Wrong size seals?

[jondavies]

I took the hubs off my trailer yesterday and found that there was water and grit in the grease around the bearings. I have Bearing Buddies on the outside of the hubs and they were well packed with grease so I think the water/grit must have come in from the inside seals, which I replaced last summer. At that time, I took the old seals to the trailer store, they eyeballed them and gave me a pair that appeared to be the same size as replacements.

Could it be that I got the wrong size seals or did I just not pump enough grease in the hubs to keep out the water and sand?

Cheers,

Jon

 

[dingbat]

Re: Wrong size seals?

If you had the wrong size seals it would have been noticeable.

Other causes, cheap seals. I've yet to see a "trailer" house that carried a real quality seal. Most carry the cheap, stamped be seals.

Another common cause of seal problem is that the surfaces on the shaft are worn .

Or... you simply could have been a little over zealous with the grease gun and damaged them yourself.

 

[jondavies]

Re: Wrong size seals?

Thanks.

To be honest, I was worried about blowing out the seals so I think I erred on the side of too little grease but I perhaps I over greased them. How do you tell when enough is enough?

Also, can you recommend a source for quality seals?

Cheers,

Jon

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Wrong size seals?

Pack them by hand when you initially install the bearings. Then annually, disassemble, clean, inspect and repack manually and you will never likely have a bearing failure or a leaky seal. How you tell when enough is enough depends on the type of lubrication system you have. Spindle Lube, Bearing Buddy, and the Bearing Buddy knock offs (which are a dust cap with a Zerk fitting) all require different techniques.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Wrong size seals?

Push on the pressure plate with your finger. If it gives at all, there's plenty grease in there. If it doesn't give at all, add just enough grease to make it move.

You can easily tell if the rear seal is blown from the grease on the rim.