Last week I was hauling some stuff back from LA and noticed a problem with the trailer - smelled like hot brakes, and eventually the wheel became totally black.
Never got real hot though, not even as hot as it gets towing in the summer.
Heard a lot of grinding and squealing. Problem of course was just what was I going to do in the middle of the LA metroplex. Race trailer full of tools, I could get it apart and then what?
So I opted to drag it home.
Outside bearing survived and that's what was holding the wheel on. Both brake shoes gone. The inner races were still there, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing left of the rollers inside. a lot of grooving of the axle, and I had to cut the inner race off the axle.
Went after it with a Roloc disc and polished it a bit. Could do more.
What are your experiences with axle integrity after something like this. Axle is a torsion, don't know if the stub can have the welds ground off and a new one pressed in.
Replacing the whole assembly is probably going to be $1K....