wheel bearing tips

A quick few tips to get yourself out of a drama and continue enjoying your trip
Wheel bearings in your trailer last for years, or 6 months...
.Even pop the grease cap off too check for colour and water
.I carry a pair of pre-packed bearings in a tub of grease in my 4x4 even when not towing.
Sold one kit on the side of the road to a bloke who was in some trouble with a seized bearing.
Next time you replace your bearings, punch out the shells, cut out 5mm of each old shell, file off the dags.
Use these to drift your new ones in, but facing backwards.
The cut out section will allow you easily remove them as they can contract from the cut out section.
Then put them in your toolbox.
If you want to go one better and make changing a wheel bearing on the side of the a 10 minute job.
A new hub for a Holden/Ford are about $40.Or cheap as from a wrecker.
Clean and fit new packed bearings to it, fill the hub with grease. Bag it and stow.
Then you simply just need to remove the split pin and castle nut, take off the hub, wipe off all the old grease and slide your new hub on, and off you go.
Then when you have time, cold beer, and a shady tree, pull down the bad hub and put the other new pair of bearings left over in it
,One day you will be greatfull you did a bit of effort done at home with a cold beer in the shed.Other than on the side of crap road in the dusty heat.

My plan off attack too. :Y: :Y: :Y:
I carry set's of fully packed bearings, 2 of them.
Packed with Molly.
So may times I have seen a family stuck on the side of the road
wondering what to do out in the middle of no where.
I have given one set away once. Poor bloke was in tears when I helped him.
He had 3 little kids and the wife with him.
Stinking hot day as well.
He had no idea at all.
For the cost of about $30.00 (Timken) and a bit of pre planning, It saves you one hell
of a lot of trouble if you forget to check them as you are supposed too.

Wheel bearings, what are they? Do cars have them? Oh my goodness, this is a disaster!
Mackka

Oh come on Mackka..
I had them done this year on my campertrailer. It had been around oz, up to Weipa,
across to Darwin etc. etc..........Brisbane. Thought they needed changing.
Rang Air Tasker and an Army mechanic came out -I supplied the bearings-Ford ones- He cleaned everything up at the depot -sandblasting etc. replaced bearings with grease supplied by him.---total $100-00 + 40 for bearings.
Beats a mechanics fees.

Is there different type of bearing for caravans?

Goody

Same deal, but jayco started using some better bigger bearings a while ago. Massive compared to the Holden and Ford bearings.
The job is trickier with drum brake if fitted. But this to me means all the more reason to have a spare hub readh to swap on the go.

I like to make the spare tyre Mount with a stub axle so I can use a lazy hub to hold the tyre.
Means that I always have a hub with greased bearings ready to go.

Ha, funny as. Just talking to a mate im building a camper trailer for and came up with same ghing. Excellent!

Mackka said:

Wheel bearings, what are they? Do cars have them? Oh my goodness, this is a disaster!
Mackka

Click to expand...

Is that the best you've got Macca!

Sorry Macca, if I assumed you didnt know it all.
But if you do.... why did you read it...?
Wasnt meant to be a thread for such people mate who" know it all" Or need dumb oop: sarcastic comments hey

:Y:
I'll shoot Santa Clause for break and enter!

That has no bearing on this conversation !

Mudgee thats where you are wrong, its a genuine question. I know absolutely nothing about cars except where to put petrol in and turn the key , oh , and where I get it serviced.

Bloody funny Macca. Got a laugh out of it.

You have to do the maths also....we picked up an 1996 caravan been sheded for a number of years and in great condition. when we picked it , for a song , they said there is a set of bearings spare for the wheels .they had been driving around for years. with these things ,.... well I decided to change the bearings . knowing it was a FORD pattern and the packet said ford , of I went , jacked it up took bearing hub of and knocked out the old and checked the numbers, shit the numbers on the inner one don't match...do the google bit and the hubs are AL-KO. known brand for vans,,,,,find out inner ones are Holden and outer ones are Ford, so they had these bearings for a few years and they would of been up shit creek if they had to change them in the out back...small story but check what you have got in your wheels. HAVING THE WRRONG THING IS AS BAD AS HAVING NOTHING AT ALL..... ickshovel:

Shep said:

I like to make the spare tyre Mount with a stub axle so I can use a lazy hub to hold the tyre.
Means that I always have a hub with greased bearings ready to go.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...4569_28d06810-a336-45b1-b168-7108eb54a2a1.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...4603_56354cf6-f2e2-465b-8921-4e733d71f51f.jpg

Click to expand...

Great idea Shep :Y:, Changing bearings on the side of dusty /wet road isn't much fun at all great thread MH :Y: :beer:.

How do I work out what size bearing my caravan take's?

Goody

The bearings have a serial no. stamped on them. Then go to supercheap auto and they will supply the new ones. So you will have to remove the old bearings to see what the no. is.

Best to remove one hub and measure the shaft and hubs with vernier calipers if you have them.

Unfortunately the bearing number will be marked on the side of the tapered bearing outer cage facing inside so you wont be able to read it unless you press out the outer shells , and sometimes the numbers have been worn off anyway so it comes back to calipers.

Buy a quality brand like SKF FAG TIMKEN Etc , dont bother with el cheap crap from eBay or Supercheap . You pay for what you get.