Ok, checking tire pressure and condition is an easy every trip check, but how often do you grease the trailer axles? Do you go by miles driven, or time to a mix of both.

Also wondering about that little battery on the brake's breakaway system. Does it take power from the truck when its being towed to recharge itself?

 

i think dexter says every year or 12,000 miles...that seems solid to me.

 

I repack bearings and check brakes every two years. Ends up being about 10k miles.

I lube the e brake every spring. Ours is just hooked into the battery system and doesn’t have its own.

 

X2!! Back in the old days when cars and trucks had greaseable roller bearings in the front axles (just like our trailer's) it was recommended to grease every 30,000 miles.

 

[QUOTE=henfield;7620517]Ok, checking tire pressure and condition is an easy every trip check, but how often do you grease the trailer axles? Do you go by miles driven, or time to a mix of both.

Also wondering about that little battery on the brake's breakaway system. Does it take power from the truck when its being towed to recharge itself?[/QUOTE]

It should. you can verify it by measuring voltage without being attached to the truck, should be about 12.6V Then connect truck and should read 13.5-14.0V

 

Sorry, when you say lube…are you talking about actually pulling the bearings and greasing them or using a system like the EZ lube where they “repack themselves?

with EZ lube, I’d do it every year since it takes maybe 5 minutes.

actually pulling them and repacking, I’d agree with the above which is every other year

 

axles, never, unless it's a boat trailer that gets submerged or you drive in excessively dusty conditions (think desert), in which case the seals will wear out too. There's no real need to grease them under normal driving conditions. The average person doesn't tow enough to ever worry about it. My first trailer had well over 20k on it and I never once touched the bearings. My second trailer has somewhere around 15k on it, bearings still don't need to be touched. I'm on my third trailer over about 30 years.

The battery should charge from the truck while driving. If it sits for long periods (months), you may want to put a trickle charger on it or charge it before you go.

 

I say I'm around 10-12k miles, or every 3-4 years. When I do it, everything seems perfectly fine so I'm sure it could go further. I like looking and adjusting brakes at that time as well. I do have the Dexter ez-lube, just not a fan, to paranoid I could add too much, blow a seal, and have a greased up brake system. I also used a high quality grease, I personally like Kendal Blue.

 

The trailers are ez lube. Its on my punch list to do before the next long distance run at the end if the month.

 

in that case, whenever you want, lol…jack it up, spin, lube, and wipe 😂