Neil and Connie wrote:

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Bill Napier (here on the forum) has had either 2 or 3 Nev-R-Lube bearings fail…but that's probably over the past 10 years or maybe even more, I don't remember the exact time frame. 

We have them on our 2012 NH and have had no issues with them…although I did get them replaced last August after about 45,000 miles. The warranty is 100K…but with the exception of one of Bill's that failed at 11K or so most of the failures I have read about were in the >60K range…hence we replaced ours when it was convenient and we were in Elkhart anyway rather than have them done on the road. I actually have 2 spare hubs with bearings installed that Bill gave me…assuming that we caught a failure before it completely destroyed the IS…which happened in none of his failures.

The alternative is the old style greasable bearings…but they need repacking annually (12K miles I think is that number) and replacing every other or every third year. If this is something you can do yourself it's feasible I guess but otherwise it can get a bit expensive and it's another annual maintenance item to take care of.

It's much like the RAM/Ford/Chevy argument…there really is no right answer.

 

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Well, now that Neil's brought it up  - - - To clarify points bolded above: One failed at 5 years and the other was only 1 year old when it wiped everything out the second time.

When the Nev-R-Lubs fail it ruins the spindle on the suspension - both times on our previous rig. That means replacing the entire beam arm of the suspension. Doesn't matter if it is an IS or not BTW.  This is not a MOR/ryde issue.  It's a Nev-R-Lub problem.  When they fail they take out the axle spindle, the brake assembly, the wheel (rim) and the tire.  --  Actually the G114 "H" tires never lost air.  But being drug down the road at a 30 degree angle - locked up, not turning - at 55 miles per hour tends to take most of rubber off down to the steel belts.  (Great tire.)  And one better have the parts to cap off the hydraulic brake lines or one will have no brakes on the other three wheels.  Happened the same way both times.  The second time I was almost laughing. This occurred on nice Interstate roads.  BTW, they were inspected yearly.  Problem is, unlike split bearings, they can look fine at inspection and fail shortly thereafter as other then looking for leaking oil or a bad retaining ring or a slight wobble there isn't really much to inspect.  One can't physically "see" the bearings as they are sealed. 

Anyway, MOR/ryde is not recommending Nev-R-Lub bearings on larger trailers and that's not hearsay.  Neither is DRV according to MOR/ryde.  This is not a Ford / Chevy discussion on my part.  It is reporting what happened to me -- twice.  We caught the third time the Nev-R-Lub was about to fail like Howard did at MOR/ryde - just before it failed. (Happened to be at MOR/ryde right before H & L appointment.) That's when we changed to split bearings on the previous trailer.

If a Nev-R-Lub fails your in a world of hurt as it takes out a bunch of stuff with it.

As I've posted before, we will never own another trailer with Nev-R-Lub bearings and it appears some OEM's have agreed with that decision as to not making them standard any longer.  Too many problems.

I really try to take a middle path and not overstate things - just give facts so people can make informed choices.  You may get away with having Nev-R-Lub bearings and be just fine.  Simply be aware, when they do fail expect it to take quite a bit of time to get everything repaired.  You will be on 3 wheels getting off the road and to someplace to get repairs.  Then, get out your credit card, take a deep breath and find FedEx / UPS.  No local parts store is going to have everything you need. "Ask me how I know this" - twice.

Danny and Cheryl wrote:

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Dale and Bill I wonder how much weight you are carrying on the Axels. I am sure your DRV is quite heavy. Just curious my Cedar Creek has only around 9K on the axels. but i am sure I am going the Standard bearing route.

thanks again

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 Danny, as I said in my note you are a gray area weight wise. Our trailers are "heavy."  We don't exceed the bearing ratings by a large margin, but that doesn't seem to matter. Heavy trailers are the problem.  I think you will find the "official" MOR/ryde position of "not recommended" to be on heavy trailers.  By your sig you trailer is, IMO, in that gray area.

Very true about the Airstreams.  Even the heavy ones are light vs. the bearing ratings.  (We've owned several.)  BTW the Airstream suspension is similar to the MOR/ryde IS in operation.  Wonderful towing trailer.

If I might put it this way:  If you are going to mostly "reside" in the trailer - that is not travel much - then perhaps the convenience of the Nev-R-Lub is worth consideration - and risk.  But if, like many of us, you are going to travel then I don't recommend them and won't have them.  They do require service, but that service is at ones own convenience.  A Nev-R-Lub failure will seriously redefine the word inconvenience.

I am pretty confident when you speak with Rob at MOR/ryde he will not disagree with what I and others have said.

BTW, changing later an IS from Nev-R-Lub to split, greaseable bearings is VERY expensive as the spindles are different sizes due to the different bearing sizes.  So once a decision is made going the other way is not for the faint of wallet.  That's one reason many don't change from Nev-R-Lub.  But after our third problem Linda said, "Change them!" 

Best of luck and say hi to a great shop tech named Sergio.  We'll see him in April.

Bill

I have a May appointment at MorRyde for IS, disc brakes and 17.5 wheels and H rated Goodyear G114 tires. I talked to Rob yesterday and specifically asked about the Never Lubes ... he said they are pretty good on lighter trailers but not so much on heavier rigs. I asked him what "lighter trailers" meant ... he said 10,000 lbs or less. So for me, it's greasers. Good discussion.

MarkS wrote:

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I pulled my trailer 700,000 miles with as much as 34,000 pounds on the axles and never had a bearing fail. In 50 years of driving cars I've never had a bearing fail. Why should my RV be any different?

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 Mark:

This seems to be related to the side loads created on the somewhat heavier RV trailers relative to the bearing size; especially during square jack or large angle backing where side loads are severe as the wheels are drug sideways.  The Nev-R-Lub is quite small as to axial depth and that may be part of the issue.  We've seen retaining rings come out of the groves and that would naturally cause a failure after only a few miles.  Had one fail at just over 3,000 miles due to the retaining ring.

Sealed bearing don't usually have issues on cars or trucks as you said.  But, as you well know, there is little side pressure in that type of service.  That said, I did see a pickup truck have a front bearing fail that was being pulled by a motorhome.  There is quite of bit of side loading on the front bearings when being "steered" by a tow bar.  That sort of further convinces me that this is a side loading issue and lighter trailers just don't put as much pressure on the bearings relative to the bearing size as the somewhat larger RVs do.

As you would note from this tread, IMO I doubt DRV, and others, would not have discontinued use of this product if it were not causing warranty issues.

Danny and Cheryl wrote:

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There is no offset allowed on the two smaller bearings but a small offset is allowed on the 50MM, I didn't bring that info with me that I received from Dexter. Of course any misalignment would cause some type of pressure on the bearing I think.

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 Danny:

I've seen some video done by an OEM, wish I could find it, of just how much "wobble," for lack of a better word, trailer tires exhibit on some axles.  It is a axial wobble.  No wonder RV trailers have this bearing issue.  Like Mark, in the semi-days we never thought about bearings.  Oil filled were fine on semis that moved all the time.  Not so much on RVs as DRV found out. Not a knock.  Give them credit, they've tried everything and now back to the basics.

Trust all will go well there.

Bill

Bruce and Robin wrote:

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Bill and Linda wrote:

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Danny and Cheryl wrote:

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Dale and Bill I wonder how much weight you are carrying on the Axels. I am sure your DRV is quite heavy. Just curious my Cedar Creek has only around 9K on the axels. but i am sure I am going the Standard bearing route.

thanks again

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 Danny, as I said in my note you are a gray area weight wise. Our trailers are "heavy."  We don't exceed the bearing ratings by a large margin, but that doesn't seem to matter. Heavy trailers are the problem.  I think you will find the "official" MOR/ryde position of "not recommended" to be on heavy trailers.  By your sig you trailer is, IMO, in that gray area.

Very true about the Airstreams.  Even the heavy ones are light vs. the bearing ratings.  (We've owned several.)  BTW the Airstream suspension is similar to the MOR/ryde IS in operation.  Wonderful towing trailer.

If I might put it this way:  If you are going to mostly "reside" in the trailer - that is not travel much - then perhaps the convenience of the Nev-R-Lub is worth consideration - and risk.  But if, like many of us, you are going to travel then I don't recommend them and won't have them.  They do require service, but that service is at ones own convenience.  A Nev-R-Lub failure will seriously redefine the word inconvenience.

I am pretty confident when you speak with Rob at MOR/ryde he will not disagree with what I and others have said.

BTW, changing later an IS from Nev-R-Lub to split, greaseable bearings is VERY expensive as the spindles are different sizes due to the different bearing sizes.  So once a decision is made going the other way is not for the faint of wallet.  That's one reason many don't change from Nev-R-Lub.  But after our third problem Linda said, "Change them!" 

Best of luck and say hi to a great shop tech named Sergio.  We'll see him in April.

Bill

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Is it the same expense going from "oil filled" to a greased bearing system? I have MORryde IS on my 2014 DRV MS with oil filled bearings. All this talk about bearings has me very concerned!

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 Bruce:

Great question.  I believe it is as expensive as I think the bearings require different size axles. If not, the cost would be relatively modest.  But call Rob Kolean at MOR/ryde (574) 293-1581 Ex 256 to make sure.  I would also inquire of Rob as to whether changing the oil bath is necessary IF you are not having oil leak issues.  Many do have that issue.

The deal with the oil filled bearings on RV's is that the trailer doesn't move for relatively extended periods of time. Therefore the oil drains down off the top of the bearings.  That can lead to corrosion and naturally some of the bearing is dry when first moved and that can cause excessive wear while the oil lubrication gets distributed.

All that said, in comparison to the sealed Nev-R-Lubs, oil filled don't seem to have as many failures according to some reports, but the leaking was a constant issue for many.

Again, get the straight scoop from Rob.  He won't try to up-sell you.  Just provide facts.  He's an easy guy to speak with.

Bill

On Edit:  Here's Rob's email if you care to communicate that way.  Rob.Kolean@morryde.com

Might be helpful if you let us know what he said RE: the oil filled bearings.