How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

[bowman316]

I was just wondering who Repacks their Trailer wheel bearings, and how often.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I check them at least once a year but since I started using bearing buddies they have never shown any signs of wear at all.

 

[cbavier]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I checked mine four years ago and after using the Bearing Buddies they showed no sign of wear. I had been thinking if I got ambitious I might check them this year. Clean them up and add all new grease.

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I had to vote "not at all" since I really don't clean them all up. I just make sure they have grease on them.

 

[The_Kid]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

It's going to depend on how often and how far someone tows the boat. I had my last boat for 10+ years and they were only packed once, and that was when I bought it. After I bought it, there was one 190 mile trip to the lake. Then every year there was a 1 mile trip to put it in the water and a 1 mile trip at the end of the season. When I was getting ready to sell it, I put a new set of bearings in. The old ones weren't bad, I just did it to make sure the future owner wouldn't have any concerns about them.

It must have worked, because I sold the boat for $50 less than what I bought for it 10 years earlier.

 

[dingbat]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

You're missing the option "When Needed"

I check mine periodically during the season. If I don't find water in the grease them I'm good to go for another couple of months. The rear axle on my trailer is going on it's 3rd year without being repacked. No water intrusion, yet.

The fronts get water in them from time to time so I repack them when I winterize.

FWIW: Saltwater only, 4-5K miles a year, both sets of bearing are going on 5 years old now.

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

Yep, another Bearing Buddies user here. Pretty neat invention. While I check the one that says I don't clean them at all, the truth is I check the level of the Bearing Buddies every time I go out.

If it weren't for them, I'd probably remove and repack the bearings at the start of each season using the palm of my hand with a good glob of bearing grease on it.

 

[avenger79]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I do mine in the Spring and Fall.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

Not to derail...but you need another option. When needed. And since I launch in salt water I try to check my grease seals more often than the bearings. Also, just helped a buddy buy a used 20' Pro Line and the dual axle trailer had a clear oil bath fitting on the axles. I had heard of them but never seen them! We'll see how they shape up.

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I live in Arizona,it is very hot here in the summer.we go a long way sometimes 2 or 3 hours one way.I grease them up every month or so.I had one go bad 2 years ago on a Sunday in Superior Arizona,no mechanics anywhere,no grease to buy,I went 35 miles an hour for 4 hours,used motor oil to put in the bad one,smoked and made it another 5 miles,then had to stop and oil it up again.Never again,lol.

 

[H8tank]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

Never.

My bearings have oil.

 

[idrownworms]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

So throwing a shot of grease in the bearing buddies isn't repacking? When I checked the answer I thought that packing more grease with a grease gun counted

I skewed the results sorry

jamie

 

[BaileysBoat]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

Give the bearing buddies a shot after every highway run.

 

[sturdavj]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I pump my buddy bearings 1 or 2 times before each trip. And I watch to be sure the sealing plate moves.

I picked up my current boat a couple years back (1988 model, good chance the BB had never been serviced), I noticed the driver?s side BB was not moving after 1 > 2 pumps. Checked it out on the forum and sure enough it?s a good idea to clean them once in a great while.

Tore them down and found the grease was old and had built up along the cylinder wall not allowing the compression spring to do its job. Cleaned them up, put them back in and they?re still working great.

 

[rolmops]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

I check my bearing buddies before every trip.Total vehicle check is a habit I picked up in the army.
My fresh water boat usually gets a shot or 2 of grease once a year.
My saltwater boat travels a bit more and my sister in law thinks that she has to load her entire house and her brother's house into the boat so she can go on a 2 week vacation to Cape Cod.Needless to say that the poor trailer is sorely taxed.That is why I grease the living daylights out of it.Funny thing is that once she is on the cape,she only wants to eat out and all the gear she brings along remains unused.Women,you got to love em.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

Like a lot of others it depends on when needed. running three different boats as I do you will get three different answers. The river boat gets moved about 10 miles each way and has bearing buddies. I clean them out at the first of each year and then don't worry about them. The sailboat gets moved 2 miles each way after getting to the storage lot. No bearing buddies but don't worry that much about it. The skiboat gets checked a couple times a year even with bearing buddies as it gets the most road use.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

On my freshwater used trailers, I'll check them at least once every season or if I see signs of water when I pump up the bearing buddies.

On my saltwater used trailers, it depends on how much water they see, if I dunk them and see water when I pump up the bearing buddies, I clean and repack immediately upon getting home.

I check and repack all of my trailers, even if their new from the day I get them.
Just for peace of mind. I also carry spare bearings, grease, and grease gun in my truck just in case.

I towed home a used boat last month, I knew the bearings were suspect, but did a quick adjustment, loaded them with grease and stopped every so often to check them. They made it home without incident but when I pulled the hubs, I was totally surprised that they had made it even the first mile. The rollers were so worn down they looked like pencil lead, and the cages were worn through on both bearings in the right wheel. But the loads of grease got it home safely. The wheel spun ok when I left and still spun free when I got home, but the bearings were noisy. It just goes to show how much difference grease makes. Each time I stopped and checked, they weren't hot, but I added grease every 15-20 miles. The boat was light, which was probably one reason they survived. I did keep the speed down below 50, and below 40 most of the way. I took all back roads and stayed off the interstate the whole way home. It now has all new bearings and seals.

 

[bowman316]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

where did you guys buy your bearing buddies at?
Online?
how did you know that size you needed?

and retail stores sell them?

 

[FLWakeRider]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

Well, see, I dont even think I have looked at mine yet.
I guess that should be on my list of thigns to do?
I only have about 1 mile to the lake, and I only drive max 40 MPH at any given time. But, I know they can still go bad. Guess, that should be a task for weekend.

 

[strokeoluck]

Re: How often do you Repack your Wheel Bearings?

where did you guys buy your bearing buddies at?
Online?
how did you know that size you needed?

and retail stores sell them?

I'd like to know the same. I'd also like to know how easy it is for a somewhat "non-mechanical" guy to install these things. The extent of my mechanical abilities is that I put a tow bar/hitch on our Pilot, and I can swap out an electrical outlet and have an "average Joe" toolbox of Craftsman tools. But anything beyond these simple tasks and I start running the risk of tripling the project cost because I screw it up, and then have to pay a competent technician/expert to spend even more time fixing my errors.