Reply With QuoteGood call. That suck that it went out on the road. I actually just had all of mine replaced for about $55 each wheel.
I finally had the time to make it out to Havasu and bring my boat home. When I rolled into Havasu I noticed that the tires on my trailer had dry rotted and figured I'd get the bearings checked out too. A set of new tires and a quick bearring inspection later and I was on the road. 1000 miles later I was home with no problems. Or so I thought.
After getting the boat home I gave it a good detail and took it down to the local do it yourself car wash so I could pressure wash a few things. While washing the boat I noticed that the right side bearring buddy was missing and didnt think much of it other then I'd have to make a quick trip to the auto parts store the next day, get a new grease cap and regrease the bearings. On my way home (literally 1 1/2 miles away) I noticed that the rear right wheel started pouring smoke out of it. I immediately pulled over and inspected the wheel. It was sitting crooked and had I gone much further it would have probably fallen off.
With a little jimmy rigging my neighbor and I were able to use some bearings for his sea doo trailer and get my trailer home. Made a lot of noise but it worked. When I got home I pulled everything apart and inspected it. The spindle is completely shot and requires that I pull the axle completely and have a new spindle welded on.
Here's the kicker. I know for a fact that the trailer had at most 125 miles on it without the bearing buddy on it. More then likely less, but at most 125. I would have never thought that in such a short amount of time the bearings can get that hot that quick but I was definitely wrong. When they went, they went bad, every bearing in side of the hub was pretty much evaporated. The heat got so bad that the remainder of the rear bearing is literaly welded on to the spindle now.
So from now on I will be checking to make sure the grease caps are on every time I pull the boat out. Had I checked it before I left the house all of this could have been possibly avoidable. A grease cap and grease is about $7. This whole ordeal is costing me about $200 and I am doing almost all of the labor myself other then the welding, I imagine for someone who doesn't do any of their own work it would probably cost an EASY $400+.
If you cant remember the last time you checked the bearings on your trailer then definitely do it! I'd hate to be towing to Havasu in the middle of nowhere and have this happen, had this happened while towing the boat home from Havasu I'd have been REALLY f*cked. I'm also going to be carrying a spare hub/drum with me in the car at all times while towing in the even that something does go bad while I'm on the road. For those of you who tow long distances I'd strongly recomend that you do the same.
Good call. That suck that it went out on the road. I actually just had all of mine replaced for about $55 each wheel.
call it overkill but every summer i jack up every wheel and spin it if it aint super quiet or sounds different i replace the bearings.I usually replace them at least 1 every 2 years(and at least one set every year)and i also grease them after every trip when i get home.You will always get water in there so when you get home and grease them you most likely push the water out also which wont sit and start rusting the bearings out.
Losing bearing buddys is fairly common. I normally tap them egg shape a little (don't go all hulk hogan on them) and the preload keeps them from coming out.
That said, imo the bearing buddy being gone was a result, not a cause of your problem in this case. Think about this. In a normal front wheel bearing on a car is the grease cap packed with grease when you remove it? No not normally. The grease is in the bearing and stays there by itself. I've lost buddy bearings and run clear to the river and back without them, so that in itself isn't the cause of your failure.
Over time water in the bearings on a trailer will pit and kill the rollers and the races. Not keeping them greased properly is definately a big contributing factor. But once the bearings get rough and start to deteriorate the downward progression can be fast especially if not much or any grease is present. The bearings wear and get loose and spit the bearing buddys off and end up with a weld job as you've described. I've had it happen and seen it many times. Seen some you have to beat the hubs off with a sledge hammer.
In this case since you did inspect the bearings and assume packed with grease one can only speculate as to the cause. I've seen cases where it feels like the spindle nut is tight but it's not, the bearing hangs up. If that happens then you go down the road thinking everything hunky dory and its actually loose. I've also seen cases where people are under the impression since they're running bearing buddys there's no need to pack the bearings. Not correct. There's no substitute for packing the bearings before installing them.
Trailer maintenence is an often overlooked part of boating. I too always carry spare bearings and bearing buddys as well as a chain to chain a failed hub up. Sometime shit just happens and you never really know why.
as well as a chain to chain a failed hub upWhat does this mean, if you please? (My bearing and hub expertise goes about as far as squirting grease into bearing buddies with a grease gun)
What does this mean, if you please? (My bearing and hub expertise goes about as far as squirting grease into bearing buddies with a grease gun
Rexone is refering to hanging up an axle on a tandem trailer.
Loose a tire/hub/bearing on a tandem axle trailer and you can chain the axle up to the main frame and continue on your way at a reduced speed.
Loose a tire/hub/bearing on a single axle trailer and your stuck till it is fixed.
Here is the real bearing killer.
You drive down to the launch ramp (insert distance here) the bearings/hub/brakes have some heat in them. The seals as you were driving have "burped some heated/expanded air out. That hot/expanding air has to go somewhere right?
Then you dunk the boat into the water. That nice cool water.
As the trailer sits for way too long in the water..... waiting for your wife to load the cooler, kids, get the boat fired up, then the lines need to come out, another boater is in the way, etc, etc.
All this time the hub/bearings are cooling off from that nice cool water and the hot air that is in there is now contracting and sucking in water!!!
Just let that trailer sit there in the water for as long as you can pal!!!!
Oh yeah, there is at least a little water pressure pushing on those seals.
Dunk the boat in and get that damn trailer out!!!
Synthetic wheel bearing grease helps.
Be good, Jim
Rexone is refering to hanging up an axle on a tandem trailer.
Loose a tire/hub/bearing on a tandem axle trailer and you can chain the axle up to the main frame and continue on your way at a reduced speed.
Loose a tire/hub/bearing on a single axle trailer and your stuck till it is fixed.Gotcha. Thank you for teaching me something.
To do it, it's nice to have one of those little portable floor jacks on board too or at least a sissor or bottle jack. You have to get the dead axle raised up before you chain it off so it doesn't drag on the ground. Have some bolts and washers, nuts, too that fit the chain and some rags to put between the frame and the chain if you're concerned about the paint on the trailer frame. I carry a box I keep all that trailer chit in.
Yes single axle you're SOL. :frown: Double or triple, roll on.
To do it, it's nice to have one of those little portable floor jacks on board too or at least a sissor or bottle jack. You have to get the dead axle raised up before you chain it off so it doesn't drag on the ground. Have some bolts and washers, nuts, too that fit the chain and some rags to put between the frame and the chain if you're concerned about the paint on the trailer frame. I carry a box I keep all that trailer chit in.
Yes single axle you're SOL. :frown: Double or triple, roll on.
Thanks!
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