How To Repack Trailer Wheel Bearings 

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you!

Great video for a mundane but common chore. I've used etrailer many times and highly recommend them.

This is the method I use at the start of each season. I take a utility knife and cut a "dish" out of a empty plastic container like for milk or juice. Let is "degrease" over night. When finished with the job, I burn both the gas and the greasey rags in my fire pit.

The advantage too of clearning the bearings using gas, is, it is easier to inspect them for wear/hot spots on the rollers so you know they can be reused.

@PapaMav I agree! Definitely easier to inspect when they are that clean.

Lots of gloves, lots of paper towels!

@@WayneTheBoatGuy Love your content….. as a retired school Principal I think you are one outstanding teacher! Thank you!

@@Milly81728 wow thank you!

Thank you.

I appreciate you noticing!

I never used to use gloves either - but they're really useful for having "date night ready" hands later in the day and when you're also trying to periodically turn on and off two cameras!

You got this!

Great to hear!

Thanks so much

Thanks 👍

Glad it helped

Glad you liked it!

Thank you kindly!

Glad it was helpful!

Yeah this weekend is COLD!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Glad it was helpful!

That's makes for a better way to spend the rest of the day!

Glad it was helpful!

Great tip!

I did too, Curt.

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Thanks!

I like the PVC pipe trick!

For a 1.98 inch cap use a short piece of 2 inch PVC pipe, the piece i use is maybe 3 inches. Had the lumber yard cut me a piece as that was the one size I did not have lying around. Worked great.

There is always some friction, so being warm is ok.

That's some good 'first-hand' experience. Thanks for sharing!

GREAT POINT - 100% correct and I even have one too!

@@WayneTheBoatGuy nah, I tried that; really no way to avoid denting flat face dust caps no matter how you try to set them on the hub.

@@PapaMavabsolutely there is.

@@jimyeats nah, not ones that already have a flat face; unless you have some secret you wish to share with the rest of us.

@@PapaMav No idea if it’s a secret, but if you just use a rubber mallet, like the type you use for putting vinyl flooring down, and just don’t whale on it i’ve never had one mar up or dent.

Oh, sorry, I should clarify, I am not sponsored or have any business relationship with these products other than a satisfied customer

Yeah I've seen those type on some large equipment - never seen them on on a boat trailer!

I think WalMart sells the tire with this rim - I don't know anyone just selling the rim

The smaller side goes to the center of the wheel hub

There should be the slightest resistance from the grease when there's a lot of fresh grease in there. It shouldn't feel too loose or like it is binding. You can loosen and tighten the nut a little as you spin the wheel to feel the differences and find the sweet spot.

You must be lazy to not replace the grease seal every year; they're cheap from Etrailer and since it is smart to do this every year and take everything apart, why not replace the grease seal while doing all this? Does not make sense to cheap out and not to.

I would not listen to this guy: I would not buy a bearing packer, it would not use the castle nut to get the hub assembly apart, I would not fill every cavity with grease (he actually contradicts himself in principle if you read what he wrote). The only thing he is right about how water eventually intrudes inside the hub, which is why you take it appart at the beggining of season, replace the seals and do all the cleaning and regreasing. I check my hubs temps with my hands just before launching and right after getting home: they are never hot to the touch; later in the season, just before the end, they may be slightly warm as a result of said water working it's way in, but never enough to do the maintenance more than once a year.

@@PapaMav I dont see a contradiction. I said adding extra grease is considered the wrong way to do it. I only do it on my boat trailer because I can get away with it being very close to the ramp. An so far it seems to work. I do a lot of things to experiment on my stuff. Some work some do not. An in this case I control the enviroment. I dont think I am the only Tech that treats the things he owns differently than customers stuff. As the saying goes, "The Cobbler's children have no shoes." The tire guy telling you he cant fix your tire because the nail is to close to the sidewall, he probably would fix it if it was his tire. Not a contradiction, just the way the world works. Insurance, Lawsuits, not wanting to come home an fix your own stuff or just wanting to try something. The correct way I was taught in a College Automotive Technical program was no extra grease other than a light coating. The reason given is that the grease holds in extra heat an can never make its way in to the bearing. Its also A waste of grease an a mess you have to deal with next time, so dont add extra grease is the rule. I have followed this rule ever sense for everything but experimenting with my personal boat trailer, an I have yet to see any reason to think the rule may be wrong. How much heat matters in a trailler axel is relitave. Its a nonissue with my 700 pound boat with no brakes going a few miles. More of an issue with my Cousin pulling his party barge through 3 states. An even more of an issue for my neaghbor pulling his cabin cruser down a winding mountain road to the river. The brakes on those trailers are glowing red when they pull into the ramp right at the foot of the mountain. Its all relative. I do not think he needs a bearing packer either. He has the hand method down. They work fine though. Using the castle nut to remove the rear seal was also straight from college class. It works. I dont think my college invented the idea, Its been done that way for a long time before that class an I still do it 25 years later. If you want to replace it every time, you can. It does not cost that much. But that only works when its yours an your money. Its a bit of an oversimplified way of looking at things though. Its always better to know how to get a part out cleanly an have the option of replacing, vs not knowing an having no choice. When you are working for someone else, on someone elses stuff an using someone elses money, things are more complicated. You need to be able to get the seal out intact. At the least so you can show them an actual reason it needs to be replaced. If all you have to show them is a seal you distroyed takeing out, they will asssume your inability to remove it is the real reason they need a new one. Don't expect that coustomer back. You are also commonly taking things apart with new seals already in them. If you have done a brake job on a truck last month an a front axle joint failing this month, you need to be able to get that seal out clean. It was old an needed replaces does not fly. If you get a axle togeather an find a spacer still sitting on your parts table, you better be able to get that seal back out. Especially if its something rare. Its easy to run to the part store an eat the price of a seal. But if you have to order a new one an wait 3 days, you may have just messed up your customers vacation plans, or your vacation if its yours that you did that on. But no, I dont expect him to listen to me. I am just some guy on the internet. I comment on every video I think is good, assuming I can think of something to say, not because I expect anyone to read it, few do. Its because I have free time an youtube grades the quality of videos based on how many comments they get. Someone disagreeing with me is also good. You responding twice to me an now me responding back, thats good for his channel. Otherwise I would not waste my time in the comments of any video. If I have prompted you into responding again, telling me how wrong I am, even better for him. More of what RU-vid calls "engagement." None of what we say matters though. Few people actually read comments, less people actually read replies to comments. An those who do already have their own held beliefs like you and I do.

The points you bring up are interesting and logical - which is counter to the concept of products like Bearing Buddies which have the entire space completely pressure filled with grease. It would be really interesting for a video for Project Farm @projectfarm

@@WayneTheBoatGuy Yep, that would be a project farm kind of test. It would not be a cheap test to do though, an hard to get usable data from. Atleast the way I would do it anyway. You would have to start with a pretty heavy boat sitting on a duel axle trailer where both axles are the same axles with the same brakes, adjustted the same. Not easy to start with. No brakes would be easier but not legal where I am. Then you would need to take the hubs apart, rebuild them an do all four diffrently. I would use no extra greese in one, pack one full by hand, use a bearing buddy on one and use a greaseable ported spindle on the other. Then turn a lot of mile an back it down the ramp a lot. See which ones are running hotter. See which ones get water in them. See if the bearing buddies are actually holding pressure, see if either of the greaseable systems are actually filling the housing with greese or is there an airlock, an see if there is cleaner grease in the actual barrings. It would be a good test, posibley saving people millions, but it would be pricy an hard to do. Then again, he may come up with a better way to test it. He comes up with some really good simple shop tests. Say a hub treadmill?

It really varies depending on age of current seals, miles traveled, conditions (salt water, frequency of trips). A simple inspection (spinning the tire, looking for leaks etc) can tell a lot. It doesn't hurt to take things apart every year just to see how it is going.

The side of the tire should have the whole story. Most are load range B or load range C. Mine say the max weight, psi and max speed on the tire.

@@WayneTheBoatGuy mines is load range C Tubeless. But speed wise it just say high speed trailer. DOT K3A3 T08. 4.80/4.00-8. Cold sidewall 4 plies.

@@abnergarcia6252 mine are also C. Specs vary a little by brand, but mine say 760 lbs. at 90 psi with a max speed of 52 mph.

good tip!

That makes sense! I drive such a short distance (about 1 block) that mine never really get warm!

I actually haven't done the other wheel yet - I am eager to see myself!

Try tapping all around as you're rotating the wheel. Then see if you can fit something between the edge of the lip and the hub to pry as you tap. It might take a minute or two to break free. The absolute last resort could be to remove the entire wheel and push something through from the back.

That was all me!

Tighten it up until the nut is snug (often finger tight is enough) and spin the tire. Then as you are moving the tire, try tightening a little more. When it's too tight it feels like things are grinding, and when it's too loose it's wobbly. If it's grindy or has resistance, it might be too tight.

I should offer a prize!

Some have special washers - like with a notch or a tab - based on the shaft specifications.I think the washer is useful to get everything seated properly and to ensure the nut tightens properly. But I guess it's possible some are designed without a washer. I would try to add a washer and see if it all goes together well.

The trick is to not have it tight, but not too wobbly. Mine was too wobbly in my opinion.