Technical Anyone know what a healthy trailer axle hub temp should be?

Getting ready for a 2400 mile adventure and I am trying to be proactive here. I am taking my temp gun to check wheel hub temps when I get gas along the way. Mainly for piece of mind. I repacked the bearings and put new grease seals in, so everything should be ok.

it’s a 20 year old tandem axle that has never had bearings changed. With that said, it’s prolly been lubed better than most cars I own and has probably 1/4 of the miles. I drug it around town today and checked it. It seems to be around 200* + or minus 10* based on what axle has the brake. Seem like a logical number?

 

When we stop for gas we make a quick trip around the trailer to check straps and I cup a hand over the hub cap, should be warm, but not alarmingly warm. Sorry I can't be of more help, this is how I was taught and never had an issue with the method.

 

Google said 140-175 is normal
One of the axle places said 200 and above is not good
https://www.etrailer.com/question-323686.html

I’ve always used the “too hot to touch” is not good rule

 

I would just watch for one that is much hotter than the rest.

 

There you go! Look for the difference in temp, but also realize some axles have brakes and some do not!
I also use my heat gun to check tire pressure on trailers and my motorhome,on the road! Again looking for a difference in temp!

And the temperature of the hubs will depend on the ambiance temperature! On a Sunny hot day in July, maybe 149/150. Winter 20 degrees, maybe 60 degrees!




Bones

 

200 seems hot. Warm to the touch in my mind....

 

You know, I started thinking that can’t be right so, I changed the batteries in my temp gun and now we are under 100. Like 85*. It was cool to the touch as well. That’s what made me wonder.

 

Over enthusiastic

Over greasing can make them run hot, so melted lube can escape and ruin your brakes, don't kill 'em with kindness....

 

Was you one of those kids that got his hand placed over a stove flame and no longer can stand the feel of heat?

 

If they don't sizzle when you pee on em then you're OK!

 

There’s probably some truth to that…

 

Last weekend I did a 840klm (about 600 miles) homebound trip non stop except for fuel after racing all day. I stopped twice for fuel and both times checked hub and tyre temp with the back of my hand (if you use the back of your hand and not your palm when something's really hot you don't singe the palm. I check electric fences the same way). The braked hubs were slightly warm and the unbraked were only warm so I'm happy with that. My race trailer comes in at about 1800Kgs or 3600-4000lbs.

 

Around town won't tell you anything, check after 50 miles on the big road.

 

Best for me is to come to a stop with brake bias turned to zero after a 10 mile run and put my hand around each hub. All should be the same and not even warm; this would be loaded. Remember to turn the bias up and test their drag and stopping without the tow vehicles brakes.
Both our 18’ open and 20’ car hauler have 4 wheel brakes but if you haven’t used the brakes the hubs should be the same temp.

 

Been trailering for over 25yrs. When we stop to pee......get more coffee to pee or get fuel, we always simply put a couple of fingers on each hub in a walkaround.......all should be the same and about body temp.

 

Bearings & bearing races are a wear item.
The drum - wheel race - bearings on each
spindle should have been replaced a long
time ago ….

If you don’t want to lose an axle …
Replace the brake backing plates
along with the drums and wheel bearings
on every spindle.


Jim


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Good advice, but I don’t have time to pull that off before this trip. I may look into that when I make it back. Fingers crossed!

 

Hey Jim, why are you saying to replace the backing plates? I know that electric brake kits come complete and it’s less time consuming to just bolt them on, but never thought of a backing plate as a wear item.
I also don’t think bearings and races need to be replaced, but bearings need to be serviced and inspected for sure. Whether used daily, and even if only used once a year. Especially when faced with a drive of distance.
But the backing plate replacement has me curious.

 

backlng plates do age and get rusty 4 new brake asseblies for a 3500 pond axle cost 182.00 all assenbled ready to just bolt on plus the backing plates are edm coated against rust

 

Now that brakes and bearings are sorted out, how's your tires?

 

Never heard such balderdash before. I have fooled with trucks and trailers hauling thousands of pounds for over half my life, the only time a bearing was replaced was when it went bad. Running in an oil bath or grease packed, quality bearings can last a lifetime if properly serviced. Now I will say a lot of the stuff on the market isn’t up to snuff with older stuff, but that’s what servicing and inspection is for. Why throw out a known good bearing for a replacement of unknown quality just because it’s X number years old? And I’m with @Budget36 , why replace the backing plates unless they are visibly worn out? Brake shoes and other parts, yes, but the backing plate just sits there. I guess it is exposed to metal fatigue every time the brakes are applied, but there again a good inspection should point out any flaws instead of just replacing it with an unknown part.

“Replace everything “ sounds like what our shop foreman would say. If a oil seal failed and the brakes got oiled, he wanted the guys to replace everything, shoes, springs, even the drums, even if they were only a few days old! It wasn’t his money he was spending, so he didn’t care what it cost. His reasoning was it was cheaper to replace parts than pay someone to clean the metal parts. I could see replacing oily shoes, but the metal parts could have been cleaned. Just an unnecessary expense to replace everything.

Just my experience, yours may be different…

 

All new!

 

Trailer Tires?

 

As cool as you can keep it see there are a book full of factors here including the weight of your load . Friction comes about in variables here . For a small trailer shoot for anything below 140 F is a goal to keep in mind . Unless your in Mojave Desert with a full load in daytime it's going to be so high if you point a temperature gun at it you will want to pull over and wait till 10pm to travel and that's what alot of folks do when saving your equipment is in mind . My good friend Steve ( family was life member LA Roadsters ) has 4 million miles plus career mileage and his heavy loads get driven at night . Except for a bear in the road it saves equipment and mostly safer . Steve still drives I will ask him and post that info for you sometimes gotta wait til he is home on weekends so may be a week almost . Till then as a mechanic I always used Lucas red marine grease I'm sure it's obsolete now but I got a case of it and it's my peace of mind with regreasing and pre- loading and brake check before long hauling

 

Someday I'll have to get one of those fancy heat guns but until then I'll keep checking temps with my hands.
30 miles in is first check and any stops after that. I change out bearings every 5 years on my small trailers and 3 years on my car trailers

 

Yes.

 

If you have good old Timken bearings n races that inspect well, I would not change them for iffy modern stuff, the old stuff was very well made and materials good quality. I was taught how to pack truck bearings in my gramps shop as a little kid, heel of the hand method, and how to properly adjust them, later installed a bunch of Stemco retrofit oil kits. If they are maintained and adjusted properly, the good old bearings will come out looking new unless subjected to dirt, water or similar. The whole replace the assembly on a light trailer thing comes from it just being a lot cheaper to buy an assembly than the individual parts for the brakes, and the assemblies are typically the same as camping/ boat trailers, so any RV type shop will have them in stock

 

I removed the bearings, and inspected and repacked. Everything looked good. I have bearing buddies in the trailer, but I only hand pack my bearings. I figure if I get out on the road and one of them starts acting suspect, I can shoot a little grease to it and see if it helps, if not they just function as a dust cover. It’s just cheap insurance. The bearing buddies are like radials vs bias plies. There are tons of online fights about them.

 

I pull a car hauler trailer over 300 days a year.
Being doing it since 2006.
It is easier and cheaper to replace a brake
backing plate assembly that it is to replace
brake shoes - magnets - magnet clips - adjusters
and other brake hardware.

Wheel bearings and bearing races wear.
Brake drums wear.

I don’t want to spend my time on the
side of the road doing service & maintenance
on anything other than changing a flat tire
on my trailer ….


Jim

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