This is a job I'll have to tackle someday and dread the thought because I've never done it before. Would it be possible for you to write out a step-by-step guide for replacing the bearings?

posted June 07, 2002 11:44 PM            

OK then let's assume the worst and the bearings need to be replaced--here's what i did--after taking of the hub cover and pulling out the cotter key and unscrewing the big nut.......slide the hub off the axle...the front bearing should fall out.....i took a piece of wooden closet pole and drove out the rear seal and bearing from the outside end of the hub.....it will be full of grease and crap so wipe it out with a rag or paper towel...by the way this job is towel and rag intensive-plus i managed to get enough grease on my pants to pretty much ruin them for any purpose except this or painting from now on........After cleaning the inside of the hub you'll notice that the part of the bearing called the race is still inside the hub....they are pressed in and getting them out is the worst part of this job....what i did was to use a brass rod i had and drove each of them out from the opposite side.....you'll notice that the race is tapered with the big end of the taper toward the outside of each side of the hub...that's why the bearings just fell out when you took off the hub......the way i got the races out is to take my rod and a hammer and tap them out from the other side...i just would pop it with the hammer as i moved the rod around the inside edge of the races....it's sort of slow going and you'll probably get more aggresive with the hammer after you see them start to move......after you have them out, finish cleaning the inside the hub and put some grease on the area where the new races are going and install the new races the opposite of the way you took out the old ones....it's slow going also but keep tapping them until they are seated flush against the flange inside the hub.....

you are ready to install the new bearings now.....but before you install them you need to pack them with grease...the way i was shown to do this is like this---put some grease in your hand and sort of push the edges of the bearing into it intil you see grease start to come out the other side....i did the back bearing first and pushed it into the new race and then installed the new rear seal by taping it in flush with the edge of the hub with my small hammer and a board on it to keep from messing it up....then slide the hub back on the axle and install the packed outer bearing then the big washer and the big nut....i then snugged it up with a big wrench (But not too tight-you may damage the bearing) then back off the nut just enough for the hole in the axle to line up with the slots in the big nut and install the new cotter pin....spin the wheel to make sure it spins freely.....

i put Bearing Buddies on mine because the you can add grease to the bearings without having to take them apart like we just did....a Bearing Buddie has a grease fitting in the middle of it which is pushed back toward the hub by a spring in it......When you get the B Buddies knocked into the hub (they replace the hub cover we took off earlier) hook your grease gun to it and pump grease in it until you see the spring loaded grease fitting thing start to tighten up the spring because the hub is full of grease (it will take quite a bit of grease)....a pal told me today that if you put too much grease in the hub that it will ruin the rear grease seal that you just replaced in the back of the hub--so just pump in grease until you see the spring loaded thing back up just a little.....

Thanks for the info. It's something I'll definitely keep in the memory banks.

posted June 18, 2002 11:30 AM            

This assumes that you have "Bearing Buddies" installed.
Always top up the grease before a trip. Use waterproof wheel bearing grease in a quick-load cartridge gun. (Canadian-Tire)
Take the grease gun with you in a double plastic bag and plenty of extra bags and paper towels for side-of-the-road cleanup.
Allow bearings to cool before immersing the axle in cool lake water.
Grease them again after launch, you'll be surprised how much water is expelled!

Disconnect the trailer lighting connector before immersing the trailer. The hot bulbs will be happier. Observe the water pouring from "sealed" trailer lamp housings after launch. When replacing bulbs, liberally smear the bottom contacts with white grease.

To prevent accidental separation I insert a hairpin shaped clevis pin into the safety hole on the hitch latch where a padlock could go.

Try to find a garage who will balance your trailer wheels. The lack of vibration and extra tire life makes trailering less "eventful."

Carry a spare wheel. My brother once toured most of New Mexico looking for an odd sized wheel to fit his trailer.

Replace the steel trailer winch cable with the flat black fabric winch strap and hook especially made for this purpose. (CTC)
The strap will not corrode and lies flat on the reel. Ditch that (temporary) yellow polyprop winch line, it will degrade in UV and is hard on the hands.

Finally, strips of white anti-skid tape on the fenders will give your bare feet better grip. Also put some along the top of the trailer tongue for walking out on it (under water) to release the trailer winch hook.

I had a 17foot house trailer on radials and I would have agreed with the theory. It was critical to put the beer and the tool box at the front or the trailer would fishtail like a demon.

However, the load on my boat trailer is so far forward that it follows like a cheap date. I have run both radial and bias-ply. The problem with my current set of bias-ply is that they have a higher sidewall, are larger in diameter, and rub on the inside of my fenders.

posted July 17, 2002 05:15 PM            

Oh by the way---when i changed the rims and tires when i got home i noticed the inside of one of the rims had bunches of my new wheel bearing grease that looked like it was slung out of the bearing....glad i pumped some more in it this morning......i guess i may have over filled when i put in the new bearings and grease???????