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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Trailer wheels, bearings, springs and things

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/26/2010 : 19:13:04

Perhaps discussed before in detail but we're wondering and little concerned regarding the following:

1) How do you store boat-with-trailer during, for most of us, long winter months

2) When is it time to replace wheel bearings and what are early indications of failure

3) Do you have buddy bearings on your hubs... what service is required

With the '95 C250 WB we have a '95 Trailrite trailer. Having traveled well over 30.000 km (20.000) miles during the last few years we wonder when it is time for bearing replacement. The wheel bearings have buddy bearings. Every few thousand km we make sure to add wheel grease... To date we have not experienced any problems or breakdowns.

During long storage periods we jack the trailer with boat and all up (wheels free spinning), by placing cement blocks under 4 corners of the trailer in order to relieve pressure on tires, bearings and springs

4) Is that in your opinion required, a good thing or makes little or no difference

5) Is installing bearings difficult, special tools required, would you do it yourself, what are estimated costs

Thank you in advance

Henk & Johanna
"Floating", a few off your "barnacles".
"Someday Lady" '95 C250WB #151 ('03 - 2016)
"Sea ya" 30ft Bayliner (04-2018 - 09-2018)
"Mariah" '96 C250WB #191 (05-2019 - 15-05-2023)
"Lady J" '00 C250WK #499 (05-2021 - 09-2022)

Edited by - on

Ed Cassidy
Captain

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USA
365 Posts

Response Posted - 01/26/2010 : 20:16:16

The bearings do not need to ever be replaced unless they fail and about the only way they fail is from lack of lube. To make yourself feel better you could pull the hubs off and replace the axle seal and repack the bearings but again, if they have not failed there is no need. Installing new bearings are fairly easy if you are mechanical, the hard part is the bearing race. DO NOT USE CEMENT BLOCKS. They can fail without warning and it can be catastrophic. Get some jack stands tomorrow.

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 01/26/2010 : 20:47:24

When your trailer is blocked up (good thing to do}, hold the tire/wheel at 3:00 and 9:00 and try to rock it, then rotate it 90º and try again- it shouldn't wobble at all if the bearings are good and well adjusted. On the road, I feel the spindles every time I stop, they should only be slightly warm to touch, not hot. I just top off my bearing buddies like you do. I haven't had my bearings apart yet since the previous owner did it just before he sold it to me, but it seems like a good idea to clean, inspect, and repack every few years. I have never had a bearing failure on any of my trailers, but I don't tow as much as many people. My previous boat got a lot of short trips, and Pearl gets two long trips that only total about 2000 mi a year.

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sweetcraft
Admiral

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USA
816 Posts

Response Posted - 01/26/2010 : 21:29:51

Your getting very good suggestions. I too raise the tires off the ground but it is for the tires. Sun is also to be avoided with tire shades. My sailing neighbors with a Trailrite have never replaced bearings and only once with my help did we repack bearings. The 88 Trailrite bearings were in excelent condition and much larger than the sets on my EZ Loader. This was the only time the bearings were repacked and trips were made to the NW. Both trailers have buddy bearings which with the spring loaded grease keep the water out. There is a cap for the Buddy Bearing which helps to keep the dirt from the spring and maybe some of the water out. I lost the caps on trips and started using tennis balls that are cut to replace the caps. These also stops the grease that can escape and fly up on the hull. You try not to put in extra grease but on a long down grade everything heats up. I only add before putting the trailer in water. I change my own bearings with brass punch and hammer. The seals come with a seal coating and I use a block of hardwood and carefully level and hammer the seal in place. At home I use my press. My bearing story started after one of the early trips to the NW grease escaped and got on the brake shoes which gave the chance to see the condition of the bearings, bad bearings.

I installed since disc brakes and thought I solved even the bearing problem but they failed this last trip. Just today I took the larger spindles with disc brakes to show my trailer making friend and he thinks I'm on the right track. We shall see as I want to sail and not work on bearings 700 miles from home. I'll keep you posted and again learn how to post pictures.

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Chris Z
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 01/27/2010 : 06:09:27

Here is a great article on redoing the bearings: http://www.etrailer.com/faq-wheelbearingpack.aspx

I suggest checking with Champion Trailers as they suggested a high temp grease that is made for marine conditions.

Also, I bought a bearing packing tool. The standard bearing packing tool contains two convex shaped plates attached to a threaded rod with a grease zerk fitting on the end of the threaded rod. With the bearings in place in the packing tool, you pump grease into the zerk fitting forcing grease through the rollers of the bearing. This does a better job than hand packing.

I suggest blocking the trailer up with 4x6 treated wood blocks.

Edited by - Chris Z on 01/27/2010 06:15:19

Unsinkable2
Captain

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USA
273 Posts

Response Posted - 01/27/2010 : 08:46:42

Another word of caution on using cement blocks to hold up anything heavy. I had an autoshop teacher who did a demonstration that forever scared me away from using cinder blocks or similar blocks to support a heavy load. He first jacked up an old car and rested the axle on a cinder block. Then he took a long handled hammer and barely tapped the cinder block. The cinder block immediately exploded into powder, and the car fell. Scary stuff!

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 01/27/2010 : 09:22:32

Jackstands are best and fairly cheap, and I use them under my Miata for winter storage, but cinder blocks can work fine if used properly. The holes go up and down, the load bearing surface is not the flat sides or ends. A 1"x8" board should cover the top to distribute the load, and leave the tires & wheels on. The blocks are engineered for a specific orientation and distributed load. If anyone is going to be under the trailer, use jackstands

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.