[VAC] New purchase wheel bearing question

[david@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (David Josephson)]

I think I know the answer to this one, but just checking the collective
list wisdom to be sure. I have bought a '71 Tradewind that's waiting 
about 200 freeway miles north of here for me to pick up. It hasn't been on 
the road or had any chassis service in 3 years, but had bearings cleaned
and repacked 3-4 years ago before being towed 3000 mi to its present home. I 
am assuming that I'll do a complete bearing clean/repack etc when I get it 
here. What would you do on-site, enroute, etc to minimize the risk of damage 
during this journey?

BTW, speaking as an amateur aircraft mechanic, the idea of using new grease to
pump out old is great in a more or less sealed system like a propeller hub,
but clearly not in the case of wheel bearings which are subject to a lot more
influx of dirt, brake dust, etc. One other thing not mentioned (I may have 
missed it) in previous posts I read on the topic is that you need to remove 
all the old grease in the bearing cones and other areas that might hold dirt; 
no sense in letting old abrasive mix with nice clean grease. The other reason
to completely clean the old bearing and race is to be able to inspect for
any old damage, pitting, spalling, etc. The hand process of packing new 
grease into a cleaned bearing also encourages careful inspection while 
you're doing it.

Is there a known source for bearings and seals for this trailer, sn
L25D1J1460, or is there sufficient variation to make a trip to the parts
store with old part in hand essential?

Thanks...
-- 
David Josephson / Josephson Engineering / Santa Cruz CA / david@josephson.com