Thread: trailer bearing

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  1. #1
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    trailer bearing

    So one of my tires on my trailer has some grease that came out of the grease hub. On the outside of the tire, is this normal to happen here and there or is this something to worry about?
    A couple days before I did push multiple times on the smaller rubber circle in the very middle of the tire.
    I sorry but I'm new to boating and trailer and pretty much anything maintenance related to boats.
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  2. Member Nailbender8's Avatar
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    #2
    Personally, I would replace the bearing buddies. They are cheap to do so. Once you put the new one on, pump some Lucas Marine grease in until you start seeing the new grease oozing out. Make sure you have plenty of paper towels on hand, you will need it. While your at it, check the bearings to make sure there is no grinding sound, and no wobble. All in all, this is about a thirty minute job but will save you a lot of headache down the road.
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    #3
    Does it look like these need it?
    do I need to jack up the trailer?
    Where would I get all these products? Walmart? Basspro?
    Last edited by GoneFishingLTN; 07-07-2018 at 07:34 PM.

  4. Member Skeeterbait's Avatar
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    #4
    You have Dexter EZ Lube hubs. The grease zerk leads to tubes in the spindle which deliver grease to the inside of the hub. When you add new grease it forces the old grease out of the hole in the dust cover around the grease zerk. Yes they are messy and they do leak grease around the rubber dust seal. But they actually work pretty well. You can top the grease off by adding till you see the old grease move. But once a year you should add grease till you see new grease appear. This forces the old grease out the dust cover hole and yes it is messy. Look up Dexter EZ Lube rubber dust covers and buy some. Replace them yearly and it will cut down on how much grease gets slung out. What you do need to watch is the seal in the rear of the hub. If it starts to leak and sling grease then the hubs need to be dismantled and repacked. Yes periodically jacking up any tire and spinning and pulling on it to check bearings is a good idea. Spin and feel for tight spots. Pull and push the tire and feel for play and slop. All are indications the hubs need repacking with new bearings and rear seals.
    Last edited by Skeeterbait; 07-07-2018 at 08:28 PM.


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    #5
    Great post by SB. FWIW I would buy one of those hub center caps to cover up what you have exposed. That will catch the extra grease.

    These hubs are pretty good and what you are showing looks normal to me.

    If you every pump grease in there make sure that the hub or ambient temperature is warm. Do not want to pump thick grease in as it could blow the rear seal.

  6. Member TritonTRXV8's Avatar
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    #6
    In addition to what skeeterbait said (good info). Judging by how black the grease is in your pic with the rubber cap removed its time to teardown clean and repack the bearings with new seals. Even tho this style hub allows you to add new grease i still like to fully maintain them about every 3 years on mine. Also lucas marine grease is the only way to go it will never get black like that its awesome stuff. Also when you add grease annually you can take a screwdriver and scrape all the old grease out of the cap that helps with the slinging. Etrailer sells the caps and plugs i have several on hand in case.
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  7. Member
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    #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Skeeterbait View Post
    You have Dexter EZ Lube hubs. The grease zerk leads to tubes in the spindle which deliver grease to the inside of the hub. When you add new grease it forces the old grease out of the hole in the dust cover around the grease zerk. Yes they are messy and they do leak grease around the rubber dust seal. But they actually work pretty well. You can top the grease off by adding till you see the old grease move. But once a year you should add grease till you see new grease appear. This forces the old grease out the dust cover hole and yes it is messy. Look up Dexter EZ Lube rubber dust covers and buy some. Replace them yearly and it will cut down on how much grease gets slung out. What you do need to watch is the seal in the rear of the hub. If it starts to leak and sling grease then the hubs need to be dismantled and repacked. Yes periodically jacking up any tire and spinning and pulling on it to check bearings is a good idea. Spin and feel for tight spots. Pull and push the tire and feel for play and slop. All are indications the hubs need repacking with new bearings and rear seals.
    Thank you so much for explaining this to me. The people that are on this forum are really great! So tomorrow I'm going to wipe out the outer grease and then add marine grease from Walmart a blue tube, I don't know how to look for the seal on the rear of the hub. Are there any videos you can link me to to help show me how to do this.
    Side note is I was thinking of going fishing tomorrow, But I'm assuming I shouldn't until I add this grease. would it be ok after I do that? or would you say I should do the whole project like basstrackeropt suggested.

  8. Member TritonTRXV8's Avatar
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    #8
    Myself personally i would be repacking the bearings. Only way the new marine grease is going to benefit is to remove all that old grease. Even a good marine grease doesnt last forever. If the bearings are in good shape and arent severly worn or pitted you can simply clean and reuse them. The seal part number is 171255TB. Each hub has one seal on the inner portion of the hub and rotates against the spindle. You can take the wheel off and easily see it from inside the fender looking on the back side. Older seals may be very greasy indicating they are either worn out or the hib is over greased. If you jack up the wheel and there isnt excessive play rocking the wheel up and down and when you roll it the bearings are quiet meaning no metal on metal or growling sounds then you can go fishing with no worries but i would get to it as soon as you can. If you have alot of play or the bearings are noisy its time to tear down and see whats going on.
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    #9
    The dust cap the rubber plug fits into has a dent in it, making it not seal. You can clearly see it in the pic.

  10. Member Skeeterbait's Avatar
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    #10
    OK, best solution is indeed doing what BTO says because you are dealing with an unknown, how well the previous owner maintained the hubs and what grease was used. But the procedure to clean a hub and repack it has some skills and knowledge that if you don't know, you probably should have a skilled person assist the first time. Things such as proper procedure to clean and inspect a dry bearing, what to look for such as pits, discoloration, flat spots on rollers, how much play is too much. How to properly preload grease into a bearing if you don't own a tool for it, how to properly install a rear seal without damaging it. how to inspect races in the hub. how to inspect a spindle, proper tightening of a castle nut. So as inexperienced as you say, you probably need guidance, or at least look up and watch some how to videos first.

    OK, now real world solution, jack the tires off the ground, spin and test for tight spots, play, or uneven sound. Inspect the seal on the back side of the hub. It will be driven into the hub and the axle will be going thru it. It will look something like this. Make sure it is not leaking grease where it meets the axle shaft. If you get none of these, shoot the hubs full of marine grade grease till you see new grease come out, and replace the entire outer metal dust caps and rubber seals. Use a micrometer on the inter lip of the hub to make sure you get the correct size dust caps. Drive them on with a rubber hammer easily while spinning, or use a flat block of soft wood across the outside and hammer it into place. If you did not detect any problems when testing, this will give you a most likely scenario of not having any problems until you can find that experienced person to help instruct you on repacking the hubs during the off season.

    Last edited by Skeeterbait; 07-08-2018 at 10:33 AM.


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    #11
    I jacked it up and spun it and no sound at all, no wiggle, no stiffness. Here are some pictures of the trailer etc from the back and measurements Idk if that matters I don't have a micrometer.
    I think I'm going to take it to bass pro to be safe and have them work on it they gave me a quote of 100 a hour and it should be around 1 hour and 30 mins so I'm guess 150-200 which is a lot. Sadly I know no one with the skills to help or show me.
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  12. Member SoonerFan's Avatar
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    #12
    Quote Originally Posted by rocket man View Post
    The dust cap the rubber plug fits into has a dent in it, making it not seal. You can clearly see it in the pic.
    I noticed that as well. If it's letting grease out then it's also letting water in.

    Don't pay someone to do this. For one thing it's super easy, nothing high tech or special tools needed.

    Another reason is; it's something you need to know if you're going to be towing any distance at all. It may be something you have to do on the side of the road in the dark some day.

    While you're doing it you will get a better idea of what sort of shape your brake pads or shoes are in as well as the general condition of your trailer.

    There are at least 40 eleven videos on YouTube on this subject. Watch most of them and you'll be handing out advice just like the rest of us.
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    #13
    Youtube has many videos covering bearing packing. I would study them for a few hours and have at it. It is a messy job but a very simple job. Just have a lot of those blue shop towels and hand cleaner handy. A bearing packer and a can of brake cleaner makes things easier too.

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    #14
    This is a task that you really need to learn too. Learning how the bearings are put together may save your butt on the side of a road somewhere too.

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    #15
    Can anyone tell me what bearing buddy size I need?

  16. Member Bill Reynolds's Avatar
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    #16
    This is an EZ-Lube spindle. They use dust caps with a rubber insert that is removable to access the grease zert.
    This link explains the difference.
    https://www.etrailer.com/question-162933.html
    I’m 90% sure the dust cap size is 1.980 which may be referred to as a 2 inch.
    This is what you need:
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  17. Member tcesni's Avatar
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    #17
    Quote Originally Posted by GoneFishingLTN View Post
    Can anyone tell me what bearing buddy size I need?
    With your system you do not need Bearing Buddies.
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    #18
    Gonefishing, from reading your post it is evident that you wheel hub/bearing experience is not strong. Forgive me if I'm stepping on sore toes. My suggestion is to find a trustworthy peer with experience with hubs/bearings and ask that peer to work with you on this issue. Ask lots of question during this session. Hands-on experience with a mentor should preclude making costly mistakes.

  19. Member FlipSide's Avatar
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    #19
    I too, would recommend doing research on youtube/google or getting someone to help guide you through the process of changing your own bearings out... It is a necessity in boat ownership in my opinion. You will not regret learning how to do it, nor will your wallet lol
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    #20
    This made me laugh because it is so true....Youtube for the win.

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