Would like to know how often you need to grease you boat trailer bearing and what grease is the best to use. Also how often should you repack your bearing?
How often do you grease boat trailer bearing?
- Thread starter yesmarwh
- Start date
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
I have no idea what the official response to your question is and I am sure someone will give you that information. That being said, I turn 58 this year and I have been around boats since I was born and I purchased my first boat when I was 16 and have owned a boat ever since. I have never repacked the bearings on any of my boats. I have always had bearing buddies and made sure they were kept full. I currently own 2 because everyone should have a skinny water boat and a big water boat. I use whatever marine grade bearing grease walmart has on the shelves. I don't know if its an old wives tale and I am wasting my time but my father told me to always walk around the trailer and touch the hubs to make sure they were not hot whenever I had to stop and get gas. I am kind of ocd and have done it ever since. I have been fortunate never to have an issue with my bearings. The point of my rambling is that if you have bearing buddies and keep them full, you probably will never have anything to worry about providing your bearings are not already fried. You can check the bearings by jacking the boat up and seeing if there is any play in the hubs. I bought a 20 year old boat 6 months ago that I know has not spent a day of that 20 years under a cover. This weekend I plan on replacing the hubs with prepacked hubs and bearing buddies because the boat did not have bearing buddies and I am am guessing that no grease has ever been added since the boat was new. If you plan on paying someone to repack your bearings, a new prepacked hub is cheaper even when you have someone else do it.
Once or twice a year I pump my bearing buddies full of whatever marine wheel bearing grease I have available. I never repack them. I probably should though.
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
translation of my mindless ramblings
Madbowh
Well-Known Member
Freshwater on a newer trailer every couple to few years.
Saltwater twice a year.
Years ago I was with my cousin in Daytona and he bought a boat, trailer and all. I told him we need to go get a grease gun I could hear the wheels needed it. You could see the beach from the old man's house, and he told us he had it only in saltwater. We got right in front of Daytona speedway and a wheel seized up smoking then flames. Back then I think it was 9.99 for a cheap grease gun,
I think the older the more often
Saltwater twice a year.
Years ago I was with my cousin in Daytona and he bought a boat, trailer and all. I told him we need to go get a grease gun I could hear the wheels needed it. You could see the beach from the old man's house, and he told us he had it only in saltwater. We got right in front of Daytona speedway and a wheel seized up smoking then flames. Back then I think it was 9.99 for a cheap grease gun,
I think the older the more often
If you have a grease zerk you don't need to repack them, just refresh them every year. If you don't have a grease zerk, the manufacturer of your trailer probably recommends it every year or 10,000 miles.
Why they even make them without grease zerks in the end of the axes is beyond me, but they do, my last RV was that way. I made sure my new one didn't require that non-sense.
I would use Lucas Marine Grease on a boat trailer.
www.lucasoil.com
Why they even make them without grease zerks in the end of the axes is beyond me, but they do, my last RV was that way. I made sure my new one didn't require that non-sense.
I would use Lucas Marine Grease on a boat trailer.
Marine Grease – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!
www.lucasoil.com
I usually try to repack once a year with few squirts in between... I've switched to Lucas red and tacky with no problems..
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine bought a used flats boat which we took down the florida and back without issue. A couple weeks later he took it to Birdsong on Ky lake and when he got back the bearings were fried and he ended up having to replace the axle. I never thought to mention to him that he should grease the bearings. I just figured he knew.
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
a couple of pumps with marine grease in spring. jack up and check for shake and give em a whirl. check the back side of the rim for slung grease(indicates a bad seal).
wildlifefarmer
Well-Known Member
Spot on!
I used to replace bearings and seals every winter when I was fishing a lot . Probably only do it every couple of years now. What I have seen is that many of the seals will allow some water in and the bearings and axle will be pitted in some places. Even with the bearing buddies , I pull them and check yearly, if bearings good , just a new seal and grease. The red Lucas i believe is what I use. A set of bearings and repacking is cheap insurance during the off season to ensure a good trip. I have seen too many on the side of the road with the hub off and damaged.
Grease and seals are cheap. Any grease around the seals would warrant new seals and a bearing inspection while you have it apart. Otherwise, a squirt of grease a couple of times a year seems to work for me. And before a long trip just to ease my mind.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
90 mile one way trip to the coast and boat is in saltwater. I inspect hubs and feel for heat every trip. Usually add grease to top off the bearing buddy every other to 3rd trip. Plan to tear the hubs down, inspect and repack bearings every other year.
Put it on your calendar. 1x a year jack the trailer up and check the wheels for wobble, and spin. My mechanic told me you want no side to side wobble, and the wheel should spin freely but with just a little drag. You get this by the tightness of the castle nut.
Next is the seals. When you pump grease into the fitting, does any water come out? If so, plan on taking the hub off and inspecting the axle shaft, the sooner the better. Water and heat will break down the grease quicker and the resulting mud doesn't lubricate well. The water will also work on pitting the bearing surfaces. If you catch it early before any damage, you can clean the bad grease, replace the seal and grease and be back on the road. If you let it go all season, you will probably be looking at a rebuild if not a new axle. Saltwater dramatically increases the damage.
Grease. putting a little squirt of grease in the fitting does 2 things. Tops off the grease if you used any up or have a leak, AND it will show water if you have a leaky seal. If your seals are good, you probably don't need to add grease 1x a season, BUT if you have a problem a 1/4 pump of grease is often all you need to determine that something is going on. If you have grease all over your rims, bad seal. IF you are adding a couple pumps of grease several times a season, that grease is going somewhere. Time to break down and inspect, probably replace the seals. DO NOT OVER GREASE. Its tempting to crank several pumps of grease into your fitting "just to make sure" all you are doing is making a mess and possibly over pressuring the inner seal, causing failure and a mess. Which can result in the following.
DO NOT rely on pumping grease every trip when you have a bad seal to replace what you sling on the rims and to squeeze out water. You will get a huge mess on the rims which is very hard to clean off, unbalance the tire with the goo, and the water damage to the axle and bearings will surprise you. Don't ask me how I learned this one. !
Next is the seals. When you pump grease into the fitting, does any water come out? If so, plan on taking the hub off and inspecting the axle shaft, the sooner the better. Water and heat will break down the grease quicker and the resulting mud doesn't lubricate well. The water will also work on pitting the bearing surfaces. If you catch it early before any damage, you can clean the bad grease, replace the seal and grease and be back on the road. If you let it go all season, you will probably be looking at a rebuild if not a new axle. Saltwater dramatically increases the damage.
Grease. putting a little squirt of grease in the fitting does 2 things. Tops off the grease if you used any up or have a leak, AND it will show water if you have a leaky seal. If your seals are good, you probably don't need to add grease 1x a season, BUT if you have a problem a 1/4 pump of grease is often all you need to determine that something is going on. If you have grease all over your rims, bad seal. IF you are adding a couple pumps of grease several times a season, that grease is going somewhere. Time to break down and inspect, probably replace the seals. DO NOT OVER GREASE. Its tempting to crank several pumps of grease into your fitting "just to make sure" all you are doing is making a mess and possibly over pressuring the inner seal, causing failure and a mess. Which can result in the following.
DO NOT rely on pumping grease every trip when you have a bad seal to replace what you sling on the rims and to squeeze out water. You will get a huge mess on the rims which is very hard to clean off, unbalance the tire with the goo, and the water damage to the axle and bearings will surprise you. Don't ask me how I learned this one. !
