Ranger trailer hubs

[Bassakwards]

I'm approaching year 5 on the boat. I've never had any issues with the hubs, they don't leak, everything seems fine. I have not done anything to them. Should I?

[alli ss]

I wouldnt touch them

[fishon396]

Wondered the same thing my trailer is almost 5 years old. I noticed the black vault center piece does not stick out 1/8-3/16 like it used to Maybe 1/16. I have not seen any signs of leaks around the hubs.

[Bassakwards]

I wouldnt touch them

That's what I'm thinking too. I think they're supposed to be good for 10 years, but I could be wrong about that. Not many things are gauranteed for 10 years lol.

[Panama]

Jack the wheel up. Spin it a couple of times. Is it quiet and smooth? Grab it in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Wiggle it back and forth. Does it have any appreciable play? Visually inspect for grease leaks.

Do this three or so times a year depending on use and maybe before a long trip. If it checks out OK, I would not touch it. That's my opinion FWIW.

[krindgen]

Having touched mine to do "maintenance" resulting in actual problems, I wouldn't touch them. My experience was with the Ranger COOL hubs which would have been problem free had I not tried to do maintenance that wasn't necessary.

[Bassakwards]

Jack the wheel up. Spin it a couple of times. Is it quiet and smooth? Grab it in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Wiggle it back and forth. Does it have any appreciable play? Visually inspect for grease leaks.

Do this three or so times a year depending on use and maybe before a long trip. If it checks out OK, I would not touch it. That's my opinion FWIW.

I should probably do that.

[TritonTRXV8]

The inspection panama listed should be part of annual maintanance on all trailers. Catching loose bearings or a leaking seal early will save alot of on the side of the road headaches.

[tcesni]

I was in the same position this spring and my Ranger dealer if they weren’t leaking to leave them alone.

[Kosta]

I have a 2013 Triton X17. This spring, after having the same question about Vault hubs and how to ensure they are in good working order, I blew a seal.Because the local shops were all at least 2 weeks behind, I decided to fix it myself. I have done my own bearings for years so I was able to do it after a bit of checking on Youtube etc.

The Vault system is no different than the standard Ez lube Dexter axle system. Only the grease and the end cap are different. I redid both of my wheels. But l ended up losing both end caps. Apparently, by removing them, they become misshapen and fall off.

Shortly thereafter I had a totally unrelated breakage of my axle. I ended up replacing the hubs with the standard EZ lube Dexter axle. I didn’t ever feel comfortable with the Vaults because it seemed that all you could do was inspect by wiggling the wheel as stated above, and wait until you had a problem. With the EZ lubes, I will repack it myself every two years and be pretty confident in my wheels. That is what I did for 18 years with my old Tracker and it is what I will now do with my Triton.

[Bill Reynolds]

The Vault system is no different than the standard Ez lube Dexter axle system. Only the grease and the end cap are different. I redid both of my wheels. But l ended up losing both end caps. Apparently, by removing them, they become misshapen and fall off.

I had this same experience with my 2014 RT188 trailer. I had loose bearings and ended up removing both end caps to adjust. I followed the instructions carefully except for one thing, I did not put loc-tite on the end caps when I reinstalled them.
The next day, I had an out of town fishing trip and lost both caps in route. I found a trailer supply house nearby, bought the parts and changed it over to EZ-Lube in the ramp parking lot.
I take credit for the failure because I did not follow the instructions, but doubt if I would Ever open up another Vault system.

[joebone1]

I wouldn't touch them

[Kosta]

I had this same experience with my 2014 RT188 trailer. I had loose bearings and ended up removing both end caps to adjust. I followed the instructions carefully except for one thing, I did not put loc-tite on the end caps when I reinstalled them.
The next day, I had an out of town fishing trip and lost both caps in route. I found a trailer supply house nearby, bought the parts and changed it over to EZ-Lube in the ramp parking lot.
I take credit for the failure because I did not follow the instructions, but doubt if I would Ever open up another Vault system.

Bill,

I used loc-tote. It didn’t matter. The guys at a trailer place that does Vault told this is common. They said that they put the caps on a 2” trailer ball and hammer them lightly to make them expand a bit so that they will fit.