Not saying it's correct, but I'm seeing online that too much grease actually can cause more heat and is a waste. I get the waste part maybe but not sure about the heat. Seems like boat trailers back it full since they don't want water in there.
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Not saying it's correct, but I'm seeing online that too much grease actually can cause more heat and is a waste. I get the waste part maybe but not sure about the heat. Seems like boat trailers back it full since they don't want water in there.
Money must be really tight if they are worrying about wasting a little grease on their trailer bearings.
Pack'em. As the bearings get warm, the grease gets less viscous and doesn't stay in place well. You want enough to move around in there and keep things, well, greasy.
I've been thinking about this same thing. I bought the bearing covers with the grease fitting and there seems to be a lot of space between the bearing cover and bearing to pack them full of grease.
Bearing buddies work by having a reserve of grease to keep pushing onto the front bearing, keeping it under positive pressure so water can't work in. That also means that over time it's constantly pushing grease past the seal and loosing some, hence the extra capacity. Note, bearing buddies also don't do a thing for rear bearings on most setups.
Just you tube servicing trailer bearings. There are step by step destructions on how to do this. It's fundamental mechanics.
A few simple tools and a grease gun.
Have fun.
You mean inner bearings?
Unless you have 4 seals per hub or sealed bearings, then grease being pushed through the first bearing should make it's way past to the second. And since there is only one exit present (bearing buddy is the other exit which is now blocked), why wouldn't it make it to the inner bearing?
My grease gets pushed to the inner seal on my trailers with BB's... Meaning it makes it through both bearings.
I'll have to get bored enough to pull my hubs on my cheapie trailer, I seem to recall grease not making it to the inners worth a damn but I've also stopped caring about that thing so... been quite awhile since I laid eyes on it. My EZ-Lubes actually have grease hitting the inners first, then it pushes to the outers so you can see when you get the system full.
I do have a lot of grease coming out of my inner seal, so it's getting to both.
Thanks for the additional insight.....will be greasing them this week.
Anyone else hard right now?
I have oil bath hubs on my big trailer, PIA....
Run em till they lock up, then just back up a bit to get the wheel turning and drive home on the axle. No big deal.
You don't need to fill all the gaps in the hub cavity with grease, just pack the bearings properly, set the pre-load properly, seal 'em up and you are good to go for years. You don't need bearing buddies on a non-boat trailer, they are only there for the sole purpose of preventing water intrusion and were never meant to be used as a means to lube the bearings.
Attachment 47335Attachment 47336
Let's play spot the bad bearing...
What are my options for a replacement hub? It's from a Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer, which I think is actually a Haul-Master? 4 lug, 12" wheel.
Yeah man just drive out that outer race from the back side and drive the new one in and you're good to go.
Alex, I got a spare HF trailer, nearly brand new if you end up in a pinch. Might be cheaper to just replace the trailer, lol.
Thanks guys. O'Reilly Auto had replacement bearings and I rented a puller and driver set. Hopefully that's enough to get it back on the road. I sure am glad I'm doing this at home, in a garage with lots of light, and not on the side of the road next month!
Puller and driver set? You mean a long screwdriver and the old races?
A puller probably won't help you much, there's not much of a lip on the back of the races to get a purchase on with a puller. The best tool, IMO, is a long cold chisel with the blade ground to a flat face. A short cold chisel will work, but will likely result in busted knuckles. The long one will let you really swing the hammer with gusto and pop those races out in 3 or 4 hits, alternating from side to side. I have a Stanley Fat Max 1" chisel that's 12" long and works perfectly for this endeavor. I bought it at Lowes. Can't seem to paste a link here, but search lowes for "stanley fat max 1"" It's 9 bucks.
Yeah I don't know why I thought I could use a 3 jaw puller. I got the jaw to grab but had nothing to pull against. I ended up using a piece of flat rectangular aluminum bar stock and a hammer. It popped right out easily. Thanks for all the help. Trailer is back together and I plan to take it out on a shake-down run Saturday.
A couple thoughts from this weekends trailer maintenance. This is all relative to the HF folding trailer but probably good to keep in mind. Be careful when using the grease gun if the tire is off the ground on the side that you're working as if the wheel rotates with the grease gun on the grease fitting it can shear the fitting in half. Also, if your tires are more than 5 years old check them for cracking. Also a good time to check all of the bulbs and keep a couple spares in your track tool box.
This thread prompted me to grease my trailer bearings today, good karma to OP.
I recently got this "lock n lube" grease gun attachment, and highly recommend it. Man it makes fitting and unfitting the gun/hose on the zerk so much easier.
Amazon.com: LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler - Zerk Grease Coupler Fitting Tip - Easy Lock-on, Clip-off - Stays on - Grease goes in, not on the machine: Automotive