Trailer hub hot, or a wheel grinding or wobbling

A trailer hub that runs much hotter than the others, or a wheel that grinds, rumbles or wobbles, almost always means a bearing that is dry, contaminated, out of adjustment or failing. Around Ocala that is typically $150 to $250 per axle for a repack, or $150 to $360 per axle for new bearings and races if the old ones are damaged. A hub that is far hotter than the rest can also be a dragging brake.

Check this first

1. Compare the hubs by hand at your next stop. Sundowner’s manual says to feel the hubs whenever you stop for fuel. Use the back of your hand and approach carefully; a failing hub can be too hot to touch. All hubs should feel about the same.
2. Jack the wheel and spin it (jack stands under the frame, never the axle tube). Listen and feel for roughness or grinding.
3. Rock it top to bottom. Grab the tire at 12 and 6 o’clock and push and pull. Clunking play means loose bearing adjustment or worn bearings.
4. Look at the hub and the inside of the wheel for grease thrown out past the seal. Grease on the inside of a wheel means a seal has let go.
5. Check the date. When were the bearings last done? Dexter’s interval is 12 months or 12,000 miles.

What is usually wrong

Full ranges are on the pricing page.

Why it happens

Grease ages on the calendar. A horse trailer that does a few short hauls a year hits Dexter’s 12-month interval long before 12,000 miles, and the first long run of the fall, out US 27 to Post Time Farm or across to the World Equestrian Center, finds the weak hub. Boat trailers have it worse: Featherlite’s service chart says an unsealed bearing that has been immersed should be replaced before the next use.

Why it matters

Sundowner’s manual is direct: driving with hot wheel bearings can cause them to seize, and seized bearings can damage the axle, which turns a bearing job into an axle job. It also says any bearing that has overheated or begun to grind should be replaced.

When to call

Any hub that is clearly hotter than the rest, any grinding, any play. See wheel bearing service and the bearing and brake calculator. For boat trailers, see boat trailer repair.