sealed wheel bearings on a trailer

[simonfraser]

these have rotted again in the salt water, i do rinse them

i have all the tools to lift and take the wheel off

the yard said something about a press ?
can i get the bearing out of the wheel without this ?

 

[Bigplumbs]

these have rotted again in the salt water, i do rinse them

i have all the tools to lift and take the wheel off

the yard said something about a press ?
can i get the bearing out of the wheel without this ?

Depending on what trailer/axel you have wheel bearings are quite an easy job. Best thing to do is learn the make of your axel (There are not that many) and then resort to You Tube where you will find videos of people doing it. After you have done it you will feel very pleased with yourself as well as having a cheap repair don your trailer.... Ebay is full of bearings

Dennis

 

[simonfraser]

tnx Dennis

 

[dpb]

I use one of these for changing the sealed for life bearings on my trailer.
Pressing rather than hammering the new bearing in prevents damage apparently.
Its an easy enough job.
I also bought a torque wrench that would go up to the value required for installing the bearing nut, about 290Nm for mine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23Pc-Fro...h=item5b37e970ad:g:UtwAAOSw~bFWMyBT:rk:3:pf:0

 

[simonfraser]

I use one of these for changing the sealed for life bearings on my trailer.
Pressing rather than hammering the new bearing in prevents damage apparently.
Its an easy enough job.
I also bought a torque wrench that would go up to the value required for installing the bearing nut, about 290Nm for mine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23Pc-Fro...h=item5b37e970ad:g:UtwAAOSw~bFWMyBT:rk:3:pf:0

cool, more tools
got the wrench for the car will check that too.

 

[Seastoke]

Buy good make of bearings ,you don’t have to buy from a trailer shop

 

[simonfraser]

Buy good make of bearings ,you don’t have to buy from a trailer shop

yeh that may well work better. also going to coat the bearings in OUTBOARD Motor Boat Waterproof Triple Guard Grease
that stuff sticks like, well you can guess
have had it on some other external in the water parts, very very durable

 

[QBhoy]

Hi

There is a video on these, if it’s the ones I’m imagining. The usual Alko sealed for life bearing...that clearly aren’t, haha.

You’ll need a big breaker bar for sure and a big torque wrench from memory. I have them on my own SBS trailer but have not had to change them yet. Let me know how you get on. Interested for sure.

 

[Neil_Y]

It can help cooling the bearings with fresh water before launching, if you launch with warm or hot bearings the cooling when they hit sea water sucks salt water in.

There was an Australian bearing protector that had a diaphragm to allow for this a few years back.

 

[BruceK]

Get yourself some Bearing Buddies. https://www.bearingbuddy.com/

You can pick them up from MES Marine and other online chandleries or fleabay.

 

[simonfraser]

Got these bearings
https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p...ow-Wheel-Bearing-42x80x42mm/product_info.html
I have emailed them

 

[dpb]

Get yourself some Bearing Buddies. https://www.bearingbuddy.com/

You can pick them up from MES Marine and other online chandleries or fleabay.

Bearing Buddies are very good....................., but you cannot use them with sealed for life bearings as per the subject of this thread.

 

[BruceK]

Bearing Buddies are very good....................., but you cannot use them with sealed for life bearings as per the subject of this thread.

Sealed for life, ace for caravan etc but is anything but on a boat trailer. The bearings get warm and then suck in salt water. Cone bearings and packing grease is the best solution ... aka bearing buddy.

EDIT. Although tbh bearing buddy is all about preventing water ingress so not sure it would not be suitable for sealed bearings. I have no personal experience on that score.

 

[Neil_Y]

I've used these in the past https://www.durahub.com.au/how-it-works/

 

[simonfraser]

Looking at the durahub, that’s not for a sealed bearing either, it shows a outer and inner race on the installation guide

 

[BruceK]

can you not change to cone bearings?

 

[IF-S]

but you cannot use them with sealed for life bearings as per the subject of this thread.

Agreed.

The sealed for life only means you don't grease them or you cannot grease them, hence sealed, it doesn't mean they are water tight.

Also Simon, I remember reading somewhere that the hub nuts on SBS trailers are torqued to ridiculously high pressure, something like 400ftlbs, consequently you may need a very large torque wrench.

 

[Kawasaki]

Forum people, friends Romans kuntrymen rumanians et al
Piss balling about with all sorts of bearing combinations is a lost cause when yer dunking the thing in the sea
Here's what I do after 40 years of piss balling about
There is no 'Answer'
Example
Bought a rib from the IOW
Couple of years ago, trailer been dunked in twice or thrice
'Sealed bearings Mate be ok' said the Man
But stood standing innit for three years
Bearings were k nackered
Change em drag the thing back to Wales
Dunked it a few times after
All ok but the boat this year has 'sat' fer a while like
On the Hard
This fecker is an 8 metre plus son of a gun
My answer is this
Cos I'm always right!
I just change the bearings after 6/7 dunkings
Get to the nearest bearing Fella on the Industrial Estate
Buy the normal caged roller gadgies at a tenner a piece and shove em on
Did that yesterday
Cos prior to launching I jacked the wheels up and spun em etc
4 wheeled trailer2 had 'grumblins but no play
on totherside all seemed well
But renewed them anyway
Job done vessel launched
I have tried all that,s out there over the years
F all will last forever
'Sealed bearings' do not work
Because
The 'Briney' will get in , eventually

 

[Davy_S]

Swap the complete hubs for taper roller bearings, they are quick and easy to change, you can strip them down easily for cleaning, also if needed, you can change them at the side of the road with a jack and simple tools. after towing every weekend for years, then dunking the trailer in the sea from the beach, it is the only way to go for reliability and ease of maintenance IMHO.

 

[dpb]

My own experience over decades of trailer boating.
Taper roller bearings with standard cap:
Dunked most summer week ends after short journeys, with one or two long distance runs thrown in.
Cheap, easy enough to change on the roadside, changed them once a year and still had failures....bloody useless.

Taper roller bearings with bearing buddies:
Same use pattern, same bearings after 6 years on one trailer and 4 years on another other after which both trailers were sold. Happy days.

Sealed for life bearing on current bunked trailer.
Did not want these type of bearings but as time has gone on it seems many manufacturers (in this case SBS) but not all, only build their trailers with these bearings so as buying second hand was forced into it.
Replaced all the bearings on purchase and they are still there 3 years later......but they have never been in the water and we only use a crane to transfer to and from trailer.
You can change them yourself if you have a suitable bearing puller set and a high capacity torque wrench and I still carry all the tools with me on long journeys just in case.
I have looked at converting to taper roller bearings but as that involves changing major axle components, if not the whole axle assembly so it is not, at least for me, economically viable.
Also, part of the appeal of trailer boating is self launching so in all not ideal.

So I have now bought a used full roller SBS trailer, again with sealed for life bearings which I am going to trial to see how I get on.
Refurbing it at the moment.. Hoping to be able to launch and recover without getting the hubs wet but for my size of boat that is probably optimistic.
Making sure hubs have cooled before immersing should help, together with a hub flush kit, and if they last a year between annual changes, then I can live with that.
We will see how we get on. I certainly will continuew to carry the stuff for a roadside change just in case.....