While rebuilding the trailer deck, we noticed the near side wheel was somewhat wobbly! The trailer hasn’t seen much use over the last 5 years, but I have no idea how old the bearings were so it seemed like a good place to start.
Identifying the Bearings
There is a multitude of guides online for the process of replacing trailer wheel bearings. I won’t be going into great detail here, but one thing I did initially struggle with was identifying the bearing. With the bearing cap removed I could make out the lettering on the outer bearing.
![](https://bxproject.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_20200803_143156_800.jpg)
With the number in hand, I ran a quick Google search for ‘l44610 bearing kit‘ which brought back a huge number of results. Always a good sign. Most kits had two open bearing and two sealed bearings. On checking the rearmost bearing face I found this was the kit for me.
Ordering Bearings
Over the many years of playing with cars, I’ve changed a good few bearings. One thing I’ve found with high load bearings is that quality really does matter. More than once I’ve had to change wheel bearings multiple times in a few years because of cheap parts. I’d much rather buy decent bearings once, even at twice the price.
![Bearing kit from Bearing Options](https://bxproject.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_20200803_113146_800.jpg)
My normal place for bearings went out of business a few years ago so I was back to Google to search for somewhere new. Ultimately I settled on Bearing Options who stock a kit for the trailer. The kit comprised of 4x L44610 bearings, 2 sealed on one side, 2 open. Dunlop branded, these where cheaper than a lot of the no-name bearings on eBay. Delivery was up to 5 days, but they actually arrived next working day!
Packing Bearings
I’ve never had to pack bearings before, I guess I’ve always used sealed bearings. Looking at my garage stock that certainly seems to be true. I’d run out of the Castrol LHX grease that I generically throw at everything. I was also down to my last tube of grease, a 400g tube of “Mobil XHP 222”. A quick check of the spec sheet and this was clearly going to be overkill.
![Packing bearings](https://bxproject.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_20200803_125617_800.jpg)
This was the easiest bearing job I’ve ever undertaken, by a margin. Old bearings came out easily, along with their races. New bearings were easy to press in, it turns out the socket I have for Citroen AX rear hubs was a perfect fit! Packing the bearings was incredibly satisfying, the blue grease may have helped.
Finished Job
![New bearings installed, correctly this time.](https://bxproject.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_20200803_142618_800.jpg)
So it turns out there was absolutely nothing wrong with the old bearings, save for some poor installation. The play was a result of the near side castellated nut not having been done up. I managed a full 360-degree rotation just to get it to touch the bearing. I suspect that the bearings weren’t preloaded on installation.
Ultimately it may have been an unrequired job, five minutes with a socket may have resolved the wobble on the original bearings. However, now I know the bearings a good, branded and correctly installed. It was also a very rewarding job, straight forward and for once, no swearing!
I just have to tackle the electrics next!
M