Trailer Bearings

[High Five]

Went out this morning, and did a check on my hubs before I launched. Felt my left bearing buddy, and it was scorching.

What is the procedure for fixing? Is a large amount amount of heat a sure sign that bearings are damaged and need to be replaced?

Smiley

[spring time]

it could be your trailer brakes dragging. the true sign of bearings is jack your trailer up so wheels are free and give the wheel a shake if it moves then bearings if not brakes.

[profisher]

With the wheel off the ground and spun it should be quiet, no growling (first sign of wear)

[rico]

If it is your bearings, it is not a big deal. Pretty easy do it yourself at home. Just remeber to work clean.

[264winmag]

jack it up pull the cap grab the tire on each side if it wiggels at all your bearings are either loose or shot,or your bearing nut may be to tight that can over heat the bearings also, if the grease looks bad and the bearings are loose its time for new.

rum chum

[salmon9]

If going to the bother of jacking up the wheel then repack the bearings, it probably needs it given the heat the bearings and grease got exposed to. Buy new bearings and seal if it hasn't been done in 2-3 years (don't forget a new cotter pin). Any of the marine or auto shops in town can help you. If in Victoria Sherwood Marine has a good supply of trailer parts. I do mine each year and use good marine grade or teflon grease. Lots of good info on how to do it on the web: http://www.sailingtexas.com/Movies/TrailerBearings/trailerbearings.html

If you are lucky, find a friend who has done it and learn from him. Over time you will get good at it and know your tailer won't fail you or you won't know what to do if it does.

[High Five]

Well I did it pulled off everything, and I have learned my lesson. DON"T NEGLECT YOUR TRAILER!!!!!!

Crazy I was lucky I didn't get in a bad accident.My commute to Sooke is from Shawnigan, so this could have been ugly on the Malahat. Last year when I got my boat I assumed the trailer had been maintained. Big xxxx mistake ( never assume anything).

Not bad sheared off hub and broken bearing. The wheel was actually riding on only one bearing. As for other hub it was neglected so long there is no way you can pull out the races/seals.

Just replacing the hubs...

Note to all guys check you trailer don't be a weekender!!!!!

[Charlie]

Good Catch!!! :D

[profisher]

I buy my bearings from Western Equipment in Victoria, better price the last time I did them.

[spring time]

make sure the seals are double lipped especially for water don't make the mistake and go to napa the have single lipped ones

[spring fever]

If you trailer a lot I suggest getting a stainless steel insert which your inner bearing seal rides on. The straight steel spindles corrode quickly-pitting the area the rear seal rides on causing leakage of salt water into the bearings and premature bearing failure. This occurs even if you have bearing buddies. Chicago Rawhide makes the inserts and they are worth the money-I also switched to oil bath bearings. I pull all my bearings every year and since I put in the inserts I have not changed bearings in 3 years. I tow a 24 skagit orca 6 to 7000 km a year.

[flydon]

I would also recommend after driving some distance to allow the bearings to cool down a bit before launching boat.
Otherwise the quick cooling of the bearings/axle can cause water to be sucked into the bearings.
I liked having bearing buddies because you keep a positive pressure which means you are less likely to get water coming in to the bearings.
Also unplug lights,bulbs last longer,
allowing lights and bearings to cool down means money saved.
Don

[highlights]

You guys losing as many bearing buddy covers as I am?

[chris73]

You mean the plastic cap or the whole metal sleeve? If the latter you may want to check if your wheel nuts are tight or your wheel wobbles somehow... You should never lose the metal sleeve unless you buy the wrong diameter. The plastic cap, just make sure you displace all the air when you push it on. That should suck it on tight.

[flytyer]

If you are loosing the entire buddy, take a small pointed punch( almost the size of a finishing nail punch) and in six different locations of the inner hub face drive the punch as straight as possible making dimpels. This will cause the hub to fit snug. You can do the same if you find the race for the bearings are spinning. Most guys just buy a new hub, but why?

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa303/flytyer6/HPIM1274-1.jpg

[Tin Bear]

It is a good idea to keep the part numbers from the boxes your parts came in with your boat documents. Once you can't read the numbers on the parts that came out you will have one heck of a time trying to find replacements, in my case Haney Marine and Lordco were most helpful.

Cheers,
Greg

[geo_tonz]

I was told once, and I can see the logic in it, that bearing buddies don't really do you any good. In order to get to the inner bearing the grease has to force itself through the 1st set of bearings, which often it doesn't quite, leaving the bearing dry. If you use enough force to get to the next set, then it pushes the seal out on the inside. Better to clean and re-pack the hub periodically as it'll last longer and be less likely to get salt water into it with the seal not pushed out. Plus then you don't ignore/forget about it until the wheels fall off. That almost happened to my dad's boat when we were coming back from Alberni; all that grease the bearing buddy packed in there sprayed all over the boat hull, wheel and trailer.

Also if your trailer has brakes that no longer work and because you have a smaller boat on there you opt not to bother fixing them, do yourself a big favour and pull out the brake shoes. We suspect the bearings blew because they got overheated from the brakes dragging.

The worst day fishing is better than the best day working...

[profisher]

Bearing buddies are not meant to get grease into the bearings, they are meant to keep water from entering the front side of the hub. The rear bearings are protected from water penetration from the seal. The front bearings would be totally open to water if the buddy wasn't there.

[geo_tonz]

Profisher,
I don't think we're on the same page:

Bearing buddies are the specially-designed bearing dust caps that have a grease nipple on them specifically for applying grease. The idea being you can force new grease into the bearings through the grease nipple to better maintain them. The design of the hub doesn't work well with this system, however an ends up compromising its seals. Not trying to sound condescending, just that your comment "not meant to get grease into the bearings" sounds like you're thinking about something else and calling it a bearing buddy (maybe a regular bearing dust cap?).

I was told by a trailer builder (when buying replacement idler hubs for a boat trailer) that it's better to liberally grease the bearings (but not pack the hub full of grease) and to use a regular bearing dust cap, which is arguably more water proof than a bearing buddy (being 1 piece of formed steel). Then periodically re-pack them.

GT

The worst day fishing is better than the best day working...

[daddystoy]

Sorry GT but Profisher is right. For some reason there seems to be this misconception that bearing buddies "magically" grease your bearings.
Your line of, "The idea being you can force new grease into the bearings through the grease nipple to better maintain them" is wrong.
The only way to get new grease into the bearings is clean them thoroughly and then re-pack them, which should be done annually to be on the safe side.
Bearing buddies provide a small amount of protection by being able to pump grease into the buddy until you see the spring compress which means the buddy is full of grease and now has the springs pressure trying to push the grease into the outer bearing. This helps keep water out by being full of grease, the end.

[profisher]

Yep, keep it full and under pressure of the spring and much less water can penetrate the front of the hub, which is open otherwise. (no seal) If the grease under pressure is greater than the water pressure exerted while the wheel is submerged water shouldn't enter grease should slowly leak out. Fill the buddy after each use.

[chris73]

Where in Victoria would you buy bearing pieces such as the back-seal? I bought mine last year at Lordco and they leak the grease out through the back seal. Heard something about a double-lip back seal???

[profisher]

Try Western Equipment on Government St near capital Iron...I get my bearings there.

[frayedknot]

There is a Bearing place on Bridge st. between bay & John I think it's now called C P Rubber .

[High Five]

Well bringing back the old topic.I had the same bearing failure again on exact same side yesterday when i came back from Sooke. Pretty scary. Looks like I may have something more going on. Luckily I got back to my driveway. Both bearings were completely shot.

I replaced them and repacked. It is too hard to tell but my guess is that if you travel long distances at highway speed like I do ( Shawnigan to Sooke and back). You may have to repack these possibly more than once a year depending on usage. Also there is a possibility that the axle is worn at time of failure, and water is entering from rear of axle.

I am going to monitor these in next few weeks and go from there. Does anyone know a trailer repair service that is really good? I am getting frustrated here....!!

Smiley66

[High Five]

Well bringing back the old topic.I had the same bearing failure again on exact same side yesterday when i came back from Sooke. Pretty scary. Looks like I may have something more going on. Luckily I got back to my driveway. Both bearings were completely shot.

I replaced them and repacked. It is too hard to tell but my guess is that if you travel long distances at highway speed like I do ( Shawnigan to Sooke and back). You may have to repack these possibly more than once a year depending on usage. Also there is a possibility that the axle is worn at time of failure, and water is entering from rear of axle.

I am going to monitor these in next few weeks and go from there. Does anyone know a trailer repair service that is really good? I am getting frustrated here....!!

Smiley66

[Gronk]

I make it a habit now of carrying a set of bearings with me whenever I'm hauling the boat. I once cooked a bearing at Woss and had to leave the boat whilst heading down to Cambell river.

[Gronk]

I make it a habit now of carrying a set of bearings with me whenever I'm hauling the boat. I once cooked a bearing at Woss and had to leave the boat whilst heading down to Cambell river.

[AlK]

Long distance travelling in itself does not cause the bearings to go bad. If you have good bearings, races, seals and good axle and you have problems then more than likely the bearings are not torqued properly. If the bearings are too tight then heat is generated especially on longer trips and that will cook the bearings. A looser bearing will also generate heat but not as much as a tight bearing. Whenever I pull my boat, I will always check the trailer wheels when I stop.

[AlK]

Long distance travelling in itself does not cause the bearings to go bad. If you have good bearings, races, seals and good axle and you have problems then more than likely the bearings are not torqued properly. If the bearings are too tight then heat is generated especially on longer trips and that will cook the bearings. A looser bearing will also generate heat but not as much as a tight bearing. Whenever I pull my boat, I will always check the trailer wheels when I stop.

[vetteman]

However or whatever they're for I swear by them.I'm still on my original bearings on my small boat trailer now going into it's 21st year of mostly salt water use.The trailer has seen most every road in BC including the Alaska and Stewart Cassiar Hiways several times.I check them every couple of years,clean them,re pack them and put them back in.
Dave

[vetteman]

However or whatever they're for I swear by them.I'm still on my original bearings on my small boat trailer now going into it's 21st year of mostly salt water use.The trailer has seen most every road in BC including the Alaska and Stewart Cassiar Hiways several times.I check them every couple of years,clean them,re pack them and put them back in.
Dave

[Fish Assassin]

Geo_tonz, You know what you are talking about. I think in the future I will not buy into Bearing Buddies. I would rather gease my bearings by hand each season and or replace them for $30-$40 then trust a greasing thingy that can push out your seals. Next time I do my wheels my Bearing Buddies are up for grabs.

[Fish Assassin]

Geo_tonz, You know what you are talking about. I think in the future I will not buy into Bearing Buddies. I would rather gease my bearings by hand each season and or replace them for $30-$40 then trust a greasing thingy that can push out your seals. Next time I do my wheels my Bearing Buddies are up for grabs.

[vetteman]

quote:Originally posted by fishassassin123

Geo_tonz, You know what you are talking about. I think in the future I will not buy into Bearing Buddies. I would rather gease my bearings by hand each season and or replace them for $30-$40 then trust a greasing thingy that can push out your seals. Next time I do my wheels my Bearing Buddies are up for grabs.



I'll take'em.:)
Dave

[vetteman]

quote:Originally posted by fishassassin123

Geo_tonz, You know what you are talking about. I think in the future I will not buy into Bearing Buddies. I would rather gease my bearings by hand each season and or replace them for $30-$40 then trust a greasing thingy that can push out your seals. Next time I do my wheels my Bearing Buddies are up for grabs.



I'll take'em.:)
Dave

[spring fever]

Smiley 66 you have a rear seal failure-I'm pretty sure. If the rear seal is riding on a pitted steel surface it will not keep salt water out for long. The pitting wrecks the seal and water enters regardless of bearing buddies. Look at the surface where your seal rides -if it is pitted or rough try smoothing it with fine sandpaper-if it is really rough put on a stainless steel insert from chicago rawhide or something similiar and only use double lipped seals ment for boat trailers-I get the ones from the EZ loader trailer dealer ment for there oil bath bearings. I lost axles and bearings constantly because like you I went long distance all the time. Just pulled my bearings and can't believe they are going right back in (new seals -of course). This is the 4th year for these bearings and about 23000 km on a heavy boat.

[spring fever]

Smiley 66 you have a rear seal failure-I'm pretty sure. If the rear seal is riding on a pitted steel surface it will not keep salt water out for long. The pitting wrecks the seal and water enters regardless of bearing buddies. Look at the surface where your seal rides -if it is pitted or rough try smoothing it with fine sandpaper-if it is really rough put on a stainless steel insert from chicago rawhide or something similiar and only use double lipped seals ment for boat trailers-I get the ones from the EZ loader trailer dealer ment for there oil bath bearings. I lost axles and bearings constantly because like you I went long distance all the time. Just pulled my bearings and can't believe they are going right back in (new seals -of course). This is the 4th year for these bearings and about 23000 km on a heavy boat.

[Sea Ranger]

I use to own a boat trailer that would eat up any bearing you put into it. It burned up the set that the trailer came with, it ate the next set of bearings that the trailer shop put in and it ate up the set after that. All in less then 2 years. I even replaced the axle(due to bearing failure) and still had problems.
I have learned not to over tighten the bearing when installing as this causes friction and heat and I wonder if that might be smiley66 problem.


And remember....Keep your tip up!!! http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/fishinfool7/fish.gif

[Sea Ranger]

I use to own a boat trailer that would eat up any bearing you put into it. It burned up the set that the trailer came with, it ate the next set of bearings that the trailer shop put in and it ate up the set after that. All in less then 2 years. I even replaced the axle(due to bearing failure) and still had problems.
I have learned not to over tighten the bearing when installing as this causes friction and heat and I wonder if that might be smiley66 problem.


And remember....Keep your tip up!!! http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu220/fishinfool7/fish.gif

[High Five]

Thanks for comments guys. I have repacked them, and travelled with them for a pretty good distance and they are good so far.

I may have overtightened them the first time, and will be more cautious to check for heat at first signs of wear. I am going to take the wheel off on weekend, and inspect everything and look at the seal. If I see scoring of the double lip seal then this would be the water getting in, and leading to premature wear. I will look into the sleeves. I would rather not replace an entire axle if I don't have too.

Smiley66

[High Five]

Thanks for comments guys. I have repacked them, and travelled with them for a pretty good distance and they are good so far.

I may have overtightened them the first time, and will be more cautious to check for heat at first signs of wear. I am going to take the wheel off on weekend, and inspect everything and look at the seal. If I see scoring of the double lip seal then this would be the water getting in, and leading to premature wear. I will look into the sleeves. I would rather not replace an entire axle if I don't have too.

Smiley66

[r.s craven]

I'm tackling mine this weekend if the weather isn't too ugly.
any tips for a smooth and easy install ?
Just wondering how you guys knock out the old races ?

[Dave S]

I lay the wheel onto some wood to support the rim on either side of hub, then take a blunt piece of hardened metal (i use a long punch that is flatened at the end) and try to just catch the edge of the race and give it some good whacks. Keep moving the spot you hit so it comes out square. Flip wheel and do the same on the other side. For pressing in new races, I use the old race flipped over, and then a large socket. Make sure you clean the hub well before pressing in new race. Also make sure the race seats flush on hub.

[spring fever]

Take all your hubs to a Place that does bearings and have them press out your old races and reseat you new ones. Usually 10 to 20 bucks and takes 5 minutes. Otherwise do as Dave S says.

[daddystoy]

Slide hammer with jaws to pull them out and a race driver kit to install. Both can be found at Lordco. Bit of an investment but always nice having the right tools.

[r.s craven]

Got em' done, there was one hub that needed a lot of persuading,
and the new races were a very snug fit. I'm kinda wondering about the chinese bearings ?
the lights are done, now just need some new rubber and i'm ready to roll.

Thanks for the advice ! :):)

[spring fever]

I normally won't use Chinese bearings except in an emergency however nowadays who knows where anything is made-I usually use SKF or timkin. I trailer 5000km per year with a very heavy boat -if I was towing a smaller boat shorter distances-as long as the rear seal was a top quality double lip with quality marine grease -I wouldn't be concerned.

[r.s craven]

Seems everything these days are made in China, i guess time will tell ?

[Dave S]

After a couple run's to the launch, I would pop the cap and see if water has found it's way in or if axle nut could use a 1/4 turn. If your not using bearing buddies, I would recommend grabbing some. Being able to load up the bearings with grease goes a long way in bearing life and keeping water out.

[r.s craven]

Yup, new set of bearing buddies will go on before it hits the water.

[marula]

I got a brass bar i beat them out with, after a few times it's a pretty simple task. The most important part for us trailering our boats into the chuck is that rear seal, that needs to be quality double seal. They fail from water intrusion long before they wear out. Some bearing kits come with the single lip seal and they let water in quick, especially if your spindle is showing some pitting. I seen princess auto had a good selection of bearings and double lip seals.

On a side note after i put disc brakes on i kept on loosing the bearing buddies, turned out i had to much grease in them and the extra heat from the disc brakes was expanding the grease the popping them out. I pinned the hub slightly at the bearing buddy with a small punch and it solved that problem.

[r.s craven]

I bought a new set of Fulton bearing buddies and having problems setting them into the hub.
Just a smidge too tight..
Would you file around the inside edge of the hub to give a little more room or ?

[seagal]

I bought a new set of Fulton bearing buddies and having problems setting them into the hub.
Just a smidge too tight..
Would you file around the inside edge of the hub to give a little more room or ?


Hi Scott. Provided you have the proper bearing buddies for the hubs you halve, they will go on. They are meant to be pressed fit. First, make sure there is no burrs or nicks on the outside edges of the hubs or bearing buddies.If there is, use a file or emery cloth to remove obstruction. Wipe clean. Hold bearing buddy against hub and us a dead blow rubber mallet or a ball peen hammer and a block of wood and drive the cap on. Sometimes it helps to hold the cap just slightly off of square to get it started. Drive cap on till seated. Mission accomplished. Cheers Jim.

[Dave S]

I bought a new set of Fulton bearing buddies and having problems setting them into the hub.
Just a smidge too tight..
Would you file around the inside edge of the hub to give a little more room or ?

I would first try cleaning and looking for burrs. Then I would try throwing a caliper on outer diameter of bearing buddy and then compare that to the inner diameter of hub. Check both hub and buddy in a few spots. If numbers are good, maybe try filing slight bevel to edge of bearing buddy so it could get started easier. Could also try throwing bearing buddy in freezer for a while before hand to shrink it a bit. Could also heat up hub a bit, but not too much.

[marula]

buddy of mine had same problem, had to spin off a 1/1000 on my lathe, still had to beat them in but impossible otherwise. If all else fails thats an option.

[r.s craven]

Thanks guys, will check out these options and let you know !

[r.s craven]

We ended up takng a dremel with a cone shaped grinder to the inner edge of the hub
and outer edge of the B.B. and it was enough to set it.
Thanks for the advice ! :)