Trailer Wheel Bearings

[Nitro 882]

Hey guys, how long should bearings last on a 2 wheel trailer for a 18 1/2 ft bass boat? I drive about 4000 miles a season and carry a grease gun which I use liberally. All highway driving and no salt water use.

I had new bearings installed by BPS service dept. late spring last year. I just took a trip to Florida during which I spent 11 1/2 hours along side the road because a bearing went and I nearly lost the entire wheel before a State Policeman stopped me . The scary thing is there was no sensation that anything was wrong. No dragging or swaying or anything. If the officer hadn't stopped me I would have lost the wheel in a few hundred feet .

I've had a boat of some kind for 40 years and never had an experience like this.

Its hell driving down the road waiting for your wheel to fall off. I need to get my confidence built back up.

Help please. :-/

[Crowcommander]

Nitro,I feel your pain.Just changed 4 tires and while the wheels were off I checked the bearings and 3 hubs were rough and loose. I must have not been greasing enough. On long trips I usually carry a spare hub and feel the hubs  for heatwhen We stop for gas. I know what you mean when you lose confidence in your bearings.

[stratos 375]

nitro, been there with the wheel falling off adventure. what made mine even more spectacular was that it was dark and there was major flamage involved. It put on quite a show.

have them pulled/ checked and replaced (if needed) every year regardless of mileage. for a single axle it really doesn't cost that much.

It might not prevent another disaster, but you'll at least feel better until it happens

[burleytog]

What are you greasing?  Using Bearing Buddies?

[nick76]

I have never changed my bearings before and would like to do it this season. MY trailer might get 150 miles a year on it and is single axle. Is there a place that shows how to do this. I am pretty good at figuring things out, just thought if there was a diagram or something I could get a visual head start before the snow lifts this spring.

[Nitro 882]

What are you greasing? Using Bearing Buddies?

Hey Burley, I know what your thinkin'.

My trailer has a "flow thru" system that allows you to pump as much grease as you want, driving out the old grease without fear of blowing out the seal as you might with a bearing buddy.

Can someone give me an educated guess as to how long or how many miles to expect out of a new set of bearings.

[burleytog]

What are you greasing? Using Bearing Buddies?

Hey Burley, I know what your thinkin'.

My trailer has a "flow thru" system that allows you to pump as much grease as you want, driving out the old grease without fear of blowing out the seal as you might with a bearing buddy.

Can someone give me an educated guess as to how long or how many miles to expect out of a new set of bearings.

That would be the Dexter EZ-Lube axles.

As for bearing longevity, I have no clue. I've got a couple of farm trailers on which the bearings haven't been repacked in 25-30 years. Not exactly comparable to a boat trailer in terms of the operation environment though.

My camper has around 5000 miles on it, all I've done is greased the bearings once. Solid as a rock.

IOW, there is no way to know when a bearing will fail. Sometimes stuff just happens.

[gatorblazer]

i work for a major bearing distributor. There is very major problem with counterfeit bearings being sold to small distributors or your local auto parts place. The best thing to do is to ask what brand bearing is being installed on your trailer or to make sure you are buying a quality brand name. The authorized distributors of brands like Timken, S.K.F, F.A.G, Fafnir, etc usually have authentic bearings and will warranty them if they prematurely fail. The counterfeit or Chinease knockoffs often times are remanufactured, or simply just old bearings that are cleaned and reasold, a major reason why they might fail early. Other causes of failure include improper installation or lubrication.

[Nitro 882]

i work for a major bearing distributor. There is very major problem with counterfeit bearings being sold to small distributors or your local auto parts place. The best thing to do is to ask what brand bearing is being installed on your trailer or to make sure you are buying a quality brand name. The authorized distributors of brands like Timken, S.K.F, F.A.G, Fafnir, etc usually have authentic bearings and will warranty them if they prematurely fail. The counterfeit or Chinease knockoffs often times are remanufactured, or simply just old bearings that are cleaned and reasold, a major reason why they might fail early. Other causes of failure include improper installation or lubrication.

The "prematurely fail" thing is what I'm trying to understand. What is premature?

Look, as I said early on, I've had boats/trailers nearly all my adult life and my experience has been that trailer bearings last a long time.

I had an aluminum basstracker Pro 17TX for 18 yrs and never replaced the bearings on the trailer.

I'm probably asking an unanswerable question. I guess I'm simply trying to get another opinion to use as ammo with the BPS service dept that replaced the bearings last spring. I just can't believe that they should fail in so short a time frame if they were installed properly or installed at all.

Sorry if I'm trying to recruit you guys for my "lynch mob".

[Crankhead]

Here's what I went through. I've got a Lund 18 1/2' on a Lund trailer. The bearings are sealed. I bought the rig in 2006. I had a trailer place grease and repack the bearings in the fall of 08. Last summer I was heading to the lake when I heard an explosion...the left side wheel flew off the trailer and hit a mini van head on. Thank God nobody was hurt...the mini van was totaled and the boat trailer needed a new axle & wheel. But no damage to my boat. I guess I'll be getting the bearings repacked every spring...actually wish I had buddy bearings instead of sealed bearings.

[gatorblazer]

your right in saying premature is somewhat undefineable.  Some last 100 years, some last a few weeks depending on the load and heat exposure.  i would say that properly maintained, bearings on a trailer should last a long time.  my point is, when you take it back to BPS, make sure they can guarantee that the bearings used were good quality.  It sounds as if they installed them correctly, you have maintained them properly, there is no real reason why they should have failed other than being faulty. 

[Nitro 882]

your right in saying premature is somewhat undefineable. Some last 100 years, some last a few weeks depending on the load and heat exposure. i would say that properly maintained, bearings on a trailer should last a long time. my point is, when you take it back to BPS, make sure they can guarantee that the bearings used were good quality. It sounds as if they installed them correctly, you have maintained them properly, there is no real reason why they should have failed other than being faulty.

Thanks Gator, you make some good points.And if nothing else,I hope that this thread will get you guys to check your bearings and avoid the 11 1/2 hours I spent along the highway and $1075 it cost to get back on the road.

Thanks all and have a great season.

[burleytog]

I don't know if it would have helped in your situation, but a good habit to practice is checking your hubs every time you stop.

Just as simple as walking back to the trailer and touching the hubs.  If they're anything but cool, trouble is brewing.