ASAP Trailer advice: repack bearings 'n' such?

[mvp]

I’d appreciate your advice:

I have a two horse trailer that I haven’t used much in the last year-- once or twice for short trips. I took one yesterday (maybe 5 miles each way) and it seemed just fine.

I have always maintained this trailer well, including having it’s bearings repacked 1x/year and a “once over” by my trailer guy.

I’ll go on a long-ass trip next week. And so my questions:

1. If my trailer looks and feels great now, can I trust that it’s good?

2. Would you trust a generic tire place to grease and repack the bearings or should I see if I can take it to my local trailer place?

Thank you!

[Sparrowette]

You can check your own bearings. This is a trick my dad gave me when I was a kid (My dad had daughters, and I was the one who wound up under cars with him).

Jack the wheels just off the ground so they can spin, then spin each, one at a time while you put your ear right in there by the wheel center, and listen closely. It should sound smooth. You don’t want to hear any grinding or rubbing sounds at all.

This is also a good way to be sure the work was actually done when you send it in. If it goes in loud, it should come back quiet.

And if it needs to go, I’d send it to the trailer place.

Just FYI.

[hosspuller]

@Sparrowette

You can check your own bearings. This is a trick my dad gave me when I was a kid (My dad had daughters, and I was the one who wound up under cars with him).

Jack the wheels just off the ground so they can spin, then spin each, one at a time while you put your ear right in there by the wheel center, and listen closely. It should sound smooth. You don’t want to hear any grinding or rubbing sounds at all.

This is also a good way to be sure the work was actually done when you send it in. If it goes in loud, it should come back quiet.

And if it needs to go, I’d send it to the trailer place.

Just FYI.

Electric brakes have a magnet that rubs the wheel hub… so rubbing sounds are normal.

[mvp]

@hosspuller

Electric brakes have a magnet that rubs the wheel hub… so rubbing sounds are normal.

Yabbut not when the brakes aren’t applied, right? The wheels should roll free without your foot on the brake pedal, amirite?

[Heinz_57]

If your long-ass-trip is going to take you through the wild blue yonder and you’ll be hours from roadside assistance at times, I’d probably pony up the ~$100 or whatever it costs to have them repacked, just as insurance. Can’t speak to tire shop vs trailer shop, Mr. Heinz is a mechanic and does all our vehicular work, but in years past have had both Schwab and the Tire Factory guys do bearings on previous trailers without any trouble. It’s a pretty basic job.

[mvp]

Thank you all for the helpful advice. I’m going to watch the video posted by hosspuller so that I can learn a little bit more about what they will be doing.

Heinz57, my neighbor. Yeah, I have a trusty Les Schwab down the street from my house that has always done me right. And I have brought the guys there pizza.

Back when I lived in NY State and you had to re-register your trailer each December, that created the reminder to get everything checked out and serviced. I didn’t need to think so much about this one additional, somewhat infrequent errand.

But I do like trustworthy equipment. In this case, the rig has to go all the way down to Central CA and pick up a horse. Plus! My cats will be in tow (don’t ask). But you can’t have a breakdown with someone else’s horse and your own catS (plural, more than one meower) hanging in the balance. A bad time would be had by all.

[Heinz_57]

I would certainly not like to be stuck on a roadside with a broken down, loaded trailer AND a truckfull of cats!

[walkinthewalk]

And regardless of how well you have cared for the trailer. Pull the mats and check the floorboards with a hammer. Have the cross members checked as well.

even if the tires have plenty of tread, they could possibly have some dry rot. If they do, they’ll blow eventually - I know from experience - my trailer tires only had 3000 miles on them but the trailer sat for a long time. Evenn though they didn’t show any weather cracking, I blew one in the worst of places and while moving cross-country.

Thankfully DH was behind me with all his tools and put the spare on until we got to the first town with a tire dealer and put four new tires on the trailer. DH changed that tire while my three blessed horses stood quietly, in an open stock trailer, eating hay with cars and semis whizzing by.

you’re going on a long trip – there should be “no inspection stone left unturned”.

[hosspuller]

@mvp

Yabbut not when the brakes aren’t applied, right? The wheels should roll free without your foot on the brake pedal, amirite?

Nope … There is a spring that holds the magnet lightly against the side of the wheel hub all the time. When the brake is applied, electric current energizes the magnet to hold tight to the side of the hub. The motion of the spinning hub then pulls the magnet and the brake lever to push the brake shoes against the wheel hub… braking your trailer.

[hosspuller]

An essential item of my horse trailering is a membership with USrider. Unlike other road service providers, they expect to be dealing with animals in a trailer. In fact: They answer the call with “are you and your animals in a safe place?”

In ten years I’ve been mighty well pleased with them. (Like all road service plans, the local contractor provides the actual service and service quality is variable. Some COTH have had poor service. I have a different view in the three times I’ve called )

If you aren’t a member, you may join online at usrider.org or call 800-844-1409 …

Further if you use referral code AMB14833 both you and I get an free extra month of service.

[mvp]

@Heinz 57

I would certainly not like to be stuck on a roadside with a broken down, loaded trailer AND a truckfull of cats!

With the cats especially, eh? Can you imagine?

The rig is at my trusty Les Schwab right now.

Thanks for setting me straight, especially the major clue that I wouldn’t see a problem with bad bearings until the heat-- and therefore a long trip on a freeway-- would tell me I had made a mistake. I’ll file that in the permanent Care and Feeding of Equipment File.

[mvp]

Also, I do have USRider.

And one time, they did have to rig up a tow for me… just with the truck… but also with some foster kittens! Kittehs were just packaged in their crate and left in the rig of my truck. They had a great and level view because they put my truck on a flatbed trailer.

Sigh… why is someone taking foster kittens on a long-ass road trip in the first place? The short story is that I wanted to export an old cat from this shelter that I thought would be perfect for my mom. But she wanted a trial period. So I dragged everyone from Oregon to California for the test-drive. It was successful and my mom gave that cat a ring.

[gumtree]

Good video. Gotta love U-tube. Just about anything needing repair there are U-tube vids explaining the process and the tricks to the trade. Wish it had been around in my formative DIY years. Takes all the guess work out of a project and can make for much shorter work of it.

One thing he should have said for those who may be inclined to to this very simple DIY, With some trailers when the power line is disconnected the electric breaks automatically “lock up” so it wouldn’t roll as a safety feature. If the trailer has this option it will be pretty much impossible to take the wheel hub off. Ask me how I know.

The spin the wheel test as Sparrow described is an easy why to check things. But does not guarantee the bearings are in good shape. It’s pretty easy to take off the grease cap and have a look see. Check for grease and the condition of the grease. Make sure it’s not dried out. Check for metal grindings, etc.

I’m not as anal about these things as others.The way I see it, the majority of trailers don’t get nearly the miles driven on it as a car or truck in any given year. Not even close. When my cars/truck is in for its yearly inspection my man has never told me the bearings need to be replaced, repacked. When I have had a car//truck still under warranty I can’t remember a time I was told the bearings are suspect and or need greasing. I wouldn’t pay for them to do it anyway. Very simple DIY.

Harbor Freight sell very inexpensive bearing packing kits. Worth the money. Most likely Chinese made, lol.

So I just don’t think nor found trailers need to be “repacked” on a yearly bases. I’ve towed my heavily loaded flat bed back and forth to Co several times a year. With several years in between greasing the bearings. I drill and install a grease fitting on some of the trailer hub grease cups. Easy and cheap to do. A couple of squirts for good measure from time to time.

To each their own on this. I have had one bearing failure on 1 Jeep out of 8 that I have owned. None on a horse trailer or flat bed trailer. Now that I’ve said this Murphy’s Law will probably bite me.

[OverandOnward]

@mvp

Also, I do have USRider.
…

You have it because you are wise, and you hope not to need it.

My trailer bearings almost caught fire when I used my trailer after it had been resting quietly over the winter. With 2 TB’s in the back. On a freeway through a major city. On Sunday when no repair shops were open.

A nice guy in a truck blew his horn while he was alongside me at 65 mph to make sure I was seeing the smoke streaming behind us from the bearings.

It’s good to have friends who will come rescue your horses from a city parking lot in such circumstances.

[OverandOnward]

@gumtree

…
So I just don’t think nor found trailers need to be “repacked” on a yearly bases. I’ve towed my heavily loaded flat bed back and forth to Co several times a year. With several years in between greasing the bearings. I drill and install a grease fitting on some of the trailer hub grease cups. Easy and cheap to do. A couple of squirts for good measure from time to time.
…

In a wet climate it is hard to get away with this. Even a few months without use can put the bearings in jeopardy. See my post above. And I do maintain my trailer well.