truK Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Evening all, 2nd outing yesterday (battery was fine this time, motor performed perfectly!). But on the way home I noticed the trailer making a couple of strange noises. Jacked up the wheels at home and found a noisy wheel bearing (loose and grinding). Figured since the trailer maintenance of previous owner was unknown, I would put in new bearings and seals in. The loose side had a collapsed inner bearing but both sides were in aweful condition as far as the grease was concerned. Its all clean and fixed now! Anyway - how often do you guys change/repack your wheel bearings? Figure I'll recheck after 6 months or so? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stephanb79 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I check adjustments every 3 months and change them every year always .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffb5.8 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I bought new complete hubs, bearings and seals, for $70 the pair. My old bearings were ok and only showing very minor water ingress after 12mths. The biggest issue I had was the old hubs were very rusty and the wheel studs also and I did t want to risk a wheel stud failure. So now I know the age of the hubs and bearings i will repack the bearings and change the seal yearly as I use it very little and try not to put the hubs in the water when launching. I also did my springs, u bolts and fish plates as they were very rusty as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggs Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 buy decent bearings timkens etc not the rubbish from the auto or boat shops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andysinmexico Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 G'day mate, i check every 3 months or before towing an extended distance, they are replaced every year without fail in the first week of school holidays. I also installed good quality bearing buddies to keep as much grease as possible in. I do all the work myself as i learned the hard way not to trust dealerships after a "freshly serviced" bearing failed on the highway...not a pleasant experience. Cheers Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cargo05 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Juggs advice is spot on. Timken bearings are more expensive, but worth the extra cost. Chinese bearings are cheap rubbish which often do not last, even when checked and greased regularly. Like andysinmexico I installed bearing buddies which also help. If travelling a long distance I like to have a spare set of bearings and seals (which I vac pack to keep in good condition) and sufficient tools, rags, hand clearer etc for an emergency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjbink Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I haven't done mine for 9 years on my small boat. I went a similar time on my larger boat too. I only replaced them because I need new hubs as the brake discs were too rusty. The trick is though I don't dunk them underwater. As a precaution before a long trip I jack the trailer up and rotate the wheel and check for any noises and excess movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjbink Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 There is some doubt as to whether bearing buddies offer any benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I have been trailer boating since 1986. Based on my experience I swear by Bearing buddies. Personally I always fit the more expensive stainless type - they are far more durable. My 2nd trailer came fitted with the plastic type and after a 100km run I found one of the plastic ones had popped off - cheap rubbish. Anyway, bearing buddies are NOT maintenance free. You must keep them correctly filled with grease and CHECK the back seal on the hub...the problems usually occur from the back seal. But if they are correctly topped up... they keep positive grease pressure on the bearing and deter water ingress. Also as you drive, bearings and hubs warm up, any air in the hub expands - when the hubs hit the cold water this air contracts and can suck in water if your hub seals are compromised. The bearing budies have a spring loaded plate, and if correctly loaded with grease this plate allows for expansion and contraction of the internal hub contents. If you overload or underload them - you don't get this effect and maybe thats why some people are having mixed results with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truK Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Afternoon all, Thanks for the replies and advice - very helpful! My local auto shop stocks the timken bearing (USA) kits with marine seals - so thats what i used when putting it back together. Ive also found the red nulon grease quite good so ive used that too. Previous owner had a set of stainless steel bearing buddies which i have reused. I'll keep an eye on the bearing adjustment but will aim to strip down in a few months for a closer look to see how well the marine seals and bearing buddies have kept the water out of the hub. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggs Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 why do you have to keep topping them up ?that implies your losing grease clean axle good seals good bearings a dust cap and check every 6 monthssimple I have been trailer boating since 1986. Based on my experience I swear by Bearing buddies. Personally I always fit the more expensive stainless type - they are far more durable. My 2nd trailer came fitted with the plastic type and after a 100km run I found one of the plastic ones had popped off - cheap rubbish. Anyway, bearing buddies are NOT maintenance free. You must keep them correctly filled with grease and CHECK the back seal on the hub...the problems usually occur from the back seal. But if they are correctly topped up... they keep positive grease pressure on the bearing and deter water ingress. Also as you drive, bearings and hubs warm up, any air in the hub expands - when the hubs hit the cold water this air contracts and can suck in water if your hub seals are compromised. The bearing budies have a spring loaded plate, and if correctly loaded with grease this plate allows for expansion and contraction of the internal hub contents. If you overload or underload them - you don't get this effect and maybe thats why some people are having mixed results with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacnoel Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) Hi I was in the same situation , checking bearings all of the time ,changing yearly, occasionally finding a grinder - change out. Then I fitted a set of dura hubs. I think these are wonderful. They are filled with oil rather than grease. They have a clear window in the front face that allows visual inspection to see if the seals have failed and allowed water to enter the hub. If water enters the ill turns white I fitted quality Japanese bearings which usually only cost around five dollars more than the cheapies. I now check my bearings every trip visually and every six months physically , I do dunk my bearings every launch and have had the same set of bearings running on my trailer for six years and they are as quiet as the day I fitted them. The only thing to keep I'm mind is when fitting these preparation is the key. Make sure the the seal face on the hub is free of pits and rust, a pice of emery and a bit of elbow grease is all this needs. And also apply a sealing compound i.e. Locktite on the edge of the seal and on the insert face of the dura hub. Edited April 1, 2015 by Zacnoel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fab1 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Hi I was in the same situation , checking bearings all of the time ,changing yearly, occasionally finding a grinder - change out. Then I fitted a set of dura hubs. I think these are wonderful. They are filled with oil rather than grease. They have a clear window in the front face that allows visual inspection to see if the seals have failed and allowed water to enter the hub. If water enters the ill turns white I fitted quality Japanese bearings which usually only cost around five dollars more than the cheapies. I now check my bearings every trip visually and every six months physically , I do dunk my bearings every launch and have had the same set of bearings running on my trailer for six years and they are as quiet as the day I fitted them. The only thing to keep I'm mind is when fitting these preparation is the key. Make sure the the seal face on the hub is free of pits and rust, a pice of emery and a bit of elbow grease is all this needs. And also apply a sealing compound i.e. Locktite on the edge of the seal and on the insert face of the dura hub. You can run a grease/oil mix In them these days also.I think guys avoid them because if your running oil only and you lose a dura hub in transit or the seal becomes compromised and leaks for whatever reason, by the time you realise the damage is already done or worse still if you don't catch it straight away. I think Grease/oil mix is much better for this reason. They do run nice and smooth/quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 why do you have to keep topping them up ? that implies your losing grease clean axle good seals good bearings a dust cap and check every 6 months simple Maybe the way I phrased it sounds like its a constant chore - apologies - I really meant at the 6mthly inspection I check if I need to grease gun a bit into them. I agree with you, if they need constant top up that is an indication there is a leakage problem somewhere - probably at the back seal. The bearing buddies I have also have a silicon type cap that slips over the front face covering the spring loaded plate and grease nipple. So water has an additional barrier. With the design of my trailer/boat unfortunately I have to dunk my bearings at each outing. Touch wood I have not experienced any hub/bearing issues in my boating career. I put that down to the bearing buddies being able to expand and contract keeping the grease packed around the bearings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) I got my bearing buddies a few years ago, and the first time I topped them up, disaster... The hole in the bearing buddy, which grease comes out of to indicate the bearing is full... the first time I did it, does not work!!! Instead, the grease blew the back seal. Clearly the spring mechanics needs re-engineering. I have since replaced the back seal and do not rely on that hole indicator at all. After years of experience, I only pump maybe once or twice worth of grease, say every 5 or 6 trips, that seems to work for me. It's too bad no one could offer such simple advice the first time round. They haven't failed me and I guess you do have peace of mind knowing for sure there's enough grease in there, as opposed to a non bearing mate. Edited April 3, 2015 by The Incredible Hull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacnoel Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Unfortunately now days there are bearing buddies and there are bearing buddies. It's hard to tell the difference between the original and the Chinese copies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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