My bearing lube device has a spring in it and when you lube it the spring compress and moves the zerk fitting out so you don't over pressurize. The spring also keeps a little pressure on the grease hopefully keeping water out.
Had my first trailer tire blowout yesterday
- Thread starter Gene Neill
- Start date
I know "Buddy Bearings" have a provision to allow for grease expansion, where the outer plate moves against a spring until it meets with the relief port, saving the rear seal.
Requires a bit of maintenance, however. I lost two Buddies due to a lack of ensuring that the expansion plates could move easily.
@LeeandRick quick!
Or the other scenario that shows up here with reasonable frequency is how much time was spent polishing and adding nice toys and the boat looks really great until you look down at the POS trailer that looks like a hazmat team is needed, and the owner suggests they are about to embark on the road trip to Tierra del Fuego towing it behind the GMC Tracker. (With all due respect to GMC Trackers....)
Obviously you have never seen Walt's boat. It's a continuous experiment. Walt and I are "function over beauty" type F personalities, except when it comes to our wives, then it's beauty and function (don't go there) together. I keep wondering how they put up with us.
LOL.. what about the scenario where three tires blow up and all come off the trailer at the exact same moment. Four axles on the boat trailer might really be what is necessary. And.. why not four axles/ eight tires on the car also for the same case of three simultaneous failures. It could happen..
Which brings up the thought of some sort of trailer towing insurance.. I had this fleeting thought yesterday that my whole problem would have been much nicer to deal with if it was all someone elses problem..
Which brings up the thought of some sort of trailer towing insurance.. I had this fleeting thought yesterday that my whole problem would have been much nicer to deal with if it was all someone elses problem..
Ah, sorry, apparently you've not been invited to the ongoing hockey pool between Walt and Sumner about which boat is going to hit the bottom first with all the stuff on them.
Had the same thing towing our box trailer back from the boatyard in Florida last year. Had been checking the bearings all day at each stop and all was well. We pulled into a motel in the dark late at night. Next morning I go out and one bearing was gone and the wheel/tire at an angle. Very lucky it didn't come all the way off. I carry bearings with me but the inner race was ruined and basically welded to the spindle. Had to get a ramp-back to pick it up and haul it a mile to a garage where we cut the bearing off with a cutoff wheel. You were luck to of caught it right away before that happened.
I have the AAA tow with Plus RV coverage that is suppose to cover trailers. Used it once in AZ and they loaded the Suburban up and towed the box trailer. This time in in North Carolina the AAA there wouldn't honor it and said it only applied to RV trailers. I had to pay the $75 for the mile tow. At home I got a hold of a national number for AAA and they said that the trailer should of been covered and to call them the next time if I have the same problem. AAA is now kind of state by state. I thought about changing to a different tow insurance but will keep what I have for now but will switch if I have a problem again. Towing in the west with the long distances from town I think it is a good idea. Never had it until about 9 years ago but now won't be without it. Same with TowBoat US tow insurance which works on the two boats. I've more than got my money's worth out of them. They also have a coverage for trailers, but only if there is a boat on them and I don't think it would pay for as long a tow as my AAA. Some AAA coverage's are also for shorter distances. I need something that is at least a couple hundred miles.
Sumner
=========================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Good suggestion, Dave. I just got home from work and took careful measurements. The two sides are within 1/8".
I have BoatUS "TrailerAssist" insurance, but for $14 bucks a year I'm guessing it's worth ... I dunno ... about fourteen bucks? Fine print here: https://www.boatus.com/towing/assets/pdf/TSA06-2013-Road.pdf
I can't agree more with the suggestion to carry a 4-way lug wrench and a floor jack, BTW. We have been doing that since blowout #1. And when blowout #2 happened on I-75, we had the blown tire off, the spare tire on, and were pulling back into traffic in no more than five minutes. It was so fast it was actually exhilarating. We felt like a pit crew.
I just have a cheap little floor jack I got from Harbor Freight years ago for about $30, and it's just the ticket. The only catch is (come to find out), you have to have it with you when the tire blows. See, I didn't realize that at first.
Here is another couple of hints
Loosen the lug nuts before raising the trailer
I prefer a long breaker bar with a deep socket vs the four way lug wrench. First they are easier to stow, second I've broken two of the lug wrenches and damn near busted my ass as they gave way but have yet to break a breaker bar.
Have a piece of line ready to put through one of the holes in the rim and the trailer frame to keep the wheel from just spinning in the dirt, better yet remove the lug nuts once a year so that they do come off when needed.
I've twisted many studs off the hub trying to get a tire off. Not a huge deal with five lug nuts but on the ones with four lug nuts makes it a little scary to go too far.
Loosen the lug nuts before raising the trailer
I prefer a long breaker bar with a deep socket vs the four way lug wrench. First they are easier to stow, second I've broken two of the lug wrenches and damn near busted my ass as they gave way but have yet to break a breaker bar.
Have a piece of line ready to put through one of the holes in the rim and the trailer frame to keep the wheel from just spinning in the dirt, better yet remove the lug nuts once a year so that they do come off when needed.
I've twisted many studs off the hub trying to get a tire off. Not a huge deal with five lug nuts but on the ones with four lug nuts makes it a little scary to go too far.
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I found a missing (broken) lug stud on my trailer not long ago. No one but me ever tightened them, and I'm not one of those morons who jumps up and down on the lug wrench, if you get my meaning.
I now carry two spare lug studs, each complete with nut.
I now carry two spare lug studs, each complete with nut.
No one has mentioned a torque wrench. Mine lives in my truck. I don't have calibrated arms like others I guess.
One cause of wheel bearing failure is tightening the spindle nut (not the lug nuts) too tight after installing new bearings or greasing bearings. I was guilty of this once.
Proper tightness will often feel too loose to someone who hasn't done it before. You will end up with it just finger tight.
The complete procedure here .....
https://www.championtrailers.com/pre-loading-trailer-wheel-bearings/
Sumner
========================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Proper tightness will often feel too loose to someone who hasn't done it before. You will end up with it just finger tight.
The complete procedure here .....
https://www.championtrailers.com/pre-loading-trailer-wheel-bearings/
Sumner
========================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
I had a blow out on the Mass Pike. The lug nuts loostened and the wheel came off. It passed me at 65 mi per hour. Real scary. I didn't have a spare and the jack would not get under the axle. Bad scene. I now carry a spare, four way lug wrench and floor jack. Test pressure every time. I was also only 30 minutes from home but someone could have been killed. I just spent a lot of time on the trailer this year. New torsion axle and tune up. Time on the side of the road sucks.
Your arms are probably calibrated better than you think.
And unless you thoroughly clean all the threads on every nut, and every stud, every time you remove them, and always make sure no thread on any lug, or any stud, has any deformity .... your torque wrench will be wildly inaccurate (which most of them are anyway, unless you spent hundreds of dollars on it).
You have to do what you feel is best, obviously, but I would advise anyone listening to not even think about a torque wrench. "Nice and snug" is the only torque spec you'll ever need.
JMHO ...
I guess I better let all the tire shops and wheel manufacturers know about this and those people that put the little decals just above your trailer tires.Your arms are probably calibrated better than you think.
And unless you thoroughly clean all the threads on every nut, and every stud, every time you remove them, and always make sure no thread on any lug, or any stud, has any deformity .... your torque wrench will be wildly inaccurate (which most of them are anyway, unless you spent hundreds of dollars on it).
You have to do what you feel is best, obviously, but I would advise anyone listening to not even think about a torque wrench. "Nice and snug" is the only torque spec you'll ever need.
JMHO ...
Great thread with some great advice !
Anyone who read the beginning of my C22 refit thread, will know the problems I had bringing it home.
And I had tools, floor jack, spare tire, bearings etc.
I keep a couple sets of bearings pre-greased in a zip bag. I have a nice bearing packer, but the bag makes it simple and less stuff to carry.
I'm a fan of overkill, but currently my trailer is borderline IMO.
Like many C22 trailers it's axle and tires are rated for an empty boat.
Goofy. I haven't upgraded since I found a nice aluminium one nearby and am still trying to find out who owns it.
One way or the other it will end up with a big axle or a tandem axle with Load E tires.
My concern about the tandem is how they are commonly linked together. Anyone ever seen or used one with the axles completely independent ?
Anyone who read the beginning of my C22 refit thread, will know the problems I had bringing it home.
And I had tools, floor jack, spare tire, bearings etc.
I keep a couple sets of bearings pre-greased in a zip bag. I have a nice bearing packer, but the bag makes it simple and less stuff to carry.
I'm a fan of overkill, but currently my trailer is borderline IMO.
Like many C22 trailers it's axle and tires are rated for an empty boat.
Goofy. I haven't upgraded since I found a nice aluminium one nearby and am still trying to find out who owns it.
One way or the other it will end up with a big axle or a tandem axle with Load E tires.
My concern about the tandem is how they are commonly linked together. Anyone ever seen or used one with the axles completely independent ?
