wheel Bearings

[Jim from Ind]

Good morning newbie here! I have 2015 22fb sport. I have 6000 miles on it and have had it since 2015. Should I repack bearings? Thanks

[Wconley]

I would say Yes although not critical. It’s a very easy job once you do the first one and plenty of YouTube videos to describe the process. I think it took me a couple hours per side from start to finish and doesn’t require special tools. It’s a good idea to have new seals on hand to replace the existing ones even though you can remove them without damaging them. I kept a couple of the old ones in my tool box in case I have to have a replacement while on the road.

[PKI]

When you owned a car that had bearings which were not sealed, how often did you pack them? The issue with bearing grease is moisture absorption. Use drives out the moisture some. Sitting unused in a high humidity area does not help to minimise moisture absorption. If you have been rolling through streams or backing down a boat ramp to wash her, maybe 6000 miles is an appropriate time to repack.

What is true is that periodic inspection of the bearings and brakes is very good preventative maintenance. If you have been climbing mountains your brakes may be worn, but 20K seems more likely and 40K or more may be your experience. If you do pull her down to pack, you might well consider replacing the bearings with real honest to goodness quality American made timkens. There was a fellow who reported pulling the hubs shortly after purchase to make that change and he found not much grease on one bearing set. He was very glad he went to the effort, so maybe a quick check is a good idea just to set yourself a baseline.

Good luck with your rig. Hope to meet you down the road. That 22 is a nice coach. Pat