How to Pack Ball Bearings on a Camper Trailer
- 1). Place a jack under the axle of the trailer and raise the tire off the ground. Support the trailer using a set of jack stands under the frame so that you can work on it without the risk of it moving.
- 2). Remove the lug nuts from the wheel studs using a socket and breaker bar. Remove the tire and wheel and set it aside for now. Be sure you put the lug nuts somewhere safe so you can reuse them later.
- 3). Remove the dust cover from the center of the hub. Pry it loose with a flat screwdriver and pull it straight off the hub.
- 4). Remove the cotter pin on the end of the spindle. Straighten the ends of the pin and pull it out of the axle with a pair of pliers. You can discard it, since you will be using a new one during reassembly.
- 5). Remove the castle nut from the end of the spindle and set it aside. The outer bearing will pop out as you pull out on the hub. Set the bearing on a clean rag for now and pull the hub all the way off the spindle.
- 6). Lay the hub down flat on its face and pry out the grease seal with a flat screwdriver. Discard the seal; you will be using a new one during reassembly. Lift out the inner wheel bearing and set it on a clean rag.
- 7). Place some clean grease in the palm of your hand and with the other hand, force the grease into the bearing races by pushing the bearing into the grease. Continue forcing clean grease into the race until the entire bearing is full of new grease. Do this for the inner and outer bearings.
- 8). Wipe out the spindle with a clean rag and remove any hard or dirty grease from the surfaces. With the hub face down on a rag, drop the inner bearing into the back of the hub. Lay the new oil seal on the back of the hub.
- 9). Insert the oil seal into the hub using a block of wood and a hammer to tap it squarely into the hub. Slide the hub onto the spindle and push the outer bearing into the hub. Install the washer and castle nut onto the spindle, leaving it loose for now.
- 10
Tighten the castle nut with a deep socket while spinning the hub. This will help seat the bearing into the hub. Tighten it until the hub starts to drag and then back the nut off about an eighth of a turn. - 11
Install a new cotter pin and bend the ends of the pin with a pair of pliers so that it can't come loose. Install the dust cap and tap it into place with your palm or a rubber mallet. - 12
Reinstall the wheel and tire, tightening the lug nuts with a socket and ratchet or breaker bar. Lift the trailer with your jack, remove the jack stands and carefully lower the trailer back to the ground with the jack.