Trailer Bearing Gremlin

[dickenscpa]

I bought a kayak last Sept (boat hasn't got wet since) and I purchased one of those assemble yourself trailers and customized it to be a kayak trailer.

The bearings came in some unidentified blue grease so I cleaned them thoroughly with brake cleaner and packed them by hand the old fashioned way. I reinstalled the stock dust cover for the hub. Everything remained clean and I used Lucas with a 540* , however after about 12 miles at highway speeds I could feel a bit of warmth on the hubs. Definitely not hot but some warmth. Bothered me because I was planning on some long distance KBF tournaments.

I read the sticky on bearing buddies at the top of this forum but buy them anyway. I re-clean the inner and outer bearings and re-pack by hand with new inner dust seal. No grease on the outside but grease slung EVERYWHERE on the inside and although not super hot the hubs are a bit warmer to the touch just cruising at 40mph 8.1 miles to my local ramp. I'm pretty sure following the directions on bearing buddies put too much grease in there.

So I recently bought brand new bearings, inner dust seal and one of those little contraptions that pack the bearings for you. I repacked the bearings with the machine, brand new dust seals, filled the hub with grease via a zerk on the hub and by sight as to not overfill and went back with stock hub cover instead of bearing buddies. Took out on the highway and drove her hard. One hub is cool as a cucumber and the other has an ever so slight touch of warmth just enough I can tell. But I only went 20 miles. In the meantime the wheels are super clean no grease slung anywhere.

What could I have done right to one and not the other? I will ad I do not live near any salt water and this trailer NEVER gets backed down the ramp, I have landing gear for my yak so no need.

[CatFan]

You don’t mention tightening the nut, replacing races or pre-loading the bearings?

New bearings you generally want new races.

Particularly when installing new bearings, you over torque the nut to make sure everything is seated, then back it off and tighten properly. The manufacturer should have a torque spec for the process.

[MikeF]

however after about 12 miles at highway speeds I could feel a bit of warmth on the hubs. Definitely not hot but some warmth.

Going on the premise that you have done the items CatFan has listed and are confident in your procedures doing the work, then do yourself a big favor and purchase an IR temp gun.

You can use it anytime if you keep it in the vehicle and can monitor your hub temps and tire temps easily under various conditions without resorting to ambiguous terms such as warm or hot.

Hard verifiable temp numbers will help keep you from having hard repairs on the road.

The bearings should run somewhere around 25-60 degrees above ambient temp, depending if the axle has brakes that can add heat in stop and go traffic.

You can actually see a 10 degree difference on the sunny side of the trailer in the summer in both the tires and hubs on hour plus trips.

Good Luck

[dickenscpa]

You don’t mention tightening the nut, replacing races or pre-loading the bearings?

New bearings you generally want new races.

Particularly when installing new bearings, you over torque the nut to make sure everything is seated, then back it off and tighten properly. The manufacturer should have a torque spec for the process.

When I was just cleaning, repacking and reinstalling the stock bearings, I used the stock races after a good cleaning and inside the hub. When I bought these brand new bearings last Saturday I did buy new races just failed to mention it in my original post.

As far as the castle nut the way I do it ( open to being corrected if I'm wrong) is I put it on as tight as I can get it with my fingers and do a half turn with a wrench. I then back it off and start spinning the wheel as I finger tighten and when I feel a smidge of resistance I back off 1/4 turn. May play with it a hair to get my cotter pin to line up. I just make sure there's no play in the wheel.

Now being honest I'm not sure what you mean by pre-loading the bearings.

[bhjr.]

I'm going to go in a different direction with my question. You mentioned that there was grease on the back side. Are you absolutely certain that you installed the seal in the right direction?

[dickenscpa]

I'm going to go in a different direction with my question. You mentioned that there was grease on the back side. Are you absolutely certain that you installed the seal in the right direction?

Yeah pretty sure, doesn’t seem but one way to install these. Since I removed the bearing buddy’s and just went with the stock cover I don’t have grease slinging anymore.

[bhjr.]

Yeah pretty sure, doesn’t seem but one way to install these. Since I removed the bearing buddy’s and just went with the stock cover I don’t have grease slinging anymore.

Good!

[CatFan]

When I was just cleaning, repacking and reinstalling the stock bearings, I used the stock races after a good cleaning and inside the hub. When I bought these brand new bearings last Saturday I did buy new races just failed to mention it in my original post.

As far as the castle nut the way I do it ( open to being corrected if I'm wrong) is I put it on as tight as I can get it with my fingers and do a half turn with a wrench. I then back it off and start spinning the wheel as I finger tighten and when I feel a smidge of resistance I back off 1/4 turn. May play with it a hair to get my cotter pin to line up. I just make sure there's no play in the wheel.

Now being honest I'm not sure what you mean by pre-loading the bearings.

Generally the manufacturer of the axle specs a torque for when you install new hardware. you tighten down to that to make sure everything is seated.

You should have a little bit of play in the bearings. Basically as little as possible, but not zero. With no play, as the bearings warm up they bind a little and run hot.

[billnorman1]

I have used this method for 50+ years to set bearing clearance. It was standard procedure when V W went to roller bearings in 1968 for the beetle. Tighten the bearing nut very tight. Back it off slowly until you can move the washer behind the nut with a screwdriver blade, sliding it sideways. Insert cotter pin, back it off if necessary to the first opportunity slot. This ensures you have .001" or so clearance.
It works for me, it should work for you.

[bassboat1]

When you install new bearings and cups, overtorque the bearing (around 20#) while rotating the wheel to fully seat the cups. Then back off and set as billnorman1 indicates.

[dickenscpa]

I bought a temp gun like suggested above and finally got a chance to test it out. Left early this morning with outside temp at 82*. Before I redid everything they got very hot in 11.3 miles.

I went hwy speed 16.4 miles one way and checked the hubs when I got there. One was 85* and the other was 87*. I guess I’m just crazy in the head, they felt warm to me but apparently they’re fine.

I drove back the long way and brought breakfast home and did 23 miles and one was 87* and the other was 88*. With the exception of stopping at Hardee’s and the last 1.4 miles in my neighborhood it was all above 55mph.

I guess I was worried and torn up over nothing.

[MikeF]

I guess I was worried and torn up over nothing.

Not really.

Good practice to be aware of what your tires and bearings are doing when towing.

You don't want to be that guy on the side of the highway.

You only problem was you do not have temperature calibrated hands.

Glad it all worked out for you.

Good Luck

[dickenscpa]

Not really.

Good practice to be aware of what your tires and bearings are doing when towing.

You don't want to be that guy on the side of the highway.

You only problem was you do not have temperature calibrated hands.

Glad it all worked out for you.

Good Luck

Yeah something about towing my boat or kayak tears me all to pieces. I rarely tow my boat 20 miles. I'm a tower from way back but something about the boat and yak I always feel like something is going to go wrong. At least with the kayak I can put it in the bed of the truck if need be.

When hunting season rolls around I won't tow my ATV I have one of those sets of ramps that fit into the hitch and then fold up to keep the ATV in the bed, secure and won't flip me when I load and unload.

Furniture, junk or whatever else I don't give two thoughts about it.


BTW, I was "that guy" three weeks ago today. I'm 48 yrs old and although I've changed a ton of tires for my wife, friends, etc I'd never actually had a flat myself. I was using my truck jack to fool with these bearings and got too lazy to put the jack BACK into the truck and wouldn't you know it, had a massive blowout at 75mph on the interstate right at the airport exit. Go to change the tire and both sidewalls had blown out. (Cooper ATs wouldn't recommend them) No jack! Luckily I'm a member of AAA and they changed it for me but it taught me a lesson.