First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

[convergent]

I was dropping off my boat to have a seat repaired and the guy there said my bearings didn't sound right as I rolled past him. It was on my list to deal with, but just went to the top (only had the boat for a few weeks and usually only trailer it about 1 mile to the ramp). I'm pretty mechanically inclined but never tackled wheel bearings on a trailer before.

So I jacked it up and pulled one of the four hubs and started taking things apart and cleaning them. The seats on the spindle for the bearings look pretty good, but on the far inside where the seal rides, there is a very tiny groove there which you can kind of see in the picture... the shiny part closest to the painted part. Looking at that closely, it looks like that shiny part is a sleeve that will slide off, but I'm not sure. There is also a tiny hole on the bottom side of it, that I assume is for the grease to go into from the grease fitting on the outside of the hub.

So here are a couple of questions...

1. Does that sleeve come off, or is that part of the spindle? I don't see how it would be easy to replace the spindle and the tiny groove isn't that bad... but if I can replace it then I will.

2. If I can't replace that sleeve, is it OK to take some fine sand paper and smooth out that little groove... or is that even possible?

3. I haven't taken the races out of the hub, but they definitely need to be replaced. I don't want to mess them up so I'm wondering if I'm better off bringing the hub(s) into the parts store (finding one with a machine shop) and have them press them out? If its not that bad to get them out, how should I do it exactly? I am assuming a cold chisel and hammer is the way to go on this, but again don't want to end up making them impossible to remove if I mess up the lip of the race and then can't get it out.

4. When I put this back together, I know I need to pack the wheel bearings. Is it necessary to fill the whole inside of the hub with grease also, or just pack the bearings? Once its back together, there is a fitting on the front... how much grease do I put in?

5. Is there any value in installing bearing buddies? As I said, I have a fitting on the outside of the spindle to put in grease already.

 

[four winns 214]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

I just did this job and I'm not particularly mechanically inclined.

>>Does that sleeve come off, or is that part of the spindle?<<

Your spindle looks like mine. That "sleeve" does not come off the spindle, at least it didn't on mine.

>>is it OK to take some fine sand paper and smooth out that little groove... or is that even possible?<<

I smoothed a few areas on my spindle with some emery cloth. If the spindle is etched too deeply for the bearing seal to do its job, then the spindle may have to be replaced. From your picture, the more troublesome area appears to me to be where the outer bearing rides.

I know NOTHING about replacing spindles. I do know that getting the new spindle back in correctly is critical because of wheel alignment.

>>I haven't taken the races out of the hub, but they definitely need to be replaced<<

I used a long punch and large ball peen hammer to get my races out. Just start at one place and start working around the edge. On my hubs, it took some pretty enthusiastic blows. A March 2010 article in Boating magazine said to use a dowel or wooden peg to "gently tap out" the races. There is NO WAY my races would have come out using that technique. My good quality punch was mushroomed a bit from knocking out those races.

To install the new races, I bought a set of bearing race & seal drivers (item #95853) at Harbor Freight. The were $25, but worth every penny for the peace of mind that the races were well driven into place. When they bottom out, there is a definite, satisfying feeling to it.

>>Once its back together, there is a fitting on the front... how much grease do I put in<<

Keep pumping grease until it fills the dust cap. If you have a tandem axle trailer, you're going to get a work out. I was wishing for my friend's power grease gun.

>>Is there any value in installing bearing buddies?<<

Some folks swear by them. I don't have them. I think keeping the hubs full of grease and checking your bearings every year or two, depending on how many miles you tow, and you'll be fine.

There are some pretty good videos on You Tube on how to do this job. Here's link to one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k2T79nHXgw

Good luck!

 

[Fed]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

Google "speedi sleeve" and my weapons of choice to get the bearings out are a hammer and a large flat screwdriver with the metal shaft that goes all the way through the plastic handle.
Terrific on bearings not so good for electrical work.

 

[convergent]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

Thanks guys...

I do have a tandem trailer, so I may invest in a pneumatic grease gun... they don't seem to cost a lot more than a manual one. We have a Harbor Freight and a Northern Tool locally, so I will also look for that race/seal kit, but I may try without it first. I have a couple of big screwdrivers and cold chisels, and I will pick up a big punch for removing the races.

I am going to try and smooth out that sleeve in the back. It isn't that bad and I'd think that a seal would have that much play in it. It really looks like its a sleeve and not part of the shaft, so it may already be one of those speedi sleeves. I will wait until I pull the other wheels to make a final conclusion on that. The outer part of the spindle looks odd in the picture, but I think its just the image not being focussed on that part (took it with my camera). Its completely smooth to touch.

 

[four winns 214]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

.....my weapons of choice to get the bearings out are a hammer and a large flat screwdriver.......

I think you mean to get the races out you use a hammer and screw driver. The bearings should just lift out with your finger.

 

[GatorMike]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

I learned my lesson about wheel bearings many years ago. I was driving along at about 55 mph and heard a thump. Next thing I knew one of my tires was passing me on the shoulder. This happened at 1AM. I keep a close watch on my bearings now.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

The cups or races will come out of the hub with a large screwdriver but reinstalling is when the driver kit comes in very handy. I prefer a large brass drift pin for removal it wont scratch anything, it will have to be reformed on the end but thats the idea in a way. If you dont get the kit you can use one of the old races(cut with a dremel) to act as a driver for the new ones. Some 1 foot or smaller pieces of 2X4 are very helpful as well, good for the seal install which should be flush with the back of the hub not driven in. I usuallu leave the hub on the rim it makes it much easier to pound on etc than trying to hold just the hub. There is also alot of info on this topic on champion trailers.com very good tutorials on trailer needs. If you plan on doing this more in the future one tool that is pretty handy besides the race driver is a bearing packer pretty sweet and saves alot of time/mess in your hands.

 

[convergent]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I am finding that getting the parts for this is actually much harder than doing the work! The seal is an odd part number that doesn't match well with others. I found the stuff on eTrailer at great prices, but then I went to the cart and they wanted about $75-80 for 2nd day shipping... I think that's a bit of a rip off for a small box of bearings and seals. I hate companies that do that... mark their prices way down and then over charge for shipping. I decided to look locally and ended up spending several hours driving all over the area. I found kits at West Marine that had everything for one wheel, but they were expensive and had the wrong seal. Went to several auto parts stores and only came up with one seal that looks close, and it was expensive. Finally ended up back at the Northern Tool store where I started the day after I did some online research on their part numbers and was able to get kits with the wrong seal and the seal separately for a total of about $22 per wheel I think.

The seal looks to be the right outside diameter and inside diameter may be a tad tighter, but hard to tell since I destroyed the old one removing it. Its not as deep though, so I am assuming I'll just want to knock it in until its flush with the outside of the hub and not try to push all the way in til it seats, right?


I also picked up a pneumatic grease gun, a seal/race kit, and a huge punch.

I'll report back after I try to finish up the first wheel as to whether it worked out.

 

[convergent]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

Well the races came out fine with the humungo punch I bought. But yet again I had a parts problem. There were two races that work with my inside bearings and of course both sets of 4 kits I had bought had the larger one, and I needed the smaller. A bunch more phone calls and another drive found these only in a kit with the bearing. I'm going to have a lot of parts to return when this is over.

The races went in great with the race/seal tool I bought, and I just put the seal in flush with the hub. I did go over the worn spot with some 300 grit sand paper and it seemed to smooth it out pretty good.

I had some trouble getting the pneumatic grease gun to work, but finally got all the air out of the line and it did pretty well. The only problem I had was the couple went on to the grease fittings fine, but it was near impossible to pull off... especially once I had grease all over my hands. I don't know if I have a defective coupling on my hose or what, but I can't believe they should be this hard to pull off. Is there a trick to this?

So I got the first one all back together and filled with grease and it rolls pretty smooth. The only thing I was a little concerned with was the seal seemed to be very snug... not sure if that is the way its supposed to be or not. It turns freely, but definitely no spinning it and let it coast like a car wheel does. Not sure if thats because my seal is too tight or its all just full of grease and tight because everything is new. Are the seals really snug when new?

 

[four winns 214]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

Sorry to hear about your parts problems. Did you get part numbers off the back of the races, seals and bearings? You might try calling trailer shops instead of auto parts places for your seals, bearings, and races. And it doesn't have to be a boat trailer shop-- horse trailers and utility trailers surely use the same spindles, races and bearings.

I'm gonna make you sick here, but in Louisville there's a little hole-in-the-wall place that specializes in boat trailer parts. I got bearings, races, and seals for $15 per wheel. I even bought a spare hub with everything for $45 (I think). I packed the bearings for the spare hub and installed the races. It's in a Ziploc bag complete with spare lug nuts in my "tow box" ready to use in case I ever need it.

To answer your question about the bearing seal, yes, it's my understanding that the seal is supposed to be flush with the hub and not pressed against the bearing.

My grease gun nipple is hard to remove as well. I just grab it with a rag in my hand and tug until it comes off.

As far as spinning the wheel goes, you should be able to spin the wheel and have it turn at least a revolution or two. If it doesn't, you may have your spindle nut too tight. Tighten it until it bottoms out and then loosen it about a quarter turn.

 

[Fed]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

Loosen off the little knurled tip on the end of the grease gun.

 

[convergent]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

I did the second wheel and it only took me about an hour and a half. Two more to go.

But, I also have questions about brakes. The whole brake system in the axle I just did was pretty rusty and didn't even look like it would work. That is a whole other part of this that I don't want to tackle right now, so I just left it and did the bearings. What is the process for finding brake parts and how in the world do you test them? I think this trailer has surge brakes, but I'm not 100% sure. It does also have a cable that runs through the safety chain loop that is supposed to kick in if the trailer comes loose.

 

[four winns 214]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

I also have questions about brakes. The whole brake system in the axle I just did was pretty rusty and didn't even look like it would work.

Man, we're living in a parallel universe. I just did my brakes as well.

Are your brakes drum or disc? Surge or electric? You better start a new thread about trailer brakes before the moderators come down on our head.

 

[convergent]

Re: First time changing wheel bearings... some questions

I know... different subject, but I thought I'd post it here since I'm kind of chronicling my journey with this and I discovered the brake issues when I was just trying to deal with my wheel bearings. I have surge drum brakes on one axle of a tandem axle trailer. I did search some after I posted that and it appears that I am not alone in having bad brakes on a boat trailer. I am going to just skip working on them for now. It looks like you basically have to replace the entire assembly and I don't want to get into that now. I will need to look at the other end of the system to see if it looks functional before jumping into that.