Avoid Wheel-End Risk
Telltale signs that beg for closer inspection.
Any good mechanical inspection of a truck will include a close look for early signs and symptoms of wheel-end problems. It's cheaper and safer to detect minor problems than wait until bearings are damaged and need to be replaced. Prompt maintenance will reduce bearing damage and save on long-term costs.
Eyeball wheel-ends closely during a simple walk-around inspection. Bearing damage may have already begun if you see:
• Hub cap sight glass is discolored or burnt;
• Low oil level in the hub cap sight glass;
• Lube leakage on any external surface of the wheel hub or tire;
• Abnormal tire wear;
• Smoking or extremely hot hub cap (too hot to touch).
While you're driving you can detect problems at early stages. Bearing damage may have already begun if you notice any of the above symptoms, plus...
• Wheel vibration, wobble or noise;
• Increased stopping distance or decreased braking power;
• Abnormal side pull when brakes are applied;
• Wheel lock-up or skidding;
• Higher fuel consumption.
Any or all of these telltale signs beg for closer inspections and, almost certainly, repairs. Remember that left uncorrected, underlubed bearings can heat up to where the wheel-end will shear off the axle, sending the tire/wheel assemblies off by themselves. Motorists have been badly injured or killed by rolling wheels, and trucking companies ordered to pay millions in the resulting court judgments.
Detect wheel-end problems early and fix them now.
