So I noticed a very slight bit of grease mixed with dirt caked on the back of my hubs at the seal last time out. I am not overly concerned, but I am quite sure it's time to repack the bearings and put new rear seals on. <BR> <BR>The trailer is 5 yrs old now and I have only repacked the brake axle 2 yrs ago, but keep the hubs greased through the bearing buddies religiously. It's running fine but my feeling is that some preventative maintenance would be a good thing. Last haul the hubs were barely hot when I pulled up to the lake. <BR> <BR>I have one extra bearing set in the garage. <BR> <BR>My questions are: <BR> <BR>How long do these bearings last?? Should I replace the whole lot just for the sake of thoroughness?? Or should I simply pull them, inspect them, repack and put them back in?? <BR> <BR>Obviously I would replace any visually worn bearings. I think my brakes could use a bleed too.

Take a look at the race, that will be the best sign of whether you need to replace anything...if the race is pitted or marked up, it's a sign that it might be getting close to failure (depending on the damage)...i took my bearings and races out of my hub on my 2002 trailer and they were spot-free, not a scratch on them. They should still look brand-new if everything's OK in there.

Thank You Tony!! <BR> <BR>It's not a hard job, but If i am gonna repack and replace the seals, might as well swap bearings if that is the thing to do. If all is well I will simply repack, replace the seals, and get back on the road.

Bearings are pretty cheap overall, if you are going to take the whole thing apart and those bearings are five years old, it would be a good investment to replace them. It is difficult to visually or physically inspect bearings for damage. The other investment would be to buy a $10 bearing repacker, you wouldn't believe the difference it makes. <BR> <BR>(Message edited by phatboypimp on June 12, 2007)

I repacked them by hand last time, I will have a bearing packer this time, what a mess!!

By coincidence, I dropped my trailer at the trailer repair yesterday. I have a single axle trailer and they said it should be repacked every 3,000-4,000 miles or once a year. <BR> <BR>I agree a bit of preventive maintenance will go a long way.