Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

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HPetrino
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Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by HPetrino » Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:19 pm

I have a 2006 boat and trailer, which I purchased new. Everything seems to be working fine right now, but being the old poop that I am I've been thinking. What maintenance should I be doing on the axle hubs?

I seem to remember that the axle is a "Trailer Buddy Axle by LIFP", but I'm not sure. Anybody have any input?

Thanks in advance for any advice!!


tdump
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by tdump » Sat Sep 26, 2020 3:42 pm

I think the "buddy" part of that is a grease fitting in the end of the hub that allows you to use a grease gun to put fresh grease in the bearings.But after a few times,the excess goes out the grease seal on the back of the hub and makes for a big mess.
I would pull each hub,clean and repack the bearings and adjust them. The axle seal has to come out but if you tilt the hub up or down with the outer bearing off,sometimes you can pull the axle seal out from the hub without damage.But they are not exspensive if you do damage it.
If you can't help em, don't hinder em'


Dennis Prince
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by Dennis Prince » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:03 pm

I always find a seal that is the same id and od but 1/2 the width and put 1 in to hold the grease in and another in backwards to hold the water out, seems to work real well, and be sure to use blue boat trailer grease.


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HPetrino
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by HPetrino » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:05 pm

Thanks fellers. That helps.

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david_dewey
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by david_dewey » Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:26 am

I had a boat trailer with "Bearing Buddies" on it--it is a spring loaded bearing cap that you grease before putting the trailer in the water--the spring keeps the grease under compression so that (theoretically) water can't get sucked into the warm bearings when the wheel hub is dunked into the cold lake (stream, bay) water.
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by D Stroud » Sun Sep 27, 2020 4:18 am

What Mack said. :) And to add to what Dennis said, there are double lip seals that do just what he described, I've used them many times in a past life as a Maintenance Supervisor in a Lead Recycling plant that had a lot of issues with outside contamination on gearboxes. They kept the crud out and the lube in. Maybe they would work if there isn't room for two seals back to back, we never had that option. I do like his idea though. JMHO Dave
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by Adam » Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:07 am

The general recommendations is that boat trailer bearings should be disassembled, cleaned, inspected, and re-packed every season.

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david_dewey
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by david_dewey » Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:44 pm

And the wise boat trailer owner does this at the end of the season so the trailer doesn't sit all winter with water in the bearing grease rusting metal and expanding when the weather freezes the water! :D
T'ake care,
David Dewey


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HPetrino
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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by HPetrino » Tue Oct 06, 2020 5:08 pm

Well, my learning curve has been vertical on this. I found in my file the Trailer Buddy Axles by UFP service pamphlet that has a diagram and detailed instructions on greasing the hub and bearings. So, after reading that a few times and watching a few videos I got busy. The first thing to do is tap the hub cover gently all around until you work it off. There is supposed to be a Zerk fitting under it. I tapped it off. The damn hubs are oil bath.

Turns out everything is just fine except my blood pressure. I plan to find out why I was given incorrect literature when I bought the thing. Time for an adult beverage.

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Re: Boat Trailer Axle Guidance Please

Post by david_dewey » Thu Oct 08, 2020 12:14 am

What you describe, grease fitting under the cap, seems right--it's been a few decades since I had that trailer! Oil bath, that's interesting.
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David D.
T'ake care,
David Dewey

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