Are we maintaining our equipment to death?

[MN1965]

Ok, I understand that a little maintenance isn't going to break the bank and boats are expensive. I've always tried to follow the recommendations, but.........

..... there are some things that just seem completely over the top when it comes to the frequency of maintenance. I'm thinking of things like trailer bearings. We are constantly greasing them and changing them out every couple of years. I don't recall EVER changing a wheel bearing on a car/truck. Oil changes on sterndrives (I know, not common on BBC) is another. It would be like dumping the oil in your car after less than 1000 miles. Fogging cylinders? Who in the heck ever fogged the cylinders on a sports car that sits over the winter?

[PolarKraft195]

better too much than not enough!

[catch5]

I think the big thing is your car is not submerged in water...

[brnzbaklvr]

I see alot of rigs on the side of the road with smoked trailer bearings....My current rig has vault hubs so not much maintenance but I disassemble the hubs and grease the bearings every year on my other trailers...
I never fog my engines on my dirt bikes when they sit and have never seen any type of rust on the internals...IMHO the oil on 2 strokes does a good job of keeping the internals lubricated....Now extremely long term storage over a year might be a different story..

[EL Skeeter]

No such thing as Over Maintenance, IMO, better to error on the side of caution, than on the side of the road or middle of lake.
Peace of Mind is priceless.

[Trickyrick]

About 25% of my current job is maintenance excellence for 26 plastics converting plants.

The question you have to ask is what level of breakdown is acceptable? Along with breakdown occurances per year, What do you feel is acceptable breakdown time and Cost...

You say we Don't have many issues with bearings in cars.. well what is the cost when you ignore your 3000 mile lube for the 5th time and forget to add grease to the zerk fitting and you loose an axle on a Sunday Night 300 miles from home?

If you don't take care of a high performance engine (Ferarri) and due the $12,000 tune up every 30,000 miles, can you afford a new Power train? Cause our engines are built and running the same way

You all make these decisions every day... you have to find what is best for you. Can't tell you how many times I watch a person abuse an engine then complain about being on their third Power head and second LU. Most new engines are monitored and blow alarms to let you know things are not right....


Just saying

[Mikez521]

Who really changes wheel bearings every couple of years

[TOUCH OF CLASS]

Shit mine have been changed once in 15 years keep grease in them and roll on.

[fishnfireman]

Somone holding a gun to your head and making you do it..

[Bassman Ia.]

Used to have the oil changed in my 3406 Kitty Cat every month---10 gallon of oil. plus all the filters, plus a grease job.


And you say wheel bearings every few years

[billnorman1]

Depends on the type of driving and towing you do. I jack my trailer up, spin the wheel and put my ear to the frame. If I hear anything grumbling, I immediately disassemble that bearing and check it out.
My brother, on the other hand, changes the oil and filter in his vehicles every 3000 miles. That is WAY too often, but he gets 300,000+ miles out of his engines and they are still running perfectly.
I get the waste oil in 55 gallon drums out back.

[Thermodude]

I've worked in the preventative maintenance field most of my life as a reliability engineer, I'm probably the most anal individual you will ever meet when it comes to taking care of my equipment. With that being said I've never lost a trailer bearing or changed a trailer bearing on any rig I've ever owned. Apply grease when needed, dont over grease and check for side play, its worked for me..........

[TampaJim]

Consider that preventative maintenance is about 10% as costly as corrective maintenance.
And also consider that preventative maintenance is on your schedule, not subject to surprise.
Now consider if you feel lucky. Do you? Did that engine fire five times or six??

[RockYScouT]

On a car you can hear if wheel bearing is going out. On a trailer you can not. Repacking trailer bearings gives a chance to visually check them. Trailers also take more hits from pot holes and curb checks.

[cfm56doc]

Some "required preventative maintenance" is a scam and no one can convince me other wise!

Case in point, my motor requires a 100hr or annual mx action. It also requires a 3yr or 300hr mx action. No one can convince me that a motor with 3 years and only 71 hours requires all the parts in a 3/300 interval be replaced.

Sure some of you will claim peace of mind, but you same folks are probably changing your automobile oil at the interval called out by the manufacturer and not doing it sooner for peace of mind. Your not changing brake pads on your auto every year for peace of mind.

As previously mentioned, you determine your level of acceptable risk with preventative mx that is above and beyond what the manufactures recommend.

[Dan21XRS]

I kinda see what he's saying... For example, Mercury recommends changing lower unit oil and water impeller every 100 hours or at the end of the season. I get it, if water is in the lower unit and freezes, but lets say I keep the boat in the garage at 60* and only put 25 hours on it since the last change, water pressure is within the parameters they recommend, why should I change the lower unit oil and impeller??? Mercury says they're good for 100 hours... Letting the lower unit oil and impellers sit for a month or two shouldn't cause anything to change... I mean if you take the engine in for normal service in January go on a winter fishing trip then let the boat sit for a few months are you gonna take it back to the shop in March to have it re-serviced???... Dan

[Mark Perry]

Doing some routine maintenance also helps familiarize yourself with how to fix it should it fail at a bad time.

[BMCD]

Comparing trailer bearings to car is not the same. I run a lifted truck, I will replace bearings b4 75k. The wheel bearings take alot more abuse on a trailer.

[Fishysam]

Car breaks down, no big deal we are terrestrial animals, boat breaks down on a large body of water and no one is around you may be a gonner Especially if no one is around for the storm rolling in. Cars can be parked anywhere boats can not. But I do run the piss out out of my gear and I will fix it immediately but I don't know how many hours on on it so if that's a hint to my preventative measures.

[MN1965]

Car breaks down, no big deal we are terrestrial animals, boat breaks down on a large body of water and no one is around you may be a gonner Especially if no one is around for the storm rolling in.

As a North Dakotan you know that a car breakdown in a winter storm, or even a January day can be a VERY big deal.

My point isn't that we shouldn't maintain our equipment. Of course we should. It's the recommended frequency that is so far out of whack with reality that I'm trying to understand. Here in the Northern Plains, boats are generally used 4-5 months per year. For me, I run my kicker and trolling motor a lot more than the main engine. Some years I may put on less than 20 hours on the big motor. Did all of the items in "annual maintenance" really go bad over that time? If someone who fishes tournaments in the South puts 200 hours on per year, would they change their impeller and gear lube 10 times??