Trailer bearings

[Hawk4661]

The boat trailer I have I believe is the orginal 1993 Hunter.It is single axel with no brakes.
The port side of tire keeps throwing grease out onto the wheel. There is no grease on the back side of this wheel.
The starboard side has no problem.
The way I understand it the bearing is only located on the back side. So the cap on the front must be allowing the grease leak?
Has anyone had simular problem? Thank you in advance.

Also question number 2....How can I find out what size bearing buddie caps should I buy? My bearing cap on front does not screw in.It is just driven on with mallet.

 

[American Marine and Sail]

I am not sure what specfically is causing this. First, is there a buddy bearings on there or just a cap? If not, then yes grease will come out all over the place without a cover. If it is a buddy bearing which is merely a cap with a grease fitting, then probably it is not on correct which may be the problem. the other problem could be that you are over greasing and the excess is coming out of a weep hole. Do not over grease. As for the Buddy Bearing, it is a 1.98 or two inch. When putting on, start by getting the cap started and then put a board over the cap and hit on the board to properly seat that bearing cover in place

Crazy Dave Condon

 

[caguy]

First of all there are bearing on both sides of the drum. The inside bearing is held in with a seal. Secondly replace the cap with bearing buddies they are cheap and make grease maintenance easy. Take your old cap with you to match-up.
Do not over fill as the grease pressure will cause the bearing to pop off on its own. It should go in with some resistance, use a wooden block as suggested.

 

[soling42]

As Caguy said there are definitely two bearings in each hub. Did you mean these bearings and seals are original 1993 on a single axle trailer?! If that boat's worth anything, after 18yrs I'd figure I'd gotten my monies worth and would be going through the whole setup, hubs/bearings/seals/springs and maybe even the axle if it's ever been bruised not just a band aid on a leaky BB. That's usually just a warning sign that grease may heating up and sneaking out.

Sounds like it might have never been apart, if so you might be surprised/shocked what you find. Mine come completely apart for service every season. It's too simple(maybe 7 parts and 10-30mins total) to just ignore and risk a roadside mess.

With the wheel off the ground, rotate the wheel & BB and tap the BB side while it's spinning until it's loose. Take it with you to get the right size if it's bad. A cap prys off with a screwdriver under the lip. Remove the pin and nut and look closely for hairline cracks on old bearings, races and the axle/spindle where the bearing rides. Repack the bearings and hub with fresh grease by hand, carefully top off the BB as per the directions, tighten the nut to snug(not tight), reinsert the pin and you're golden.

There is also a trailer forum here under Forums>Shared>trailer sailors. Check there if you need other trailer guys advice.

Good luck, Mike