4 Precautions for Maintaining Trailer Axles

No matter what type of trailer you have, you need to regularly inspect and maintain your trailer axles, which can avoid many potential hazards and losses.Here are a few things you should look out for when maintaining your trailer axles.

The biggest reason you need to have your trailer axles maintained is that they have moisture build-up.

The lubrication you apply to your axles can be rendered useless as it becomes diluted and breaks down if there is moisture build-up.

Besides moisture, dirt, dust or debris has a likelihood of accumulating over time.

Even if your trailer remains idle, a simple clean up can ensure everything is smooth and running by getting rid of moisture build-up.

A bearing is made of a cup and a cone. The cup is pressed into the central part of the axle and the cone contained the actual ball bearings. Your bearings should be kept well-greased at all times to protect them from heat caused by friction.

When checking on your bearings, make sure you clean thoroughly to get rid of any build-up.

While doing the wipe down, check whether the bearings have any cracks, dents or any opening that seems like it may break. If they are damaged, they should be replaced as a set for the cup and cone according to the load rating of the trailer.

If the bearing looks good, use a degreaser on it. 

Avoid adding too much lubricant, as it can damage the grease seal.

The rubber seal should be flexible and should hold back any fluid. Greasing your bearings too much can cause damage to your seals.

If the seals become damaged, grease or oil can begin to leak out of the seal and once it's open, dirt and debris can come in too. Fluid and dirt combine to form a nasty brown substance that can completely jam your bearings lead to catastrophic results.

Check for any faults in the seal and replace it for any crack you might see.

The majority of your trailer axle problems stem from not routinely greasing your bearings.

Greasing is a deterrent to heat caused by friction. An un-greased hub can overheat, it can destroy spindles, brake hubs and have your tires running off your axle while you’re driving.

The hub should be greased once a year or every 3000 miles if you use your trailer a lot for cargo.  Before a maintenance routine, check if your hubs are leaking or if the tires are shaking. You can easily spot this by 

checking the back of the rim for splattered grease.

If the color of this grease is brown or grey,this means there is a sure sign of leaking that water, dust and debris have flown into the bearing.

Keep the hub free of dust by giving it a slight shake or tap after you’ve removed it. 

Remove the key lock to pull the hub off the spindle. Wipe down the spindle with a lint proof cloth. Inspect the spindle for any cracks. If the cracks are deep enough, this means the trailer’s axle has been damaged and needs to be replaced.

After you've disassembled the seal and taken apart the ball bearing and you’re ready to put it back together, pack the bearings with grease.

Take a piece of grease in your hand roll the bearing around in the grease to get it deep within. The cap of the bearing should be greased pretty well when you’re re-installing the seal and bearing.

When the axle components are found to be worn or in poor condition, our first priority is to clean and maintain, so as to maintain the good working condition of the trailer axle. If you want to know more about trailer axles after reading the above, you can get professional solutions by contacting us.

As a professional manufacturer of trailer parts, we have accumulated rich design and production experience in this field. We have a professional production team and strict quality inspection system, which can carry out all-round quality control of our products. At the same time, we will also provide thoughtful one-stop service according to the diversified needs of customers. If you want to buy our trailer axles, please contact us immediately! springs, please contact us immediately!