This bearing, would you run it?

Heading to portland day after tomorrow.   Decide it might be a good idea to check the 'ol trailer.

Lots o slop in one wheel, decide to repack the bearings.  Pulling the hub off I see rollers falling out.  Oh great.

Bearing and race look like this:

That was last night.  Figured I pick up a set or 2 today & all would be well.  Trailer place says nope, old school napa says nope, 2 industrial bearing suppliers say nope.  They could order them but nothing in stock. 

Turns out my car trailer is a converted travel trailer and these are really odd ball sizes.

On a whim I google it the bearing numbers - I can amazon prime it by friday or etrailer says I can overnight it.  Not sure if either will come through but I order through etrailer.  Anyway, I gotta be on the road by noonish friday or I will be in commuter hell. 

So, its galled not scored.  What if I pump it full of synthetic grease put it back finger tight?  Can I get 500 miles out of it? If by chance I get a bearing friday am I can bring it along and change it over the weekend

Anyway, my reliability side says no fn way.  My practical side says "ship it".

Am I crazy? Assume its dual 3500# axles at half capacity going no more that 65 mph.

I would not run that.  I mean, you might get away with it but then again you might end up changing it on the side of the road while it's smoking hot and the commuter traffic you were trying to avoid is going around you.

If you reinstall the bearing you will have a story that you can tell for years. It might be " that piece of crap bearing made it without any problem" or " that piece of crap didn't make it 27 miles before it crapped out on hwy xxx". I can't give any advice other than I might do it. 

Best of luck 

Braden

I would hypothetically pack it full of grease and check it often,  then replace when the new one came in,  but that’s just me.  How did the rest of the bearings look?

edit:  I missed the part about “rollers falling out”.  So the bearing fell apart when the hub came off and you put it back together?  If that is the case I wouldn’t run it,  but maybe I misunderstood.

If you do it, install it on the ditch side or right side. It will be safer changing it on the side of the highway.  And Cotton is correct

If you have to ask...

I wouldn't.

Yikes, no way. That thing is toast. If you can find the bearings in Portland by calling ahead, could you take the wheels off that axle and let the other axle carry the (empty trailer) weight? Then when you get to Portland, replace the bearing there before taking on your load. 

I was going to ask: is the brown rust or just caged oil grease - how does it look cleaned up with some brake clean? But then I saw the position /angle of the rollers - that E36 M3 is toast my friend.

Once cleaned up its just dull not galled.  Because I'm loading today, I did clean and pack it full of race grease and will tow it around today (in town) with the car on it - however I got notice this AM that etrailer is sending my bearing today for tomorrow delivery, so all is good.  I can change it before I leave and check it along the way.

Now that I see the pics on a proper screen the photos look waay worse than they actually are - but regardless will be changed before the trip.  Its a non braked axle so its easy peasy, just greasy.

FWIW, I'm so disappointed that I could not find a bearing anywhere at any brick / mortar shop.  Not even regionally stocked "I can get it tomorrow" - nothing.  I think one side was in Reno but most came up empty.  It was $8.72 on etrailer.com (and another $8 for the race and $48! to overnight it) but at least I'll have it.

Thanks all for confirming what I felt - because this was not an all out failure of the hub (she had some life left, never got hot, etc) I was second guessing myself.  If I was running late I would have just loaded and took off without looking at any of this.  May or may not have dodged a bullet. :)

pilotbraden sounds like a bearing failure survivor.   i would grease the berkeley out of it and hit the send button of life.   i wouldn't have thought to install it on the ditch side.

In reply to AngryCorvair :

Actually I have been lucky and never had a trailer bearing go bad on the road.  I have changed u joints in the ditch. Living in Flint I have been exposed to the heavy traffic on I-75 heading north out of Detroit. The contraptions that go north once per year for the big hunting or fishing trip are often a pile of heart break and misery on the side of the road. I have  seen guys lying under the broken vehicle with their feet 6 inches from the white line. I decided that if I have a questionable component  put it on the ditch side. 

stuart in mn said:

If you have to ask...

I wouldn't.

I have a slightly different take on this:  "If you have to ask...you shouldn't.  But I totally would push my luck in your situation."   Kind of a do as I say not as I do type of thing. 

My trailer is still rolling on tires I took off my car to replace...two sets ago.  I'm a glutton for punishment.  

[edit to say...my signature below is not (completely) a joke]

In reply to ClemSparks :

That's all well and good until the wheel falls off on the highway.

I may risk it but I make a lot of bad decisions.

stuart in mn said:

In reply to ClemSparks :

That's all well and good until the wheel falls off on the highway.

Your original response is totally on point.  If you have to ask, then don't.

Fortunately a situation with a bearing rarely deteriorates THAT quickly (for me).  I did not advise that anybody do anything.  I simply stated a fact ;)  (I'd push my luck in this situation).

ClemSparks said:

Fortunately a situation with a bearing rarely deteriorates THAT quickly (for me).  I did not advise that anybody do anything.  I simply stated a fact ;)  (I'd push my luck in this situation).

I just know how well my luck holds out on these sorts of things... 

Update time!  Made it to PIR no problem.

Loaded Thursday night, then it started raining and I said f it.  Bearing & race came in Friday.  Race wound up being the wrong pn and of was too small (I never knocked it out, just went off what etrailer recommended).  Put in new bearing and old race, packed it full of synthetic grease and promised I'd check it in 20 miles.

Traffic got crappy, waited til I was 60 miles from the track (3.5 hours & 140 miles later) & hit a truck stop.  Hubs not even luke warm.  I'll know I'll have to redo everything but made it without drama.

Thanks all.

Wont installing it on the ditch side on the trailer yaw the truck toward oncoming traffic? As per the most remedial diagram ever (see below). 

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In reply to Carbon :

Perhaps but when you're changing it you are on the ditch side