Baller LOTW Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 My boat gets trailered about 20miles/year, previous owner did less. Last few years the trailer was making a loud rattling noise, aluminum trailer. Bearing hubs were not warm but could not figure out the noise. Last year, I pulled the hubs apart and the bearings fell apart on the ground. New bearings, races, seals, Lukas grease and $400.00 later. Ok, should be good forever now as the noise is gone and all good. Throw the boat on the trailer last fall, always careful to only have the wheels under water for as short a period as possible. Boat in storage for the winter and all good. Pull boat out this spring and the noise is back, bearings NFG AGAIN, WTF! Hubs had water in them and bearings rusted and pitted. I know how to repack bearings and how to set the spindle nuts torque, used high end grease, New seals etc, I'm stumped! Any recommendations on grease? That's the only thing I can think of, thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller skibrain Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 I’ve had bearing buddies on my last two boat trailers. Spring-loaded caps with a grease fitting in center. By monitoring depth of plunger you can see when you need to re-full the BBs. Spring is constantly pushing grease into bearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ReallyGottaSki Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 and how to set the spindle nuts torque...you mean zero preload, yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jetsetr Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 Snug (don’t go apeshit crazy on “snug”) and back off one slot on the castle nut, insert cotter pin. X2 on bearing buddy’s...they don’t allow water in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 2Valve Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 Timken bearings (older automotive style) are pre-loaded typically to about 15 ft. lbs. of torque, backed off and set around 5-10 ft. lbs. At least that's what I've been doing on my Eagle trailer. It's a 2002 and I've never changed bearings. I just shoot a wad of grease into each zirk every time I put it in the water. I think I have Lucas marine grease in my gun at the moment. Did I mention the bearings are original? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LOTW Posted August 26, 2020 Author Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 It has bearing buddies but I just repacked the bearings so they were full. Yes, snug up, back off, take up the slack on nut. Only thing I can see is the grease was crap! Going to try different grease on one side this time. The thing that really gets me is the amount of trailers that I see on the side of the highway with burned out bearings vs. the number of trailers traveling, not many but then there's me with no miles and $400.00/yr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 2Valve Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 @LOTW Some people forget to check the grease seals on the inner side of the hubs. If hose are dry-rotted, they'll let water in and wreak havoc as well. If bearings have clean grease in them and are torqued correctly, they can last hundreds of thousands of miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ejj Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 The weak link on hubs--even those with Bearing Buddies, is the inner seal. These can actually be damaged by pumping too much grease into the hub. Bottom line, pump in a little grease according to use, and service them every few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LOTW Posted August 26, 2020 Author Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 New seals installed nice and straight, no grease pumped in as the bearing were freshly packed. That's what has me fried, they should have lasted hundreds of thousands of miles not 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller UWSkier Posted August 26, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 26, 2020 Bearing buddies need positive internal pressure. If you have neutral pressure and get them warm (towing) then cool them by dunking them into a cold lake, you could possibly ingest a little water that way. Make sure the spring cap is floating a bit. If the spring cap is bottomed out, add grease until it's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ RichardDoane Posted August 27, 2020 Baller_ Share Posted August 27, 2020 Upgrade to oil bath bearings and your problem is solved. Just keep an eye on the oil level and condition. Grease packed bearings are a thing of the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LOTW Posted August 27, 2020 Author Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 Ok, I'll load the buddies this time. I didn't realize that they had to be loaded. Retro to oil bath? I didn't know you could. What are the options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ScottScott Posted August 27, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 Mileage isn't as important as the amount of time it sits having a little water in it. Bearing buddies are just ok....super lube hubs are much better. Can't overfill, complete change out of grease without disassembling (do that before you store for the winter.) Don't know about an oil bath retrofit, but super lube is a simple change-out of hub. As mentioned above, if you drive enough to warm up the hubs then dunk in water before they cool, it will compress the grease and suck in water. Super lube recommends a couple squirts of grease anytime you launch straight away after driving a little while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted August 27, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 I don't have any issues with vault hubs. Install and don't touch anything for 10 years. In 2 more years I will take them apart and change the grease. Can't figure out how you are 400 into a set of bearings and seals though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ MISkier Posted August 27, 2020 Baller_ Share Posted August 27, 2020 I have the Vault hubs. Just had the inner seal go this year on an 11 year old trailer with thousands of miles on it. No damage. Just noticed some leakage on the inside of the wheel and had it addressed. Had the seals replaced and one bearing had gotten water in side and was replaced also. The worst slalom equipment I own is between my ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ScottScott Posted August 27, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 Our new Mastercraft came with the vortex hubs. Maybe sounds similar to the Vault? Supposedly maintenance free for 5 years. I didn't trust not touching the hubs for 5 years, especially on a 1200 mile round trip, so I added some grease 1/2 way through the trip. It was simple, like the super lube. Big difference is its a sealed cap to prevent water getting in. And the lucas oil specified acts like an oil bath when it warms up. Dont' know retrofit options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted August 27, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 How did you add grease? The vaults are a semi sealed system that uses a thick grease which becomes a liquid when it warms up. Is there a zerk on your somewhere? When you do rebuild them after the 10 years you replace the caps (not supposed to reuse) along with the special grease. The vortex looks like the exact same system Kits https://www.dexteraxle.com/products/Hub-Hub-Drum/hub-components/vault-vortex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LOTW Posted August 27, 2020 Author Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 Not hard to hit $400.00 in Canada these days. I asked for high end parts too, again, hoping to not have to do this again for a long time. I'll ck out these options, THANKS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ScottScott Posted August 27, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 @oldjeep the cap just unscrews. Maybe a new cap occasionally is good to maintain the integrity of the seal. Theres a zerk behind the cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Fam-man Posted August 27, 2020 Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 @LOTW my trailer is probably 22 years old and has seen some neglect. This has led to corrosion on the hub inner sealing surface allowing water intrusion. Last fall I sleeved the sealing surface, will see how things fared this year. Just another thing for you to keep in mind if your issue repeats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LOTW Posted August 27, 2020 Author Baller Share Posted August 27, 2020 Sleeving might be the answer, I'm really struggling with this as it's not really rocket science but this time I'm struggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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