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Old 06-27-2015, 01:17 PM   #1
rperrym
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Bought a 09 36TKS

We picked up our new to us 36 TKS yesterday. Truck pulled it fine although it was the heaviest load we have pulled before. I watched the transmission temperature all the way home and it ranged from 166 to 154 with the outside temperature at 95. I had to get an aftermarket brake controller as my 2012 GMC integrated one does not work on hydraulic brakes. I set the Prodigy at boost level of three and power at 9.0. Seemed fine, but we may adjust later. What did concern me was the temperature of the hubs as I drove into our storage area. All four seem very warm. I could grab the outside hub and hold it for about 8 seconds before it got uncomfortable. I don't know if this is a byproduct of braking or if I have 4 bearing problems. This dealer did not know anything about this bearings or how to check them. I will buy an infrared heat gun soon. Just wandering if this is highly abnormal or not. There is a cap on the end of these hubs that says, Kodiak XL, 7-8K.
Any help would be appreciated. Otherwise, it is a super nice RV.

Rick
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Old 06-27-2015, 04:01 PM   #2
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It's very unlikely that you have 4 bearing problem - unless a recent bearing job was done incorrectly - bearings too tight or not enough oil. A greater concern would be very uneven hub temps, and that's where an IR gun will come in handy. An air temperature of 95 will result in the bearings and the brakes running at a higher temperature. 50 or 60 F above air temperature will make your hubs a little hard to hold on to. I presume that you have oil bath bearings and if so, c\you should make sure that the oil level is OK.
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Old 06-27-2015, 04:36 PM   #3
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Thanks. How do you check the oil levels in the bearings?

Rick
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Old 06-27-2015, 07:58 PM   #4
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Later models, like mine, went back to grease, so I'm not 100% sure. If you take of the decorative hub cap, there should be a clear window in the centre of the hub, I think the level should show on it. Hopefully someone with oil bath hubs will chip in.
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Old 06-28-2015, 02:24 AM   #5
Cummins12V98
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Most likely they are the Kodiak sealed bearing.

Take my advice and lubricate the caliper slide bolts and all mating surfaces with silicone grease. Also check the brake pads.

If they are worn out buy NAPA's best Semi Metallic Pads. Application is late 80's Buick Century.

The sealed bearings will give you a sign they are going bad by grease showing up on the backside of the rotor.
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Old 06-28-2015, 07:26 AM   #6
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Thank you.
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Old 06-28-2015, 12:13 PM   #7
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Not sure if this is timely information at this point but here goes.

Your transmission temperatures are fine.

The 09 Suite RVs have "Never Lube" bearings which cannot be greased. They have been problematic at best. Many reported burnt bearings have been reported which is why DRV has gone to the oil bath bearings. Had one myself. To help guard against the problem, and possibly a burnt RV get yourself a TPMS system. I have seen temperatures in the 150+ degree range with my TPMS system while traveling on hot (90-100 degrees) days. When I burnt up a bearing a few years ago my TPMS system sounded. After pulling over, checked the wheel the system alarm came from and there was grease all over the rim. Went back into truck and checked the temperature and pressure on the TPMS and the temperature had risen to 275 degrees and the pressure to 167 PSI. Nothing to fool with.

Here’s a link to the TPMS system I have, (http://tsttruck.com/). Great folks to work with and super customer service.

The early model GM, Ford and I believe Dodge OEM brake controllers did not handle the Suite’s electric over hydraulic Kodiak braking system. What is needed, if you’re interested is the Carlisle HBA-Cam module which fools the OEM truck controller in thinking it’s functioning with an RV electric braking system. I have the HBA-Cam module on my 2008 MS and it works great with my 2008 Ford truck controller. It’s an easy install, splice 3 or 4 wires and you’re good to go. Here’s a link to the module, (http://www.carlislebrake.com/pdfs/HBACAMsheet.pdf)

If you have other questions and want to talk, send me a PM (private message) with your phone number and I’ll give you a call.

We’re starting our eight year with our 2008 MS 36TK3 so have a bunch of experience fixing stuff.
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Old 06-28-2015, 01:31 PM   #8
rperrym
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Just tried to send you a PM, (Golf Bears), but I got an error message saying you couldn't accept any more messages until some are cleared.

Rick
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Old 06-28-2015, 10:54 PM   #9
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I disagree with the "problematic at best" NevRLube bearings. I have them on my '05 and have changed them once at 6 years, then upgraded the axles at 9 years, and both sets of bearings were doing fine.
The oil-bath have not been perfect, and DRV has gone back to greased bearings, as I understand.
Great advice on the TPMS--several to choose from, PressurePro and TST are two I have heard used a lot. I use the TST.
Transmission temps up to 220d are not bad, and can be tolerated for quite some time. I would love to have those low temps on my Ford.
Enjoy the trailer.
Joe
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Old 06-29-2015, 12:15 AM   #10
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Out 07.5 had the sealed bearings, zero problems with MANY thousands of miles.

New 16 has the greseable bearings.
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Old 06-29-2015, 08:09 AM   #11
rperrym
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Thanks Wingnut and Cummins. I think I will try and find a DRV dealer as close as I can and have them checked out?

Rick
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Old 06-29-2015, 05:56 PM   #12
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Personally i would call Kodiak and ask them if they could recommend someone in your area. Or a reliable auto shop.
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Old 06-30-2015, 01:26 PM   #13
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The greasable bearings that DRV now uses are the "Oil Bath" type with Zerk grease fitting. A good fix for both the Never Lube and the Oil Baths.

Not sure if one can covert the Kodiak rotors with "Never Lubes" over to the "Oil Bath" with the Zerks?
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Old 06-30-2015, 04:44 PM   #14
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"Never Lubes" are quite a different design from the standard greasable or "Easy Lube" axles. It may be tempting to pump grease into that Zerk fitting on the newer axles, but you run the risk of blowing grease out of the rear seal and possibly on to the brake rotors. I prefer to disassemble the bearings each year, and then clean, inspect and repack them by hand. You can also check the brake pads and callipers at the same time.


Quote:
Originally Posted by golf_bears View Post
The greasable bearings that DRV now uses are the "Oil Bath" type with Zerk grease fitting. A good fix for both the Never Lube and the Oil Baths.

Not sure if one can covert the Kodiak rotors with "Never Lubes" over to the "Oil Bath" with the Zerks?
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Old 10-01-2015, 07:40 AM   #15
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I'm chiming in here as an update to the reliability of these NeverLube wheel bearings.
This past week I decided to remove & replace my nearly 12 year old wheel bearings.
All 4 of my bearings showed no signs of wear using the "wheel wiggle" test, nor did they even seep any grease.
I removed all 4 to find they were in perfect condition.
I have about 60,000 miles on these bearings.

So it is possible for these NeverLube type bearings to run well, for a very long time.

I have 3 "used bearings" now that would make a good spare bearing for someone who would like to carry with them in case they do have a bearing failure on the road.
I have heard stories of these bearings being hard to get at certain times, they wind up as back-ordered regularly.
So carrying a perfectly good spare might not be a bad idea.
The reason I have 3 to offer-up is because I will keep one as a spare my-self.

Rick
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Old 10-01-2015, 08:22 AM   #16
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Thanks for the reply. That is very encouraging. I received my hubs and bearings from Kodiak last week and have a mobile tech scheduled to install them in early November. I will also keep one for a spare.

Rick
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Old 10-01-2015, 03:10 PM   #17
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Rick,
You arbitrarily got a complete set of bearings and hubs, or was there some sign of a problem other than the high temps?
Joe
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Old 10-01-2015, 03:49 PM   #18
rperrym
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Joe, using a heat gun, all bearing hubs have been with 5 degrees of each other. We have not taken any long trips since we purchased it in July. The hubs lately, with ambient temps in the 80's were around 135 coming back from a local state park. I decided to be cautious and replace all of them as I don't know a great deal about the history of this trailer and don't want to run them to failure.

Rick
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Old 10-01-2015, 10:51 PM   #19
wingnut60
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Sorry, did not mean to second-guess you. It does sound like they were running hot. Surely you did right so that you actually know where you are starting from with the bearings. I hope you will have the same good luck we have had with them.
I have an older 36TK3 and it has served us well.
Joe
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Old 10-01-2015, 10:59 PM   #20
rperrym
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Joe, that was a valid question. I am being overly cautious because of my lack of experience with this trailer and these bearings. I am not sure what temperatures would be considered normal but many posts on various forums point to the fact that they do fail at times without much warning.
On another note, the mobile tech recommends jacking up the wheels one at a time using the spring axle plate. I know there are warnings about that, but I would like your thoughts on that.

Rick
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