Can Trailer Dust Caps, Grease Caps, and Bearing Protectors Fall Off By Themselves

Question:

My 2001 Taos is getting serviced at our local RV shop and they tell me that the dust covers on my wheels have fallen off and the insides are quite dirty. The trailer had the bearings repacked by this garage in June, and am surprised to have issues so soon. I am wondering: 1. Can dust covers can simply fall off on their own note that no one except the garage has worked on the wheels, and 2. Do the wheels have to be removed to take off the dust covers? If so, then I suspect the garage may have forgotten to put them back on when the bearings were serviced. Thanks for any help you can provide.

asked by: Shawn

Helpful Expert Reply:

Dust covers can indeed fall off on their own if they are not driven in correctly. If they are crooked then what happens is when the wheels are turning the cover will look like its wobbling (like a washing machine off balance) and gradually it being off center will cause it to work itself free.

It is possible that the shop did not drive them in all the way. This seems to happen more with bearing protectors like # BB1781 that you have referenced because they can be a little more tricky to drive in and they have more mass.

Wheels do not normally have to be removed to install or remove dust caps or bearing protectors because they fit in the end of the hub (the wheel fits around the center of the hub so the hole is larger and thus the bearing protector or cap fits through). But if it were a center cap and not a dust cover, like # AM90175, then the wheel would have to come off.

The best way to drive in a dust cap properly is to use a special tool. I have included a link to the models we carry. Or you can get a block of wood larger than the dust cap and hold it flat against the cap. Then use a mallet to tap it into place. The wood disperses the force of the mallet blows to evenly drive in the dust cap.

expert reply by: Michael H