Las Vegas RV MotorcoachWheel Bearing Pack
Professional wheel bearing service to keep your RV rolling safely and smoothly.
Request a QuoteService includes the following
Request a Quote
Tell us about your coach and we will get back to you. Prefer to talk now? Call 702-757-2471.
What's Included
Our comprehensive wheel bearing pack service covers these essential maintenance points
Inspect Brakes, Bearings & All Hardware
Complete inspection of brakes, bearings, and all related hardware
Inspect, Clean & Repack Wheel Bearings
Thorough cleaning and repacking of wheel bearings for optimal performance
Adjust Brake Lining as Needed
Brake lining adjustment to ensure proper braking performance
Check Operation of Electric Brake Magnets
Verification of electric brake magnet operation and function
Test Break-A-Way Switch & Brake Lights
Safety testing of break-a-way switch and brake light operation
Why Bearings Fail on a Coach
A wheel bearing has one job: let the hub turn on the spindle under several thousand pounds without generating heat. It does that as long as the grease inside is clean and the preload is right. Heat is what breaks grease down, and a trailer axle in the desert runs hot from the road surface before the bearing adds anything of its own. Once the grease thins and separates, metal touches metal, the race pits, and the bearing starts eating itself. From that point the symptoms arrive in order: a hub that runs hotter than its neighbors, a hum that rises with road speed, then play you can feel by rocking the wheel with the axle off the ground.
The inner grease seal is the second failure point. When it hardens or wears, grease migrates out of the hub and onto the brake shoes, so a bearing problem becomes a brake problem at the same time. Grease on the inside of a wheel or on the backing plate is the sign. Axles fitted with a grease fitting on the spindle make this worse rather than better if the seal is already weak, because every pump of the grease gun pushes more past it.
Sitting does not protect bearings either. In a coach parked for months the grease settles to the bottom of the hub and moisture condenses on the exposed race, so the first miles of the season are run on a bearing that is dry at the top and lightly rusted at the load point. That is why the repack sits with the rest of the pre-season work rather than being left until something makes a noise.
What a Repack Actually Involves
The hub comes off. The old grease is cleaned out completely, because new grease worked into old is not a repack. Both bearings and both races are inspected for pitting, spalling, scoring and the blue tint that means a bearing has already run hot. A bearing that shows any of those is replaced with its race, since a new bearing on a worn race fails early. The bearings are packed by hand or with a packer until grease comes through the rollers, a new inner seal is fitted, and the hub goes back on with the preload set by procedure: tightened while spinning, backed off, then set to a light hand torque so the wheel turns freely with no play.
With the hub off, the electric brakes get the attention they rarely receive. The magnets are checked for wear and for a working circuit, the shoes are inspected for contamination and adjusted to the drum, and the break-a-way switch and brake lights are tested before the coach leaves. Brake and lighting faults that trace back to the seven way plug or the coach wiring rather than the axle are handled by the electrical inspection and charging system check-up, and a break-a-way battery that will not hold a charge is a battery service question.
If you would rather have the whole coach looked over in the same visit, the running gear is one section of the 45 point RV inspection.
Wheel Bearing Questions
How often do RV wheel bearings need to be repacked?
Follow the interval in your axle manufacturer's manual. The figure most trailer axle makers publish is once a year or every twelve thousand miles, whichever comes first, and sooner if the hubs have been submerged. A coach that sits for months is not exempt: grease settles, moisture condenses inside the hub, and the first miles of the season are run on bearings that are effectively dry at the top.
What are the warning signs of a failing wheel bearing?
A hub that is noticeably hotter than the others after a run, a hum or growl that changes with road speed rather than engine speed, play when the wheel is rocked top to bottom with the axle lifted, and grease slung on the inside of the wheel or the backing plate. Any one of those is reason to stop driving on it; a bearing that has started to spall does not recover.
My axle has grease fittings. Does pumping grease in count as a repack?
No. A grease fitting on the spindle pushes new grease through the hub, but it cannot clean out grease that has broken down, it cannot show whether the races are pitted, and if the inner seal is already weak it pushes grease straight onto the brake shoes. A repack removes the hub, cleans and inspects the bearings and races, fits a new seal and sets the preload, which the fitting cannot do.
Is this service for motorhomes or for trailers and fifth wheels?
Mostly towables. Trailer and fifth wheel axles use serviceable tapered roller bearings that are designed to be cleaned and repacked. Many motorhome chassis use sealed hub units that are replaced rather than repacked. If you are not sure which you have, call with the chassis or axle information and it can be answered before the coach comes in.
Why are the brakes inspected as part of a bearing repack?
Because the hub has to come off to reach the bearings, and the brake shoes, magnets and drum surface are sitting right there. Electric trailer brakes are the most neglected component on most towables: shoes wear out of adjustment, magnets glaze, and a leaking inner seal contaminates the lining. Checking them while the hub is off costs nothing extra in labor and is the reason the service is listed as a bearing pack and brake inspection together.
What does a hot hub after driving actually mean?
A hub warm to the touch is normal; one you cannot keep your hand on is not. The usual causes, in order, are a bearing running dry, preload set too tight, or a brake shoe dragging because it is out of adjustment or the magnet is stuck. All three are found during the repack, and all three will destroy the bearing if the coach keeps being driven on them.
Schedule Your Wheel Bearing Service
Don't risk bearing failure on the road. Contact us today to schedule your wheel bearing pack service.
Call 702-757-2471