misc. trailer maintenance

[serialgriller]

how often should you repack the bearings on your trailer?  i don't tow mine much but i'm guessing it should be done at least every couple of years.......

also, what would be the rule of thumb for replacing tires?  i know for boat trailers the rule of thumb is every two years regardless of how much you tow it. 

[Zilla]

Wheel bearings are fairly easy to do, just messy. every few years should be fine. I think with the tires if the rubber isn't cracked they should be fine for 4-6 years.

[bbqinNC]

Be careful with the tires. Last Spring I went on vacation to Florida with "new" tires on my camping trailer. They "looked" new but in fact were about 5 or 6 years old. I got about 10 miles from the house when one of them disintegrated. I have had this happen to me twice on this camper. Not the camper's fault, just an age thing.

Coincidentally I had a tire go out on my van on the way home of that trip. Never had a tire blow on a vehicle before that. The tires were sort of getting old on it as well as we don't use the van much for anything these days (except to get fire wood  )

[serialgriller]

yeah, i know exactly what you mean.  i think that's why the general rule, at least for boat trailers and i'm thinking a pit trailer would fall in the same category, is you replace them every two years - at most, every three.  typically they don't get the day to day use most tires do and all that time just sitting around "wears" on them.

now i know somebody out there is saying "i had my boat for ten years and never replaced the tires on the trailer".  well, congratulations, but i'm pretty sure that's not the norm.

[Gator Ritch]

You can buy caps that will allow you easily grease your bearings in minutes without taking the wheel off.  Costs about 20 bucks are so for a two piece set.  Hook a grease gun up to the cap zerk and squirt new grease in.  Doesn't get easier than that.  As far a replacing bearings, I agree with Zilla.  A way to check to see if bearings need replacing is the grab the top of the wheel and push and pull on the tire.  If it pops or you fill it "wiggle" a bit, it is time to replace those bearings.  But before you jump the gun and pull the wheel to replace, check the axle nut for snuggnish.  It could very well have backed off a bit and the hub is loose.  This may or may not sound complicated to some, but it is really easy stuff on these trailers.  It can get a bit more complicated on tandems, electric breaks, and huge trailers like the Renegade to do this types of inspections.  On the big boys, best to pull the wheels off and give a physical/visual inspection.

[bandit05]

When using a grease gun with those zerk fittings don't over grease or you could blow out the rear grease seal.  Then off comes everything anyway.  A couple rounds of grease is all you need.

[Gator Ritch]

When using a grease gun with those zerk fittings don't over grease or you could blow out the rear grease seal.  Then off comes everything anyway.  A couple rounds of grease is all you need.

Good point there.