Any one know anyone around the DFW area that repacks and does these? Any ballpark on what they charge? I haven't done any of this stuff before and really dont have much time or a place to do this at. Any info would be appreciated.

I asked North Texas Fiberglass about this and he referred me to Lakeview Marina.

I had my neighbor show me how to replace and repack the bearings on my trailer. It IS easy, but there is no way in Hades I could have done it with out his help the first time.

It's a real good idea NOT to use a high pressure grease gun (like what you'll find at most service facilities)...like they're sayin', keep a hand operated grease gun close by, and avoid blowing out the rear seal(s).

Crappie Terrorist- be VERY careful having your bearings packed in a shop. Always keep in mind that your average joe mechanic went through an 8 week certification course where they were taught to pack bearings in a cone shaped vise with a high pressure gun. Make sure the bearings are hand packed by someone who knows what they are doing. In my experience, you have to find a mechanic who is either out of the military, or who has been around for at least 20 years. Those are the only ones that have been taught properly.

Bearing buddy or not, with proper routine maintenance your bearings should not offer any problems. Don't wait for a problem to look at your bearings.

Check out this site, best I've seen on wheel bearings.
http://users.westco.net/~tandjlm/berring.htm

Crappie Head...that is an awsome post ( the wheel bearing site) Thanks for doing the homework!

Leonardo...Your welcome. I found that site several years ago and was impressed by the detail of everything you wanted to know about wheel bearings.
I have followed his instructions several times. Several years ago my buddy and I were going camping/fishing at Lake Whitney. We lost a trailer wheel on a bridge near Cleburne at 8:00 at night. Don't want to do that again.

Is it normal for it to have no flat washer between the outer bearing and the axle nut when bearing buddies are used?

I just moved from Texarkana to Waxahachie. I got to Rockwall and sparks were coming from my passenger side boat trailer tire. Those sparks were my spindle and bearings going out and getting chewed up. The hub was glowing red hot. Good thing I stopped when I did, otherwise I would have lost that tire. I am a newbie to boating and just thought I would wait until I got to the DFW area and get someone to help me repack the bearings and show me the ropes. Needless to say , I didn't make it. I had to get a guy to come out and put new bearings and race back on the hub.

I am afraid I may have to buy a new axle as well.
Terrible lessoned learned.

So point is, if you can repack or buy bearing buddies, go for it. A little trouble now is worth it, trust me. I would do it at least three times a year.

Doesn't the latest issue of Bassmaster's have a complete guide to trailer bearings in it? Did I dream I read that yesterday? I can't seem ti find the magazine right now.


I have to agree with the "hand pack 'em" crowd. Bearing buddies do place a positive pressure on the seal. When you tow the trailer, the grease within the seals does heat up and expand. If you overpump the buddies, there's no room for any expansion and you blow the seals. The result is you have grease spun all over the backside of the wheel and you have to pump more grease every trip to keep them full. The upside to that is you're keeping fresh grease in the system. The downside to that is you're setting yourself up for a failure.


Not everyone is mechanically-inclined so I don't judge anyone based on how they grease their bearings. For myself, I fully endorse the hand packing method the way my dad taught me when I was about 10 years old. Towing back and forth into Canada every summer, and not the first problem. I figure he either had the right idea, or he was one lucky fella. If you don't know how to do it, take it to a reputable marine shop and ask them to let you watch as they do it. Most likely, the shop mechanic will be thrilled you're interested in learning and for once you're not looking down at him like he ain't worth your time. We can all learn a lot from each other if we just bury our pride from time to time.

Nope.

What Mike Halfmann says for sure!

Just my .02 having a 90 model Skeeter with trailer with old style bearing buddies:

Once a year, take it to the wheel shop and have them pull, inspect, and hand pack bearings. After that about every third trip (approx 100 miles in my case) add grease just until the buddy hub moves out a tad. Anything more is a waste.

The big deal with it is that the bearings heat up during the tow. When you back down into water that may be as much as 40 degrees cooler, the bearings contract pulling in water. The bearing buddies keep positive pressure on bearings that keep water out. Thats a big deal. Grease is cheap insurance. Don't over do it but keep it just a tad overloaded.

Again, just my .02

What happens when hot metal is hit with water........steam baby steam.

So your driving in the summer with the tarmac @ ~ 110-120 degrees F, or more, stop, get the boat ready and then plunge the trailer into the water. If you don't keep the hubs full of grease that will move the water out/protect the spindle/bearings/races you will be in a pile of trouble.

Probably left a few steps out but it's late.

I shoot my buddies with a little insurance grease about every other month. I've seen too many horse/cattle/boat trailers on the side of the road to not keep this a high priority.



Dan

Hubs should never get too hot to touch. If they're hot enough to produce steam when it's 120�, they'd burn the [censored] out of you on a 50� day - it'll take more than a little grease to solve your problems.

Waiting 15 minutes usually isn't a problem. There is usually that long of a wait in line at the boat ramp. Waiting makes sense.

I think you kind of have to look at the quality of your trailer to begin with. If you have a n older or lower quality trailer you may have to do more maintenance. My first trailer didn't have bearing buddies, so I just gave them a couple of slow pumps until I felt pressure every 3 months or so and never had any problems for 8 years.