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Bought the boat and trailer new in 2002. Still have the original bearings. I keep them well greased. The seals are not leaking. Fish on a average of 3 times a week. At least once a week I have to travel about 1 1/2hrs to fish a lake. When ever I stop I check the hubs for high heat and so far they've been good. So should I change or do not fix what is not broken. What is the longest anyone has gone without changeing?
17 seasons with bearing buds, I fill them twice yearly, once 1st thing in the spring and once before pulling to Canada every September. Dont' know if I'm pushing my luck or if it's just the good job the bearing buds are doing.
Jack your wheel off the ground and see if there is any movement when you try to move the wheel in and out.
Yep! Get them off the ground and try to shake the. Any movement- replace them. Spin them. Any noise or rough spots - replace them.Quote:
Originally Posted by broharrell
The best way to check your bearings is to take everything apart for a good cleaning and greasing. If the rollers and races are nice and shiny (once cleaned in solvent) pack them up and keep running them. If you see pits, or the bearings or the races are darkened, replace them. Always replace races and bearings as together. Look at your old grease, if it looks at all like there is glitter in the grease, no matter how fine it is, replace the bearings and races.
Well maintained bearings can last a lifetime or more.
tophat
inspect, clean and repack, continue what you've been doing, go fish.
They always go out at night, inclement weather, and hours from home.
I disassemble mine every year or every two years max clean, inspect, repack and have never had a bearing failure on the road. Might be a little overkill but it only takes a few hours time for the peace of mind of knowing your going to get to the lake and back with no problems, just saying...
Had one trailer for 23 yrs . Never replaced the bearings . They were cleaned, repacked every yr. As soon as deer season is over . WHEN YOU THROW GOOD BEARINGS AWAY YOU ARE WASTING MONEY . THEY WILL LAST FOREVER IF YOU KEEP THEM RIGHT .
I ran my last boat from '97 until last spring when I sold it...all on the same bearings. I did keep them greased and inspected the hubs regularly like you do. Dont fix what aint broke!Thumbs Up
With all the posts on bearings i jacked my trailer up and rotated the wheels to see if there were and 'marbles' in them, both checked ok. Trailer sits for couple of months at a time and the water in the grease rusts the bearing or race, better to have long trips, i think the heat gets rid of the water in the hub(no evidence of this), my trips are mostly2 or 3 miles. Keep a set of bearings, seals, grease, and tools to make a change after a 2am bearing change at Hickory Point.--shu
--if it's not noisy go fishing.