Trailer bearing grease, compatibility chart..good info to know.

[Robby321]

Smoked another trailer bearing, the Flatbottom..(4 boats, 10 axles, this is seeming a daily thing for me!..)..only the block to the launch and slip. Been sitting over winter. Freaking salt sux!
Anyway, heres a chart, showing just what diff grease "complex", is compatible.
I have "LubriMatic, Calcium Sulfanate, always worked well, but not used at the moment.
Tried "Sta-Lube", Aluminum Complex, and its trash.
And all $6 a tube, auto stores..
Have another grease gun, just to do the neighbors bearing buddys, and its Wally World, $3+.
They are having no problems, and do zero maintenance?

So I'm gonna try it, Lithium Complex. All mentioned are compatible.
Heres a link to the chart...

http://www.mindconnection.com/librar...easecompat.htm

[Dave Strong]

Didn't we talk about oil bath hubs at one time? Salt has got to suck for sure.

Dave

[njj502]

I've got to ask.... how tight are you running them? A tight bearing will fail before a loose one every day of the week.

I'm not in salt water but use a boat all year in IL. During the winter our trailers bust ice to get into the hunting areas. Been using cheap Mistik boat trailer grease for years. Only failure was due to seal failure.

[Revinrude]

Give this stuff a try, I buy it at my local metric bike shop.
I run this in 3 boat trailers and 2 snowmobile trailers, Ive never had a problem.
They claim it's salt water proof as well.
http://www.faster-motocross.com/bel-...of-grease.html
Jim.

[Robby321]

Yep, we discussed oil baths, and been a Machinist all my life, so no, its not me too heavy handing a wrench. My biggest problem is mostly the inner seal on the Flatbottom trailer axle. I rebuilt the trailer carriage/new springs, etc, but used the old axle. there is pitting on the surface, fixed it and smothed best I could, but obviously still getting salt water to the inner bearing. Thats whats going south. Outer is fine. Need to start pumping the bearing buddys before, AND after a dunk. Rest the boats last a good few years before one goes bad.

Had new bearings put on when I built the boat and motor, and this is the third year. And remember now, I had the boat in the water for more than an hour, on the trailer, breaking in the motor. Bet thats where the water worked its way in. Anyway hard to keep up when I got 4 damn boats! One day I will thin out, but doubt it!

And posted the thread for the chart, as to much controversy over the grease issue, but again, its an "oil" thing!

[Robby321]

Give this stuff a try, I buy it at my local metric bike shop.
I run this in 3 boat trailers and 2 snowmobile trailers, Ive never had a problem.
They claim it's salt water proof as well.
http://www.faster-motocross.com/bel-...of-grease.html
Jim.

BelRay makes some good stuff, used a lot on my bikes. Have to check it out...

[Dave Strong]

Amsoil has a waterproof grease I have had good luck with. Do you know what the weight rating is on the axels??

Dave

[Robby321]

Amsoil has a waterproof grease I have had good luck with. Do you know what the weight rating is on the axels??Dave

I don't know the axle rating, got it free off a friend, and rebuilt it for the Flattbottom..(needed center clearence for the hull fins). But its a 1 1/16th axle, with the boat and motor that weigh somewhere 750 pounds, so thats not the prob. And its only a block to the launch anyway.
I'l tell ya one thing I forgot to mention. These crap we are getting from China darn sure aint helping. Aint so much the rollers, its the cheap cage. I'll see how long these last, and next time I go get Timkins from the bearing house in town. But even they are made overseas now too.

[ScarabEpic22]

Amsoil has a waterproof grease I have had good luck with. Do you know what the weight rating is on the axels??

Dave

I bought a couple tubes for my grease gun a few years back of Amsoil synthetic grease, seems to work really well for swaybar endlinks on my tow rig, bearings on both of my trailers, and on my classic car's grease joints that are everywhere! My parents didnt really ever do anything to our Scarab trailer (EZ Loader) except new tires every bunch of years and pack the bearings once in a blue moon, but it still trucks along just fine at 65-70mph on I90 (after I checked everything on it first). No salt water here though, I can only imagine the toll it takes on parts.

[Robby321]

Damn saltwater aint battery acid, but some times I wonder!

[Dave Strong]

I don't know the axle rating, got it free off a friend, and rebuilt it for the Flattbottom..(needed center clearence for the hull fins). But its a 1 1/16th axle, with the boat and motor that weigh somewhere 750 pounds, so thats not the prob. And its only a block to the launch anyway.
I'l tell ya one thing I forgot to mention. These crap we are getting from China darn sure aint helping. Aint so much the rollers, its the cheap cage. I'll see how long these last, and next time I go get Timkins from the bearing house in town. But even they are made overseas now too.

So I would guess that the inner and outer brgs are the same, that would make it a 2000lb axle.
Have you tried a wear sleeve on the seal surface?
My BAJA trailer has a 2000lb axle and the wife found seal for it that were double lipped, lip with a tension spring on inside and outside and the seal is completely rubber coated. Can't find the p/n and now the wife has quit being parts chick and the partS people we are left with are braindead, she said pretty sure it was from CR. These seal are the chit, nothing gets in nothing gets out, just wish I could find the for 3500lb axle.
I got some different style brg protectors, have a look at www.kodiaktrailer.com the tension cap will not cock at an angle as brgbuddies do so will give a much better seal.
I like the Amsiol water resistant greese the blue stuff not the red. It is not real thick and does not get thin or watery when hot. I will tow the trailer and get every thing warm, let it sit and cool, pump the hubs back up. Takes a few cycles, but when you get all the air out of the hub the tension cap should start to move as soon as any grease is pumped in.
Bit of pain but if you have 0 air spaces in the hub with some tension on brgbuddy water and salt shouldn't be able to get in.
Tie Down Engineering has a oil hub kit, Westmarine sells the kit, hubs, brgs, seals etc. for $55.00 an axle. But will need to get the seal surface to seal first.

All the ideas I got for now.


Dave

[transomstand]

Damn saltwater aint battery acid, but some times I wonder!

It ain't battery acid, battery acid is much weaker

I usually changed bearings at least once a year when I ran salt, now I'm wimpy and only do fresh, and can run the same bearings for years.

[Robby321]

So I would guess that the inner and outer brgs are the same, that would make it a 2000lb axle.
Have you tried a wear sleeve on the seal surface?
My BAJA trailer has a 2000lb axle and the wife found seal for it that were double lipped, lip with a tension spring on inside and outside and the seal is completely rubber coated. Can't find the p/n and now the wife has quit being parts chick and the partS people we are left with are braindead, she said pretty sure it was from CR. These seal are the chit, nothing gets in nothing gets out, just wish I could find the for 3500lb axle.
I got some different style brg protectors, have a look at www.kodiaktrailer.com the tension cap will not cock at an angle as brgbuddies do so will give a much better seal.
I like the Amsiol water resistant greese the blue stuff not the red. It is not real thick and does not get thin or watery when hot. I will tow the trailer and get every thing warm, let it sit and cool, pump the hubs back up. Takes a few cycles, but when you get all the air out of the hub the tension cap should start to move as soon as any grease is pumped in.
Bit of pain but if you have 0 air spaces in the hub with some tension on brgbuddy water and salt shouldn't be able to get in.
Tie Down Engineering has a oil hub kit, Westmarine sells the kit, hubs, brgs, seals etc. for $55.00 an axle. But will need to get the seal surface to seal first.

All the ideas I got for now.


Dave

Just got done the one wheel, other not bad, but good enuf. AND, FINALLY got warm enuf here, to go "shirtless", and get some NEEDED SUN! Think the last time we broke 75 degrees was 272 days ago, I think! ..(Hey Al..global PNW COOLING!)

On the new..what ya brought up, double lip seal, and a sleeve, know of it, and its supposed to work tits, old worn out inner seal area. And I have a link it, on the house puter I think. Post it later if my mind don't go south on think!

On oil hub kits, good for those who trailer the road, but I only go a block. Damn, Trailer don't even have lights or plates, as private HOA. Just have a quick mount light bar/plate, if I wanna do inland lakes around here.

That said, heres where I got stupid..(again..getting old, forgot more than I ever knew?..learn, drink beer, forget?) Too many road bikes, done more wheel bearings than I care to think of over the years. What I didn't do was a simple, when I built the trailer, a FULL STUFF grease the hub with new. Just a good bearing grease load, seal areas, etc. . Then pump the BB's a bit, and more as needed. This time? PACKED FULL! And yep, I know how BB's work, just a pump to pressure the axle, and water will not come in..but need a good seal.

Now? Just did a tight, back off pre-load with clearance. and I think I got a good seal now, as I pumped the piss out it, the BB, and the BB started to back away! And I have an electric grinder, set up with a rubber wheel, on a stand, that I can fire up, and spin the tire..(old dirt tracking days, bikes, to "cut a tire"..with another Makita 4 inch, to do the rubber, new skins..)
And zero grease out the back end. But ya know, nothing ever screws up on a trailer, in the driveway! Breaking down the house is fine though.....cold beer and tools and time!

[Dave Strong]

The salt deal blows my mind.

Dave

[Robby321]

The salt deal blows my mind.

Dave

It so damn corrosive, it sucks! And EVERY motor I own, OB's, I/O, has a flusher done to it, off the boat in the slip, with fresh water..EVERY USE!. Salted out motors here are common. Thing is, and I have brought this up before, ..the cure is something like "plastic hubs"..(damn, they build freaking guns with the new stuff!), and ceramic bearings. And zero, ever again problems. Gotta also say here, its funny, as some days, I hear a boat on a trailer, out the launch, then gets a block, and the tire locks up, and they trudge on, smoking the rubber, enough to get home, a block or two!
And I have a 9 mile ride out here, back to HWY 101, 2 lane, and see many "burn-outs, the kids", AND..many one black patch, that will go for a block or two, and then it goes off the side off the road!