Greasing Hubs

[PotomacBassin]

I just greased up my hubs for my fishing trip and I added a good bit bc the manual said to push grease through the hubs until new grease comes out. After driving for a while some grease has splattered on the inside of the wheel (looking from underneath the trailer). Is this normal? It's a newer trailer so I hope I didn't bust a seal.

[Scott F]

If it's on the inside of the wheel, that's not good. You could have too much grease and the pressure forced the seal open. You'd probably have to remove the hub, clean out the excess and start over. To be safe, I'd replace the seals. A damaged seal will let in water and cause the bearings to rust. 

[quanjig]

I know on my jonny trailer it's common for me to have spillage after I pump in new grease. I usually have a buddy that has done his hubs on his tandem big boat trailer as well as his jonny trailer help me with mine. We usually pull the entire assembly down to the axel and inspect everything. Not sure if you have done that to its entirety but my seals seem fine and have no damage or visible wear to the bearings or axel. Repack the bearings, slap the wheel back on and I'm good to go. I may just be delaying the inevitabl or just masking the problem, not sure. Maybe someone with a big boat can more adequately answer this!

[jbird9009]

Id definately pull the hub and check the seals. no sense in waiting for a malfunction to tell you the problem... i speak from experience haha. i did a conversion on my jonboat last summer and never got around to fixing up the trailer...

 

first trip of the season this year (last friday).. a bearing seized just a mile from the house. and i popped the tire and ruined the rim dragging it home.. tire needed replacing anyways ... my inner seal was destroyed from some fishing line that was wrapped around the axle, lettin water in

 

[Fishing Rhino]

Mine did this last year.  Got my boat a month before driving the rig to Guntersville for the Road Trip.  Before I left, I went over everything on the trailer.  I gave the bearings a few shots of grease until I saw it starting to push grease from the bearings.

 

Went on the trip, and when I got home, the front wheel on the right side had grease slung on the inside of the wheel.  I pulled the grease cap on the wheel, and there was plenty of grease and no water.  I cleaned all the gunk from the wheel, and trailer frame.  There is no sign of that wheel still slinging grease.

 

I'd suggest you give that wheel the once over.  Clean the grease that was thrown out.  Check to make sure there is plenty of grease in the bearings, and see if you have water intrusion.  If you do, it will be a milky fluid.  If all looks ok, clean the grease that was thrown from that wheel.

 

Take it for a run at highway speeds, long enough for the bearing assembly to get warm.  Then get check to see if it's still throwing grease.

 

Chances are you put too much grease into it.  There needs to be some air space in the bearing assembly.  As the grease warms, it expands.  If there isn't sufficient air space, the grease will force its way past the seal as it expands.

[PotomacBassin]

Mine did this last year.  Got my boat a month before driving the rig to Guntersville for the Road Trip.  Before I left, I went over everything on the trailer.  I gave the bearings a few shots of grease until I saw it starting to push grease from the bearings.

 

Went on the trip, and when I got home, the front wheel on the right side had grease slung on the inside of the wheel.  I pulled the grease cap on the wheel, and there was plenty of grease and no water.  I cleaned all the gunk from the wheel, and trailer frame.  There is no sign of that wheel still slinging grease.

 

I'd suggest you give that wheel the once over.  Clean the grease that was thrown out.  Check to make sure there is plenty of grease in the bearings, and see if you have water intrusion.  If you do, it will be a milky fluid.  If all looks ok, clean the grease that was thrown from that wheel.

 

Take it for a run at highway speeds, long enough for the bearing assembly to get warm.  Then get check to see if it's still throwing grease.

 

Chances are you put too much grease into it.  There needs to be some air space in the bearing assembly.  As the grease warms, it expands.  If there isn't sufficient air space, the grease will force its way past the seal as it expands.

Ha.  I got my boat late last year and I just arrived at Guntersville from Virginia.  Same situation.  I just wiped off the grease so we'll see what it looks like after driving to the lake tomorrow.  I never thought of the grease expanding but this makes perfect sense, especially after driving 600 miles.  I'll check inside the hub caps after I dip it in the water to see if any water's getting in.  I didn't notice it getting any worse as I drove farther so maybe it's done.  But the one side was worse than the other so I'm hoping it's just because I added that much more to that side.  

[Fishing Rhino]

I seem to remember you having a thread about, towing to Guntersville.  Did you tow down I-81 through the mountains in VA, and how did you make out?

[PotomacBassin]

I did tow down 81.  It was a great drive.  Horrible mpg's going through the mountains down to Tennessee, but it was a great drive.  I'm glad I went that way.  There were no issues with my vehicle at all.  Everything worked out pretty well.  I did change my transmission fluid because I was at the 50K mark and I think this helped because it seemed like my transmission was running cooler than before.  

[Fishing Rhino]

Glad to hear the trip went well.  It is a nice ride down I-81.  Much better than I-95. 

 

The only dreary part of the trip for me when we go south is I-95 through Connecticut, then up to the Tappan Zee Bridge.  From there it's all a nice drive.  I schedule my departure to avoid the rush hours through CT and NY.  I do not miss stretch of I-95 from CT to the George Washington Bridge, nor the stretch getting onto the NJ Turnpike.

 

Only two tolls by going the Tappan Zee route.  The toll at the entry to PA on Rte 78, and the Tappan Zee on the return.  I'd pay an extra eighty bucks in tolls were I to take I-95 south through Delaware, and MD.

[jhoffman]

If you keep pumping grease into hubs via these ezlube axles and bearing buddies you will eventually blow the rear seal.

 

Make sure you get double lip seals not single. Pack the bearings, fill the hub a little, go for a drive, come back, pop the cap and fill it a little more, seal it up then forget it till you go to repack bearings the following year or two. If you look in and your grease looks bad its time to repack. Flushing is a bad practice.

[Wintersun]

I use Bearing Buddies that are pushed out as grease is added. Makes it easy sto keep the bearings fully greased after each trip. I carry a grease gun and if the bearings are hot when I get to a launch area I will add grease before putting the wheels into the water. Otherwise the wheels cool down rapidy and create a vacuum that sucks in water.

 

With a big boat trailer the cost of oil bath type bearings is well worthwhile.

[xbacksideslider]

Seems like the point of the springs in the Bearing Buddys is to create an allowance for heat expansion?

[jhoffman]

Keep relying on bearing buddies and pumping grease into them every time you go to the ramp and I can promise unless you are religous about keeping an eye on your seals you will be sitting along the road some day. Hopefully you carry a spare hub for $35 its pretty cheap insurance.

[ww2farmer]

Over-greasing is just as bad as never greasing them. I grease mine at the end of every season, 2-3 pumps MAX. I do it the last time I pull the trailer out of the water for the year, so on the drive home new fresh grease is in the hub and spread around a little before sitting all winter. Mid-season I put 2 pumps in each side, and that's it. Every couple years I re-pack them.

[PotomacBassin]

I believe the grease just expanded and went out the seals but they resealed themselves.  There hasn't been any grease coming out since the trip and there was no water in the grease.  It's strange that trailstar would recommend flushing the hubs. 

[bullett 21]

Boy am i glad i have oil filled hubs on my bullett trailer.

[BassinB]

Boy am i glad i have oil filled hubs on my bullett trailer.

No offense but you're driving me nuts. It's spelled Bullet not bullett. In your name and in your posts....

[bullett 21]

No offense but you're driving me nuts. It's spelled Bullet not bullett. In your name and in your posts....

I did that on purpose .lol

 

Its an attention gitter lol

 

Thats the redneck in me 

 

From the backwoods .  

[Fishing Rhino]

I did that on purpose .lol

 

Its an attention gitter lol

 

Thats the redneck in me 

 

From the backwoods .  

 

Only the remote outskirts of Atlanta might come close to being the backwoods.  And that's an area extending about thirty miles from the center of Atlanta.  You have to get past Douglasville heading west on I-20 before you enter the backwoods of GA.  I know, because our younger daughter lives in Temple.  Even then, when you get off of I-20 at exit 24 you find a mini metropolis with a Walmart, Home Depot, CVS, Walgreens, Right Aid, motels and a variety of many smaller businesses.  The BPS on I-85 is a good twenty miles or more north of downtown Atlanta.  South and east of Atlanta not quite so much, but still not backwoods.

 

Next time we head that way I'll have to hitch a ride in that Bullet(t).  Been to West Point, Varner, East Antioch in Rocky Mountain State Park.  I really liked Antioch.  Fished it in late March.  Looking forward to going back there this fall.

[lmoore]

Bearing buddies also have problems with getting grease into the inside of the bearings. As someone who watched his trailer tire go passed him on the highway last season,removing and repacking at least once a year is the way to go(I do twice now). Doesn't take long for the peace of mind it provides. Bearing buddies are a nice maintenance tool, but definitely not the entire amount of maintenance for the year.