wheel maintenance |
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Hi-Line
Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 24 |
Topic: wheel maintenance Posted: 01 Dec 2016 at 7:31pm |
My r.pod 179 is a bit over a year old...I've pulled it about 5,500 miles. The Lippert axle brochure that came with the trailer says wheel bearings should be repacked at 12,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. The trailer shop in town (not an RV dealer) recommends repacking every 3 years, although they would agree with the 12,000 mile recommendation. Just wondering what others on this forum think/do? I'm planning a trip to AZ this winter (round trip 3,000 miles) and don't want to push my luck.
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jato
Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3257 |
Posted: 01 Dec 2016 at 8:41pm |
I purchased my 177 in March 2011. Every spring I use the zerk fitting and fill till full. In 2014 I did a repack, next spring I will repack again. Bearings still looked good (in 2014). Currently have about 25,000 miles on the pod.
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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sailor323
Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Location: S Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 281 |
Posted: 01 Dec 2016 at 10:25pm |
We greased the bearings on our 2016 179 after 12,000 miles using the zerk fitting. A couple of thousand miles later, one of the bearings
failed. 4 or 5 hundred miles later I decided to replace the bearings in the other wheel which turned out to be unnecessary.
That being said, I wonder about the admonition to visually inspect and pack the bearings. That's easy enough to do for the outer bearing. However, it is impossible to inspect and pack the inner bearing without destroying the seal. My recommendation is to 1) remove and rebuild the hubs every 12,000 miles [cheap insurance] and 2) carry an extra hub, completely assembled along with a grease gun. At the same time, I have owned vehicles for over 55 years, driven hundreds of thousands of miles with no maintenance whatsoever to the bearings and the only time that I have ever had a problem with bearings was with a properly maintained bearing.
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 10:18am |
I used the SuperLube fitting to grease the bearings on our 2016 179 this summer. I made sure to rotate the wheel while pumping in the grease and pumped it until I could see new grease coming out. After cleaning away the excess grease, I replaced the cover and we made another long trip with no incident. We will be taking off on another long trip which will be over 5,000 miles soon. I think I will be okay. I do feel the hubs and wheels when we stop. I have not noticed any unusual heat in either hub, so I think the bearings will be fine for this trip.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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TheBum
Senior Member Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 1407 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 11:24am |
Are there any YouTube videos showing the method for repacking the bearings for the type of hub in the R-Pods?
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Hi-Line
Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 24 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 11:50am |
Thanks everyone for the good advice!
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 12:04pm |
Sure is a YouTube video!It is from Lippert, so it should be accurate.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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Leo B
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4517 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 1:34pm |
Video doesn't look to hard
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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
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TheBum
Senior Member Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 1407 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 5:11pm |
Thanks for the link!
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 02 Dec 2016 at 5:31pm |
The hardest part was figuring out how to lift the 'Pod so that I could rotate the wheel. My jacking block with a small floor jack did the trick.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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