Slide Problem

[Rockyhud]

Saturday the weather was decent and I had time to dig into this. Based on what I see with the hub's grease cap removed I believe we have NRL hubs and bearings. Why this one failed I don't know but due to seeing what looks like evidence of moisture infiltration I'm guessing the seal(s) failed and allowed wetness inside which could have contributed to its demise. I'll be contacting Kodiak first thing tomorrow to see what I can get and when. The photo attached shows exactly what I found inside - I hadn't even wiped anything clean at this point.

[wingnut60]

Yes, that is the NRL bearing--forgot to mention the need for a huge socket, 1 7/16" maybe? And snap ring pliers?
If you are into replacing with new ones, and you can be sure of getting US-made--do all 4 for peace of mind about them for next several years.
My luck with the NRls in my '05 would lead me to keep them if sure of replacement quality--and, of course, if you wanted to change the bearing style then you will need new axles...and hubs, and...?? So, much less costly to stay with them--the ones you have are 6 years old, so probably get 6 more out of a new set....

[Rockyhud]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too - get enough to replace all of them. Even though I would prefer the oil bath type, the cost of changing axles is just too costly. I'll just stay with NRLs and hope they stay good for a long time.

[anijet]

I'd say you are extremely lucky you made it home. That bearing doesn't have but a few miles left before catastrophic failure.

Edit: After looking at the picture again that bearing has completely failed. It just hasn't departed the axle yet. I wouldn't be surprised if the axle is hurt.

[Rockyhud]

Agree with being lucky it didn't completely fail before getting home. The whole trip home we prayed God would get us home safely and with everything intact, and it appears we were blessed. I'm hoping the axle isn't damaged and thinking it hasn't been, at least at this time. The reasoning is, when I grab the tire and do the wiggle test and when I spin the wheel, the inner bearing race shows no movement whatsoever - only the outer bearing race wobbles or moves. I assure you I will be checking the condition of the axle once I get the failed hub off. I've seen pics and read numerous threads of NRLs failing and taking out LOTS of equipment and causing LOTS of damage doing so. I don't want to be "that guy" when an NRL does fail.

[wingnut60]

Whatever you do later, if you ever change the wheels out, be sure to stay with a '0' offset wheel--going to more offset will add leverage to the relatively small bearing surface and lead to early failure. Dexter lists a max offset to be used in the NRL instructions.

[Cummins12V98]

Originally Posted by Rockyhud

Saturday the weather was decent and I had time to dig into this. Based on what I see with the hub's grease cap removed I believe we have NRL hubs and bearings. Why this one failed I don't know but due to seeing what looks like evidence of moisture infiltration I'm guessing the seal(s) failed and allowed wetness inside which could have contributed to its demise. I'll be contacting Kodiak first thing tomorrow to see what I can get and when. The photo attached shows exactly what I found inside - I hadn't even wiped anything clean at this point.

That looks very normal to me, not sure what looks bad? Be sure to get new wheel hub caps.

[Rockyhud]

OK, here's the latest. I've been in touch with Jesse Meldrum at Kodiak about the hubs. He too confirmed ours are NRL (he referred to them as NVR) and gave me some insight into options. I asked about converting to hubs that use conventional inner and outer bearings, to get away from NRL type, and he said the axles are different between the two types, having different spindles. I would have to change out axles entirely to do so.

He went on to tell me I or anyone else with NRL type hubs and bearings will have to change axles when the inventory of NRL parts is depleted, probably in the next year. Once they run out of inventory they will not manufacture XL parts any more. On the phone he indicated Kodiak is one of, if not the only, manufacturing sources for NRL parts, so they are a vanishing breed.

Given all that info and the fact I can't afford to change axles, hubs and bearings now, I decided to buy 4 of the integral hub/bearing/rotor kits and 2 sets of disc brake pads so I can replace all the ones on our rig. Right now they're selling the RTR/HUB-133-8-10-XL (complete hub/bearing/rotor with 13" rotor, 5/8" lugs and dust cap) for $107.78 each. The pads for the Kodiak 250 disc brakes are DBC-250-CERM-PAD (one set for one axle - 2 inner and 2 outer) are $50 per set. Now, I'm hoping these will last us for several more years so I don't have to revisit this issue for quite some time.

One final thought to pass on is, given the fact NRL parts will soon become unavailable, anyone wanting or needing any now or think they will fairly soon, should seriously consider buying now rather than later. Otherwise they're likely going to be replacing more than just hubs and rotors.

Also, my apologies to everyone for deviating from the original thread topic on slide problems. In hindsight, I should have started a new thread about hubs and bearings. I'll be more attentive to that in the future.

[oldbird]

Steve, does the NRL bearing have to be pressed into the hub, I think so anyway. Are you getting all yours pressed in by Kodiak? If you haven't bought the pads yet I believe you would be better off with NAPA's 'best' pads, works good for me and I think they are better then Kodiak's pads. I think I'll get in tough with Jesse about getting at least one spare. If more then one goes I'll switch to Mor/ryde IS. Thanks for posting, what is Jesse's number?

[Rockyhud]

Glenn, the hubs I bought are ready to install - the bearings are already in place. When I called Kodiak I just called their main number (817) 284-5141 and asked for Jesse. He's a good guy to talk with about these items.

[Rockyhud]

One more update. When talking with Jesse yesterday, to order these parts, he recommended I let him take the order instead of doing so online, as the website apparently doesn't always get things right. As I recall, he said it happened more so with multiple heavier parts, so I took his suggestion and did so. At the time of ordering he wasn't able to give me a total charge as he was going to try to pack 2 hubs in one box to minimize the quantity of boxes shipped. He also advised me the order should arrive at my home in a couple of days or soon after. Without thinking more about this and the impact it could have on shipping charges, I said that sounded fine.

So, later in the day I checked my bank account online and found the charges pending. I was a little surprised by what I presumed the shipping charges amounted to, increasing the total more than I had initially guessed it would be. So, thinking about this, I think what happened, and logically so, is that Jesse understandably thought since I had been talking with him about a failed/failing hub, that I probably needed them sooner than later, so I'm speculating that he shipped these 2-3 day UPS or FedEx to make that happen. Had I been more attentive to his remarks, I would have advised him that I didn't need them expedited, which I believe would likely have reduced the shipping cost and total cost. So the higher cost than expected is really my fault for not letting him know I didn't need them shipped fast.

So, just my 2 cents on this, if anyone else contacts Kodiak to order these hubs, to get one or more before they're no longer available, let them know whether you need expedited shipping or not.

[Cummins12V98]

Originally Posted by oldbird

Steve, does the NRL bearing have to be pressed into the hub, I think so anyway. Are you getting all yours pressed in by Kodiak? If you haven't bought the pads yet I believe you would be better off with NAPA's 'best' pads, works good for me and I think they are better then Kodiak's pads. I think I'll get in tough with Jesse about getting at least one spare. If more then one goes I'll switch to Mor/ryde IS. Thanks for posting, what is Jesse's number?

Kevin at Kodiak told me years ago they don't sell "quality" pads and it's best to buy a quality brands best quality Semi Metallic pads for a late 80's Buick century HD.

[porthole]

Originally Posted by Rockyhud

charges pending.

Charges pending are not always the final amount. Any chance they just ran the card to make sure the funds were available first, with the corrected amount showing up in a day or two?

If not, it's not just on you. They know the difference between UPS ground and 2nd day etc. Should have offered you the option.

[Rockyhud]

Originally Posted by porthole

Charges pending are not always the final amount. Any chance they just ran the card to make sure the funds were available first, with the corrected amount showing up in a day or two?

Nope. Our credit union often shows VISA payments pending in amounts like this before they're actually applied to the credit card account - for the same amount as shown pending.

[Rockyhud]

FINAL UPDATE: Several weeks ago I had time and decent weather and was able to replace the wobbly wheel hub/bearing/rotor and brake pads on the off-door side rear axle. The actual work wasn't bad at all. A few weeks after that, while replacing some spring eye and shackle grease zerks with 45-degree zerks and greasing all wet bolts, I had time to raise the tires on the door side off the ground and give the wheels and tires a good wiggle test. I was pleasantly surprised to find the front had absolutely no play. The rear had barely, and I mean barely, perceptible play - so little that I spent more time rotating the wheel a little at a time and repeating the wiggle test. According to documentation from Lippert The amount of play I was barely detecting was well within the limits of acceptability. That said, I will definitely keep this wheel in mind and check more periodically so I don't allow it to cause problems. I still have 3 more hub/bearing/rotor assemblies for replacement when needed.

So, back on topic, we had nice weather and time to hitch up and take the rig out for a test run yesterday to see if there was any abnormal sound coming from the rig during tight turns. Before the hub replacement, I had heard some mild metal-on-metal screeching sound from the rig during tight turns on our trip home from FL. It was only during tight turns, due to the higher side load on the rears, as there were no unusual sounds when rolling through wide turns and going straight. I was very pleased to NOT hear anything but the normal sound of tires scrubbing a little during very tight turns.

So, it appears all hubs and bearings are good to go for the foreseeable future. It's also reassuring to know I have 3 more new hubs if/when the time comes for repairing the other wheel locations.

Thank you to all who provided good info to me (and others) while I was sorting things out.

[wingnut60]

Steve,
Would it not be better to have all four hubs/bearings on the trailer new and keep one of the old ones for a spare? I'm thinking the oem bearings lasted 6 years, probably that much left with 4 new ones?
In 6 years, if you still are enjoying the trailer, then time for new axles with the bearing of your choice...
Joe

[Rockyhud]

Certainly good points to that reasoning and factors I have considered. However, this coming summer we're planning to setup and live in the rig on our kids property nearby for 1-3 years while I finish out my career and they get their property ready for sale, so the rig won't get many miles on it until after that. If our plans change and we do wind up traveling with it more in the near term I'll certainly revisit that plan and likely put the new hubs and bearings on and hang onto a couple of old ones for spares. Both front axle units would be good for that purpose.