Axle bearing #4 this season...

[mountaineerhill]

Well just lost another one on the way down to the Lake for the holiday weekend....

That's 4 since I bought the boat/trailer in march. I have towed HEAVY 30ft horse trailers for years and never had a single issue, but this boat trailer is a demon. Ate the hub and spindle this time, had to replace the whole axle.

Besides checking and rechecking the grease in each hub what am I missing... If it can break on a trailer it has this season. I know to feel the hubs after every fill up and they wern't even bad before this one went. I am kicking myself for not buying that '12 trailer that was in the classifieds when I had the chance.

end rant.

Edited September 4, 2015 by mountaineerhill

[oldjeep]

How are they failing? Have you got them too tight, not tight enough? Any odd tire wear?

[mountaineerhill]

How are they failing? Have you got them too tight, not tight enough? Any odd tire wear?

After the second one I stopped doing it myself and took it to American truck and Trailer, I started to doubt my own work for the first time in a long time. Trailer has 4 new tires all show normal wear.

I know my luck can't be this bad. I have to drive 80 miles each way to and from the lake on a rough 2 lane road but nothing out of the ordinary.

[MadMan]

These are just wild guesses. Original axles spindles machined wrong. Wrong bearings get replaced with wrong bearings. Rims with way too much offset. Under capacity axles.

Does the grease look like it had water in it on the trashed bearings?

[racer808]

The trailer place I took mine to told me stop racing to lake and dropping boat in. Told me to hang out for half an hour, eat some lunch and let them cool before putting them in the water. We've made efforts to do this but still in a rush to get on water.

While were on this subject. I don't know if its me but I can't make grease gun and zirc fittings work together. No grease goes in can't get gun off fitting without almost breaking the zirc or pulling the bearing buddy apart.?????

[oldjeep]

1) Bearing buddies suck

2) take a small Phillips screwdriver and press the little spring loaded ball in the zerk, make sure it actually moves in. If not then .50 for a new one.

3) grease gun not coming off easily points to a worn out or just crappy gun tip.

[Simo]

Racer. I had this problem with a cheap grease gun from Harbor Freight. Pitched it and bought a new gun. Problem solved

[mountaineerhill]

Well new axle and hubs did their job. I have a feeling I am going to replace the front axle soon too. They were the original stock axle's from '01.

[justgary]

Others will tell you to not do this, but in your case it might make sense to stuff the hubs full of grease through the zerks until they won't keep any more. Do this every trip. The positive pressure will keep water out.

Yes, it will be a little more messy, but you won't have any more problems. I shoot mine full (until the bearing buddy spring is fully compressed) every trip, and I have never had a bearing failure in almost 40 years of towing boats.

By the way, if you can't get grease into the hubs with your gun, I don't blame the hubs for failing.

[nyryan2001]

After you think you have it full of grease... Press in evenly with your finger tips till a little grease squirts out.

Helps remove any air voids and packs the grease in tighter than just the spring alone from the buddy will allow.