I'm assuming since I bought my boat new, the trailer was new as well.... I had to register it and it came without plates. So I'm wondering.... how many miles before you check/change the bearings? I pulled the hub covers off and there was still ample grease showing around the 'blue' ring, and according to my specs, I don't need grease. I know how to check for wheel bearing wear/adjusting in auto wheels ... is it the same? I'd hate to have a wheel bearing go bad out in the desert on my way to Havasu. I'm thinking I have about 1000-1200 miles on them.... tires still look good too. With the 'season' approaching, should I have the dealer check the trailer along with the boat?

Do you have Bearing Buddies? If not, they are a worthwhile investment. If you don't know what these are, they are replacement bearing caps with grease fittings on them. Allows you to grease your bearings without the mess. The bearing buddies also have the ability to keep a bit of positive pressure on the grease, due to internal compression springs in the units.

Every time you dip your boat in the water, there is a chance of water getting into the bearings. Bearing Buddies help you to maintain the grease in the bearings, especially when those springs keep some pressure on the bearing grease.

Depending on how much you dip your trailer, I would top the bearing buddies off periodically - then do a complete bearing check before winter (before any water freezes).

The proper technique in topping off the Bearing Buddies is to usually put in just enough grease to expand the compression springs till they just reach their outer limit. If you put too much in (continuing to pump grease in after they have reached their limit), you might end up blowing out the rear seal.

I am actually using the term "Bearing Buddies" generically, however, it is actually a brand name that has just about gained universal acceptance for describing these bearing caps (you know, like Band-Aid and Kleenex).

Along with the brand name "Bearing Buddies" there are several competetor brands that work on the same idea. Each has its own procedures to keep 'em filled, so consult with the manual to determine when to quit pumping grease.

Nu2, is your trailer an EZ Loader? Our Glastron came with a Glastron specific model EZ Loader that has their form of bearing buddies. There is a rubber dust cap you remove and under it is a grease fitting and work pretty much as Vista-Al said (wrote?).

It's also a good idea to carry an extra bearing with you, just in case.

Here ya go...

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/why.html
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/

Lil Chap

My boat trailer has bearing buddy type fittings on my Four Winns like Al described in his post. I pump grease into each wheel 2-3 times each season. I continue pumping each wheel till all the old grease comes out the hub where the dust cover is removed to gain access to the grease fitting. My reason for doing this to make sure fresh, clean, dry grease completely replaces the old grease. After three seasons of doing this I havn't had any problems with the rear seals leaking or blowing out.When pumping grease I go slowly so that excess pressure doesn't damage anything.Make sure you use a good waterproof marine grease made for boat trailers.

SeaScape

Buddy Bearings are nice. However, even with proper greasing, water can enter the bearings. Under towing conditions, some heat build-up occurs during towing (and braking if your trailer is so equipped). When you "dip" your trailer, a rapid temperature decrease may occur, drawing a slight vacuum on the bearing area and sucking water into the hub.

The grease in the hub is not as fluid as the lake (canal, sea, etc.) water and cannot flow as easily. Hence the possiblity of sucking in some water.

I have a 17+ year old trailer (with brakes and buddy bearings). I check the bearings after every trip and usually need to hit them with a stroke or two from a grease gun every second or third trip.

Routinely, this is one of my annual preventive maintenance items. On several occasions, I have found water contaminated grease in the hubs. To date, I have yet to experience a bearing failure.

Top quality marine grease, designed to withstand the temperatures of braking systems, is a must.

One item of particular note, and which I was unaware of until 3 years ago, was that the axle was 300 lbs overloaded for the first 14 years (removed some items from the boat and redistributed some to correct the problem). To date there is no signs of overheating, corrosion, or other damage to the spindles.

Take the time to do the preventive maintenance. It sure beats sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow.

Thanks for the info folks!...

Hotbyte, my trailer is a Zieman, and it has the dust covers, ( a vaccuum tight fit as well!) and underneath the dust covers is a blue ring that 'floats', meaning that when the blue ring is below the level of the white hubs, it's time to shoot some grease in. When I pulled the dust covers off recently, I still had plenty of grease visible, and the ring was outside the lip of the hub.

Vista-Al, i've thought plenty about buying the actual brand 'Bearing- Buddies'. I see them every month in Trailer Boat Magazine.

JDandSVN, thanks for the info on marine grease... I wouldn't have thought about there being a difference when it comes to wheel grease, but it makes sense....going from hot/dry after a long trip to cold/wet at launch time, I can understand the stress the grease is under.

Thanks!... can't wait to get to the ramp.... almost time here in So Cal!

Al or SeaScape,

As you know I have a Four Winns trailer as well. Has Aqua Lube on it...but there is a cap on where the bearing buddy should be. Do I take this off to expose where I can fill the bearing? Hope I am making sense here?

Wet Doggg - Just pull off the rubber cap on the hub and the grease fitting is right there. It fits pretty tight so it can be a little tough with bare hands, I use a screw driver to get into it and get it started. Very easy.

Play Deep...thanks for the info. I did not knwo because I went to take one off last fall and grease started to come out...must be overflow.

Wet Doggg, I would add a few words of advise when pumping grease. First after you pump the grease into the wheel remove a little grease before you re-install the dust cover. The first time I greased my bearings I didn't do this and while trailering my boat on a long trip the grease expanded and was pushing out the dust covers. Remove just enough to prevent this from happening by leaving a little room.

Another point is when you trailer you boat over distances long enough that the bearings heat-up don't launch your boat right away. It's better to wait until the bearings cool so that they don't cool off so rapidly that you create a vacuum and may draw in water. I have found that over short distances(10 miles or less) heat is not a problem.

SeaScape

Thanks Seascape...so what you are saying it not fill the bearing all the way up. Good advice and will try it.

As often as possible . . . And dont limit your inspection to the grease cap only! Inspect the entire hub as well front and rear. If you are uncomfortable with this, pay someone. I do a visual check before very towing and at least monthly I pop the grease caps off. Also occasionally jack up the trailer and make sure the wheel spins freely with no horizontal movement.

My first major boating mishap was not on the water but rather while towing.

Our first boat had a single axle trailer (with bearing buddies) When we bought the boat, I did check the bearing buddies for grease. There was plenty and it looked clean.

About our third trip out we were coming home exhausted from a day on the river. While doing 55 mph I heard (and felt) a terrible clunk, looked in my rear view to see my boat and trailer dragging on the ground.

We pulled over as soon as possible to find that the entire hub, wheel and tire on one side had completely flew off the spindal.

The trailer had dropped to one side and was dragging on the axle U bolts grinding them down to the retaining plate before I could stop the truck - Very fortunate that the spindal didnt hit the road nor the lower drive of the boat. Also fortunately we live out in the boondocks and were on a country road with no other cars around.

We looked for the wheel for about 20 minutes in the ditch to no avail. I then started walking further in the cornfield where I found the tire, wheel and hub in one piece lying up against a cornstalk about 35' from the road.

As far as I can tell the rear seal of the hub was bad causing the grease to get contaminated thus allowing heat to finally destroy the hub and bearings.

We were only about two miles from home when this happened (late on a sunday) I had to leave the boat on the side of the road (which by the way makes you feel like you are abandoning your child) until the next day when I was able to replace the tire and hub. The spindal had a couple burs that needed to be filed but was remarkably in good shape considering the event.

All things considered we were quite lucky. No real damage to property and most important no one got injured. I shudder to think what would have happened if the wheel had hit another motorist.

Again, I thought my hubs were in good shape. Two lessons I learned; Dont under estimate the importance of proper trailer maintanence, and two - Never again will I own a single axle trailer!

Roncat,

Glad to hear that there was really no damage. So you ask if I am comfortable with this type of inspection...the answer is no. But I do want to learn...or should I just leave it to a professional? Also, can any trailer place do this or since it is dunked in water make a difference?