Taking the plunge. My journey as an O/O.

Hrm. There have been times when there was a small difference in inflation, a couple times over 5 psi, but never more than 10.

That outer tire also used to be on the inside before that axle had brakes and drums replaced a short while ago.

How long do drive wheel bearings typically last on a truck? I broke 600k miles a few k miles back. I will be buying a new set of drives in a couple months, I think. Should I consider a full set of bearings with the new drives and 3-axle alignment? I can't imagine replacing them will be cheap, but they shouldn't be terribly expensive either?

 

Aye, I was thinking that it might simply be the tire. It's got 160k miles on it, so i would not say it's bad, but it is the only tire with that wear, and also the only tire with little thin flaps of rubber hanging from the recap seal. So maybe just 'less good' rather than bad.

If I get a handheld temperature gun and measure after highway rolling for a while, will that reliably indicate a bearing problem before it creates real problems with the axle components?

Steel mill experience says yes, but I am not sure, since heavy steel mill gearboxes and truck axles have rather different operating environments and heavy steel mill bearings are almost always connected to gearboxes much heavier than truck axle assemblies.

 

Heh. You beat me to the question. Getting a handheld temp gun wouldn't be a bad investment, I don't think.