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Old 11-16-2016, 09:32 AM   #1
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2007 27' Safari FB SE
Hartselle , Alabama
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ProPride 3P bearing failure

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up and share my experience while doing some maintenance work on my Airstream to put her to sleep for the winter.

I had noticed that (1) of the bottom bearing dust caps had come off my ProPride Hitch and had been lost in the trailer travels so this was going to be replaced soon and I went ahead and ordered (2) replacement Bottom caps & the Rock Tamers mud flaps from Sean @ ProPride.

With one of the bottom caps missing, I was looking at the open bearing and trying to decide how to proceed on cap replacement.
· If I just replaced the cap…. all the dirt, dust & grime from road wear would be retained on the bearing and this didn’t seem to be a logical solution.
· The other solution would be to remove the open bottom bearing, clean and repack before replacing the bottom cap.

Remember I had purchased (2) bottom caps, so my next action was to remove the other bottom cap for inspection……. To my shock & horror, the cap was half full of grease, slime & slurry water, and the bottom of the bearing had water droplets on it…. “Bearings _ grime _ water” is a recipe for BAD things to happen so this pretty much steered the direction I was headed. My thinking was if there was water present on the bottom bearings….. There was water on the top bearing as well….. as the only entry point (on top) would be the grease seal.

If there is water in the front (4) main hitch bearings…… there might be water in the rear (4) pivot arm bearings as well??? More than likely….

Removed one of the top caps _ all seemed ok???, but could not see the bottom bearing. Removed the top bearing & with a strong magnifying glass and spot light looked down into the housing to the top of the bottom bearing…… “looked like a rusted, dry bearing to me”...

At this point _ the decision was already made for me… I needed to take this expensive hitch apart, inspect everything and go from there.

Upon disassembly the following was noted:
· The main hitch (4) bearings ALL were rusted to some degree, grease had turned to a rusted slurry & the shafts were galled / rusted in spots.
· The pivot arms (4) bearings ALL were rusted to some degree, grease had turned to a rusted slurry & the shafts were galled / rusted in spots…. ALSO because the grease seal is at the bottom of this setup…. Had effectively held the water moisture inside the housing the bottom bearings were rusted to the shaft and fell apart upon disassembly.

Ok… I have my work cut out for me now, removing rust, pressing out bearing races, polishing shafts, greasing, parts replacement, reassembly…. And so on.

Parts listing:
(4) LM29749 Hitch Bearing
(4) LM29710 Hitch Bearing Race
(2) 171255TB Grease Seal – double lip
(2) DC-1605 Bottom Bearing Dust Cap

(4) LM67048 Pivot Bearing
(4) LM67010 Pivot Bearing Race
(2) 15234VB Grease Seal – double lip
(2) DC-1604 Top Bearing Dust Cap

(4) Cotter Keys 2.5 to 3” long
(1) WB Grease Lucas Oil 10330 X-Tra HD (your choice, mileage will vary)

HITCH is back together now… and good as new.

So……. ALL being said above…… the simplest way to determine if your expensive hitch might be in the same condition as mine and is in need of some serious “TLC”, is to pop off the Dust Caps (bottom & top) and see what you find.

ALSO.... note the top & bottom dust caps (especially) the top caps.... do they have the (2) slits cut on the side??? If so, this would be a great place for rain / water intrusion...
My old caps had the slits on top & bottom, the new bottom caps ordered from ProPride did not have this slit...... I'm hoping the top ones do not have the slit either..... this looks like a design improvement with a different type of material for the caps.
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Old 11-16-2016, 09:55 AM   #2
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Man, thank you for that info! I'm leaning towards purchasing a 3P. While this doesn't change my mind, it does open my eyes a bit to be diligent in my maintenance and not to assume it doesn't need it.

Dave
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Old 11-16-2016, 10:23 AM   #3
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Thanks for the reminder that all bearings should be inspected and/or repacked as part of a good maintenance program, usually annually.

Similarly, the Never Lube bearings in our later model Airstreams require an annual inspection for runout, to be sure they are not wearing and nearing failure. It's easy to overlook the need for ongoing inspections and maintenance when things are going well.

I think the thread title here could be better described as failure of the caps to keep out water.
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Old 11-16-2016, 10:44 AM   #4
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When I rebuilt my Hensley Arrow several years ago I found the same issue.
I didn't worry about replacing all the bearings. I just cleaned everything up, packed everything full of grease, new seals and put some RTV around the dust caps. I also keep cover over the hitch when not in use.
I wasn't too concerned about rust in the bearings as these don't move all that much to really fail. Heavy wheel bearing grease was used and still working great today.
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Old 11-16-2016, 11:21 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joel.bell View Post

Parts listing:
(4) LM29749 Hitch Bearing
(4) LM29710 Hitch Bearing Race
(2) 171255TB Grease Seal – double lip
(2) DC-1605 Bottom Bearing Dust Cap

(4) LM67048 Pivot Bearing
(4) LM67010 Pivot Bearing Race
(2) 15234VB Grease Seal – double lip
(2) DC-1604 Top Bearing Dust Cap

(4) Cotter Keys 2.5 to 3” long
(1) WB Grease Lucas Oil 10330 X-Tra HD (your choice, mileage will vary)

Joe,

Are these all the parts you replaced or is the list of parts for reference only?

If the former, did you reach out to Sean at ProPride for a solution, as the hitch has a lifetime warranty.


Greg
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Old 11-16-2016, 12:07 PM   #6
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I'd be interested to know when the design change at PP came about as our hitch is from 2008 - apparently after yours if your AS date is also your hitch date.
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Old 11-16-2016, 12:21 PM   #7
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Would think this would be covered under the lifetime warranty - at least the parts.
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Old 11-16-2016, 12:33 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by greghoro View Post
Joe,

Are these all the parts you replaced or is the list of parts for reference only?

If the former, did you reach out to Sean at ProPride for a solution, as the hitch has a lifetime warranty.


Greg
No, I didn't contact Sean on this issue because I am not the original owner of the hitch and I didn't have any paperwork to support any type of warranty.

I pulled all the part numbers from the internal parts themselves, and purchased everything myself from various part resources.

I wished now I would have contacted Sean for his input before replacing everything myself...... after all...... I did purchase the (4) caps from him & the Rock Tamer flaps for another $250.00 investment...... :-(
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Old 11-16-2016, 12:33 PM   #9
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Interesting - I had my Hensley off the trailer last year - mainly to remove what remained of the powder coat and repaint it with POR15.

At that time I bought a few small replacement items - U bolts, zirc grease fittings as I recall, and spoke with Hensley to see if I should contemplate removing the bearing caps to clean,inspect, and repack the four large bearings.

The reply was that it should not be needed as this was not a regular maintenance item, and that in any case, I had a lifetime warranty.

It was said that if I were to remove the caps, I would void the warranty.

So I didn't! Here's hoping they are ok - they still seem fine after about 8 years use.


Brian.
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Old 11-16-2016, 12:44 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingeezer View Post
Interesting - I had my Hensley off the trailer last year - mainly to remove what remained of the powder coat and repaint it with POR15.

At that time I bought a few small replacement items - U bolts, zirc grease fittings as I recall, and spoke with Hensley to see if I should contemplate removing the bearing caps to clean,inspect, and repack the four large bearings.

The reply was that it should not be needed as this was not a regular maintenance item, and that in any case, I had a lifetime warranty.

It was said that if I were to remove the caps, I would void the warranty.

So I didn't! Here's hoping they are ok - they still seem fine after about 8 years use.


Brian.
And I would have never removed the other bottom cap if both of them were still attached....... one had fell off somewhere on the road.

I too thought the assembly was "sealed for life"...... but believe me, from my experience..... it's certainly not if water can get inside the bearing housing.

By swiveling the hitch by hand or pulling / backing the Airstream, I never did notice any binding or screeching of the bearings either.......
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Old 11-16-2016, 12:51 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingeezer View Post
The reply was that it should not be needed as this was not a regular maintenance item, and that in any case, I had a lifetime warranty.

It was said that if I were to remove the caps, I would void the warranty.
This lack of maintenance seems short sighted on Hensley's part especially when the warrantee item may be on their dime and undue frustration for the customer.
I would rather do the preventative maintenance every few years to make sure there is no unsuspecting break down on the road. It is easy to inspect the welds, spring bar sockets, etc... for wear at this time.
Having confidence in your equipment makes for safe and happy travels.
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Old 11-16-2016, 01:14 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingeezer View Post
Interesting - I had my Hensley off the trailer last year - mainly to remove what remained of the powder coat and repaint it with POR15.

At that time I bought a few small replacement items - U bolts, zirc grease fittings as I recall, and spoke with Hensley to see if I should contemplate removing the bearing caps to clean,inspect, and repack the four large bearings.

The reply was that it should not be needed as this was not a regular maintenance item, and that in any case, I had a lifetime warranty.

It was said that if I were to remove the caps, I would void the warranty. -
So I didn't! Here's hoping they are ok - they still seem fine after about 8 years use.


Brian.
Hi Brian - long time since we have seen you. For information I know of at least 3 other Hensley owners who had failures due to the bearings, and yes Hensley replaced the hitches as they were warrantied. Still seems strange there is 'no bearing maintenance required'. When a problem happens while on the road - that is a major problem. On one caravan a zirc sheared off but luckily another caravan member had an extra, so now I too carry several extra parts - just in case.
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Old 11-16-2016, 01:44 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveMc View Post
Man, thank you for that info! I'm leaning towards purchasing a 3P. While this doesn't change my mind, it does open my eyes a bit to be diligent in my maintenance and not to assume it doesn't need it.

Dave
This post was for information only... it was not geared to bash ProPride, Sean or anything about this 3P hitch setup. The Airstream pulls like a dream with this hitch and I could not be any happier.

If you purchase this ProPride 3P.... YOU will be happy also.... and you will be kicking yourself on why you didn't purchase this setup sooner to avoid the "white nuckle" syndrome.

ANY bearing setup will need maintenance sooner or later.... and its foolish to think otherwise.
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Old 11-16-2016, 01:44 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Don McKelvay View Post
Hi Brian - long time since we have seen you. For information I know of at least 3 other Hensley owners who had failures due to the bearings, and yes Hensley replaced the hitches as they were warrantied. Still seems strange there is 'no bearing maintenance required'. When a problem happens while on the road - that is a major problem. On one caravan a zirc sheared off but luckily another caravan member had an extra, so now I too carry several extra parts - just in case.
Hi Don,

Yes, I was a bit surprised they wouldn't condone it, but when I was more or less told to forget about further warrantee if I did, I decided to leave well enough alone!

I suppose they just don't want people fooling with them who may or may not know what they are doing!

I imagine that you have to pry the caps off like wheel bearing hub end caps, so i suppose that would likely leave evidence of hem having been removed so they would know they had been removed!

In fact had I removed them, I had originally planned to buy new caps - at least for the top as the plating was deteriorated.

Anyway I guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed - it sure would be an inconvenience having one seize up on the road and could lead to an unscheduled stop for a week or so at some remote location (I was going to use a place name but stopped short in case I inadvertently insulted someone who lives there!)

I do carry one of Hensley's emergency kits including zircs, collars, shear screws, U-bolts etc.

When I pulled the Hensley off to paint it after 8 years, I was surprised to see how little wear there was in the double bushing for the spring bar ends - I do lube them regularly when we travel and I guess it does pay off - messy as it is!

Brian.
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Old 11-16-2016, 02:14 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joel.bell View Post
This post was for information only... it was not geared to bash ProPride, Sean or anything about this 3P hitch setup. The Airstream pulls like a dream with this hitch and I could not be any happier.

If you purchase this ProPride 3P.... YOU will be happy also.... and you will be kicking yourself on why you didn't purchase this setup sooner to avoid the "white nuckle" syndrome.

ANY bearing setup will need maintenance sooner or later.... and its foolish to think otherwise.
Thanks again, Joel! I figured that's where you were coming from. Nothing built by humans is ever 100% perfect, and anything mechanical will have some kind of issues. I appreciate you taking the time to share what you learned. It's helpful for everyone, especially those like me who are just starting out!

Dave
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Old 11-16-2016, 03:22 PM   #16
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Joel-

Thanks for this post. I had the same issues with our ProPride in the summer of 2015. Like you, nothing against ProPride, they are great, I love the hitch, and Sean was a big help to me in reworking ours. I actually purchased nearly everything from them to ensure full compatibility, but I think matching parts at a reputable parts house would certainly work. We purchased our hitch used as well, so I wouldn't expect any warranty nor did I ask about one, I just re-worked it, and moved on.

We discovered ours had dry, rusty, grinding bearings on a trip back to the house from a long weekend last summer. When we turned a certain way/angle/pivot/whatever, something would snap/pop/clunk in the hitch. When we got home from that trip, I started messing with it after I unhitched, and sure enough, I could make it clunk/grind/whatever at a certain point in the rotation axis of the pivot assembly. Just like yours, pulled the caps, and oh my......what a mess.

Our coach is blessed with storage in our pole barn except for a month in the summer and whenever we are out with it, and that really helps keep the weather off everything including the hitch. However, I know the hitch I bought when it was 3 years or so old came from at least 2 winters bolted to the tongue of a white box trailer in Michigan. Nothing against Michiganders (in fact, 1/4 of you are down here in Florida now ), but they have snow, ice, and even rain, and that really works on one of these hitches in unprotected storage.

Moral of the story is, yes, the dust caps on top of the rotating link assemblies on the Hensley and the PP can leak. So check your bearings. I'll dig around for some pics of mine in case it helps anyone............
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Old 11-16-2016, 04:12 PM   #17
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ProPride 3P bearing failure

Here are some pics of our PP rotating axis points-these are basically like trailer axles, mounted vertically.

I didn't take any pics when it was all cleaned up and redone. 😐 sorry. I replaced all races, seals, and bearings top and bottom on both rotating shafts. All smooth now, and as our hitch sees way less weather than its first 3 years, I expect much longer life from this go round.

Hope this helps.


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Old 11-16-2016, 11:15 PM   #18
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About three years my Hensley dropped a bearing cap one cold winter day as I was preparing to go to North Dallas Rv for some other work. I reported the loose cap to them. Their contact with Hensley produced a new hitch under their lifetime warranty. Since then I noticed the jacks were hard to work with one jamming up at full extension. Again Hensley sent replacement jacks gratis. My hitch is 12 years old and has been on two trailers. I can only praise Hensley.
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Old 11-18-2016, 07:19 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by kfrere View Post
I'd be interested to know when the design change at PP came about as our hitch is from 2008 - apparently after yours if your AS date is also your hitch date.
I don't know when the hitch was purchased or installed, but here is my serial number so you might be able to reference your hitch if it was MFG before or after mine:

223P101237PP
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Old 03-05-2017, 08:52 PM   #20
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great thread on the hitch. Guess i need to check mine as, like others, got it used and other than the serial number I have no idea how old the product.

When i asked the manf about the number I was told the number as not in the data base as I appeared to be older than 10yr old, this was 2015.

my number 223P100148PP if anyone has a clue let me know.. buy the way I paid $500 for it in feb of 2015.
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