Chassis and Running Gear
Trailer Wheel Bearing Repack, Seal and Hub Service
Typical range
$250 to $1,200
Shop hours
1 to 5
Labor rate
$260/hr
The short answer
Wheel bearing service covers cleaning, inspection, repacking, and seal replacement on trailer and towable hubs, plus race and bearing replacement where wear is found. Work runs $250 to $1,200, or 1 to 5 hours at $260 per hour plus parts, at our Yorba Linda facility.
01
What this work actually involves
A wheel bearing failure on a trailer is one of the few problems that goes from a maintenance item to a destroyed axle in under an hour of driving. The sequence is always the same. The inner seal fails, grease escapes onto the brake shoes, the bearing runs dry, heat builds, the race spins in the hub, and the spindle is scored beyond repair. What started as a $250 repack becomes an axle replacement plus new brake hardware. This is why we treat bearing service as a schedule item rather than a symptom-driven one.
The grease itself is the part that gets specified carelessly. Trailer bearings on Southern California freeways run hot, and a general purpose chassis grease will thin and migrate at hub temperatures that a high temperature disc brake wheel bearing grease handles without complaint. Mixing incompatible grease types is worse than either alone, because the thickeners can separate and leave you with oil and soap instead of grease. When we service a hub we clean out completely rather than pumping new grease into old.
Boat trailers and any trailer that has been dunked get their own attention. Water entering a warm hub condenses and rusts the races from the inside, and the damage is invisible until the hub is opened. Coastal owners in Long Beach, Oceanside, and San Diego who launch regularly should be on a much shorter interval than a dry-use trailer. We inspect for water etching specifically and we will show you what we find rather than describing it.
Systems and brands we work on: Dexter, AL-KO.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Hub removal, complete cleaning, and bearing inspection at every wheel
- Bearing repack with high temperature wheel bearing grease
- Inner and outer seal replacement as standard, not as an option
- Bearing and race replacement where pitting, spalling, or etching is found
- Spindle surface inspection for scoring, bluing, and wear
- Race removal and installation with correct drivers rather than improvised tools
- Preload adjustment to specification with castle nut and cotter pin or spindle nut
- Brake shoe inspection and replacement where grease contamination is found
- Dust cap, grease cap, and EZ Lube fitting inspection and replacement
- Hub temperature verification after a road check
03
When you need this service
- One hub noticeably hotter than the others after driving
- A rumbling or growling from a wheel that changes with speed
- Grease slung onto the inside of a wheel or across the backing plate
- Wheel play when the tire is rocked at the twelve and six positions
- Brake performance loss at one wheel from grease-contaminated shoes
- A trailer that has sat for more than a season without bearing service
- A trailer that is regularly launched in salt water
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Wheel pull and initial inspection
Wheels off, hubs checked for play and rotational feel before disassembly. How the hub feels cold tells us what to look for once it is open.
- 02
Complete disassembly and cleaning
Hub removed and every component cleaned to bare. We do not pump new grease into old grease, since mixed and contaminated grease is a leading cause of repeat failures.
- 03
Bearing and race inspection
Rollers and races inspected for pitting, spalling, brinelling, and water etching. Anything marginal is replaced rather than reinstalled to be reopened next season.
- 04
Spindle assessment
Spindle surface measured and inspected for scoring and heat discoloration. A blued spindle means a bearing already ran hot, and that changes the conversation.
- 05
Repack and seal
Bearings packed fully with high temperature grease, new inner and outer seals installed every time, and races driven with the correct tooling.
- 06
Preload and brake check
Preload set to specification, brake hardware inspected for grease contamination, and contaminated shoes replaced rather than cleaned.
- 07
Road check and temperature verify
Trailer rolled and hub temperatures checked with an infrared thermometer to confirm they are even before it goes back to you.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $250 to $1,200 | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 1 to 5 | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Mechanical and electrical labor | $260 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
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Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Utility Trailers
A utility trailer is an open deck on a welded frame with fenders, a ramp gate, and lighting, and it fails through deck rot, frame
Vehicle
Toy Hauler Trailers
A bumper pull toy hauler carries cargo behind the axles on a ball hitch, which is the worst possible combination for tongue weight
Vehicle
Teardrop Trailers
A teardrop is a small monocoque sleeping trailer, usually 4 to 6 feet wide, with a rear galley under a lifting hatch. The hatch se
Vehicle
Pop-Up Campers, Tent Trailers
A pop-up camper is a low box trailer with a lifting hard roof, canvas walls, and fold-out bunk end decks. The lift system, the bun
08
Questions about wheel bearing repack and hub service
Frequently asked questions
How much does a trailer bearing repack cost?
Bearing service runs $250 to $1,200, or 1 to 5 hours at $260 per hour plus parts. A single axle repack with new seals sits near the low end. A tandem or triple axle with full bearing and race replacement, plus brake shoes replaced for grease contamination, sits at the high end. Bearings and seals are billed at parts markup.
How often should trailer bearings be repacked?
Annually or every 10,000 to 12,000 miles for typical dry use, and far more often for a trailer that is launched in water. A trailer that sits most of the year still needs annual service, because seals dry out and condensation rusts races from the inside regardless of mileage. The interval is about time as much as distance.
What happens if I ignore a hot hub?
It escalates quickly. Grease escapes past a failed seal, the bearing runs dry, heat builds, the race spins in the hub, and the spindle is scored past repair, sometimes within an hour of driving. At that point a routine service turns into a spindle or complete axle replacement. A hub that is noticeably hotter than its neighbors should stop the trip.
Are EZ Lube spindles enough on their own?
They help but they do not replace a service. Pumping grease through the zerk pushes new grease in without removing old, contaminated, or water-fouled grease, and over-pumping can blow the inner seal and contaminate the brakes. We still open, clean, inspect, and repack, because the inspection is the part that catches a failing race before it takes a spindle.
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Ready to move on wheel bearing repack and hub service? Bring it to Yorba Linda.