Changed 3 front wheel hub assemblies in 18 months - help!

[Phantom]

So the first two were the "cheaper" ones from O'Rilley, then upgraded to the top model. They all start making noise at about 6 months with a lot of play in the bearing. I think I am way past coincidence so there has got to be another issue. Could bad ball joints cause this? Any other ides are appreciated as I am tired of changing these. Thanks!

 

[kert0307]

Are you 2 or 4wd. I will assume 4wd since you said hub assembly...

How are your tires? Are they balanced well? any vibrations? Do you go through a lot of water or sand?

 

[Phantom]

It's 2wd. The 2wd and 4wd use the same hub assembly. The tires are good and have been rotated several times. No off roading at all and no vibrations.

 

[jrford]

I would assume you got an alignment and nothing was found.
If thats the case i'm wondering if the knuckle isnt bad at this point. As in no longer 'round' such that the bearing doesn't sit right . .or something similar.

 

[Phantom]

All the hubs seem to fit flush with no issues. How would I check to see if the knuckle is bad?

 

[srk22]

I am trying to forget the pain it was to change out the front hubs...

1) did you torque down the three (I think there was three) bolts evenly?
2) (Assuming this is the drivers side) Do you weigh 500 lbs? <---Midnight humor

 

[Phantom]

So I found that the upper ball joint boots on the side toward the engine were destroyed and there was no grease left. Funny that both sides went at the same time. Guess I'll do uppers and lowers if I am tearing it apart.