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Trailer Hubs -- Grease
blindeman	#1  Posted on 04/19/11 - 4:39 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	I'm in the process of refurb'ing my '74 13" Sport and am now turning my attention to a couple of trailer issues. The trailer is an '86 Long galvaninzed and hasn't seen water in 20+ years. So, it's in decent shape. A new winch, jack stand, and lights and it'll be pretty good to go. However, I was wondering about the wheel hubs/bearings so I pried off the caps covering the hubs last night and both were fairly well packed with grease. So, I put the caps back on. But, how do I know if they're greased sufficiently? Or, is the grease covering the bearings, etc. how it should look? Thanks in advance! And, if has been covered before, I apologize! Bruce Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
zappaddles	#2  Posted on 04/19/11 - 5:03 AM
Member Posts: 478 Comments: 2 Joined: 06/03/10	Grease is cheap and the process is simple. Clean and re-pack the whole bearing assembly. Why gamble being left on the side of the road. Zap If you can't play hurt....stay home.
SeaLevel	#3  Posted on 04/19/11 - 6:02 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 193 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/03/09	Don't forget to replace the seals "It's just a forty eight year old Whaler but it's all mine" Joseph R Palmieri
blindeman	#4  Posted on 04/19/11 - 7:41 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	Thanks guys. I'll see if I can search for a thread/article on how to do all of this. It's a black hole for me Bruce Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
vwfreshness	#5  Posted on 04/19/11 - 7:42 AM
Member Posts: 9 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/28/11	I would repack them, this way you know that your good to go. The grease I only use is Redline extreme pressure grease. I don't like "bearing buddys" because they tend to get over greased and pop out the rear bearing seal.
Swamp	#6  Posted on 04/19/11 - 8:29 AM
Member Posts: 162 Comments: 0 Joined: 01/28/11	I'm a fan of bearing buddies. I like the way that they keep a constant low pressure on the grease, keeping water out of the hubs. You just have to take care not to fill them up to the max, or you will blow out the rear seal. Also, there are some good how-to videos on YouTube for repacking trailer bearings. Have a look.
blindeman	#7  Posted on 04/19/11 - 9:20 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	How do you know what size seal to buy? Do I have to remove it and take the old seal to somewhere like West Marine to get the proper one? Or, is it a standard size? Again, I apologize for my ignorance... Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
CES	#8  Posted on 04/19/11 - 9:33 AM
Member Personal Page Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 2681 Comments: 7 Joined: 04/27/07	blindeman wrote: How do you know what size seal to buy? Do I have to remove it and take the old seal to somewhere like West Marine to get the proper one? Or, is it a standard size? Again, I apologize for my ignorance... Take your bearings out and after you've cleaned them off, look at the numbers on the side of them. You can match those numbers with what you find at Academy, Bass Pro, Cabellas, Wal Mart, Tractor supply, West Marine or any trailer shop. Good luck! Oh, and I use Bearing Buddies too......they work very well. Cliff 1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker
bmw90w	#9  Posted on 04/19/11 - 9:48 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 328 Comments: 1 Joined: 09/08/09	I would go a step further if i were you. I didn't want to repack new bearings, so I just replaced the whole hub. Each hub is like 45 bucks at northern tool with the bearings greased and installed already. It is a 5 minute job and a lot less messy. Just take your old hub off to them and they can measure it. Then there is just a cotter pin and a nut to worry with! 1984 Montauk
vwfreshness	#10  Posted on 04/19/11 - 10:00 AM
Member Posts: 9 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/28/11	Northern has a great selection of hubs and complete rim/tires also. I bought a set of hubs and rim/tire set for under $100. I repacked the new hubs from northern with redline grease, this way I know that it was done right(piece of mind).
blindeman	#11  Posted on 04/19/11 - 10:31 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	Being I have no desire to have a hub/tire fail on me due to me not knowing what the h*ll I'm doing, I called my mechanic, who I trust. They'd charge me ~ $100 to repack my bearings and replace the seals (I have a single axle trainer, obvisouly). Well, if I can get entirely new hub assemblies to replace mine that are 26 years old, that seems like a no brainer to me. Thanks for all your help, guys! Bruce It gets even better! I checked w/ Northern Tool and their price on a 4 bolt on 4" hub assembly is $29.99. For $60 + tax, I get 2 brand new complete hub assemblies. Suhweet! Edited by blindeman on 04/19/11 - 10:37 AM Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
bmw90w	#12  Posted on 04/19/11 - 11:33 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 328 Comments: 1 Joined: 09/08/09	Sweet man good deal. Yeah my buddy paid something like that for his mechanic and I just laughed. I am not a mechanic by any means, and this was easy to do! That way you get a new hub, new studs, new caps, etc. Just make sure to only tighten the nut 1/4 turn past snug. Otherwise it will be too tight and cause the bearings to fail. Good luck 1984 Montauk
blindeman	#13  Posted on 04/19/11 - 2:16 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	So, I went to Northern Tool on my way home from work today. I had never been there before. That place is the proverbial man hut. Plop down a wide screen TV and a fridge of barley pops and I could spend some serious time in that place. But, back on task... They had an entire end-cap of the hubs I needed, so I got 2 and will put 'em on hopefully tomorrow after work. I realize that repacking my existing hubs would've been cheaper. But, it's a 26 year old trailer. I don't know if the bearings have ever been re-packed. I don't know the condition of the seals, the races, etc. This way, for $60, I start w/ knowing what I'll install is new and I can maintain them as needed and feel good about it. Again, thanks for all the suggestions and help everyone! Bruce Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
Derwd24	#14  Posted on 04/19/11 - 2:33 PM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	Just for kicks, when you pull the old hubs out, remove the bearings and wipe them down. Look at the roller bearing surface and the cage that holds the rollers in place for pitting as well as the race inside the hub that the bearing rolls on. Be interesting to see what kind of shape they're in after all these years. If they're in good shape, you now have spares. New parts like these complete assemblies are great, but quality and longevity can be questionable depending on how and where they're manufactured. Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
blindeman	#15  Posted on 04/19/11 - 3:58 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	Dave -- I did just that! I had a few minutes after supper so I tried to replace one. When I went to put the new hub on the spindle that I wiped down to ensure no dirt would get into the new assembly, it went on about an inch and then stopped. I tapped it gently and pushed hard and... nothing. So, I looked at the new inner bearing and it's a L44643. I then looked at the old one and it is an L44649. The old ones are in pretty good shape, best I can tell. So I will definitely keep them as spares after cleaning them up. But, for now, I had to put the old hub back on. My assumption -- is this correct? -- is that the L44649 bearings have a larger diameter than L44643 bearings..? It's the only explanation I can think of for why the new hubs don't fit. I have a 1" spindle, so nothing unusual there. Any thoughts anyone? Thanks in advance!!! Bruce Edited by blindeman on 04/19/11 - 3:59 PM Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
CES	#16  Posted on 04/19/11 - 4:03 PM
Member Personal Page Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 2681 Comments: 7 Joined: 04/27/07	That's what I suggested you do earlier. Try the local places mentioned above and see if they have the bearings you need. Cliff 1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker
Joe Kriz	#17  Posted on 04/19/11 - 4:05 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	It looks like the L44649 that you have is for a 1 1/6" axel shaft. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tool..._200308417 No wonder the L44643 will not go on as it is for a 1" axel shaft.
blindeman	#18  Posted on 04/19/11 - 4:23 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 182 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/28/08	Cliff and Joe, you're exactly right. I told you guys I was ignorant about this stuff The part I need from Northern Tool (#57224) is a non-stock item so I was able to order it through the store. It'll take a week to get in the store but I save $12 in shipping charges. Interestingly, this kit comes with 2 different sized seals, 1 1/4in. and 1 1/2in. and the cost was a dollar more than the kit I bought earlier. BUT, it comes with L44649 inner/outer bearings. So... I'm a'guessing that this one will work. I just need to wait a week to give it a go. In the mean time, I'll install new trailer lights. More fun! Thanks again!!! Bruce Bruce Lindeman 1992 Sport 13
Joe Kriz	#19  Posted on 04/19/11 - 4:40 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	So both your inner and outer bearings are the same? That would mean you have a straight axle and not tapered. Not familiar with your axle as most I have seen have been tapered. The outer bearing is usually smaller. Seal inner and outer diameters do vary but if they come installed in the hub then there is no problem. Once you get this all figured out, write them down and save the list. I have all the info for my Inner Bearings, Outer Bearings, Inner Races, Outer Races, and Seals all written down for future reference. This includes not only the part numbers but the actual inner and outer dimensions. Makes it much easier the next time around when you do this again sometime down the road... Well, hopefully not on the road..... One last thing.... Important: It is recommended to always use the same grease. Never mix different types or brands of grease unless it is an emergency.... Edited by Joe Kriz on 04/19/11 - 4:41 PM
CES	#20  Posted on 04/19/11 - 5:10 PM
Member Personal Page Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 2681 Comments: 7 Joined: 04/27/07	You're doing just fine. We all had to learn one way or another. I've owned a boat ever since I was 15 years old and I'm still amazed at how much I do NOT know. Cliff 1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker