Trailer bearing info

[phenom_1819]

I was searching for our bearing parts and came across an interesting how-to article.  All the part numbers this guy uses on his bearings are the same as our Ameratrail trailers with 5-lug wheels.

http://users.westco.net/tandjlm/information/bearings.htm

It says at the bottom that the bearings we have are far and away the most common size for boat trailers out there.  Interesting.  So why can't I find a damn shop in town that will fix them?!?!

SkiMasters just won big points with me... new service person says they would rather turn down my business and have my bearings safe than drive it over for them to work on the bearings.  They didn't want me to commit to bringing it over this weekend, rather to sit on it and decide tomorrow.

Thought that was pretty cool. 

Now, off to the bass-boat marine shop to try and get them to work on my trailer AGAIN!

FYI, trailer part numbers are generic.  I assumed in looking at the Toyota literature that they were Toyota factory parts because there are so few digits.  Not the case....very generic part numbers.

[phenom_1819]

Oh how I love to hear myself talk/write...

By the way, how difficult/expensive is it to replace the hubs also?  Couple of mine are rusty and butt ugly.  Probably work fine, but worry me regardless.

[festivus]

Cal, are you going to replace the bearings or just re-pack them?  It seems like if they are packed well, you shouldn't have to replace the actual balls. 

[phenom_1819]

I'm doing the full meal deal. If it can be replaced, I'm replacing it.  I just decided I'm replacing the hubs too...don't care what it costs.  Just got a service appointment for Wednesday.  Once I took in the trailer literature, somebody finally said they'd work on it.  So THAT is friggin' awesome...!
Anyway, if you saw the condition my trailer is in, you would understand.  Supposedly it's never been in salt water, but I think that if you were to take trailer in salt water, it would turn out just like mine.  Previous owner lived very near to the ocean.
And...you ready for this???

My best confession yet... I never figured out where the grease goes in my bearings, so haven't shot even one squirt of grease in the bearings since I bought the boat over a year ago.  When the shop replaces my sheeot, I'm gonna take my grease gun with me so they can show me how to use it.
Re-doing trailer wiring is the project for this weekend. I gotta get my left blinker to work.   What a piece of crap.

[cyclone]

Cal, it ain't that bigga deal to do the bearings. Replacing hubs is redundant, unless you have busted studs, rust, etc.

Ski Masters is right, you could sling your boat all over the highway if things failed at the wrong time. Not that it would happen, but they have to have that mindset. Find somebody local, a decent neighborhood mechanic (not a chain like Pimp Boys) and give him the boat/trailer first thing in the AM. Pick it up after work and write him a 200$ check. End of tragic story. Make sure you take the speakers off, boards out of the racks, send the chicks home, etc. first.

[phenom_1819]

To answer Derek's question from WAAAAY back, there is no way to use "bearing buddies" on our trailers without a complete overhaul of the axles and whatever else is under there.  I tried to do it regardless of price (because you know I've never done crap to maintain my bearings), and he said "No."

So there you go.  But $430 later, I have completely repacked bearings (apparently they weren't bad at all, he said), and new brakes on the left side (I believe they are the Plymouth ones...note, it takes two complete sets for an overhaul because of the dual-axle brake setup).

[toyotafreak]

Thanks for the input, Cal. I was gonna say that maybe just a hub change would be required for Buddies, but in our case the disks are part of the hubs.

Better just get religious about 3-squirts after putting it in and 3-squirts when you get it home. And 3-squirts every hundred miles. That 100-mile time is a good opportunity to recheck your 95 ft/lbs, too.

On the way back from Dallas (just a short 1500 miles), I went through nineteen tubes of grease and two guns (19 greasing stops times three squuuuirts times four hubs).

Just kidding. But got lucky, I reckon. We did grab the hubs every stop to check for extra hot ones, but definitely shoulda brought and used a grease gun.

[cyclone]

The first year, I pumped grease in as supposedly required. It ended up all over my wheels, so I decided to cut back, and do it every second or third time out. I've never had a problem, when I repacked mine the bearings were in fine shape.

I don't understand why we can't use Bearing Buddies, I was planning on adding them when I go through my trailer, possibly this weekend (Hey LESMAN, what're you doing Saturday!)

[phenom_1819]

I'm beginning to think Toyota was really playing it safe with the squirt every time out recommendation, too.  Remember, I bought my boat South of L.A. and drove it all the way to Seattle. In the rain almost the whole way.  Didn't grease it once for the entire 1200+ mile (I think) drive up the coast.  Drove it probably 1500 miles last summer for camping trips.  It sat for long periods between.  And I never greased ONCE.  Somehow through all that, my bearings weren't even in bad shape, the mechanic said.

I'm planning on taking better care of them regardless, but I don't think we need to worry as much as we've been told...

[festivus]

I am the worst about trailer maintenance.  I lube in the spring, then again in the next spring.  I'm gonna do better, but so far, no problems. 

[festivus]

The local trailer guy called today and mine's ready to go.  Complete repacks and also one brake line was clogged, had to be fixed or replaced or something, but it works now.  $280. He is also going to go over what he believes is the best maintenance on the trailer, so if there are any gems worth passing on, I sure will.