Outside of ensuring you wash and remove any saltwater from your trailer after every use, maintaining the bearings in your trailer will be top of mind for many people.
Bearing failure on any trip is a nightmare situation and for some it may well be due to over maintenance rather than neglect. Let me explain:
Marine trailer bearing systems are different to bearings used for the same application in other vehicles, with the biggest difference being that they have a rear seal to prevent water from entering the bearing. Pressure and grease hold this seal in place stopping water ingress. For many (myself included) I have my trailer checked when I have my annual motor service and when required they replace the bearings. On the last occasion I had the bearings replaced, I also asked to have bearing buddies installed as well. My hope was that I could extend the life of my bearings and top up the grease to the bearing prior to extended trips etc. You can only imagine my annoyance when not long after one of my extended trips, the bearings on the trailer began showing signs of water damage. Unhappy with the people I had it done with, I went elsewhere. I put it down to a poor experience and left it at that.
Now, having started here at Stones Corner Marine, I have a new incite into my poor experience that I would like to pass on. This mainly relates to bearing buddies and any self-maintenance of the bearings of your boat trailer.
Firstly, if you have had your bearings replaced recently and you intend to go on a road trip, it is a good idea to nip up the nut that holds the bearing in place (including the rear seal). With the normal wearing in of the bearing, this small adjustment ensures the rear seal is snug. This removes one possible scenario for water to get into the bearing.
Secondly the need to top up the grease in your bearing buddies is not necessary or at best should be done sparingly. In a perfect world, when the bearing buddy was installed, it was filled with enough grease to top up the bearing through the run in process with plenty to spare if it hadn’t been packed sufficiently when it was fitted. Topping up or filling the bearing buddy to the point grease comes out of the overflows is more likely to do harm than it is good. The pressure of overfilling the bearing buddy can blow out the rear seal and your good intentions have instead allowed water to get into the bearing. If your bearing buddy is low in grease, it may be a sign to take a closer look at the bearing.
So, in retrospect I may have been my own worst enemy. My constant maintenance or topping up of my bearing buddies prior to my longer trips away, more than likely blew out the rear seal of my bearing, reducing their lifespan rather than increasing it.
Does this mean you don’t need bearing buddies? There certainly is a case for it. Do the initial tightening of the hub nut after a run-in period and ensure you have a dust cap in place to avoid any foreign material getting into the bearing housing and with regular checks you should get a full life out of your bearings.
For me there is also a piece of mind aspect that the bearing buddy offers. Particularly if you often travel long distances to get to your boating location or if you
have a larger craft. The additional weight that these trailers deal with, a bearing buddy can make a difference.
Remember, the key to a bearing buddy is make sure a dust cover is in place and treat them like they are not there, so that any extra love and attention doesn’t become the cause of your bearing problems.
Hopefully this helps you understand a little more about your trailer bearings and their maintenance. Come and see us at the dealership, 117 Old Cleveland Road, Stones Corner for more friendly and helpful advice about all things boating.
Captions
- A marine bearing kit comes standard with dust covers. Do you need any more than this?
- This is a set of bearing buddies. Are they great piece of mind or are they simply not needed?
- The majority of smaller trailer have the wheel bearings protected using a dust cover.
- Trailers designed for larger heavier vessels can include a bearing buddy system to protect the bearings. They are extra piece of mind considering the loads that these trailers hold.
- A dust cover is essential whether you are using a bearing buddy or not. Exposing the system to any foreign objects will likely come back to bite you.
- The simple dust cover is an essential part of protecting your marine trailer bearings.
