Lost a wheel bearing

[bohemian]

Conestoga
I'm curious as to what axle you have. And what do you believe happened to the cotter pin?
Did the manufacturers forget to put one in.
Wayne

[bobhenry]

Blessings to you all.. and extra for Bob Henry.
This forum may have saved me from disaster.
Slim chance that it will happen now, so we'll never know for sure ;-)
Yesterday I pulled the hubs off my trailer.
There was no cotter pin on the driver's side.
Although it was still holding solid, it was a mess.
It had apparently gotten so hot at some point that the nut and washer
were nearly fused to the bearing.
(Starboard side was in good shape, so it wasn't driver error.)

What the devil did I do ?

But I would like to RESTATE these little chinese trailers DO NOT come with greased bearings. The goop you see in the hubs is nothing more than a rust inhibiting gel.

CLEAN EVERYTHING Completely and repack the bearings on your new little trailer with a good quality hi temp automotive grease! If you do this right away you will have several years of service without problems.

Another point you can get TOO much grease in a hub. The correct term is "churning" ! With no place to expand the grease oozes past seals and aerates kind of like making egg whites. This is exactly why I do not like the Bearing Buddies. The other no no is mixing greases. There are combinations that will totally destroy the performance of both greases. Take 30 minutes and do it right. Cleaned degreased inspected and repacked. Any scaring of the roller bearings replace the bearing and race as a pair and have many years of happy motoring.

I worked 3 years in a lubrication lab and attended many lubrication seminars. Spent my days testing and evaluating all types of greases , gear oils , hydraulic fluids and even lubricating paints ! I retainded a few of the lessons.

[bohemian]

Bobhenry
Ive heard about adding to much grease. And the effect it has.
I have on my trailer the through the spindle grease filler.
They say to fill until the grease flows out the outer barring.
Does this put to much grease into the bearing area. And if so should I be worried about it?
Wayne

[bobhenry]

Bobhenry
Ive heard about adding to much grease. And the effect it has.
I have on my trailer the through the spindle grease filler.
They say to fill until the grease flows out the outer barring.
Does this put to much grease into the bearing area. And if so should I be worried about it?
Wayne

Everyone has an opinion and mine is yes that is too much !

You can go ahead an do it that way to "load" the bearings with grease, then remove the outer bearing and slide the hub out far enough that you can remove 2 fingers full of grease ( about a ping pong ball size glop) from the center of the hub. There will be plenty left and the remaining grease will now have a cavity to retreat to.

I am sure there are other opinions that will vary.

[GPW]

Sounds like cheap bearings and axles are the real problem ... Having boats , with trailers , for the last 50 years , we'd just re-pack the bearings , check the seals at the beginning of each fishing season, good all year , even constant backing down into salt/brackish water ... Never a problem , no special hubs etc. .. not even any special grease , just the stuff that came in the tubs from the hardware store...

[Conestoga]

Wayne, it's the Harbor Freight 4x8 model. The bearings are metric,
and so far the only place that I've found them in stock are at Harbor Freight.

Our local bearing guy chuckled when he looked them up @$22 each plus delivery.
Ha! that's more than what the trailer costs new.

Bob, there was real grease in my hubs. So if they came packed with gel,
it was someone on this side of the Pacific who forgot to put the cotter pin
back in. Oh, by the way, 30 min. job? That's pro! I spent 30 min. just
trying to figure out how to get the seals out.


I tore up one of the seals trying to get it out of the hub.
Why would HF carry bearings but not seals?

[bobhenry]

Oh, by the way, 30 min. job? That's pro! I spent 30 min. just
trying to figure out how to get the seals out.


I tore up one of the seals trying to get it out of the hub.
Why would HF carry bearings but not seals?

To remove the seal with minimal damage remove cotter pin, nut ,washer and outer bearing. Reinstall just the nut about 3 or 4 turns. Drag hub towards you and the nut will bump the inboard bearing and it will bump the seal. Turn the hub 1/2 turn and bump again if seal has not popped out
turn 1/4 turn and bump again, continue until it pops out. If you are gentle but persuasive you will not damage the seal. They do recommend a new seal when repacking but having never damaged one I have never bothered to replace one.

[chorizon]

Conestoga, this is from SDtrippers Index thread at the top of the page.

You didn't say which 4X8 you had so I included both in the quote.

Should be enough info for finding replacements as well as how-to change the bearings out...

Bearings and Seals/Covers

There have been many threads on what to do about bearings and
Seals/Caps for the HF trailers. The discussions are around the metric
bearings that these trailers use. As of this writing I have not gotten a
satisfactory listing of maintenance part #s for the trailers here that
we have been touting. I have listed an incomplete list that may
help you get more information from HF for on going maintenance
for your trailers. These numbers may need revising.

Note: Check your trailer Owners Manual
for bearing and seal maintenance prior to running your trailer as well as on
going considerations of maintenance time frames. As a rule it is considered
wise counsel to check & or consider repacking wheel bearings before first use.

Tutorials for packing Bearings are shown here:
http://tinyurl.com/h5goy
http://tinyurl.com/erf43
http://tinyurl.com/e97an
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=24508

Metric Bearings and seals from these companies:
Note: Harbor Freight trailers use metric bearings and seals:
Some want and have found alternate sources for these metric parts:
http://www.epm.com/pg23.htm
http://www.rocketseals.com/
http://www.anyseals.com/
http://mdmetric.com/

Harbor Freight Customer Service Representative
Monday-Friday 9:00 - 5:30 EST at 1-800-444-3353

HF model 90154 ITEM 90154-8VGA HF 1175 LB. $239.0
HF CAPACITY 48" x 96" FOLDABLE UTILITY TRAILER WITH 12" WHEELS

Bearing type .............................(28079 BEARING 25M 284 2.85)
Bearing part number..................ITEM 93834-0VGA
Cost about................................$4.99
Need 2 Bearings per wheel 4 per trailer.

Bearing seal/cap.......................(27737 GREASE SEAL 229 1.00)
Bearing seal /cap part #............ITEM 93833-0VGA
Cost about................................$2.99
Need 2 per trailer.

"Cliky"Here > is a thread for this trailer You
will also note a link here that will show a "Servicing Wheel Bearings"
Tutorial.
***

HF model 40597 ITEM 40597-0VGA HF 1800 LB. $399.99
HF CAPACITY SUPER HEAVY DUTY 48" x 96" UTILITY TRAILER WITH 5 LUG
12" WHEELS AND TIRES NOT FOLDABLE

Bearing type .............................(Unknown special order HF)
Bearing part number..................(HFVendor# 11239 set of 4 bearings)(Anyseals.com 30205 bearings)
Cost about................................$15.89
Need 2 Bearings per wheel 4 per trailer.

Bearing seal/cap.......................(Unknown special order HF) 30x52x10 marked on the seal
Bearing seal /cap part #............ (HF Vendor# 13922) (Anyseals.com NO. is 24640 OSA)
Cost about................................Unknown
Need 2 per trailer.

Info (Geron Page 3 of this thread)
***

[Conestoga]

... Drag hub towards you and the nut will bump the inboard bearing and it will bump the seal....

ah, ja... i did read the "howto" thread here on the forum.
when i was removing the hubs, i couldn't remember why
i should replace the nut and it was cold so i ... yeah, me dummy.

Joshua, thanks for the info.

[eamarquardt]

The bearings are metric,
and so far the only place that I've found them in stock are at Harbor Freight.

In most industrial applications bearings have metric IDs and ODs. There is a common nomenclature and by the part number you can figure out the ID and Od. Inch sizes are common but usually for mating with "inch" shafting and the like. American trailer hubs (the standard sizes) are a bit "unusual" in that they have "inch" bores.

http://www.hchbearing.com/pro.asp

Just in case anyone is interested.

Cheers,

Gus

[bdosborn]

Oh wow, this is timely. I just bought a complete bearing kit for my flexiride axle for $18.95. Bearings, races, seals, dust caps, locking washer, lug nuts - the works for both sides.

Southwest Axle Linky

I was just going to buy seals and pack the bearings but the kit was so cheap I'll probably just replace everything.

Bruce

Oops, found out why the kit was so cheap, it has that dreaded 5 letter word on the side:

CHINA

Guess I've got 2 sets of emergency spare bearings as I'm NOT putting Chinese bearings on my trailer.

Bruce

[Miriam C.]

Oh, by the way, 30 min. job? That's pro! I spent 30 min. just
trying to figure out how to get the seals out.


I tore up one of the seals trying to get it out of the hub.
Why would HF carry bearings but not seals?

To remove the seal with minimal damage remove cotter pin, nut ,washer and outer bearing. Reinstall just the nut about 3 or 4 turns. Drag hub towards you and the nut will bump the inboard bearing and it will bump the seal. Turn the hub 1/2 turn and bump again if seal has not popped out
turn 1/4 turn and bump again, continue until it pops out. If you are gentle but persuasive you will not damage the seal. They do recommend a new seal when repacking but having never damaged one I have never bothered to replace one.

Hey Bob, is there an easy way to get that seal back on without trouble?

[Yota Bill]

Oh, by the way, 30 min. job? That's pro! I spent 30 min. just
trying to figure out how to get the seals out.


I tore up one of the seals trying to get it out of the hub.
Why would HF carry bearings but not seals?

To remove the seal with minimal damage remove cotter pin, nut ,washer and outer bearing. Reinstall just the nut about 3 or 4 turns. Drag hub towards you and the nut will bump the inboard bearing and it will bump the seal. Turn the hub 1/2 turn and bump again if seal has not popped out
turn 1/4 turn and bump again, continue until it pops out. If you are gentle but persuasive you will not damage the seal. They do recommend a new seal when repacking but having never damaged one I have never bothered to replace one.

Hey Bob, is there an easy way to get that seal back on without trouble?

put the inner bearing in place, then set the seal in place. Put a short piece of scrap wood (2x4) over the seal, and tap it in the center

[Shadow Catcher]

"The function of grease is to remain in contact with and lubricate moving surfaces without leaking out under the force of gravity, centrifugal action or being squeezed out under pressure. Its major practical requirement is that it retains its properties under shear forces at all temperatures it experiences during use."
I encountered this definition in a couple of places.
The importance of grease can not be stressed enough, you don’t have it, it becomes contaminated with particles or water or... it fails, when it fails you have nasty things happening. Buying anything but the best is false economy or just plain lazy. There are a number of types of grease with very specific properties and purposes. i.e. http://www.amsoil.com/a/Synthetic-Grease this is my favorite, I am not a dealer.