Wheel Bearings!

[Rannsachair]

Have just replaced the wheel bearings (Al-ko) on my SBS trailer(1600Kg rated) - what a pain.

They are a "sealed" double row taper roller, and have lasted 18 months. To replace the bearings you have to remove the brake drums: 35mm socket and 300Nm of Torque - then ask a friend with a 3.5 ton press to press out the old bearings and press in the new after removing the circlips with circlip pliers. I cannot imagine a worse set-up for roadside repairs!

As the bearings are sealed you cannot easily inspect them prior to failure.

I am considering going to the expense of buying a spare pair of drums and bearings for road use and keeping the old hubs for launching...Though I would still need to fit new hub nuts every time I changed to the road hubs.

Any suggestions, experience with more user friendly hubs?

[Keith Hart]

Hi Rannsachair

Cure the problem altogether and buy a real inflatable, you just have to keep it in the back of your estate car, sod the trailer!

Mines a Triumph Trident. Whats yours?

Keith (tongue in cheek) Hart

[Rannsachair]

Keith,

I have an Avon Rover 2.8 already - use it as a tender!

You must have some serious panniers on your Triumph - strangely enough - I had a stint as a design engineer with Triumph Motorcycles a decade or so ago. Still have a 1959 Speed Twin and a 1949 Ariel Red Hunter. Just got me thinking - you dont have one those trailers that some deranged Goldwing owners tour with!!!

We seem to have gone off track a bit.....

[Michael]

I'm planning to change my trailer next year and wasn't aware that (some?) manufacturers still use such "replacement unfriendly" setups. It was not a point I was going to stress when compiling my shortlist, but it is now! Thanks for the warning.

Mike

[Garygee]

I stick with normal non sealed hubs.

When you have trailed for a while let the trailer stand to let the grease cools down and go hard. The pump the hubs FULL of grease before launching.
When you get home repack the bearings again as this help push any water out.

I have done this for years on various trailers and never replaced a set of bearings yet.

Gary

[batfalcon]

The problem is that not ALL the trailers have hubs with greasers. I replaced mine and follow the instructions Garygee said.
I' ve done this to the previus rib after having ruined 2 days of my vacations searching for bearings in South Crete many years ago. (See attached photo in "Some pictures from recent past" at Rib gallery)
No problem ever since.

[Garygee]

Yes it does make getting the grease in easier if they have greasers

Gary

[Alan Mckewan]

What? three years plus on a set of bearings? Obviously you use slipways that are much steeper than ours! I average two sets of bearings per year, although quite often they arent too bad, just a bit noisy. I suppose MUCH more effort would make them last longer, but the "ordinary" double taper roller type are quite cheap and very easy to replace. They also tend to get very bad and VERY niosy before they fail completely, so you get plenty of warning before the wheel falls off. Also the outer bearing is as big as the inner, so even with the rollers mssing it is quite hard (but not impossible) for the wheel and hub to get off past the outer bearing inner race.
WARNING I have been overtaken by a wheel half way between Hull and Leeds on a double decker club trailer when collecting two new ribs last year - it was ALKO type bearings. The problem with these is that the inside bearing is big and the outside bearing is much smaller, with no grease nipple, so if the outside bearing gets even slightly dodgy the whole wheel and hub can easily fall off past the remains of the outer bearing.

[wavelength]

We launch boats off beaches in the NW and in Scotland as well as using ramps. We were forever changing wheel bearings, particularly at the roadside on the way North of the border. Then we realised that not all grease is waterproof-it comes out as an emulsion complete with rusty bearings when you get into the hub. Changed to "Castrol Heavy" and have never changed a bearing since! Absolutely magic - but it takes forever, and a shedload of Swarfega, to wash off your hands afterwards 'cos its waterproof qualities are amazing.

[Alan Mckewan]

Can you give some more information on the Castrol Heavy grease as Im not having much luck getting it locally. What is the full name / description on the tub?