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On the bearings and axles issues, it is my experience that trailers are often neglected and abused. Home made ones are not always real straight and things are often not made true. All of those things contribute to problems that are often manifest in wheel and tire problems.
With any trailer, check 4 things:
1. Axles, springs, tires, hitch, etc. are rated for the intended load. Remember that load includes both trailer and payload.
2. Check axle alignment. The hitch and the centers of the axle ends should make a perfect equilateral triangle. You can do it yourself, but take time to really measure accurately.
3. Load distribution on the trailer is even (within reason) side to side and you have 10-15% of the total load on the hitch.
4. Trailers don't normally have plush suspensions, so avoid the bumps and holes as they can do damage on your trailer even if they don't damage your vehicle. If you do hit something significant, get things checked out.
A lady called me the other day asking about issues with her trailer. Turns out she broke a shackle, and it was causing lots of tire and hub problems. She thought the issue was tires. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, but usually the tires get blamed because that's where the "rubber meets the road".
Good luck.
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