Trailer Hubs & Seals + Turn Signal Repair?

[AJ Hauser]

Hey fellas,

I have a little jon boat trailer that is about 40 years old. I'm getting new tires today, but when I removed them I noticed on the back of the right side tire, it looks like the seal on the hub has blown out and grease has sprayed everywhere. 

 

Is this something that can be repaired - and is it worth repairing? I was also considering just replacing the hubs with some "pre-packed" new ones that I can order. If we go that route, I'm curious how to get the proper size. Do I need to measure the axle (2" diameter) or the spindle that the hub mounts on?

 

(I have Bearing Buddies - do those actually keep the bearings continuously greased, or just add a layer of grease to keep water out of the hub assembly?) 

 

On another note, I noticed that my rear turn signal won't work. How would you recommend going about fixing this? 

 

Thanks guys - I'll try to grab a few pics. Much appreciated! 

[A-Jay]

Just get new hubs ~

and maybe something like this

https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Incandescent+Tail+Light+for+Trailers+over+80"+Wide+-+Submersible+-+8+Function+-+Driver+Side

 

A-Jay

[flyfisher]

As far as trailer wiring goes it is always a challenge with all the abuse a trailer takes but bad ground or faulty connections are usually the first culprit.  For me, if I don't find it relatively quickly I will take an afternoon and rewire it as then I know it will work and be done correctly and last for years to come.  I recently did it on my 6+ year old kayak trailer and swapped out for LED lights as well and everything is good to go and now I don't have to worry if my lights work after I hit a bump or something.

[Jig Man]

If it is just a seal, they are cheap and not hard to replace.  You will need to clean and repack the bearings.

[TnRiver46]

I got a new hubs for bout $50/apiece, comes already assembled and greased . Lights are fairly easy until you dunk them into the water haha

 

[airshot]

Either rebuild the hubs or buy new, your choice !!  If the bearings are not pitted or rusted then I would rebuild !!  Bearing buddies are good but still require regular maintenence and an ocassional repack of the bearings !!  As far as the lights go, get an LED light kit and replace them, much better in the long run !!

[slonezp]

Inner and outer seals and inner and outer bearings are cheap. If you don't have the tools, any auto parts store can hook you up with a bearing grease press and a seal remover. 

 

As far as lights, if you are sure the bulb isn't bad, you have a busted wire or a bad ground.

[Alex from GA]

With Buddy Bearings the main reason why grease comes out the back is pumping them up too much.  Yes LED lights last longer, use less current and they're more waterproof.

[Way2slow]

I'm totally confused.  From your initial post, it makes it sound like you've gone 40 years and never pulled the hubs off to service the bearings and replace the seals, something any prudent boat owner would do every year at the beginning or ending of the season.  I'm amazed this has not been one of those trailers you see on the side of the road with the spindle on the ground and the wheel somewhere on in the bushes along the road.  Hubs don't wear out, the bearings and seals are what wear out and all that needs to be replaced, unless you fail to service them, and they destroy the hub and spindle and ruin a fishing trip.

As for the lights, if they go under water, I would go with the LED.  I've probably had to replace as many LED lights the went bad as I have incandescent because I buy those cheap things from Northern Tools, but they do have a tendency to be more waterproof, and you don't have to worry about trying to get a rusted in bulb out.  

[Kirtley Howe]

4 hours ago, Way2slow said:

I'm totally confused.  From your initial post, it makes it sound like you've gone 40 years and never pulled the hubs off to service the bearings and replace the seals, something any prudent boat owner would do every year at the beginning or ending of the season.  I'm amazed this has not been one of those trailers you see on the side of the road with the spindle on the ground and the wheel somewhere on in the bushes along the road.  Hubs don't wear out, the bearings and seals are what wear out and all that needs to be replaced, unless you fail to service them, and they destroy the hub and spindle and ruin a fishing trip.

As for the lights, if they go under water, I would go with the LED.  I've probably had to replace as many LED lights the went bad as I have incandescent because I buy those cheap things from Northern Tools, but they do have a tendency to be more waterproof, and you don't have to worry about trying to get a rusted in bulb out.  

You are 100% correct about the wheel bearings and seals. A bit of time at the start of the season and a quick inspection before each trip will prevent most problems. If you use your trailer a lot, doing bearing/seal service and replacement should be done more often, of course. I had a friend who used to fish tournaments regularly, so his trailer got a lot of miles on it. He fully serviced the bearings and seals after each tournament...so 30 or more times a year. Overkill? Maybe, but he never had a bearing failure. As to rusted in bulbs....just coat the metal part of the bulb with dielectric grease and never worry about it again unless you launch in saltwater. If you do launch in saltwater, it pays to recoat the bulb base after every few trips.

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

You are 100% correct about the wheel bearings and seals. A bit of time at the start of the season and a quick inspection before each trip will prevent most problems. If you use your trailer a lot, doing bearing/seal service and replacement should be done more often, of course. I had a friend who used to fish tournaments regularly, so his trailer got a lot of miles on it. He fully serviced the bearings and seals after each tournament...so 30 or more times a year. Overkill? Maybe, but he never had a bearing failure. As to rusted in bulbs....just coat the metal part of the bulb with dielectric grease and never worry about it again unless you launch in saltwater. If you do launch in saltwater, it pays to recoat the bulb base after every few trips.

I smear dielectric grease all over the bulb base and they still rust and explode sometimes . It helps to unplug every launch 

[thomas15]

You can buy the hub seals, bearings and the bearing races in kit form, they are not all that expensive. You will need to pound the old races out, i use a small cold chisel and hold the hub in a big bench vise. There are two races (inner and outer) on each hub same number of bearings. The inner and outer are probably different sizes. 

 

To reinstall you will need a tool to drive the race home. Your friend the home mechanic probably has one ask nicely. If you go that route remove both hubs at the same time but keep one available as a model to get a visual so that you know that the new races are set in properly. They are a tight fit. This is a messy job and requires a tube of marine grease. There are a bunch of youtubes on this.

 

You should be able to clean up the old bearing buddies and reuse. If you don't reuse them you will need new dust caps for the hubs. Those might come with the new bearing kit. The bearing buddy is basically a plunger on a spring that keeps the grease under constant pressure to avoid grease voids in the hub assy.

 

Watch a few youtubes to see if this job is for you. I don't replace every year but I do check the bearing buddies every time I take my boat out. I also check the trailer tire pressure. Just good practice.

[Alex from GA]

According to the pictures the hubs are 4 bolt so the spindle is either a 1" or 1 1/16th" straight.  Look @ the seal surface on the spindle and if it's worn/grooved you'll need a Speedi Sleeve to repair the surface and an oversize seal

[Kirtley Howe]

4 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I smear dielectric grease all over the bulb base and they still rust and explode sometimes . It helps to unplug every launch 

The dielectric grease should prevent rust but will do nothing to prevent the bulbs exploding. I always unplug the trailer lights while I am prepping the boat for launch. That way the bulbs can cool down before being dunked in the water which should prevent them from exploding or burning out due to thermal shock. The only exception to this is when I am launching or loading in the dark. Then I just take my chances. I aways carry extra bulbs just in case.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Kirtley Howe said:

The dielectric grease should prevent rust but will do nothing to prevent the bulbs exploding. I always unplug the trailer lights while I am prepping the boat for launch. That way the bulbs can cool down before being dunked in the water which should prevent them from exploding or burning out due to thermal shock. The only exception to this is when I am launching or loading in the dark. Then I just take my chances. I aways carry extra bulbs just in case.

You sound like me! Changed one the other day when I had to load in the dark and one exploded 

[Way2slow]

If they explode, it's because the light has an air leak.  Before I started running LED lights, unless it was a very steep ramp, I never unplugged.  If one shattered the bulb, it's usually there is an air leak in it. On occasion, if you have a really steep ramp and/or back in too fast, it will let water splash up into it from the bottom, since the bottoms are usually open and pop the bulb.  If I found a shattered bulb, I used some silicon to seal the light housing.  Now, if you put the lens in with silicon, you probably won't get it back off in one piece for the next bulb change, but if you put a thin, even coat of silicon on the gasket, let it cure, and then put it in, it usually seals fine and doesn't glue the sucker in.   Even with the bottom being open, it won't let enough water in to reach the bulb because unless it's leaking air, it can't displace the air to let water in.  Backing in too fast and especially on a steep ramp will make scoop up the water and splash it up on the bulb.

As I mentioned before, I've probably had to replace as many bad LED lights as I have incandescent.  I've replaced few bulbs over my 58 years of owning boat trailers, but rarely the whole light.

[AJ Hauser]

On 6/25/2023 at 12:06 PM, TnRiver46 said:

I got a new hubs for bout $50/apiece, comes already assembled and greased . Lights are fairly easy until you dunk them into the water haha

 

 

What brand and where did you buy them? Unless they're stupid expensive for mine I think I'll just replace both with pre-packed bearings instead of spending an a day swearing at the old ones...  

 

Thanks to all that responded - much appreciated! 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, AJ Hauser said:

 

What brand and where did you buy them? Unless they're stupid expensive for mine I think I'll just replace both with pre-packed bearings instead of spending an a day swearing at the old ones...  

 

Thanks to all that responded - much appreciated! 

Sometimes the old races knock out easily and sometimes you are swinging a hammer for 30 minutes straight. I got mine at Northern tool and equipment. It is worth the extra 30-40 bucks even for a po boy like me.
 

[airshot]

12 hours ago, Way2slow said:

If they explode, it's because the light has an air leak.  Before I started running LED lights, unless it was a very steep ramp, I never unplugged.  If one shattered the bulb, it's usually there is an air leak in it. On occasion, if you have a really steep ramp and/or back in too fast, it will let water splash up into it from the bottom, since the bottoms are usually open and pop the bulb.  If I found a shattered bulb, I used some silicon to seal the light housing.  Now, if you put the lens in with silicon, you probably won't get it back off in one piece for the next bulb change, but if you put a thin, even coat of silicon on the gasket, let it cure, and then put it in, it usually seals fine and doesn't glue the sucker in.   Even with the bottom being open, it won't let enough water in to reach the bulb because unless it's leaking air, it can't displace the air to let water in.  Backing in too fast and especially on a steep ramp will make scoop up the water and splash it up on the bulb.

As I mentioned before, I've probably had to replace as many bad LED lights as I have incandescent.  I've replaced few bulbs over my 58 years of owning boat trailers, but rarely the whole light.

I always unolug even with led lights !!  The only led I have ever had to replace ( 12 years of using them) was when I forgot to unplug...learned my lesson !! 

However, I learned that the maintenence on regular bulbs was way to much trouble, once I switched to led, no more light issues !!  You don't need expensive ones, I have had Harbor Freight leds for 6 years without issues, complete with new wiring harness for under 40 bucks. 

[AJ Hauser]

14 hours ago, airshot said:

I always unolug even with led lights !!  The only led I have ever had to replace ( 12 years of using them) was when I forgot to unplug...learned my lesson !! 

However, I learned that the maintenence on regular bulbs was way to much trouble, once I switched to led, no more light issues !!  

 

My brother - why are you yelling so much? I appreciate your passion regarding trailer lights, but perhaps it is time to switch to decaf? ??

 

16 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sometimes the old races knock out easily and sometimes you are swinging a hammer for 30 minutes straight. I got mine at Northern tool and equipment. It is worth the extra 30-40 bucks even for a po boy like me.
 

 

I believe this is what I'm looking for but not quite sure: 

 

https://www.northerntool.com/products/ultra-tow-xtp-ultra-pack-trailer-hub-4-on-4in-1350-lb-capacity-572241

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, AJ Hauser said:

 

My brother - why are you yelling so much? I appreciate your passion regarding trailer lights, but perhaps it is time to switch to decaf? ??

 

I believe this is what I'm looking for but not quite sure: 

 

https://www.northerntool.com/products/ultra-tow-xtp-ultra-pack-trailer-hub-4-on-4in-1350-lb-capacity-572241

I believe that is what I used but you have to make sure you have the correct bolt pattern as well as inner and outer seal measurements