Kayakkermit
Veteran Member
If you own a boat on a trailer, I'd like to give you a tip to help you keep long life in your trailer wheel bearings.
First off, use a good wheel bearing grease with high water resistance properties; it should say it on the label. Only fill the hub with enough grease so that with the spindle in, only 1/3 of the hub is filled. Too much grease will kill a bearing very quickly due to causing high heat rise.
This is also a great time to advise you NOT to use a "bearing buddy", for exactly the reason above.
Replace your grease yearly, its cheap insurance, and it also gives you the opportunity to inspect the bearings for pits / oxidation / heat marks.
Secondly, when arriving at the boat launch, BEFORE putting the boat in, stop and have a picnic lunch. This will give your hubs a chance to cool down after the trip. Interestingly (to me anyway) when you back a boat trailer into the water with hot hubs, the cool water quenching the heat actually causes a vacuum to form inside the hubs, effectively vacuuming water into them (which is exactly what you have been trying so hard to prevent).
Thirdly, when you do replace the bearings, make sure to replace both the cones (the bearing part with the rollers) AND the cups (the outer race), AND ALWAYS replace the seals.
Do NOT purchase bearings made in China!!! The #1 tapered roller bearing manufacturer is Timken, and NTN also makes a very good product at less cost.
By following these suggestions, you should be able to enjoy many years and many miles inexpensively. I hope this helps at least one person to keep their bearings longer.
First off, use a good wheel bearing grease with high water resistance properties; it should say it on the label. Only fill the hub with enough grease so that with the spindle in, only 1/3 of the hub is filled. Too much grease will kill a bearing very quickly due to causing high heat rise.
This is also a great time to advise you NOT to use a "bearing buddy", for exactly the reason above.
Replace your grease yearly, its cheap insurance, and it also gives you the opportunity to inspect the bearings for pits / oxidation / heat marks.
Secondly, when arriving at the boat launch, BEFORE putting the boat in, stop and have a picnic lunch. This will give your hubs a chance to cool down after the trip. Interestingly (to me anyway) when you back a boat trailer into the water with hot hubs, the cool water quenching the heat actually causes a vacuum to form inside the hubs, effectively vacuuming water into them (which is exactly what you have been trying so hard to prevent).
Thirdly, when you do replace the bearings, make sure to replace both the cones (the bearing part with the rollers) AND the cups (the outer race), AND ALWAYS replace the seals.
Do NOT purchase bearings made in China!!! The #1 tapered roller bearing manufacturer is Timken, and NTN also makes a very good product at less cost.
By following these suggestions, you should be able to enjoy many years and many miles inexpensively. I hope this helps at least one person to keep their bearings longer.