on my skid steer wheels. Never thought about welding a bead on the race, will give it a try next time.

[@jacklabloom635]

I changed out the bearings and races on a homemade trailer that was made in 1997. I purchased the trailer two months ago. I ordered the bearings and races from Amazon using the same part numbers that were stamped on the races and bearings that came out of the hubs. The bearings and races were timken brand and bower brand. I purchased a punch set and bearing race and seal driver set from Harbor Freight. The tools worked well. I packed the bearings with grease by hand. I hope they hold up. I will repack the bearings in one year to see how the bearings are doing. The trailer will be used to haul wood. Round trips will be five to ten miles four or five times a month in the fall. I wish I had seen your video sooner, but it appears I did everything correctly.

[@chriselliott2364]

Checking my lug nuts later too!!

[@gappmast9712]

I don't like using a steel punch on a new race. I put the old race on top of the new race if I have to hammer it in, then turn it over and tap the old race out.

[@dondartt684]

Great video, know your stuff.

[@jessemccoy1661]

Awesome information on the welding technique! 👍 I always buy Timkin, FAG, or Napa (USA or UK preferably), but I don't have an issue with yhe Korea or Mexico either. It's good to know you've had good luck with the China stuff, though. Thank you

[@brianevans7486]

Make sure you check that the cups. Are not spinning or loose in the Hub before you knock them out .If they do .The hubs no good .Sometimes you will need to use a file or screw Driver to check them before you knock them out .They can seem ok when there not .Yes the new ones will go in ok but wont last if your not checking the old ones before you remove them.

[@williamfry6087]

Nice shirt, good advice.

[@scotthoughton7245]

New to your channel impressed. Subscribed right away.

[@davidmeyers4510]

I've watched a few of your videos recently to refresh my memory before starting on a couple of diy projects. I need to replace the bearings and seals on a used single axle boat trailer and a repack on my travel trailer. I haven't seen anything yet in your videos on inspection of the spindle seal areas and how to proceed of they are worn and pitted. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the use of Speedi Sleeves and procedures if you do use them. Thanks.

[@MrTgrasshopper]

You are good!!! The welder. I wouldn't have tought of it.

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Thanks for watching!

[@suehelling8770]

Thanks

[@vicpetrishak7705]

Between cups and cones use the same manufacturer . Heat aluminum hub assemblies to install the cups . Fabricate steel bushing drivers . In a pinch with a loose cup shim with feelers gauge and press cup into place . American Made Mayhew Punches ! Informative video

[@jimgoodwin6440]

Great topic!

[@toddwatzka960]

Non chlorinated brake cleaner is fine to use with welding.

[@truckladders4104]

Mayhew makes really nice punches Flat on one side, good length. Pricey? not after you bash your hand using a cheap punch Also avalaible

[@paulwiller1647]

I was wondering if you could do a video on how tight the bearings should fit on the spindle. Should they slide on easily or should it be a precision fit and a little tough to slide into place. Thanks. Great videos btw!

[@REDMAN298]

I worked on a fleet of 450 trucks for over 12 yrs. It was not uncommon to replace a pitted china steer wheel bearing at 30k mi. With 80k lbs. of truck that`s not a gamble I would take. I probably replace more wheel bearings than anyone else in the company. After jacking up a wheel and spinning it, if I could feel roughness the bearings got replaced. I would see over 100k mi. on other bearings with no problems.

[@petejoy6328]

I can’t thank you enough for your very informative videos! You’ve answered allot of my questions. Where are you located? I’d drive to have you service my trailer! Thanks

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Glad to help! I am in North Texas. Just north of Fort Worth. Are you local to the area?

[@petejoy6328]

@@TheTrailerSmith I’m in. Northern California. I’ll stop by in my travels this fall!

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Give me shout when you’re in the neighborhood! Safe travels!

[@tommybounds3220]

Thank you for the video.

[@TheTrailerSmith]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@patskanes5262]

Hello, I have a Shorelander trailer that has sleeves to protect the sealing surface. I saw on KZbin that Shorelander suggest that you use Red Loctite to install the sleeves so they don't turn once installed. What do you use so the sleeves will not turn once installed? I am a millwright and would you believe this is first time I saw sleeves being used. So any any advice from someone who works on trailers for a living would be great. Great video's watched a lot of them so far. Pat

[@scott5747]

When I changed bearings on a 6x12 single axle trailer a few years ago, I was advised by a shop to put the races in the freezer to shrink them a little. Any thoughts?

[@hildablanco1591]

Use the old race to put in the new race and a plastic end hammer

[@hildablanco1591]

The bearing race and bearing should be the same brand

[@jameswilliams1111]

Great video. I wish I would of seen it before I took my 7x12 enclosed trailer to the shop for new bearings seals I have to check to see if he replaced the race with the bearings. The trailer is a 2021 single axial 3500 lb axial with trailer brakes. With approximately 5800 miles on it. The old set was repack and is being used for a spare set. Just incase do you think that's good to do?

[@joepodunk284]

What is the proper placement of the seal? Flush with the hub or in to the race? I recently replaced my boat trailer bearings (Which are the same as you did in this video) and used the same race install kit as you have to tap in the seal, with a couple extra taps it went to the race which is now just inside the hub? Thank you, great info and subscribed!!

[@Ripper2524]

I just bought a 2009 m1101 military trailer. I bought all new bearings and races and today I pulled the hub. Looks brand new inside, the previous owner bought it in 2013 and he never did any repacks. The bearings are stamped Japan. The only thing I see on them are “scratches” towards the bottom of the rollers but my finger nail does not catch on them. Should I just go ahead a replace everything or just clean and repack? Also the castle nut was on pretty tight and the hubs never got hot.

[@madman432000]

I am rebuilding the diff in my Jeep and see where you can get the cup for bearings separately from the bearing, at least that is the way they are listed. But the bearings I bought all came complete. When I removed the pinion bearing the cup was fine but the inner race had gone bad and the carrier bearings seemed fine but one of the cups had some bad roughness that I didn't notice when I took it apart. Was going to reuse the bearings until I saw that but the inner races were fine as were the rollers. Any bad part of a bearing and it's new bearings for me.

[@electrified7309]

Question: How do you know what size bearings you have. There's no markings on the axle of my dump trailer. It has 8k axle.

[@dk_719]

I have a 23 big tex 14k dump trailer. Bought new. Right rear tire keeps wearing out on the outside faster than the rest. Is there antthing i can do or check to see if the axle/spindle is bent?

[@alext8828]

Does the (outter) race come with the bearing (a matched set) or are new races all the same? Somewhere around 4:54 you said that if you get a drum with a race in it, then you replace the bearing. I guess that means you don't use the old bearing. You use a new one, meaning that the race and bearing don't come as fitted pairs. Okay, I'm almost unconfused. I guess I should have asked if race and bearing came in matched sets. Oh, that's what I did ask. Good video, btw.

[@MrInfo222]

I just bought a set of new hub and electric brake assembly, put it down on a tilted surface, they fell from maybe 3ft high. One bearing came out of the hub but didn’t look damaged. Am I risking safety here if I still use the assembly?

[@user-nf6uj1eq8i]

These are awesome videos. I would definitely bring my trailer to you for Repairs or maintenance. I wonder would you have an opinion on Dexter 4000lb Torflex axles on a 35 ft travel trailer , bought the trailer brand new in 2021 , only 7000 miles on the Castlerock ST 226 tires and they are showing severe wear on the right side rear axle inside tire wear , almost no tread left and on the left side front axle inside tire wear. The other two tires are showing feather wear but not as bad ? I run 65lbs air pressure and have weighed the axles when loaded and I’m under the weight maximum. I serviced the bearings , replaced and did the proper torque on the spindle nut. Bent Axle or axles maybe ? Is there any alignment for Torsion axles ? Thanks

[@1hasbeen531]

Why aren't hub-odometers used in the light trailer industry like they are on semi trailers?

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

I've bought new hubs that came with races installed, can I leave these races in the hub and use them with my new china bearings, or should I replace those new races with the the races that came with my china bearings?

[@TheTrailerSmith]

It’s perfectly to use the races that are already installed in the hub. Great question!

[@jimcollins8097]

So, explain why you recommend repack on 12 months on low miles trailer? Have 2 acle travel trailer and pack every 3-=4 yrs depending on miles pulled. Its 11 yrs old bought new, never had a failure other than 1 seal. There just isnt anything about this thst is time sensitive within reasonable intervals

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Axle manufacturer’s recommendations are once a year or every 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. I cover the specifics about it more in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqa2oKhnoMameMUsi=Ra16IaIG1osyYgEs

[@jimcollins8097]

You are correct, that is what the oem's recommend. But i suspect that is defined by their lawyers. There is just no technical reason to support that. I do worry about age/flexibility of the rubber seal lip, but you don't know how old the seal was when you bought it.

[@joew8440]

Thanks, Good video Curious, what does brake cleaner do to the welding process?

[@ivanbg5167]

phosgene gas

[@joew8440]

@@ivanbg5167 thanks, I’ll look it up

[@fascistpedant758]

Only chlorinated brake cleaners are dangerous. Most are safe.

[@bernardhernandez2396]

I use TRW components

[@johnbannister501]

Labour is the same....so go for American made EVERY time!!

[@TerrydeAlaska]

Love your channel and love what you teach us, every time I watch your videos I learn something new. I’ve been having problems with my master tow, dolly, and recently I adjusted the brakes and I had no drag on the brakes and the castle nut was finger tight, and later the brakes were dragging and it heated the hub up to where I could not touch it. It was so hot what can cause that to happen? I’m assuming it has to do with Fluid or issue with the main pump not retracting. Oh yeah, this is hydraulic surge brakes.

[@thomaswilson8634]

Where a you located. I have a 2015 kenworth t680. I just retired from trucking after 44 years. I bought a drv fifthwheel and (I know) I plan to pull with my commercial fifthwheel. I have gen y on fifthwheel. I need my truck wired so I can pull my fifthwheel. I can't find anyone to do it. Can you?

[@joepodunk284]

He's north of Fort Worth Texas. It's in another comment. Hope that helps 😊

[@erneumann3136]

My experience has been that some China components are decent while others are not very good. BTW India is coming out with some good components now.

[@doucetrr2007]

👍🏅💪

[@hildablanco1591]

What ever bearing you use make sure the bearing cage is heavy duty and the race should be German

[@bryonsusedautos]

Where are you located?

[@TheTrailerSmith]

Hi! I’m located in North Texas.

[@bryonsusedautos]

@@TheTrailerSmith Well that alittle far from me lol. I am looking to get a disc brake conversion done

[@bryonsusedautos]

@@TheTrailerSmith What would a disc conversion cost for 2 5200lbs axles

[@hildablanco1591]

Its better to put it in the freezer and it will come out easy no welding

[@petermills1402]

OMG, I was looking for some decent info about bearings wear and I turned off with the garbage blurry camera work, there are so many KZbinrs that have sorted the camera focus, your work is excellent otherwise, the voice explanation is good.

[@alext8828]

19:25 China made bearings are as good as domestic if you take care of them. What about under abusive conditions? Sometimes people don't take care of things. Any difference in that case?.

[@captainwin6333]

Boeing are made in the USA.

[@MichaelMullarkey-ze4ri]

Made myself a tool - looks like a inverted toggle bolt. The harder the push the harder the grip. Simple tool for cone removal. Use good quality steel. The DUMB BLACKSMITH

[@fascistpedant758]

Only chlorinated brake cleaners are dangerous.

[@JA-gx4hb]

Seems like it would be cheaper to just get a new hub with bearings and everything rather than pay a guy to weld remove my races.

[@poundsonwood]

Could be, but 4 brake drums for my D44 axles is over $1,000. At that price I had them turned, OD and magnet face and put in new Timkens. Should last the remainder of that trailer life.

[@MrPancake0825]

Come on, camera-person, focus-practice focus before doing closeups.