Friendly reminder to my fellow FNN'ers.

[cutbait]

Just wanna remind/inform boat owners to inspect your trailer bearings and seals before everytrip and to remove and repack your bearings before every season. All too often you see boats and trailers pulled off the side of the road with shot bearings.

When hauling a trailer for miles the bearings heat up the hub, spindle, bearings, and axle. When you arrive at the lake the warm or hot components get submerged into water to luanch the boat. Shrinkage occurs differently in these parts and it is COMMON for water to sneak past the seals and further corrode your bearings.

Bearing buddies are awesome and well worth their price. However thier only function is to compress grease into the hub. It will leak and fail. They are not a fail safe, or lifesaver product.

Changing bearings and seals only cost 30 dollars or so. If you haven't checked your bearings or repacked them in over a season, do your self a favor and do it. Before you get stuck on the side of the road calling a tow truck for hundreds of dollars, waiting on them for hours.

PM me or reply if you need help. Even the most novice mechanic can do this within an hour.

[Eat Sleep Fish]

good stuff. thanks for the info.

[madwire3]

good reminder/notice, thanks c/b

[Fishbones]

great thread!

[dixoncider]

I need to do this..I am sure that the bearing on the trailer I just got are 20 years old..I put new grease in there put who knows where they will give up. sooner than later for sure. I will give you a PM before I start..

[cutbait]

If you don't know the condition. I suggest you do it ASAP. Just adding grease does nothing for the condition of the bearing if it is close to failure


Its not that difficult and here is a basic vid on how to do it.

Its a bit more complicated than this guys vid, but not much

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9WdVdaLVQE

I wanna add to check the condition of the seal in the rear of the hub.

[dixoncider]

Where's a good place for the parts? Mine have the zerk fitting in the end. They are the "bearing Buddy" type

[cutbait]

Any marine/boat shop should carry your bearings and seals, or should point you to your local bearing supplier.

[DockRat]

I heard Harold Davis (Davis Boats) on LTHU radio and he said one should always wait 30 minutes (min) upon arrival at the ramp prior to launching. Launching with hot bearings even with buddy bearings will result in the water displacing the grease.

He also recommends useing a point and read infared thermometer. Check the bearing temps after towing to see if one is too hot.

Also good to use on a running outboard check spark plug temp. Got a cold one , maybe it is not fireing.

Sample pic
DR

[FISHINGBEE]

I use to fish the Bay a lot believe me it happened to me three times. One day i had three friends heading to the bay. I was living in Ramona. Bam there went the tire rolling past me on the grade. We searched for an hour or so found all the parts. Jerry rigged it still fished the bay. When we got back from the looks of things we should not have gotten back. It also happened in Julian in the snow go figure. Aero trailers straightened me out put on some bearing buddies.


FISHINGBEE