Todd’s 2 Minute Tech Tip Tuesday- How to check your RV wheel bearings/ Life safety issue

It’s a little known fact so people don’t often do it, but we need to check our wheel bearings often. The great thing is that doing so takes no time at all. You’ll use an infrared gun to  look for an even amount of heat; one side may be 110 and the other 109, and that’s perfectly fine. But what if you have one at 110 and one reading 140? The chances are that the particular wheel bearing is very low on grease, and the longer you’re on the road and the hotter that bearing gets, the potential is higher to damage your rig. 

That being said, every time we stop for fuel we need to get our infrared gun and shoot in the middle of our hubs, looking for an average temperature between each axle and tire. So we are looking for consistency; if the temperatures are below 150 degrees, we’re good. 

In the event that we have one of our wheels outside of that temperature range, let’s say 20-30 degrees, you’ll know that specific axle needs attention as soon as possible by checking the bearings and adding grease. It’s always best at this point to pull off the road to a safe area and service the bearing. This will save you from breaking down on the side of the road along with hundreds of dollars from having to call a roadside service to fix the issue.  

And there’s your Tech Tip!

If you would like to be able to fix the majority of the problems on your RV, or let’s say you want to open a business and become a certified technician or inspector? Head over to our website at www.nrvta.com, select the programs tab and get started today!