How Regular Bearing Maintenance Prevents a Wheel-Off?

With more commercial and heavy-duty vehicles on the road, truck parts' optimal and smooth performance becomes necessary to avoid catastrophic situations. A damaged or loose-fitting component can greatly impact the performance of the truck. Therefore, it is recommended to check the condition of important parts of the vehicle before hitting the road. While truckers pay attention to the oil levels and tire pressure but often forget the wheel bearings. Neglecting bearings problem can cause wheel-off conditions over time. Regular monitoring and proper maintenance of commercial vehicle bearings are the secrets of great wheel-end performance while preventing a wheel-off. Before finding out how maintenance prevents wheel-offs, it’s helpful to understand the essential components of the wheel-end system and common wheel-off symptoms. Critical Components of Wheel End System A vehicle comprises several systems, and a system consists of several small parts and components. Similarly, a wheel-end system involves many components, including inboard and outboard tapered bearings, a hubcap, spindle nuts, and wheel nuts. In addition, the wheel-end system also uses a spacer that provides essential torquing. These components should be maintained well and don’t fail to ensure longer life of the wheel-end system. Common Causes of Wheel-Off Conditions The wheel-off condition can happen due to several reasons. However, there are two common causes: damaged bearings and reduction of clamping force. Reduction of clamping force can happen due to improper deployment of parts. When the installed parts don't match the vehicle's minimum torque requirements, the studs get overstretched and, as a result, become the reason for wheel-end failure. Damaged Bearings is one of the common causes of wheel-off conditions. Lack of lubrication, contamination, corrosion is a few of the causes responsible for damaged commercial vehicle bearings. Implementing a periodic maintenance schedule can help extend the life of wheel bearings. The Best Practices of Wheel-end Maintenance Let's look at the important maintenance practices that ensure the continued performance of the wheel-end system. #1 Prevent Bearing Corrosion During winters, mostly the front truck parts like wheels are exposed to snow and water drops, and over time it will cause rust and corrosion. The corrosive elements are responsible for premature bearing fatigue and eventually impacts wheel-end productivity and increase repair costs. In order to prevent corrosion from essential parts – make sure to clean the parts often and use a water-resistant grease or lubricant. In addition, using ceramic bearing is ideal for a corrosive environment. #2 Fix Improper Mounting Several situations could cause denting, wear, high operating temperatures, premature ageing. These include improper or inappropriate mounting bearings. A proper mounting method depends upon the use of the right type of bearings and type of fit. To ensure correct mounting, bearings with tapered bores can be mounted directly with the tapered sleeves.

#3 Prevent Overheating
The wheel-end bearing often deals with overheating. In general, overheating results from excessive heating of the engine due to overloading of the truck and improper lubrication. The excessive temperature can permanently deform or soften the bearing material resulting in early damage of the components. Therefore, proper loading is vital to avoid eventual failure. Use a bearing component that is less sensitive to heating. #4 Proper Lubrication Wheel-off condition can be avoided by applying lubricant in bearings and other essential parts. Improper lubrication is one of the major causes of bearing failures. So, using lubricant or grease in sufficient quantity can possibly reduce parts wear and tear. Follow the manufacturer's manual for the most suitable grade and lubricant type to ensure smooth performance. #5 Properly adjust Wheel and Hub To ensure effective performance of wheel-end solutions, be sure the contact surfaces between the hub and wheel are free from outside elements such as dust, dirt, lubricants and other contaminants. That's because the foreign particles sitting on the mounting surface of the wheel-end may cause extra thickness in the joints and may result in unnecessary stress in the bolts and bearings that reduces clamping force. Hence to prevent such elements from the wheel, use a wire brush to remove all foreign material before mounting the wheel.

Surya Truck Parts – Canada's Premium Commercial Vehicle Bearings Supplier

Over the last few years, Surya Truck Parts has served as Canada's number one truck parts sourcing platform and online store. Our team has years of experience in understanding clients demands and expectations. At Surya Truck Parts, we ensure our customers get premium truck parts with OEM specifications. We have a great reputation for timely truck parts delivery at a budget-friendly price. There are more than 2000 products in our online store so you can get almost every part in one place. You can get a range of products at competitive prices, including commercial vehicle bearings, truck body parts, charge air coolers, truck brake chamber, clamps, clutch and what not. Get in touch with our online support team to explore more cost-effective solutions. Contact us: 780 479 6600 | 1-877-767-2897 Email us: info@suryatruckparts.com