Trailer rims hot

[Rothe23]

My question is how hot should your rims get when towing my front ones r really hot I can only keep my hand on them for a second or 2 my back ones r just warm is this normal or is my brakes set to high or something else going on and without a temperature gauge how long should I be able to keep my hands on them for thanks

[Starman]

If your brakes aren’t dragging, check the hubs. Possibly not greased like they need to be. Either way, keep an eye out on your bearings.

[Ram Montana High Country]

start investigating - Starman is on track

[Rothe23]

The hubs r warm but not hot like the rim is

[beeje]

To me that indicates an under inflated tire.

[Creeker]

I highly recommend purchasing a digital infrared thermometer to keep in your tow vehicle. It keeps the guess work out of it and will give an early warning of any problems with tire pressures, brakes or bearings.

The actual temp is not what is important as this will change with conditions and even with the sun hitting one side of the camper while traveling. What you are looking for is that one tire, wheel or hub that is substantially hotter than the others on the same side of camper.

The IR Thermometer has alerted me to several malfunctions before they became disasters on our campers and other equipment/utility trailers.

[fatcatzzz]

Originally Posted by beeje

To me that indicates an under inflated tire.

or overload on front axle.

[Rothe23]

Thanks I'll def get one of them temp guns I think I need my brakes looked at if I keep my brake controller set to 2 they don't get hot but i dont get much help stopping once I turn it up to anything above 5 the front ones on both sides get so hot I can barley touch them

[Rothe23]

Also my tires r rated for 80psi max cold i run them at 75 should i be running them at 80 or is 75 good

[beeje]

I would run them at 80. I'm sure others will say otherwise.

[jpwhite]

Rims should be cool enough to keep your hand on. A little warm at most.

[vipermanden]

One should always tow with a TPMS sensor setup. It tells you temp and pressure of each wheel. Second, weigh your rig when loaded to see if you are balanced evenly or are over loading one axle over the other. Another thing to do would be to raise up each side so the tires are off the ground, and spin each tire and they should spin fairly freely and note any odd noises. Do this to all 4 and see if you can see a noticeable difference. My bearings were not greased enough when they came from the factory, and my mechanic greased them up properly for me. I also was saved by my TPMS system when I hit a major pothole, and the front right tire started heating up and the pressure started to rise. Turns out the brake adjuster arm and spring had come off and were floating around inside the hub. Got it fixed in short order. If I had driven my next leg with this condition, who knows how bad it would have got? You really will have piece of mind with a good TPMS system. I have the TST 507 flow thru system.

[StageCoachDriver]

Usually, brakes are on the rear axle. If the front rims are hot, it could be lack of bearing grease. Better have the axle bearings greased and checked for pitting/wear.

[jpwhite]

Originally Posted by vipermanden

Turns out the brake adjuster arm and spring had come off and were floating around inside the hub. Got it fixed in short order. If I had driven my next leg with this condition, who knows how bad it would have got?

I was flagged down by a passing motorist who said my wheel was "on fire". It was smoking badly and very hot. When removed, the brake assembly dropped out onto the ground (see photo). Not sure what caused them to fail, but truly believe being flagged over saved me from fire and disaster like these poor folks. https://brookingsregister.com/articl...-backs-up-i-29 .

Definitely looking at the TireMinder Smart TPMS or TST 507 for RV's.

My biggest problem now is my new 5th wheel has been in the shop the entire month of August for wheel repairs and other warrantee work.

[vipermanden]

I don't know what year this poster's rig is, but my 2017 had drum brakes on all 4 wheels?

[Randy E]

Yes. Everyone should have a tire pressure monitoring system. TPMS. I use TireMinder. They just twist on the valve stem where the cap was. Mine tells me pressure and temperature for each tire. That includes my tow vehicle. We just towed 2500 miles to Florida in 90 deg plus heat. My wheels never exceeded 117 degrees. Most of the time we were under 100 deg.
This was the best $400 I’ve spent.
You can see if you have a slow leak. An alarm goes off if anything is out of spec.

Good luck.
Randy

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Creeker

I highly recommend purchasing a digital infrared thermometer to keep in your tow vehicle. It keeps the guess work out of it and will give an early warning of any problems with tire pressures, brakes or bearings.

The actual temp is not what is important as this will change with conditions and even with the sun hitting one side of the camper while traveling. What you are looking for is that one tire, wheel or hub that is substantially hotter than the others on the same side of camper.

The IR Thermometer has alerted me to several malfunctions before they became disasters on our campers and other equipment/utility trailers.

Totally agree. With a laser thermometer you can shoot the brake drums through the wheel spokes and check their temperature. This will tell you if you are dragging a brake or other problem with the brake.

[vipermanden]

I agree with also having a temp gun. I do as well as the TPMS system. I just thought it would still be good for him to use the leveling jacks and just bring the wheels off of the ground, and spin and listen to each wheel. That will let him know if a brake is dragging, and if his wheel bearings are no good.

[beeje]

Originally Posted by StageCoachDriver

Usually, brakes are on the rear axle. If the front rims are hot, it could be lack of bearing grease. Better have the axle bearings greased and checked for pitting/wear.

Not quite sure where this response came from. As far as I know ALL axles/wheel positions on ANY travel trailer/fifth wheel have brakes.

[Wayne & Colleen]

I do a walk around after every stop and feel hubs Added grease one time on warm hub. Over 12,000 miles no trouble. Getting ready to replace break assembly. Not just shoes. I see no need for temp monitor.