maintenance free boat trailer hubs

[AZcoyote52]

Hi I have a Olson Boat trailer. This trailer was made in 1966 as it says on title. I am prepping trailer for painting, and noticed that the wheel hubs have no way to grease bearings. Wheel hubs are totally sealed. I have never heard of anything like this ever and I am 61 years old.! If anybody remotely heard of these hubs please let me know. Thanks

 

[dannys2004glastron175mx]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

some one mite of made that axle with the rear wheel bearings off a front wheel drive car . post a pic of them

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Very common on older trailers. Simply remove the caps and hammer in Bearing Buddies or the equivalent. Don't want bearing buddies? drill the cap and insert zerk fittings. Buddies are better!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Bearing Buddies don't grease bearings. Their only purpose is to keep a slight pressure in the hub to keep water out.

To properly grease bearings you remove the hub, remove the bearings, clean the bearings with solvent and then repack the bearings with new grease. There are no shortcuts.

 

[Bondo]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Hi I have a Olson Boat trailer. This trailer was made in 1966 as it says on title. I am prepping trailer for painting, and noticed that the wheel hubs have no way to grease bearings. Wheel hubs are totally sealed. I have never heard of anything like this ever and I am 61 years old.! If anybody remotely heard of these hubs please let me know. Thanks

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Post a picture of what you've got,....

As Bruce says, Disaasembly is the 1st step in greasin' the wheel bearin's,...
Not a grease fittin',...

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Look AZ I'm sure you know that bearings should be cleaned and repacked when you first get them but I have trailers with bearing buddies that are over 20 years old and have never been repacked. I just pump in a shot of grease every once in a while. The spring pressure will eventually force all air out and the rear bearing will always get greased.

As long as the rear seal is intact and functioning there is no need for bearing buddies or to to repack. The cap will keep grease in and water out. Look at a rear wheel drive car. The front bearings usually last for the life of the vehicle with no greasing or repacking.

OK--Here we go with another oil, ethanol in gas, best grease to use type debate.

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

op2:

 

[bruceb58]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Look AZ I'm sure you know that bearings should be cleaned and repacked when you first get them but I have trailers with bearing buddies that are over 20 years old and have never been repacked. I just pump in a shot of grease every once in a while. The spring pressure will eventually force all air out and the rear bearing will always get greased.

Have you ever removed the rear bearing to look at it?

I just bought a pontoon trailer with ez-lube axles. The trailer was 7 years old and maybe used twice a year as the boat was stored in a slip. All outer bearings/races had to be replaced and 2 of the inner ones. Grease looked semi ok but if I hadn't actually removed everything and cleaned them, I would never have found the corrosion and the pits in the races and the bearing rollers.

 

[AZcoyote52]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Very common on older trailers. Simply remove the caps and hammer in Bearing Buddies or the equivalent. Don't want bearing buddies? drill the cap and insert zerk fittings. Buddies are better!

What Caps?

 

[AZcoyote52]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

some one mite of made that axle with the rear wheel bearings off a front wheel drive car . post a pic of them

OK Posted pictures.

 

[AZcoyote52]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Bearing Buddies don't grease bearings. Their only purpose is to keep a slight pressure in the hub to keep water out.

To properly grease bearings you remove the hub, remove the bearings, clean the bearings with solvent and then repack the bearings with new grease. There are no shortcuts.

Ok I posted pictures. Can not disassemble .

 

[bruceb58]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Ok I posted pictures. Can not disassemble .

Yeah, those are some strange looking ones. That outer cap likely comes off but you may want to ditch the whole setup and go with a modern axle.

Edit: Agree with danny's post that follows this one. Looks like a hack job with a rear axle from a front wheel drive car

 

[dannys2004glastron175mx]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Hi I have a Olson Boat trailer. This trailer was made in 1966 as it says on title. I am prepping trailer for painting, and noticed that the wheel hubs have no way to grease bearings. Wheel hubs are totally sealed. I have never heard of anything like this ever and I am 61 years old.! If anybody remotely heard of these hubs please let me know. Thanks

yep them are rear wheel bearings off a front wheel drive car someone welded on there . its the same wheel bearing that's on the rear of a cavalier or sunfire

 

[dannys2004glastron175mx]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

go on ebay and look up cavalier rear wheel bearing you will see they are the same

 

[AZcoyote52]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

yep them are rear wheel bearings off a front wheel drive car someone welded on there . its the same wheel bearing that's on the rear of a cavalier or sunfire

Well- I think you must of got this right. I looked on ebay and found a match. I guess I'll leave it alone and just clean them up and paint. There is no sign of looseness in the bearings. The rims match up to a Cavalier stock rim. I wonder what happens when these hubs fail? Do they seize up, or fly apart? Thanks for the help.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

That's really not that good......... I say you have a few choices. Get another trailer with user serviceable hubs, replace the entire axle assembly from one purchase via tractor supply or some other place, or live with what you have and when they go bad....... they will probably smoke, squeal and possibly lock up. I doubt they will fly apart.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

Years ago my wife's sunfire lost a wheel because of a bad bearing like that, not pretty.

 

[richard.prince]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

That's really not that good......... I say you have a few choices. Get another trailer with user serviceable hubs, replace the entire axle assembly from one purchase via tractor supply or some other place, or live with what you have and when they go bad....... they will probably smoke, squeal and possibly lock up. I doubt they will fly apart.

+1

Those axles are definitely not designed to be submerged in water

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

SOMETIMES when they go bad they heat up to 'really friggen hot' and actually can get to the point that the steel starts to melt and then the spindle can twist off sending the wheel assembly into oncoming traffic..... I strongly suggest purchasing a new axle assembly... they aren't very expensive in that size and you would have a much safer rig.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: maintenance free boat trailer hubs

buy new axle with zerks... old axles= buddies. newer axles dont need em, a shot of grease in the zerk, grease from rear to front.. for $150 bucks,, if able.. why not change it out and get with current axle technology.... old spindles are not machined like new ones, dia same sure.. that's about it... new spindles/bearings just sit better...anyone who's installed a newer axle will concur....