Is there a complete service guide?

[rickasbury]

I have a pretty old trailer for my rinker 270. It has two axles and rated for 10K. It has spindles with zerts to grease the rear bearing. Both have spent most of the time I've owned it sitting- no long trips. It was a mess when I got it, rebuilt the brakes and new bearings and such. It has enormous hubs that look like they would hold 5 gallons of grease. Is there a good published guide on how to inspect and service? Dealing with all the grease! I know if must have some water in the hubs..do I clean out all the old and how? I need to go through all 4 hubs and brakes...

 

[airshot]

Numerous things on the internet to read, Mabry even your specific model. I was taught by my father and numerous uncles that were boaters. In turn, I taught my sons, neighborhood boys and any others wanting to learn. Not familiar with any actual books, with today's internet and YouTube videos, you should find something usefull. Even when not used those hubs should get service every so often. Water should not be sitting inside those hubs, when you store it, pump the hubs full of grease. Grease is much cheaper than four rebuild kits for your hubs. Good luck....

 

[Lou C]

Dexter might have some vids on their site about how to maintain hubs/bearings, since they seem to own everything in the trailer biz right now lol.
Etrailer also has vids as well.

 

[Scott Danforth]

most trailer manufacturers have a parts manual and a service manual.

what brand of trailer?

 

[dingbat]

It has spindles with zerts to grease the rear bearing. Is there a good published guide on how to inspect and service? Dealing with all the grease! I know if must have some water in the hubs..do I clean out all the old and how? I need to go through all 4 hubs and brakes...

The process is the same if you have "sure lube" hubs (zerk fitting on back of hub) as well

 

[Mc Tool]

most trailer manufacturers have a parts manual and a service manual.

Yeah , I was waitin for that

 

[Horigan]

Many folks here don't bother with filling the hubs with grease via the zerks. They just repack the bearing during their regular maintenance, typically yearly. This gives you an opportunity to check for water in the bearings and bearing and race condition.

 

[Jeff J]

I just pack the bearings with more grease than normal between the seal and the bearing when doing boat trailers to keep the water out. Filling the hub does nothing to keep water out unless you are pushing grease past the seal (the only way to know you got grease where you need it).

No matter what your preferred method, always use a good quality water resistant wheel bearing grease. NAPA here carries a good “marine” wheel bearing grease.

 

[rickasbury]

Im sure the process is the same..I'm looking for the tricks to keep it from being such a mess! Do you clean the bearings with any solvent? I have one hub that is heating up- i had a bearing come apart before on the same wheel- I put a new bearing and race in it. It runs about 120 vs 90's on the others.

 

[Jeff J]

I use solvent in a coffee can to clean parts. I also dry with forced air. Do not allow the bearing to spin when blow drying with compressed air.

On the mess avoidance side, you may want a bearing packer like the one linked below (they are quite a bit cheaper everywhere else). It doesn’t eliminate the mess but it does help… so does nitrile gloves.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/APX2775D?srsltid=AfmBOoog_aKdIgcHlG6NlOQEBVKdJ8lVdPHDoZf-lOuTfnwNSMKjQ-LG0J8

I have a packer but for some reason it never seems to be where I am so packing by hand is pretty common for me. If you haven’t done it just put a gob of grease in one palm and scrape the wide end of the bearing into the gob until grease starts coming out small end of the bearing. Rotate and repeat until you know the bearing is full all the way around. Coat the outside and install. I usually put a thin film of grease on the axle and races too.

 

[rickasbury]

I use solvent in a coffee can to clean parts. I also dry with forced air. Do not allow the bearing to spin when blow drying with compressed air.

On the mess avoidance side, you may want a bearing packer like the one linked below (they are quite a bit cheaper everywhere else). It doesn’t eliminate the mess but it does help… so does nitrile gloves.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/APX2775D?srsltid=AfmBOoog_aKdIgcHlG6NlOQEBVKdJ8lVdPHDoZf-lOuTfnwNSMKjQ-LG0J8

I have a packer but for some reason it never seems to be where I am so packing by hand is pretty common for me. If you haven’t done it just put a gob of grease in one palm and scrape the wide end of the bearing into the gob until grease starts coming out small end of the bearing. Rotate and repeat until you know the bearing is full all the way around. Coat the outside and install. I usually put a thin film of grease on the axle and races too.

Thanks for the info...that grease seems to get everywhere! What about the hubs? I have a 10k trailer and it looks like each would hold a gallon of grease! If I do need to fill them up..what will clean that grease out? I think i will just replace the bearings, they just don't cost that much compared to a breakdown...

 

[airshot]

Thanks for the info...that grease seems to get everywhere! What about the hubs? I have a 10k trailer and it looks like each would hold a gallon of grease! If I do need to fill them up..what will clean that grease out? I think i will just replace the bearings, they just don't cost that much compared to a breakdown...

Once you remove them, it is pretty easy to discover a bad bearing. If everyone's hubs are sealed up and packed with good grease, filling is not necessary. I used to work at a marina, often boat trailer just sat, year round as they only traveled a couple hundred yards each year from storage to launch ramp then back to storage to sit all summer long. Those folks often filled their hubs to keep condensation low and reduce seal leakage from old seals. Why bother repacking every year for a trailer that sits all year except for twice a year traveling a few hundred yards at less than 10 mph ? How your trailer is used should dictate how the hubs and hearings are maintained.

 

[rickasbury]

Once you remove them, it is pretty easy to discover a bad bearing. If everyone's hubs are sealed up and packed with good grease, filling is not necessary. I used to work at a marina, often boat trailer just sat, year round as they only traveled a couple hundred yards each year from storage to launch ramp then back to storage to sit all summer long. Those folks often filled their hubs to keep condensation low and reduce seal leakage from old seals. Why bother repacking every year for a trailer that sits all year except for twice a year traveling a few hundred yards at less than 10 mph ? How your trailer is used should dictate how the hubs and hearings are maintained.

Thanks- for the most part that is my trailer use except a couple of miles to the ramp and for reasons that are improving, should start being more frequent. I would also like to get over to the intracoastal here in Florida but right now I don't trust it. I replaced one set of springs as one had broken- with the intention of replacing the other two- 8 years ago now? Lol- I want everything as tight as I can be for any longer trips- and then we know there are problems on the road you don't forsee...