Who doesn't PM there own bearings/brakes?
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Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 86
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Who doesn't PM there own bearings/brakes?
I am new to RVing but I do know that the brakes/bearings need to be serviced/maintained periodically.
My question is, how many folks would rather pay a RV tech that does it every day than to take the time and learn it themselves. I guess it is good to be able to fix stuff like that on the road yourself but I really would rather have a RV tech do it the first time.
I thought about buying a set of spare bearings kind of like the spare belt and hoses for the truck but I haven't decided yet.
Any ideas?
My question is, how many folks would rather pay a RV tech that does it every day than to take the time and learn it themselves. I guess it is good to be able to fix stuff like that on the road yourself but I really would rather have a RV tech do it the first time.
I thought about buying a set of spare bearings kind of like the spare belt and hoses for the truck but I haven't decided yet.
Any ideas?
Member
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 48
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bearing repack
Not that hard to do, just time consuming and dirty. Really is not different than inspecting and repacking the bearings when you do brake job on your truck. I enjoy doing that kind of stuff and if I can, would much rather do it myself than pay someone to do it. I did pay someone to repack the bearings on a 27' Mallard I had which was because I ran out of time and needed to use it the next weekend. It just depends on your ability level, time, resources etc.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 2,233
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I have Bearing Buddies on my wheels and I only have to PM them once every 5 years or so. In between, I just make sure they are always pressurized with grease. This trailer is about 15 years old now and if I wanted to be cheap about it, I'm pretty sure I could have left the old bearings in instead of changing them when I did the brakes.
My trailer has drum brakes and they get dunked in salt water, so when they need servicing, I just buy new backing plate assemblies with everything on them and get the drums turned. I have a flush kit installed in the drums to flush out the salt. The only brake failure I ever had was when I blew the main hydraulic line. The last time I changed the assembly, it cost about $40 for each wheel.
If you have never done any of this before, I advise you to watch somebody who knows how to do it. It's actually easy to do. If you are replacing the wheel cylinders or brake likes, you'll need at least one special tool, a wrench for taking off the brake's hydraulic fitting. It's like a box wrench with a gap cut out of it. If you have drum brakes, you'll need another special tool. Don't know what it's called, but it makes removing and installing the springs a lot easier.
My trailer has drum brakes and they get dunked in salt water, so when they need servicing, I just buy new backing plate assemblies with everything on them and get the drums turned. I have a flush kit installed in the drums to flush out the salt. The only brake failure I ever had was when I blew the main hydraulic line. The last time I changed the assembly, it cost about $40 for each wheel.
If you have never done any of this before, I advise you to watch somebody who knows how to do it. It's actually easy to do. If you are replacing the wheel cylinders or brake likes, you'll need at least one special tool, a wrench for taking off the brake's hydraulic fitting. It's like a box wrench with a gap cut out of it. If you have drum brakes, you'll need another special tool. Don't know what it's called, but it makes removing and installing the springs a lot easier.