Dura hubs

[TREVELLY]

I have the dura hubs and happy with them.

I travel a bit on freeway and do check the hubs for any milky after each trip and do check the tyre and hub temps by hand at the ramp each trip.

Any heat in hub or tyre is a good indicator for attention.

[johncar]

Either system should be good but there is no set and forget, all require good installation, regular observation and servicing. I am happy with the old fashioned grease'm up jobs, 40 years of boating and no bearing problems ever. (touch wood!)

[Smithy]

I am pro Durahub. Durahub Extremes you can grease the bearing like normal anyway so if there is a problem you will still have grease around the bearing and the clear end gives you a visual inspection to see when it goes milky. Bearing buddies are all over the shop for quality.

[Mike Delisser]

I've used oil filled Durra Hubs for 4 years now without a prob. Lapped the axle myself, easy as. Boat gets towed from Brizzy to Boondooma, Borumba, Mondy or Awoonga a couple of times a month and down to Hunter Valley a couple of time a year, all sweet. Best system I've used, I won't be going back.

[finga]

I've used oil filled Durra Hubs for 4 years now without a prob. Lapped the axle myself, easy as. Boat gets towed from Brizzy to Boondooma, Borumba, Mondy or Awoonga a couple of times a month and down to Hunter Valley a couple of time a year, all sweet. Best system I've used, I won't be going back.

And there is the important bit to a successful installation job.
Preparation before installation.

And I can bet that if Mike has gone to the trouble of lapping the axle he's gone to the trouble of installing the bearings correctly.

Gary (Spaniard King) did a thread a few years ago on how to install trailer bearings properly.
Well worth finding and reading.

[tunaticer]

I just do not get this whole cool down period for hubs before dunking the trailer.
If you have been on a run and the hubs are that warm they will suck in water as soon as they are dunked, then you most definitely have bearings that are on their way out or you have an overloaded axle. Normal running temps are not sufficient to cause a vaccuum effect of the capacity to suck water past decent seals. Marine axle seals have two directional sealing lips to seal water out and grease inwards if water gets past those you have a damaged seal or a shaft that is not suitable for decent sealing.
If you are running bearing buddies this should never occur anyway due to the spring loading controlling the hub pressures.
I also think there is a possibility that quite a lot of braked hubs are imparting heat into the hubs via shoes/pads that do not fully release, but that is another issue.
Dura-Hubs are a good bit of kit and are a well proven design.

[Mike Delisser]

There's a rounded rubber dimple or plug on the end of the Dura Hub that is suppose to move in and out to absorb pressure and vacuum from heating or cooling, though I never had mine hot enough for them to move.