repacking bearings

[champ8]

how often do you all recommend repacking trailer bearings. I probably put about 1600 miles on the trailer annually?

[Hot Runr Guy]

Here's what I do. Every Fall, after my last trip, I pull the hubs and look at the grease for any indication of water intrusion. If all looks good, I re-pack the outer bearing and put it back together. Every 3rd year, I'll remove & replace the rear seal and re-pack the inner bearing.

If you don't have one of these yet: http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-65250-Be...7529107&sr=1-3
it makes quick work out of pushing the old grease out, and refilling with new grease.

HRG

Every spring I replace the bearings, races, and seals. In ten years I've never had a bearing failure or even warm hubs.

I think it's the seal that needs replaced every year for sure because that is where the water weeps in. So do that every year at least.

[Phil T]

I almost agree with both of the other postings. But I fully service my bearings each fall, and when I was younger and trailered more than I do now, I also checked and repacked mid-season. The extra expense is worth avoiding a bearing failure along a busy highway.

[ohiojmj]

I'c check both bearings, repack, replace inner seals annually. It takes only an extra half hour more than just checking outer bearing for water.

[JayM5209]

Champ8, HRG gave you good advice. Just do regular routine maintenance and checks, greasing or pulling a wheel/bearing at a frequency you're comfortable with.

My routine is to pump a bit of grease into the zerk each spring and mid-season, always looking for any grease leaks or discoloration that would indicate contaminants or overheating. For me, that's it.

Here's my experience with this protocol - I bought my 1st trailer, a used pop-up, in 1976. Since then I've owned 12 or 13, two pop-ups, two utility trailers, and the rest boat trailers. I've had two bad experiences. 1.) hauled the 1st pop-up from PA to Nova Scotia in 1977. One of the original tires blew somewhere in Maine. Forty-five minutes later I had a new tire mounted and back on the trailer and was on my way. 2.) In 1978 I bought a boat and the dealer put a trailer under it that was too light. Three or four years later, one mile from home, I hit a pot hole that could not be avoided because of other traffic. Broke a spring, towed it home, and a week later bolted in the replacement.

Other than that original pop-up tire, I have never had a trailer flat, never replaced a tire, traded all those trailers with the original tires on them, never pulled a hub, never replaced a seal or a bearing. Now, I don't know why trailer tires and bearings are such a problem, and I certainly haven't lived so righteously that I've earned such a trouble free experience, but just relating my experience. It sure has freed up a whole lot of time and energy that I didn't have to invest in what could...maybe...what if...it might...etc., kind of stewing.

Just establish a preventive maintenance routine you're comfortable with and then enjoy the boat and the fishing. That's really what we all do, anyway. The fact that manufactures may tell you differently (i.e., tire companies) or the fact that lots of people on forums such as this have chosen a different program for themselves doesn't mean you need to do the same. Can't offer anymore advice . . . . 'cause I don't know why my trailer experience has been so trouble free for the past 35 years.

[MarkG]

My own opinion from experience is that it depends on the bearing and grease system you have. On a common hub or with bearing buddy caps,disassembly and repack with fresh grease and seals is probably a good idea annually. It's not so much the mileage that stresses them but how often you submerge them at the boat ramp. Even if I only to put a few hundred miles to and from a boat ramp,but was launching every week or so,I would repack them every year.

Replacing the bearings and races annually is probably a little excessive. A close inspection should determine the need. Check for pitting,conditions of the cages,check for bluing which would indicate overheating. If all looks good,no need to replace anything but the seals.

Some trailers use a through spindle grease system such as "EZ-Lube" or "Safe-T Lube" system. These allow for the complete flushing of a hub with fresh grease,pushing all the old grease and moisture out,without dis-assembly. I myself have used these systems for over 20 years flushing them annually and an occasional disassembly for inspection and new inner seals. These work,I have never had a bearing failure or issue with them.

[REW]

I generally do it about every 5 years.
I run bearing buddies and insure that there is alway slight pressure on the buddy spring to keep moisture out of the bearings.
Each fall, I jack up the wheels and spin them and listen for any signs of roughness or any sign of wear. If all is well, I drop down and wait till spring to go again.

I used to do it every year, but never found any issues so I stopped doing it.

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Except for the water issue, there is really no reason to do trailer wheel bearings any more often than on a car, or about every 50-100,000 miles.

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But, the Water issue is a big issue. If you don't use a good system to keep the water out of the bearings, you can go through the bearings in a few runs of your rig.

When my trailer was new, and I was unfamiliar with the use of bearing buddies, I had expected that the buddies would have been serviced by the dealer before delivery and I did nothing with the buddies for the first year.

I pulled the wheels at the end of the first season and found that all of the bearings in both wheels were bad.
As it turned out, there was a small bit of grease on the bearings, but none had ever been put into the buddies and both wheels had a bunch of moisture in the bearings and had rusted and ruined all four bearings on the trailer.

New bearings, races, and seals on both wheels and a regular application of grease in the buddies have since eliminated the problem. Never have had a bearing problem since.

But if in doubt at all, service the bearings.

The one key thing to do when servicing wheels is when either removing the dust cover, or bearing buddy or other axle cover - is to remove the cover uniformly from both sides of the axle hub at the same time.

DO NOT ROCK the bearing buddy or dust cover from the axle hub. If you ROCK the dust cover or bearing buddy, you BELL out the end of the axle hub and make it larger. The large belled end of the axle hub will then not hold the dust cover or bearing buddy and allow it to come out.

I had this issue, so I learned the hard way.

To fix the problem, I took, off the wheel and purchased a new set of bearing buddies. Then, I used a sledge hammer to bend the belled out end of the axle hub, so that the bearing buddy was a nice snug fit, just as soon as it began to enter the axle hub. Again, when installing the dust cover or bearing buddy, use a piece of pipe or large socket for a dust cover, or a flat plate over the top of the bearing buddy to install the cover or buddy "squarely" into the axle. Again, when installing the cover on the axle - do NOT rock it into position, or you will re bell the end of the axle that you just made smaller.

Take care
REW

[perchjerker]

I inspect them every fall, as part of my lay-up procedure. If moisture does happen to work its way in there you will never know just by spinning them. Also gives me a chance to look over the brakes, tires, and anything else with the wheels off

I dont want the water to sit in there all winter if there is any present.

I also do an inspection if I am going on a long trip.

Just for piece of mind

[Jerryv]

One thing I have learned the hard way about bearing buddies is that the plastic caps or "bra" is important. Without the cap, dust and dirt will build up in the cap and jam the sliding cover. Then the seal pushes out of the back of the hub when you add grease.

They are cheap so I keep extras in the boat in case one disappears.

Jerry