Are your caravan bearings a fire risk?

With the summer heat nearly here, it’s a good time to be reminded to make sure your caravan bearings are in good order... Not just to avoid a breakdown, but also to reduce the risk of a fire starting.

There have been several reports in the media in recent years of truck or RV wheel bearings failing and overheating, eventually leading to friction sparks and sometimes fire.

As reported recently in Queensland Country Life, Queensland RFS Central Region Regional Manager Superintendent Chris Spencer said the sparks from worn wheel bearings have been starting bushfires.

“In our region we recently saw a caravan with worn bearings spark a series of fires over a distance of several kilometres. It’s going to be warmer than usual and people need to be aware of the fire risk,” he said.

“If you are towing a caravan or driving a truck in regional areas you need to ensure your vehicle is serviced and fit for use.”

A wheel bearing and brakes service is one of the more straight-forward and essential maintenance requirements for any caravan. The wheel bearings should be checked and regreased every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

Danie Johanson from Premium Caravan & Motorhome Services in Minto, NSW, told caravancampingsales that although he has seen ‘fiery’ incidents on social media, he has not dealt with any customers who’ve had bearing-related fires.

However, Johanson does occasionally see ‘unloved’ bearings on customer RVs.

“We sometimes get caravans in where the wheel bearings haven’t been serviced in a while,” he explained. “Some people just don’t think to maintain their bearings; it isn’t such an obvious wear item to some. Also the age of a caravan is a consideration – that is, if an owner is prepared to spend the money on an old van.”

According to Johanson, the cost of servicing and maintenance is often a factor. Like other industries, the caravan repair industry has had to deal with sharply rising costs, and this is then passed on to the customer.

“The days of a $400 service for a modern large caravan might well be gone,” he said. “It is not unusual to cost up to $1000 for a full service of a large dual-axle caravan these days, including electric system checks and roof seal checks [as well as bearings and brakes]. So people can baulk at getting their bearings done, but they really should.”

Complicating the servicing cost requirements of newer caravans is the complexity and variety of components used. Gone are the days of cheap and simple Holden or Ford car bearings used in caravans.

“Most slimline bearing seals are still only $4 each, but some of the more recent seals for off-roaders, for example, can be as much as $30 each. Straight up you’re looking at an extra $100 for the four new seals. There are also various different bearing seals used now, when there used to be pretty much only Ford or Holden seals.

“For some, we have direct replacement AL-KO or Dexter parts. But it’s also harder than it used to be to get some bearings off the shelf. You can get your Ford or Holden seals and bearings from auto parts stores.”

Aside from regular maintenance, one of the best ways to make sure the bearing and brakes on your caravan or camper trailer are functioning properly is to check wheel temperature when you stop for a break.

However, keep in mind that if you stop after driving down a long steep hill, the wheels will feel hotter from heat transfer from the brakes compared to towing on the flat.

Check for consistency in similar conditions, and if the wheel feels too hot to touch, or is much hotter than usual, investigate further. Where possible, take the wheel off and check for bearing failure or seized brakes.

Bearing failure is not the only way a caravan can catch on fire and possibly cause a bushfire. There are also fire risks from cooking, electrical issues and gas leaks.

It’s a good idea to have an Australian Standard fire blanket in your van and practise getting the blanket out, so if there is a fire you can react more quickly. There’s no use-by date for fire blankets.

Other fire-safe tips including not setting up a BBQ on a slide-out that’s directly under an awning or inside an annexe. Candles inside an RV, and smoking a cigarette, are other potential disasters waiting to happen.

Many caravan fires occur due to poor RV wiring, when a loose connection sets off sparks or a short-circuit occurs, melting wiring that can then overheat and catch alight.

Don’t try to work on electrical installations if you have no experience with them, even if it’s only the 12V system. For the 240V set-up, you shouldn’t be touching it at all, unless you’re a qualified electrician.

The 12V off-grid solar systems that are gaining popularity are also a potential fire risk. It’s not so much the lithium batteries, but when the system is incorrectly altered or changed by an unskilled DIY owner.

As 12V systems fitted in a caravan do not need certification, it’s easy for mistakes to happen, like fitting incompatible electrical equipment such as an inverter with the wrong specification, which can result in a fire.