Bearing failure

[Rick G.]

Here I sit alongside I-95 in Madison Connecticut. I have another bearing failure, same left rear tire as before. On a trip from Denver to Salem Massachusetts. On the way home I noticed a bearing starting to smoke. Have only 2800 miles after completely cleaning and greasing the bearings before we left home. Can't figure out why this is happening. This is the second bearing failure same tire same side as two years ago. Anybody have any idea why this might be happening other than cheep lippert bearings.

[Lloyd]

Is it possible you got the bearing to tight?

[Steve and Char]

Sounds like either bearing was to tight or possibly a bad spindle. Did you or the dealer replace both inner and outer bearings and race last time? If new complete assembly, must have been to tight?
I did change all my bearings last year since so many on the forums said they were junk. I replaced with Timken but I do have to say that the Lippert ones I took out actually looked pretty good and had no wear after about 10,000 miles.

Wish I read this earlier since I could have helped out since I am only about an hour from wear you were stuck.

Steve

[Rick G.]

Thanks Lloyd and Steve for the reply. When I did bearings I made sure that I tighten them down until the wheel barely turned and then back them off about a half a turn so I don't think that it was over tonight but I may be wrong

[Lloyd]

By the sounds of it, you might have had it to tight.
I don't know if my way is right or not, but this is the way I have done wheel bearings my whole life.

When I put the assembly back together, I spin the wheel and tighten it. I like to see/feel just a little slack as I try rocking the tire, holding it on the top and bottom. Usually if the tire doesn't spin freely, I can't feel that little slack that I'm looking for.
I've tried setting the bearing where I couldn't feel that slack and when I checked it down the road a ways it felt hotter then it should. So I popped the cap and loosened it one notch.
Maybe a heat sensing gun would be a good investment for you. I carry one and use it just about every time we stop.

https://www.amazon.com/HDE-Temperatu...at+sensing+gun

[OhioMark]

Been there done that so I can empathize with you. Happened a couple years ago on my last trailer I most likely over-tightened mine and it failed two hours into my trip. Froze up so bad I ended up losing the axle so it was a costly mistake.

[2slick]

Here's how Lippert says do it.
https://www.lci1.com/assets/content/...ers-Manual.pdf

I would think they were too tight.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick G.]

Thanks to all who replied to my post. After sitting in a rest area parking lot for almost two day playing blacktop football with grandsons, we finally got to a repair shop where they were able to clean the splines, replaced the drum and backer plate, they checked and replaced and repacked all wheel bearings. Took half a day and we arrived home in Denver yesterday. Only other problem we had was about 8 miles from home we his a pothole so big that it broke a spring on one of the axles. Otherwise we had a great time.