Trailer Bearing Question

I decided it was time to repack the bearings on my Harbor Freight trailer. As I was wiping the old grease off of one of them it came apart... it was pretty easy to get the bearings back in the right places and then press the inner race back into place. Doesn't seem any damage was done, but I was surprised it came apart. Amy reason it wouldn't be just fine? New seals are on their way so I haven't put the hubs back together yet.

Just is build quality...

I'm sure there is a std bearing at the parts store if you are worried.

I could be wrong here but bearings are not supposed to do that.

dean1484 wrote: I could be wrong here but bearings are not supposed to do that.

i second that, although once everything is back together i guess i dont really see it causing any issue as it will be under tension and hold itself together

It will be perfectly fine, right up until it isn't.

Go get new bearings. Better safe then sorry. Get a few spares, pack them and keep them in Ziploc bags in a box you can throw in the truck when you're hauling your trailer. If not, you're doomed to having a bearing failure when all the stores are closed.

That's not supposed to happen. Since the bearing looks pretty good (in the pictures anyway) I suspect it's just a crappy bearing in the first place. I don't know what to recommend as far as replacing it is concerned. Personally, I would replace them but It's probably as good as it ever was.

Thanks guys. Ordered new ones. Better to spend $40 now than be cursing the trailer, as it sits full of tools and equipment on the side of the highway. With two sleeping kids in the car. At 11 pm. In the rain. On Sunday night. In a construction zone. Because that's when these things fail, isn't it?

Yep, the amount of damage a wheel bearing or trailer tire will do is directly related to how far away is the nearest place for parts.

From what I've observed, the worst part about cheap trailers are the wheel bearings. At least the odds of having a failure are much higher with those than perhaps bad materials used on the axles or hubs.

So replacing cheap bearings with very high quality ones is both pretty inexpensive and makes for a better trailer.

PeterAK wrote: Thanks guys. Ordered new ones. Better to spend $40 now than be cursing the trailer, as it sits full of tools and equipment on the side of the highway. With two sleeping kids in the car. At 11 pm. In the rain. On Sunday night. In a construction zone. Because that's when these things fail, isn't it?

That was kind of my point. It never happens when its convenient. Bearings are one item where I do not scrimp on price.

New bearings are in--installing the new races was fun in that I got to freeze them and use a torch to heat up the hubs in order to make getting them in a bit easier. First time I've used the garage fridge for anything other than cold beverages.

The replacement seals I bought, which included a reviewer on Amazon stating that it was the right size for HF trailers, were narrower than the originals. Right diameter, but when installed all the way against the race and bearing, it sits below flush with the back of the hub. Any reason to be worried about that? Trailer is together and I'm using it tonight. No rain in the forecast so I'm not worried about it getting gunked up on this trip, but wondering if I should try to track down another wider set. TIA!

Check for any grease leakage around the seals. If there isn't any and the seal appears to be making contact, it should be fine.

Yeah, next time just install them to flush with the hub instead of pounding the seals in all the way. There is no reason to push them up against the races.

If they are sealing on the axle stub, and they should be, then you are fine.

That only happens when the cage wears out. Worn cage allows the rollers to move outward. Time to replace.