Tab 400 wheel bearing inspection

mccar1748 · October 15

On a Tab 400 '21 the manual has an annual inspection of wheel bearing is there also a milege check?

Sharon_is_SAM · October 15

It is recommended to repack the wheel bearings at 12,000 miles or annually if less miles are accumulated.

mccar1748 · October 20

thanks great info

manyman297 · October 20

Maybe not the best advice but I’m on a 2-year repack schedule. We put maybe 3k max per year (this year was only 900). The grease usually looks fine after two years. We live in a desert climate too so not worried too much about moisture. Definitely don’t want to go more than two years without inspection though. It’s good to grease the drum components as well.

Cracker · October 21

If you have the Buddy Bearings - as on my 2021 T@B 400 Boondock - you should never have to repack the bearings - but simply add grease as needed. Were the Buddy Bearings an option?

Sharon_is_SAM · October 22

The EZ-lube comes with the Dexter axle. Not an option.

Bill&Suze · October 22

Cracker said:

If you have the Buddy Bearings - as on my 2021 T@B 400 Boondock - you should never have to repack the bearings - but simply add grease as needed. Were the Buddy Bearings an option?

@Cracker, How would I recognize Buddy Bearings if they are installed on our '24 400? Is there a standard grease nipple behind the hub cover?

tabiphile · October 22

At the risk of offending anyone but in the interests of accuracy and correctness, bearing buddies are not installed on any of the T@B trailers. Find your bearing buddies on your Master or Smokercraft or Seadoo trailer.
Further, the suggestion that these obviate required maintenance is wrong. Simply pumping grease into a bearing without ever pulling the hub, cleaning and properly lubing the races, cleaning and checking the hubs, brakes, shafts, is bad advice. As was previously noted by @Sharon_is_SAM, wheel/bearing maintenance must be done annually or at a minimum, ever 12,000 miles.
You might opt to do this on another schedule, based upon your own risk comfort, but you cannot simply ignore it. Do not assume that there are "bearing buddies" present that that these eliminate this basic PM requirement, unless you enjoy the prospect of a wheel bearing failure somewhere down the road. If you have ever experienced having one of your wheels whiz off, you should have a visual image of this right now.
Pull the wheels, pack the bearings, checks the hubs, shafts and brakes and adjust all of these for peace of mind and extended failure free travel.

mccar1748 · October 25

thanks for all the info

Cracker · October 29

With due respect to the preceding comments, what is the purpose of the grease zerks on our hubs if not to extend the time between re-packing the bearings? At 85, I've certainly repacked my share of brakes over the years, on multiple boat and camper trailers. I no longer do my mechanical work so I was pleased to note the grease zerks.

Sharon_is_SAM · October 29

Good question. I have been told by a trusted trailer service tech that it is not unheard of to find metal shaving debris on an axle that owners used the E-Z lube system. That told me to keep up the traditional wheel bearing lube/inspection. We have been known to use the E-Z lube before a major trip or after sitting all winter.

This is taken directly from Dexter:

“Note: The convenient lubrication provisions of the E‑Z Lube® and the oil lubrication must not replace periodic inspection of the bearings.”

manyman297 · October 31

I feel like EZ lube is more marketing than anything. It’s like how car makers tout “lifetime fluids” for your transmission. Just a way to entice consumers thinking about less maintenance.

CatDaddy · October 31

I just purchased a 2022 320S Boondock. It has never had the bearings serviced. I don't really have a great place to work on the trailer and the rainy season is upon us here in the Pacific NW USA. For those reasons, I'm going to have somebody else do the work. I've had two quotes. The NuCamp dealer quoted $250. An independent shop quoted $200. Is that the going rate?

tabiphile · October 31

Any trailer shop can do the work and will probably do it for less than a dealer might. Either way, it seems like a fairly reasonable price.
If you are not certain, consider that this is about an hour of work. Ask them what their shop rate is. There are a few parts involved, the seals....are about 3 or $4.00 each. A tube of good grease is under $10.00. A can of Brake Clean and some shop towels might cost another $5.00. Specialty shops try to take in 2x on jobs so the $200 quote seems more reasonable. Whatever you decide, if you took into consideration any tools you might need to buy (torque wrench, brake tool, jack, jack stands etc.) it's probably a bargain at either price.
I have the tools and like to make sure that the work is done to my satisfaction so I tend to do these things myself.... But, I always ask myself, is it in my wheelhouse, do I have the tools and skills, is it safe, is it better to have someone who does this for a living do the job for me, do I have time? Will the pro be as critical as I am?
The important thing is to get it done. In your case, its overdue as is checking and adjusting the brakes.

CatDaddy · October 31

tabiphile said:

I have the tools and like to make sure that the work is done to my satisfaction so I tend to do these things myself.... But, I always ask myself, is it in my wheelhouse, do I have the tools and skills, is it safe, is it better to have someone who does this for a living do the job for me, do I have time? Will the pro be as critical as I am?
The important thing is to get it done. In your case, its overdue as is checking and adjusting the brakes.

Thanks for the information. I have the tools, the time and the inclination to do this myself, but I don't have a place to work on a trailer, other than at the curb and I don't relish that. I will pay to have it done this time and figure something better out for the next time.

Cracker · November 1

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Good question. I have been told by a trusted trailer service tech that it is not unheard of to find metal shaving debris on an axle that owners used the E-Z lube system. That told me to keep up the traditional wheel bearing lube/inspection. We have been known to use the E-Z lube before a major trip or after sitting all winter.

This is taken directly from Dexter:

“Note: The convenient lubrication provisions of the E‑Z Lube® and the oil lubrication must not replace periodic inspection of the bearings.”

Cracker · November 1

Which inspires another comment. I've never been a full-timer, however, I've none numerous long trips with my 30' Airstream, as well as a three-month tour of the U.S. with a Starmaster pop-up. I religiously repacked the bearings on both of these trailers annually, as well as on others - including several boat trailers. I've never discovered a "dry" or damaged bearing. So, with the addition of the "buddy-bearing" hardware, what does "periodic inspection" really mean, aside from constituting a CYA for the trailer manufacturer???

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