Vault Sealed Bearings

[Lake Wisconsin]

I have a 2012 Skeeter with vault bearings on the trailer. Anyone have experience with these? I usually go through my bearings every few years to ensure no issues while trailing. I attempted to do this last night and could not get the "cap" off to see how they looked. The state they are a sealed bearing. The hub felt good, and show no signs of wear or leaking lube so I left them alone. However, you can't do that forever. Thoughts?

[CHM]

http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs...aintenance.pdf

http://www.vmboattrailers.com/images...ult_7-8-09.pdf

[Lake Wisconsin]

Thanks CHM. I read those as well. Does anyone have experience on these sealed bearings with boat trailers? I have a tough time just to rely that they are good because the OEM says they are. My GM truck also had sealed bearings that would never need replacement. Well, after replacing 6 in 100K miles, I am a little reluctant to trust "sealed" bearings.

[CHM]

Vaults are standard equip on Rangers, so that should tell you something. =)

[CI_Guy]

I believe they are the same or similar to my 2007 Stratos trailer. One had a leaking seal last summer, I had them both serviced and was told that the bearings on both sides were in like new condition and they only replaced the seals and synthetic lube.

[Custom Eyes]

We make tons of lubes for OEM sealed bearings. They're not meant to last forever, just much longer and maintenance-free. People misunderstand the "lubed for life" concept. It's for the life of the bearing, not the life of the trailer or vehicle!! Early failures are due to faulty manufacturing processes, leaving little bits of debris in them from machining the races and cage, or from debris in the lube they pack in them. The concept is great though and generally do last much longer. There are really only two signs that a sealed bearing is going bad. Leakage and noise. No way to visually inspect the internals. If you have no leakage, good there. Next spin the wheel and see if you can feel or hear any grinding or noise at all. Sometimes hard to tell on a wheel with brakes. If you have a mechanics stethoscope, that's perfect for checking.

[Custom Eyes]

Originally Posted by CI_Guy

I believe they are the same or similar to my 2007 Stratos trailer. One had a leaking seal last summer, I had them both serviced and was told that the bearings on both sides were in like new condition and they only replaced the seals and synthetic lube.

If they replaced lube, you don't have sealed bearings.

[HRCHLab]

Just did bearings,races, and seals last week on my vaults. What exactly would you like to know.
Jim

[HRCHLab]

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