I would like to service my wheel bearings on a boat trailer but do not know what grease to use, the trailer is new to me and I do not know what has been used before. It is my understanding that not all boat trailer greases are compatable. Is there a grease that I can use to top off my bearing buddies that will mix with the unknown current grease or must I disassemble, clean and repack the bearings?
proper wheel bearing grease
- Thread starter troutman
- Start date
https://www.google.com/search?q=boa...rease&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=shop
Your local auto parts store probably has what you need or if you want to spend more and there is a West Marine nearby they should have it.
If it has been a while or maybe never since the bearings were cleaned, inspected and repacked maybe it is time
. Biggest cause of failure after doing so is over-tightening them when reinstalling. Most people feel they are too loose when they aren't. Read up on doing this if you haven't done it or watch someone that knows how once,
Sum
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Your local auto parts store probably has what you need or if you want to spend more and there is a West Marine nearby they should have it.
If it has been a while or maybe never since the bearings were cleaned, inspected and repacked maybe it is time
. Biggest cause of failure after doing so is over-tightening them when reinstalling. Most people feel they are too loose when they aren't. Read up on doing this if you haven't done it or watch someone that knows how once,Sum
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I pretty much tighten like in this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBwu2c1rLA
....but will tighten with a wrench while turning the hub until is starts to slow to set the bearings in the grease and then not turning the hub will back the nut off and only tighten by hand and put on the lock piece and cotter pin. If the cotter pin doesn't line up with the hole I'll back the nut off not tighten it more with the wrench.
There are more videos on trailer parts sites also,
Sum
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBwu2c1rLA
....but will tighten with a wrench while turning the hub until is starts to slow to set the bearings in the grease and then not turning the hub will back the nut off and only tighten by hand and put on the lock piece and cotter pin. If the cotter pin doesn't line up with the hole I'll back the nut off not tighten it more with the wrench.
There are more videos on trailer parts sites also,
Sum
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It has been awhile for me and maybe even longer on the bearings. As I recall there is a slot in the axle that the cotter key goes into. In the past I have screwed the nut and washer enough for this key to be inserted freely and no more. I check the free hanging wheel for excessive play and then call it good. Maybe this is wrong?
the grease is compatible..... on a drum brake axle, any EP grease will work. what is not compatible is regular grease in a disk brake hub... it will break down. in disk brake hubs use high temp grease.
almost ALL modern wheel bearing grease is for high temp applications, so just ask for disk brake wheel bearing grease to make sure, as it will work either way, and have fun...
almost ALL modern wheel bearing grease is for high temp applications, so just ask for disk brake wheel bearing grease to make sure, as it will work either way, and have fun...
too loose can be as bad as too tight. too tight creates too much friction on the whole bearing and it will over heat, too loose and the entire load will be placed on the bottom of the bearing and cause it to over heat. of the two, too loose is better, but its still not good.
I pack my bearings then tighten with a wrench while spinning the hub until it gets a pretty good amount of resistance. I then spin the hub 5-10 times to distribute the grease more naturally than the way it was packed. I then back off until it has play then tighten by hand while spinning the hub until it will spin ~3/4 of a turn with a reasonable spin.
again, if in doubt, a little loose is better. you can always make "test hits" then "read the bearings" like you would spark plugs. by that I mean you could pack them they way you think they should be then make a decent haul (an hr or so at highway speeds) then pull them down and see if you have caused discoloration on the bottom of the bearings. if so, try one hole tighter on the cotter pin.
on mine I like to see just a TOUCH of play when the wheel is off the ground and wiggled after a 20 min or so test drive. barely perceptible, but there is perfect to me.
as for grease, I use "green grease" its synthetic and waterproof (and easy to remember for future purchases). they claim that it is compatible with all greases... it has always worked good for me but there are TONS of other greases out there that will work just as well. More important than the type of grease this time, is making sure that you use THE SAME grease when topping off in the future. some greases are not compatible with one another and will actually break down into oil like consistency.
I pack my bearings then tighten with a wrench while spinning the hub until it gets a pretty good amount of resistance. I then spin the hub 5-10 times to distribute the grease more naturally than the way it was packed. I then back off until it has play then tighten by hand while spinning the hub until it will spin ~3/4 of a turn with a reasonable spin.
again, if in doubt, a little loose is better. you can always make "test hits" then "read the bearings" like you would spark plugs. by that I mean you could pack them they way you think they should be then make a decent haul (an hr or so at highway speeds) then pull them down and see if you have caused discoloration on the bottom of the bearings. if so, try one hole tighter on the cotter pin.
on mine I like to see just a TOUCH of play when the wheel is off the ground and wiggled after a 20 min or so test drive. barely perceptible, but there is perfect to me.
as for grease, I use "green grease" its synthetic and waterproof (and easy to remember for future purchases). they claim that it is compatible with all greases... it has always worked good for me but there are TONS of other greases out there that will work just as well. More important than the type of grease this time, is making sure that you use THE SAME grease when topping off in the future. some greases are not compatible with one another and will actually break down into oil like consistency.
Thanks for the tips to all. Like I said it has been some time since I have done this job. I now recall spinning the wheel and tightening the nut at the same time until I got slowing and then backing off a bit to set a free spin without play.
You'll be fine doing it like that,
Sum
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I have several trailers and over the years I found that Mobil 1 grease holds up better than most. Do not mix brands of grease. On occasion, some brands will attack the other and you will have a premature bearing failure.
Even with bearing buddies you should pull the wheel every year to inspect. I have two with integral grease systems (not bearing Buddies) and still pull them annually and occasionally find a bearing or race that is starting to go. Look for discoloration or pitting. I some times think that not using the trailers often is worse than steady use as moisture settles and causes rust/pits to start.
Even with bearing buddies you should pull the wheel every year to inspect. I have two with integral grease systems (not bearing Buddies) and still pull them annually and occasionally find a bearing or race that is starting to go. Look for discoloration or pitting. I some times think that not using the trailers often is worse than steady use as moisture settles and causes rust/pits to start.
that's pretty much something from the 20's or 30's. you will have no problems mixing greases these days, I would start using any brand of boat trailer grease, usually they are a blue color and seem to be much more sticky and cling at a higher temp. I now use walmart sta-lube boat trailer grease on all my vehicles steering and ujoints,wheel bearings for the last 20 years or so and have always just added to whatever grease was already in the ujoint etc with never any negative reaction.
that's odd, in 2012 (80 some odd years after your proposed dates) I pulled a bearing that had mixed greases pumped into it and the resulting goo was not much more than the consistency of gear oil... coincidence or not? I don't know... using the same grease is a small price to pay (no price at all if the grease is reliable) to not be on the side of the road with an axle scored beyond repair...