Trailer bearings - in depth dive (trailer maintenance)

[TheDocAUS]

A very interesting and informative video on trailer bearings and brakes:

View: https://youtu.be/WzEyUPEGvPY

We cover:
• How wheel bearings actually work
• Why incorrect adjustment destroys bearings
• How much grease is enough (and why more isn’t better)
• Electric vs hydraulic trailer brakes — pros and cons
• Common mistakes that cause brake failure
• What to check before towing any trailer

 

[Tazzieman]

A farm trailer is one thing, your 2-3+ tonne home on wheels fanging along at 90-100km/ hr another.
I have 1.25T on each wheel ( single axle), so choice of wheel, tyre, bearing, bearing grease and pressure is critical. Let alone the brake system.
After each roadstop I place my hand on each hubcap as an easy temp check. Any significant differential I'd dig deeper.
Touch wood I haven't had an incident. Perish the thought.

 

[TheDocAUS]

I have also written a short guide on trailer checks in the field, although I now use an IR temp gun to check the hubs (or a Flir camera), Using the Flir thermal imager is like having Superman's x ray vision:

Off-road trailer guide

Off-road trailer guide Setting the correct tyre pressure and ongoing checks and maintenance are part of any trip. Identifying a developing issue is better than addressing a catastrophic failure in …

thedocaus.com

 

[Eric]

A farm trailer is one thing, your 2-3+ tonne home on wheels fanging along at 90-100km/ hr another.
I have 1.25T on each wheel ( single axle), so choice of wheel, tyre, bearing, bearing grease and pressure is critical. Let alone the brake system.
After each roadstop I place my hand on each hubcap as an easy temp check. Any significant differential I'd dig deeper.
Touch wood I haven't had an incident. Perish the thought.

Putting the hand on the hub is also a good check for a brake sticking on ( especially with wire cable overrun brakes)