How Hot Do Your Trailer Bearings Run?

[fishingfever]

Thanks again for the replies. You are a very helpful group. I've tried loosening up the spindle nut one more notch and it didn't make a difference. I've felt the rotor immediately after stopping and while it was warm I don't think it was hot enough to explain the heat in the hub in my case. REW's quote from the trailer manual makes me think maybe this isn't an abnormal condition. Anybody with a digital thermometer and trailer brakes care to post some actual numbers?

[wiredog]

From UFP. The hubs on the axle with brakes will run about 180 degrees that is normal. At 250 degrees the o rings in a bearing buddy will deform and grease will weak from them. At 300 degrees the lips on the rear seal will deform and grease will leak at the back of the hub. Wiredog

[fishingfever]

That's just the kind of specific info I was looking for and hadn't been able to find. I'm not going to worry about it anymore since I haven't seen it be that hot yet.

[northernbite]

Well I need to kick in here right or wrong. I have an Eagle trailer, tandum axle with a 2010 ProGuide setting on it. When I go to Canada in July I have tank full plus 30 gals. extra gas, generator, and other camping gear. My hubs never get to were I can't hold on to them. I think they run "warmer" than the none brake trailers I had but not to the extent I hear here. And yes the brakes work well. I do break them down in spring and use a grease on the moving parts that my garage guy advised me on. I have an other trailer with the same brakes and had trouble but we have since fix by taking all apart wire wheeled and lubing them. I'm just a farmer mechanic.

Just my 2 cents,

Paul

[T Mac]

Originally Posted by northernbite

Well I need to kick in here right or wrong. I have an Eagle trailer, tandum axle with a 2010 ProGuide setting on it. When I go to Canada in July I have tank full plus 30 gals. extra gas, generator, and other camping gear. My hubs never get to were I can't hold on to them. I think they run "warmer" than the none brake trailers I had but not to the extent I hear here. And yes the brakes work well. I do break them down in spring and use a grease on the moving parts that my garage guy advised me on. I have an other trailer with the same brakes and had trouble but we have since fix by taking all apart wire wheeled and lubing them. I'm just a farmer mechanic.

Just my 2 cents,

Paul

Same for me...Slightly warm....but not uncomfortable warmth.
I have had a series of different ShoreLand'r tandem boat trailers with discs on various boats over the years... and I have never felt uncomfortable heat on my bearing buddies.

[fishingfever]

I took my trailer for a test drive the other day when the air temp was 95 degrees. I drove 70 miles. MPH varied from 60-70. I stopped briefly approx. every 10-15 miles to check the hub temperature. It got to 163 at 15 miles and rose no higher. Temp was 158 after 70 miles. FYI the tire tread was 150 degrees. Both hubs are always within 5 degrees of each other. If one was significantly higher than the other I would know there was a problem. Still warmer than any trailer hubs I've ever had. I'm going to Canada later this week, approximately a 1000 mile round trip. I'll let you know how it goes when I get back.

[TomP.]

Originally Posted by northernbite

Well I need to kick in here right or wrong. I have an Eagle trailer, tandum axle with a 2010 ProGuide setting on it. When I go to Canada in July I have tank full plus 30 gals. extra gas, generator, and other camping gear. My hubs never get to were I can't hold on to them. I think they run "warmer" than the none brake trailers I had but not to the extent I hear here. And yes the brakes work well. I do break them down in spring and use a grease on the moving parts that my garage guy advised me on. I have an other trailer with the same brakes and had trouble but we have since fix by taking all apart wire wheeled and lubing them. I'm just a farmer mechanic.

Just my 2 cents,

Paul

I have to agree here even after hard breaking my hubs have never been so hot that I cannot put my hand on them. I call bogus at normal temps being 180 degrees, stoping hard in heavy traffic from 70 to 0 MPH may heat them up but never that hot. My horse trailer with four horses and city traffic barely gets hot enough I cannot put my hand on them.
**** my truck breaks and hubs don`t run that hot. If I were you I would back those nuts out a little more and look for a tad of play in the bearing, and recheck temps. There is no way no how I would run bearings that hot very far.

[fishingfever]

Thanks again for the opinions. I just jacked up the wheels and took the end caps off to check the spindle nuts for tightness. I have put about 120 miles on the trailer since I last checked them. They are snug but I can move both by hand with some effort. I think that is loose enough. It's the way I have always done it. I'm leaving Friday AM. I'll know before noon if I have big problems or not.

[howler]

I use a laser heat temp gun to check my journals and they never get above 100 degree's but the boat is pretty light. a crestliner Jon 18 foot. I take it to canyon Ferry every june to shoot carp and its a 700 mile round trip so I want to know how my bearings are doing, So far just fine..

[AllenW]

A lot depends on driving style, type of brake and material of pads, weight of trailer/boat and probably a few other things, not always accurate comparing different rigs to each other.

Mine stay very cool (bearing Buddies) but I drive very defensively (not slow, just defensively) and am easy on the brakes, you drive a bit more aggressive they're likely to run hotter.


Al