Free trailer, no right side outer wheel bearing...

boatboss

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Sep 7, 2014
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20
I was out and about the other day, about 60 miles from home when I came across a chance to get a free boat trailer, which although needed work was in far better condition than the one I'm using.
It had no lights, but that was no problem since I had a set of magnetic tow lights in the trunk.
The big issue though was that the right outer wheel bearing had come apart and was all but gone.
Knowing I couldn't tow it like that and the spare hub in my trunk used different bearings, I needed a quick solution.
The inner bearing was decent, it would survive with grease, which I had, but the inner was completely gone, and the inner race was stuck to the spindle.
Having limited tools, I went into the nearest store, which happened to be a tractor dealer to try and find a bearing, with the thinking that I could jury rig a second bearing outside the existing one and just leave off the bearing buddy to get it home, with that thought in mind, one of the mechanics came back with a sealed bearing with a 1" ID and 2" OD, about 1/2" thick. It was used and free, so I gave it a shot, I tapped the bearing in place where the dust cap fit, got just enough of the nut on to get a cotter pin in the hole and headed on home. It worked great.

Once home, with a torch in hand, I removed the broken bearing and stuck race and installed two new bearings. But the used sealed bearing worked fine.
I'm not sure if I'd have tried that on a loaded trailer due to side load issued but on a 200lb empty trailer, it beat having to come back home and get a trailer to go get it home with.
 

MTboatguy

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Just remember in the boat business, there is nothing that is free! :D
 

gm280

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Jun 26, 2011
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Sounds like you Macgyvered it nicely. Some times improvising is what it takes. :thumb:
 

smokeonthewater

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Above all I'm happy to hear that your rigged wheel didn't come off and cause an accident.

Nobody was hurt but that doesn't mean this was a good idea... The next person to read this and try it might not be so lucky.

A safer solution would have been to hire a wrecker
 

thumpar

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Jun 21, 2007
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Sometimes you have to get creative. Sounds like you found a good solution.
 

TruckDrivingFool

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Jul 30, 2007
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Am I the only one that just got painted the picture that Boatboss stole a broken down trailer from the side of the road?
 

bruceb58

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Mar 5, 2006
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Above all I'm happy to hear that your rigged wheel didn't come off and cause an accident.

Nobody was hurt but that doesn't mean this was a good idea... The next person to read this and try it might not be so lucky.

A safer solution would have been to hire a wrecker
++++1 I would never have done it this way. I have seen the results where a wheel has come off a vehicle and killed a person in oncoming traffic. Went right through the windshield.
 
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boatboss

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Sep 7, 2014
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20
There was no way for the wheel to fly off, the nut and cotter pin were holding the sealed bearing in place. The sealed bearing would have had to blow apart to let the hub pass over the bearing.
I thought about having it towed but the cost of a wrecker would have been more than a used trailer is worth. I can buy a new trailer for just under what they wanted to tow it. I'd have tied it to the roof of the car before paying for a flat bed.
The whole trailer probably doesn't weight 250 lbs, the chances of over stressing that sealed bearing were slim.

I found the trailer at a yard sale I stopped at, the guy had a bunch of boating items for sale and we got to talking, he mentioned he had a trailer he was trying to get rid of that wasn't worth fixing. When I looked at it, I was surprised to find it was actually in good shape with no rust, just the wheel bearing problem.

Nothing is free, but in the end, it cost me $21 for a set of new bearings and seals and my time to MacGyver it enough to get it home.
Its a big improvement over the old trailer that's pretty well rusted away, I was looking at having to replace nearly every last bit of hardware, the axle, both springs, and a light kit on the old trailer, all to still have a well rusted galvanized trailer with some pretty thin spots along the frame.
I swapped trailers the other day, this one is even a bit longer. I listed the old trailer on CL and it was gone in less than two hours.
I ended up a few hundred ahead of the game with a better trailer under my boat.
 

gm280

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Jun 26, 2011
Messages
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boatboss, I think you did a good improvised job myself and yes anything can happen. But anything can happen most any day with good trailers. So it is over now and done and everything worked out good. I say you observed the situation and did what you had to do to remedy the situation. I don't see it as dangerous as others thought. There was no way for the hub to let lose with the nut and cotter pin in place. Look at some of the questionable trailers going down the road most any day and wonder if they have ever seen grease in their lives. JMHO!
 

bigdee

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Jul 27, 2006
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2,665
boatboss, I think you did a good improvised job myself and yes anything can happen. But anything can happen most any day with good trailers. So it is over now and done and everything worked out good. I say you observed the situation and did what you had to do to remedy the situation. I don't see it as dangerous as others thought. There was no way for the hub to let lose with the nut and cotter pin in place. Look at some of the questionable trailers going down the road most any day and wonder if they have ever seen grease in their lives. JMHO!

Very well said. I agree.
 

smokeonthewater

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Dec 3, 2009
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9,838
My reason for posting was not to attack you but rather to prevent others from trying the same thing.
In your case all went well and no harm done but it was more a case of luck than sound judgement... Unless you used a tapered roller bearing oriented the right way which I see no mention of.

Most likely a ball bearing and if so they can come apart with very little side load.
The cotter pin will shear very easily letting the nut spin off and in seconds there is a trailer wheel bouncing down the road.

In private I would only continue this if you wanted but this is a public forum with thousands of potential copiers.

Even if your plan was 95% foolproof and 20 people copied you that leaves one potentially fatal mishap.
 

pscrabber59

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Messages
246
boatboss just wondering if you have triple AAA ?? I have AAA/RV cov. and used a tow 3 times in 3yrs on not road-worthy trailers. i get up to 100miles free towing for my autos, boat&trailers for $120 a yr. Lot safer than towing yourself!
 

boatboss

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Sep 7, 2014
Messages
20
No AAA, I gave up on them when they wouldn't tow a truck I had a few years ago saying it was a "Commercial Vehicle" when it in fact was just an F350 that towed my camper around.
They also won't tow an unregistered vehicle. A relative just went through that with them over a car that they bought and needed towed home. The tow truck driver came out and right off and said he needed to check the VIN number and insurance card. When there was no papers yet on the vehicle he refused to tow it.
I questioned this myself and called a few local tow companies and they all said they were not allowed to tow 'uninsured' or 'unregistered' vehicles.

If I had been driving a pickup that day I'd have just turned the trailer around and tossed it in the truck with a flag on the far end of the tongue.
We're not talking about a heavy trailer here, just a light single axle trailer for an aluminum boat.

What gave me the idea of using the sealed bearing is the fact that my old mini van had sealed rear wheel bearings. Those were just twin ball bearings, the outer race was one piece but the inner race was separate. When I decided to retire that van I cut it up and made a motorcycle trailer out of the rear axle. Its been all over the country with no issues.

I understand the concern about the sealed bearing not taking any side load but it would take a lot to tear one apart. Even then, its not likely to shear the cotter pin and spin off the nut. If that was going to happen, I'd have thought it more likely that the original bearing would have done that when it came apart.

Also, by the look of the larger sealed bearing, I have my doubts whether or not the inner race of the sealed bearing would even allow the hub to pass over it if the bearing had completely broken apart.
 
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