Rainy Day Project: Trailer Wheel Bearings-gctid387784

[Guest]

Hello on this rainy, windy, chilly and crappy day!

Today I am toying with my trailer and was going to re-pack the wheel bearings. But they don't look like what I was expected to see?

I have rubber caps that 'say' LA SALLE SAFE-T LUBE and when I pulled one off it revealed a grease fitting underneath, with white grease,,,,,not the green'ish wheel bearing grease that I thought that I was going to use.

Do I need to just get a grease gun and fill it with the right lube and pump it in?

Thanks for any info!

Sarah

[Guest]

Sarah, you're lucky! The best type of spindles... If you want to change the grease just pump through the fitting until all the old grease is out. It's a bit messy as the old grease comes out at the outer perimeter (front of hub) all around the fitting but a lot better and easier than taking the hubs off and re-greasing the bearings.

The only problem with this method is that you won't be able to inspect the bearings.... If you aren't sure you can take the hubs off but get new cotter pins first. Inspect the surface of the spindle and whatever you can see or better touch from the bearings, mount the hubs again and do the "grease change".

The way to mount the hubs is to tighten the castle nut until the wheel doesn't turn freely any more (some resistance) then turn the castle nut open by ~1/2 turn. then insert the cotter pin into the next possible location.

The whitish grease is usually a high end marine grease (very waterproof) but without seeing or better touching it one doesn't know..... Don't mix the grease type, try to get the same one again (most places including Wally World have it).

[2850Bounty]

Sarah, make sure that the white that you're seeing isn't marine grease mixed with water. Water/grease might turn white, in which case you'll want to identify the actual grease, and stay with the grease that was used previously.

As Juergen says...., DO NOT mix grease types.

Some are not chemically comparable with each other, and will loose viscosity.

Verify that you are not looking at Bearing Buddies. BB's DO NOT lube wheel bearings!

If your spindles are one of the EZ Lube, Sure Lube or Super Lube, then you have a good system.

As for the procedure, the wheel should be raised off of the pavement, and turned while you add the new grease.

This is Dynamic -vs- Static.

You will see the old grease being expelled as the new grease exchanges.

Depending on the system, the old grease may be expelled behind the brake plate, or it may be expelled right at the outer spindle area.

.

[Go Aweigh2452]

What kjs said but was a tad buried... Mixing marine grease breaks down the grease and allows water to intrude and heat the spindles to a point where you will burn up one or more bearings...

If you have white grease, go to Wally world or your nearest auto supply store... Both would be cheaper than going to WM or a marine store...

[Guest]

2850Bounty wrote:


Depending on the system, the old grease may be expelled behind the brake plate, or it may be expelled right at the outer spindle area.

If the grease comes mainly out behind the rear seal she's got nice additional work.... The rear seal is shot.

These great systems work by filling the rear bearing first, then the grease makes its way back to the front bearing and out the hub. For this reason the pressure shouldn't be to high as to not overload the rear seal, take your time...

Bearing Buddies are junk unless you really know what you do and even then.... Unfortunately my trailer didn't come with good spindles and I have BB's on the hubs. Never ever fill them up more then spec'd and if you see them go in a lot you better check the rear seal as that's where they will blow out the grease. What they are good for is to completely fill the inside of the hub with grease after re-packing as one will never be able to completely fill it when packing and the enclosed air will make it out through the seals. Once the entire cavity is filled they should stay where they were.

[2850Bounty]

kjs wrote:

2850Bounty wrote:
Depending on the system, the old grease may be expelled behind the brake plate, or it may be expelled right at the outer spindle area.

• 1 wrote:
• If the grease comes mainly out behind the rear seal she's got nice additional work.... The rear seal is shot.
• These great systems work by filling the rear bearing first, then the grease makes its way back to the front bearing and out the hub. For this reason the pressure shouldn't be to high as to not overload the rear seal, take your time...

• 1 wrote:
• I'm talking about the ported spindles. EZ Loader trailers used this style years ago.
• Some do, some do not.
  
  Here's a Sure Lube.
  
  This ports through the outer bearing then onto the inner bearing, and expells via a hollow spindle (ported spindles noted above)..... usually pukes grease at the inner side of the spring system.
  
  
  
  Here's an EZ Lube that ports to the inner bearing first.
  
  The main seal blocks the grease, the expelled grease comes out from around the cap area when open.
  
  
  
  Here's the Super Lube.
  
  

Any of these will do an exchange of grease when done correctly.

Correctly = wheels raised and grease pumped ONLY while wheel spins!

.

[Guest]

Well alrighty then! And I thought they were all the same and such a simple little mechanism

Thanks very kindly for great info,,,,again.

Okay, I am off to Auto Zone! nthego:

Thank you

Sarah

[Guest]

oooops, Rick, I stand corrected..... Never encountered the Sure-Lube system before.

[FISHIN00]

Pull the hubs, inspect the bearings, you can always get a new rear spindel seal. Pump new grease thru the axle until it come out the holes, clean/inspect your bearings, regrease,install new grease seal,reinstall on trailer. I did mine the EZ way, went down an purchased new hubs with the new bearings aready installed.

[Guest]

FISHIN00 wrote:
Pull the hubs, inspect the bearings, you can always get a new rear spindel seal. Pump new grease thru the axle until it come out the holes, clean/inspect your bearings, regrease,install new grease seal,reinstall on trailer. I did mine the EZ way, went down an[COLOR]#ff0000 wrote:
purchased new hubs with the new bearings aready installed.[/COLOR]

Do you recall how much that cost?

[FISHIN00]

$45 per hub,,,1750lb axle...Northern tool and supply...I believe WM has them for around $50,Wm also had a hub with the grease fitting on the hub for $70.

[Guest]

depends on the size you need.... $25-$75 a piece. That's a lot if the old ones are still good. If you have brakes it will be a lot more as the brakes are part of the hub.

[Guest]

Thanks for that.

I am half done Port side seems okay, tho I am not much of an inspector! But the wheels turn nicely with no wobble when I shake 'em.

After I finish 'er up I will take the trailer for a little joy ride and re-check 'em.

I would think that any sharp turns are pretty rough on a double wheeled trailer?

Thanks for the help guys, this is yet anotehr new job for me, altho I have seen it done once,,,,,I stayed clean!

The help is always appreciated.......

Sarah

[2850Bounty]

LazyCrusr wrote:
I would think that any sharp turns are pretty rough on a double wheeled trailer?

Double wheeled, or double axle?

Single axle trailers don't have tight turning radius issues as do tandem or triple axle trailers.

Tandem or triple axles can undergo tremendous torque when turned too tightly on hard pavement.

I've seen tandem axler trailer hubs snap in two from tight turning on hard pavement.

It doesn't do the suspension any good either.

Single axle? No big deal!

.

[Guest]

LazyCrusr wrote:
I stayed clean!

Sarah, you're a miracle..... I always have my hands full of grease after packing the hubs.

If the bearings are worn you would have seen some marks on the spindle and especially on the roller-bearings (brown rings at start, black if really bad)).

Tight turns with a tandem or triple axle are a real issue and very hard on the tires, hubs and spindles. I found that rubber torsion axles take it a bit easier but the large trailers always come with what I call "stage coach suspension". As good as these are for load distribution as bad they are for tight turn (or turns in general) and uneven surfaces. What helps if you have to make a tight turn: throw some sand on the pavement before you pull it to the turning spot.

Just came home from towing a tandem axle trailer about the same size and a bit more weight (loaded) as my boat trailer. Instead of a single leaf-spring axle it had 2 rubber torsion axles and I can tell you: day and night difference in handling and smoothness of the ride! I wish my boat trailer would handle my boat as nice on paved roads as this trailer did to the load on a dirt road! My car was bumpier than the trailer.