Trailer Hubs Are Warmer On One Side Of the Trailer Than the Other

Updated 07/10/2019 | Published 07/09/2019

Question:

Hello, My trailer bearing passenger side on a single axle travel trailer has been heating up. Dealer cleaned and repacked. Still same issue. Dealer then replaced bearing and repacked it. Still getting about 75 degrees Celsius compared to other side 35 degrees Celsius. They cant seem to figure out why a brand new bearing is getting hot only on one side. We used the trailer this weekend and on our way home, lost the dust cap along the way. Luckily it wasnt too far from home. Noticed that the newly packed bearing has a red rusty liquidy substance on the castle nut. I replaced the dust cap and am hoping that its still ok as we have a trip coming up in just over a week. Attached is a pic of the castle nut. The other good side is perfectly clean. Any help would be appreciated Thanks

asked by: Stefan A

Expert Reply:

If the bearings have been packed properly using a bearing packer and they have then been filled properly then my guess is that either the spindle nut has too much torque or that the spindle is bent. The spindle nut will only need to be hand tight until snug, with no side-to-side play in the hub and then backed off slightly. Once this is checked I would then remove the hubs altogether and have the spindle checked for misalignment or irregularities on the surface. If you have a tire wear problem as well then this would point to misalignment.

Also, please make sure that you are not mixing two different kinds of bearing grease together when packing and filling the trailer hubs.

expert reply by: Conner L