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Trailer Bearings


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I have a boatmate trailer with torsion axles that have oil bath bearings.

Does anyone know when they need to be changed? Checked? Replaced?

I just bought the boat in June (2005 V-Ride) and have not even checked. I purchased boat in Flordia and towed back to Cincinnati OH.

I also took it to Norris lake and to Cumberland 3 times. Yes I already had the tire blow out and needed two spares. I would say that I have at least 1800 miles on trailer since I purchased.

I know nothing about oil axles and bearing. Old boat trailer had old school bearing that I had to repack.

Thanks

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with the age of the rig i would strongly recommend taking a look at what is there.

pull the oil bath hubs and pull the bearings apart, clean and inspect.

if bearings are jake re-install w new inner seals and top off with new oil.

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I'm not at home or I would give you the part number on the seal. If you hit me up after Dec 12th I will give it to you. It is cheaper if you just get it at the parts house then a trailer place. I agree with above it is time. They should be fine the main thing is that old seal.

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Drain out the old oil and if it looks good, refill with new. Use straight 50 weight oil. Feeling the hubs for warmth after a good ride will tell you a lot about the condition of the roller bearings. Cool is good.

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BF, I never had oil baths before so I checked every outing, as it was easy to do with the see thru caps. I replaced the oil annually when I winterized, IIRC the oil in my '06 was straight 50W. If you still have the cheap a$$ plastic see thru bearing caps call Jerry at Boatmate and order the see thru aluminum replacements. They were about $60.00 back then and worth every dime as they seal better and won't break as easy. If the oil is unfouled with water I wouldn't pull the bearings just visually inspect for wear and refill. Pulling the bearings would be a judgement call depending on how far you drive. For me its only 2 mile round trip so not much wear or use. Good luck, Bill.

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So are you telling me that it is not likely that I will need new bearing? It sounds like the only thing I am looking for is contaminated grease in the axle. Also that I have to replace the seal bc I removed the axle correct?

So if I get the clear axle covers then I won't have to pull it apart to see if the oil is bad.

Thanks for all the info

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Really doubt you will need new bearings. Oil bath hubs provide superior lubrication to prevent wear. Replace seals only if they are leaking, which is also the only way contaminants could enter hub. Keep hubs completely filled with oil. I replace oil every 3 years because of age. Oil looks like new when coming out.

edit; there should already be a window on the end of the hub. All oil bath hubs have a window (sight glass).

Edited by electricjohn
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I am not sure about the "completely full hub" but ICBW. I thought there was a supposed to be a little room left for oil expansion due to heat, but check with BM or the axle manufacturer to be sure. The clear covers let you see if there is water intrusion/a bad seal (gray milky oil) or possibly suspended particles (metal) which means you screwed the pooch and its too late anyway. :Doh:

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It's a little over 3/4 full. Change the seals is it worth the trouble down the road if something goes wrong it's $20 it's called piece of mind. The ones you have should be clear just hard to see because of age. Good Luck!!!

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Mine sight glass must be covered up bc I know that I can see anything through it. Looks like that is going to turn into my winter maintenance for the trailer. I also have a ballast pump to replace.

One other thing anybody ever had trouble with there trailer jack. Mine while sitting in my building broke. It leans way out from the mount it is a folding jack. Just wondering if anyone else had a problem with the jack. Will a new jack work or do I need an entire new mount as well?

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I have a Prestige tandem from '05. I lost all the oil on one hub due to seal failure. Sight glass was opaque due to age. I just happened to notice all the oil running down the wheel. I did a lot of research as well as call Heritage Trailers who kinda took over when Prestige went belly up. Everyone said oil bath is too unreliable and to swap it over to grease. I took it to eTrailer, as they are local, and had them replace the seals, change over the oil to grease and install bearing buddies on both axles. Replaced the brake pads as well due to oil contamination. I had to source the seals and pads from an auto parts store because they are actually an oil seal from some engine and pads from a 2000 Kia Sophia. eTrailer took note of the parts numbers and should now be able to help out with other Prestige owners.

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while i liked and had good luck w oil bath hubs i was told, when ordering my replacement trailer, that oil bath were no longer available because the seals failed too often.

i was also told that the next generation (vault w grease that turns liquid at temperature) were hot stuff i don't understand how they can function any better if the seals are the real issue.

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I know oil bath are on big trucks trailers so I would think it would be better thats why I didn't change. But as I said before change the seals to be on the safe side. Put a little grease or oil on the seals you don't wan't them dry.

Edited by Bradley Thornton
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I have an 06 boatmate and was in your shoes. My oil baths were leaking just a little so needed to decide oil or grease(supposed to be completely full per manual). Did alot of research on this site and decided to go with grease. Based my decision on the thinking that oil bath is fine for over the road trucks but what might happen when you dunk warm oil baths in the water and the cooling could suck water in. Also I make my 3 hour journey twice a year( kept in storage at lake durring summer) and read about catastrophic failure if seal goes, so i figured grease would get me down the road better if there was a failure. Just finished job with bearing buddys and new bearing buddy seals in the back(optional). Everything works great in the garage, wish spring would hurry up and get here so I can test. Just my 2 cents, take it for what its worth.

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I have a boatmate trailer with torsion axles that have oil bath bearings.

Does anyone know when they need to be changed? Checked? Replaced?

I just bought the boat in June (2005 V-Ride) and have not even checked. I purchased boat in Flordia and towed back to Cincinnati OH.

I also took it to Norris lake and to Cumberland 3 times. Yes I already had the tire blow out and needed two spares. I would say that I have at least 1800 miles on trailer since I purchased.

I know nothing about oil axles and bearing. Old boat trailer had old school bearing that I had to repack.

Thanks

Give "Brandon" a call (513-484-7111)for all your trailer needs. He used to work at Haskins trailer, and now works on a lot of boat trailers in and around Cincinnati on his own. He is very experienced and knows his stuff! He maintains both of my trailers. Your boat will stay inside 100% time he has it at his shop!

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I will call him and see what he has to say. I still have not even had a chance to look at my boat axles yet. I want to see if there is a sight glass or not. I know that I will pull them before the season starts bc I don't want to be messing with it or have problems on a trip. Thanks for the info and I will let you know what I fine out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I will call him and see what he has to say. I still have not even had a chance to look at my boat axles yet. I want to see if there is a sight glass or not. I know that I will pull them before the season starts bc I don't want to be messing with it or have problems on a trip. Thanks for the info and I will let you know what I fine out.

Cool. I am going to call him today to get a brake controller installed in my new to me tow rig and a new aluminum ball mount.........

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I have the Vault hubs. No service, no maintenance required. I don't like the sound of that at all. There is no clear cap and no fill hole. You don't know if oil is in there or what. You have to use this special hybrid oil/grease only available from UFP. I even bought an infrared laser thermometer so I could check the hub temp cause they were so hot all the time. I think I will switch to grease and buddies if I get around to it. At least then I can give it a couple of shots of grease and if the seal fails all the oil wont pour out and leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere.

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I have the Vault hubs. No service, no maintenance required. I don't like the sound of that at all. There is no clear cap and no fill hole. You don't know if oil is in there or what. You have to use this special hybrid oil/grease only available from UFP. I even bought an infrared laser thermometer so I could check the hub temp cause they were so hot all the time. I think I will switch to grease and buddies if I get around to it. At least then I can give it a couple of shots of grease and if the seal fails all the oil wont pour out and leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere.

i never cared for the sounds of the vaults, either. if oil bath was a problem because seal failure was catastrophic then how does vault differ (except when cold)?

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I too have vaults. No issues to date. I have them inspected one a year while the boat goes in for service. I did have the oil bath on my previous boat and liked them way better than the grease. Less messy, less issues, NO issues. I'll never get another trailer with grease again. PITA if you ask me

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I too have vaults. No issues to date. I have them inspected one a year while the boat goes in for service. I did have the oil bath on my previous boat and liked them way better than the grease. Less messy, less issues, NO issues. I'll never get another trailer with grease again. PITA if you ask me

No issues to date, until total catastrophic failure destroying the bearings and hub/axle, leaving you hopefully only stranded and not wrecked off the highway. Also, I would really like to know how your mechanic inspects these without completly disassembling them and replacing the hybrid grease/oil only available through UFP. I imagine he looks for leakage and calls it serviced, since they are are no service required. Sorry, but less issues, NO issues are not a guarantee, and when they fail you will be without your trailer for six weeks while UFP builds a new torsion axle for you. I have a 2008 trailer that I've replaced all for sets of pads, one caliper, both axles and the reverse solenoid. So much for no issues.
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One slow leaking seal in 10 years and 20,000 miles. Seal is available at auto parts store. Always carry a spare seal, some oil and an allen key.

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  • 3 weeks later...

There are all kinds of oil bath axles out there even in big rigs. I know they don't put there trailers in the water but I love the oil bath axles.

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