How To Change Wheel Bearings On A Boat Trailer

Boat Trailer Bearings – When and How to Replace Them

Your boat ways a lot to you. It's your liberty on the water and a source of joy for you and those who savour it. Still, your boat is only as skillful as its trailer. Failure to ensure proper role of your gunkhole trailer could be disastrous to you, your boat, and your wallet.

One key area that often goes overlooked afterwards dewinterizing your boat is your wheel bearings. After all, they are i of, if not the about, important functioning component that let y'all put your pride and joy on the open waters.

In this guide, you will learn when and how to replace your boat trailer wheel bearings, as well as some safe tips to follow that volition keep your trailer rolling down each and every gunkhole ramp like a champ. Go on reading to be a boat trailer cycle bearing pro!

A Day in the Life of Boat Trailer Wheel Bearings

Let united states brainstorm past capping off some details about bearings. The bike bearing is a fascinatingly powerful, nonetheless simple machine. Information technology bears ane half, one quaternary, one 6th, or one-eighth of the entire weight of both the trailer and boat combined. The bearing is an enclosed unit and is the first point of contact that gives movement to the wheel.

The cycle bearing on a boat trailer is like to that of a cycle begetting of a car or other trailers. It consists of a pressed in round smoothed and hardened metal race. Inside this race is the heart of the begetting: a organization of metal-costless rolling pins that encircle an inner race.

The job of the wheel bearing is to let the hub spin freely with the to the lowest degree amount of friction and heat built up equally possible. this is done by through the rolling pins that whorl between the inner and outer race. However, this job does not go equally easily said than washed without one key component: grease.

The Importance of Grease

You see, grease is a complex compound that drastically reduces friction in the bearing by existing between the two metallic surfaces. Without grease, the bearings friction from spinning would result in high temperatures that pose a problem, as the rut can cause weakening of the metal and expansion that could be detrimental to the role of the cycle while being towed and under load.

With grease being such an important factor in a bike bearing, we observe a particularly interesting problem associated with boat trailers specifically. Equally y'all tow your trailer, the begetting heats up and as well heats up the grease, giving the grease a lower viscosity, and even less viscosity in the hot months of the canoeing season. As you dorsum your boat and gunkhole trailer into the h2o, the hot and runny grease sees an inrush of water that seeks to push the grease out of its rightful spot in the begetting as well as speedily cooling the bearing.

To limit the corporeality of grease that is lost when the trailer is put in the water, boat trailers have rubber caps that seal the bearings from the outside. A new wheel bearing will provide swell protection, however, even the best trailers on the market place will eventually need to have wheel bearings replaced.

The wheel begetting of a boat trailer is a vital component under abiding load, transferring essential energy, and being put through rigorous temperatures and conditions. That is why information technology is essential to change your boat trailer wheel bearings.

When to Change a Boat Trailer Wheel

Begetting

The time menstruum between boat trailer bike bearings can vary depending on a few factors. We e'er recommend at the very lease to check it during your spring boat service because equally we reviewed earlier, the boat trailer wheel bearing is put through the ringer every time your boat is put in and taken out of the water.

This makes information technology difficult to tell when exactly is the right time to change your boat trailer wheel bearing. Only with the right knowledge, you can determine when you need to replace them.

Often times, y'all can search your trailers owners manual for the proper fourth dimension to change your wheel bearings. If yous cannot determine the maintenance times from your gunkhole trailers manual and decide to take on the job your self, (equally opposed to getting it serviced) there are a few tools you will need to have in order to consummate the job.

Expanded View of Boat Trailer Bearing

Inspecting and Replacing Your Wheel Bearing

To inspect your wheel bearing, be sure you have the following:

• Flooring jack and jack stands
• Proper size lug socket and breaker bar
• Rubber or plastic mallet
• Flathead screwdriver
• Rag
• Compressed air and air nozzle
• Proper bearing grease
• Bearing Packer (optional)

At present that you have your tools, allow'south get started. Start by lifting up i side of your trailer to proceeds admission to the wheel. Apply jack stands under the frame of the trailer to ensure condom.

grab the wheel and milk shake your bicycle in and out. Note any excessive play that happens every bit you exercise this, as it may be an indicator that your bearing southward work out.

Proceed to take off the trailer's wheel to access the hub. Using the flat screwdriver, pry off the grit cap. Depending on your trailer y'all may need to use the mallet to tap out the begetting protector.

Using care, take out your wheel bearing. Take note of any metallic shavings and droppings that may come with it. Excess droppings and metallic shavings should be a reason alone to modify out the bearing.

Clean the bearing with a grease-cutting solvent and blow dry with air. Now that your begetting is free, inspect information technology for harm. The pins that ringlet should be smooth, and all of them should exist there. Inside the race, there should exist no gouging or scars. If so, you should replace your bearing ready.

If one bearing has a problem, it is best to supervene upon both as it is an indicator that the time that has passed is the full life of that part according to the punishment they have gone through.

Packing Your New or However Adept Bearing

If you have determined your bicycle bearing to be good than this volition be the next step you will take. Otherwise, get your self some new bearings and come across back up where yous left off

Packing your bearings is a ritual some know very well. It can be very messy, but its elementary. We are going to kickoff talk about packing by hand. With your bearing in ane hand, gather a agglomeration of grease in your other. Now simply printing the grease into the bearings and spin it until grease fills and overfills all cavities of the begetting.

Now if you have a bearing packer, this is a lilliputian cleaner. Simply follow your instructions, make full your packer with grease, put your bearing on and press away.

Reassemble and Become On the Water

With your new or still-good trailer wheel bearings make clean and packed, reassemble your bearing sets in your hubs, gear up your bearings, and torque your lugs to your trailers proper specifications.

Brand certain your dust caps or bearing protectors are properly on as well. It is a skillful habit to check your gunkhole trailer bearings after your get-go drive and to make this get-go drive exist a short one around the block as a test. Preparing for a long tow is essential for the safety of you, your boat and boat trailer.

With a freshly packed bearing and a couple of put-in's under your belt, make fourth dimension to check up on the bearings every and so often, also as the residuum of your boat trailer parts. Everything good is made better with maintenance.

Boating tin can be a precious treasure to those that have pursued it. You know the joy that comes from the freedom of the water. Don't exit your boat riding on uncertainty. Your boat trailer wheel bearings may seem similar a small insignificant role, but they can cause havoc if they do non function properly.

Keep Saftey at the Forefront of Your Heed

Have the fourth dimension to grease and replace your boat trailers wheel bearings whenever the time comes, and ensure that each and every trip to the lake or sea is filled with family, fun, and good times. A faulty wheel bearing tin can be a costly tow, and leave yous stranded in tough terrain. Yous never know when a simple oversight may be disastrous.

Failure to check bike bearings on a pre-owned boat have resulted in the consummate locking of a wheel. This at freeway speeds can be deadly. Information technology may exist useful in many cases, in fact, to stock upwardly on spare cycle bearings. Go along them in the truck, and address the situation if it arises.

Listen for grinding, clicking, or the usual shakey hub. If you notice these signs, take the steps provided above to figures out whether a wheel bearing change is needed.

Ready to Enjoy the Water?

It doesn't take long to perform these proactive measures to reduce risk. Keep your gunkhole on state and sea by following our steps on inspecting and replacing your bike bearings, and get your self safely to the boat launch!

Of class, you can always come in and have a professional person opinion most the status of your trailer with expert service and quality parts. Simply give u.s. a call or check out our website for more than data!

Source: https://www.mywestshore.com/replace-boat-trailer-bearings/

Posted by: grimexpearre.blogspot.com

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