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How many trailer bearings have you changed?

J

jim

Well-known member
I have been trailer boating for 40 years and I have never had to change a bearing. I always submerge the wheel up to the top of the fenders.

I have a ski boat trailer that is 16 years old. I have gone straight from the interstate to the water with hot bearings many times. The trailer has at least 60k miles on it, and the only time I have removed the bearings was to service the brakes.

Anybody interested in how it is done?

jim
 
This is the system that is on my ski boat trailer and it is bullet proof:

surelube.jpg


It is called Sure Lube and is made by Reliable Tool:

http://www.reliabletool.com/

This is the cheapest and (in my opinion) the best. It has no dust cover to remove or fall off. The hub is never pressurized, and it works. The hub stays completely full of grease. It just uses a cap with a grease fitting in it which they recessed so that it will not be knocked off.

Bearing buddies can be made to work if there are no brakes in the hub, but you either need to know how they work or read the instructions. They need to be greased right before launching, and they can blow the seal.


There are other systems also. Some work and some don't. Some get pressurised when warm and blow the dust cover off exposing the bearing.

jim
 
Jim,
Where does the expelled grease go after it passes the inboard bearing?

Just wondering.
I like the looks of that assembly.
 
Cowboy,

If you look closely at the picture you can see that the spindle is drilled between the inner bearing and the seal. They use a special double lipped seal also.

The grease gets to the center of the spindle and out through another drilled passage down the center of the spindle. That passage is pretty long and it is open to the atmosphere so the hub is never pressurised. Since the hub is full of grease it does not contract much when it is hot and hits the water. The passage down the center of the spindle is full of grease, so it might contract a little, but no water gets in.

I know it works because I have used it for many years. You can change the grease by pumping a lot of it through the fitting on the cap.

jim
 
Cowboy,

I guess I did not fully answer your question. When the grease exits the spindle on a drop axle it falls on top of the drop axle and needs to be cleaned off. On a straight axle it winds up inside the axle. The axle has drain holes drilled in it for the excess to escape.

jim
 
So Jim, are you saying that the spindle / hub is a package? What if I don't want to replace my axle / spindles?
 
Dexter has the "EZ lube" that is similar. Grease goes through the center of the spindle then through the back bearing, the front bearing, and back out the front. I still just back mine up to the hubs. My spare tire mount is also a spare spindle complete with all bearings and dust cap---just in case.

I saw a boat trailer a while back that was running gear lube with a clear cover to easily check the level. I'll bet those bearings are happy---unless the cover gets knocked off, broken, or starts leaking :lol:
 
The whole axle is a package, although the hub is standard. The only difference is the drilled spindle, the double lipped seal and the cap with a grease fitting. They are not expensive, check their site.

I have used bearing buddies without a bearing failure. You need to grease just before launch or verify that the spring is compressed. They will eventually force grease past the seal and into the brakes.

I have also used just a cap with a grease fitting which is also greased just before launch. That set up should not be launched hot in my opinion. It will also force grease past the inner seal.

Keeping the hub completely full of grease with no air pocket helps a bunch.

jim
 
Harvey, I think I know the system you're talking about. It's called the "Rolls" system and uses oil in the hub instead of grease. The idea of it is to reduce rolling friction (oil instead of grease) and increase mileage for the tow vehicle.
I'm told that they work pretty well. and if I remember correctly all of the components are stainless. No rust.

The down side is that if you're on a trip and one of the seals starts leaking oil, you have to shoot it full of grease until you can disassemble it and replace the seal.
 
Jim may have a winner here. Thanks Jim this may be the solution to a lot of my agravations. Thanks man :)

Scotty
 
If you have a hot hub when you get off the interstate, you have a bearing
problem. I've pulled trailers for hundreds of miles and have a habit of
feeling the hubs at each stop. if it's warmer than the sidewall of your
tire you have a draging brake, or the beginings of a bearing failer.
fresh grease in well made bearings will last a long long time.
(fresh grease is the answer by whatever means you get it there)
 
Like I said in the post above, no bearing failures in 40 years and probably 100k miles in all the boats combined.

jim
 
I had a bearing failure this morning on my way to Lake George. I learned a valuable lesson. I have a B&S Sportsman with dual drop torsion axles. They have the grease fitting in the end of the spindle similar to the set up Jim describes. I loaned my trailer to a friend to use and he lost the dust cover so he replaced it with a Buddy Bearing. I had never looked closely at the dust covers when appling grease and thought they were like the Buddy Bearing. Believe me when the tire just about fell off the trailer I couldn't believe it. It seems that with the set up on my trailer that the Buddy Bearing doesn't allow grease to the bearings so I burned up that set. When I got it back home all I could find was pieces of bearings, two races, and a shot out seal. Thank goodness for the torsion axle. All I had to do was jack up the trailer and pull the tire off. Didn't use anything but my hands. So if you are using the B&S with the dust covers with the removable rubber ends check it out to make sure how it works. Sure do wish I had, missed a day of riding and still need to get the castle nut and washer to complete the repair. Live and learn I guess.
 
If you look closely at the diagram the grease fitting is not in the end of the spindle, it is in the cap. Therefore since it is vented through the inner end of the spindle it cannot build up pressure and blow the cap off. That is the difference between the sure-lube and the and the ones with the grease fitting in the end of the spindle.

jim
 
Well every 2 years new bearings and seals on the bay boat trailer. Haven't had to do the breaks yet. The air boat trailer I don't know haven't had it that long
 
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