Trailer bearings - hub full of grease or not?

[Seppo BNE]

Wondering what the consensus is (if any!) on trailer bearings and packing the hub full of grease.
Heard 2 completely different opinions from guys who work on trailers : RWC guys and professional trailer repair guys....

1) Pack the housing full of grease - water has nowhere to fit in, so less corrosion.

2) Just pack the bearings - don't bother with excess grease.

Both kindof make sense, but, what do you do?

Another thing was that bearing buddies were supposed to become illegal sometime?
Due to excess grease being pumped through and flinging out onto discs and reducing braking effectiveness.
- VMR (forget which ones) were apparently getting rid of them due to that?

Seppo...

[Marchy001]

I'm 6 months into a trial on my used and abused Chinese bearings (18 months old at start of trail). Outboard gear oil and wheel bearing grease mixed to a custard like consistency. Dust cap stuck on with retaining compound as with the inner seal insert. Filled void between the bearings with the goo before fitting outer bearing and filled dust cap prior to fitting. Bearings packed with grease as per normal.

Average hub temp at port servo car park with standard grease 48-55 deg c. Average hub temp with weird concoction 35-40 deg c. Measured with IR thermometer.

It's messy if you get the mix too thin and also rather messy when disassembling but so far I'm pretty happy with the trial.

To be honest didn't think it would work but so far so good.

[Out-Station]

Pack the bearings with standard bearing grease. Use standard caps and marine seals, use Loctite 515 when you press the steel marine seal into the hub, same on the cap. Put the hub onto the axle with the rear bearing in it, before you put the front bearing onto the axle use an oil syringe to put about 15ml of heavy gear oil into the hub whilst you hold it level to stop it running out. Put the front bearing etc and cap (sealed with 515). Works a treat, oil and grease forms a slurry in the hub and works back into the bearing continually. Works for me anyway.

Scott

[Smithy]

When I had my Stabi I put Durahubs on. I thought they went well as did my pro mate who had them on his cat. The clear glass allowed you to maintain a visual inspection of the oil.

[Rip it up]

Another plus one for the dura hubs. There is a reason semi trailers run oil filled hubs.

But the rear seal area must be installed perfectly. Speedy sleeves and adhesives must be used.


Damo's dodgy boat building repair shop.

[ShaneC]

Problem is if a seal fails on a dura hub the whole thing heats up and flogs out before you know it has even happened. I have changed more bearings than any human should ever have to in a lifetime on the side of the road but since I built my new trailer with 3 tonne bearings its been good. I have come to believe that too much grease is not enough. A mate of mine who does 1770 a couple of times a month with a big boat on average has not touched a bearing in five years using the same theory.

[scottar]

I subscribe to the full of grease means no room for water theory. I have never had an issue touch wood.

[Crunchy]

Always found bearing buddies very good just don't over pump, only enough to have the plate wobble, not enough to drive it out to the edge of the buddie or you do risk the back seal.

[Seppo BNE]

Thanks for the replies so far.. I hadn't heard of thinning the grease with oil.. Nor durahubs, will check them out!..

After 6 or so trips on a new set of bearings done at roadworthy, one of the rear bearings was already full of milky grease after the service.
The inner slipring? on the hub that rubs on the rubber was the wrong size and was spinning freely in the hub, where it's normally solid in place.
I had a spare hub set ready to swap over and just did that. It got me wondering though on the rear seal as well.
I greased it up and put it together, but it looks like it's free to spin on either the hub side and the axle side.
It looks like it's designed to have the seal fixed and the rub strips on the hub side rubbing. (Is this right?).
Adhesives were mentioned above?.. do you glue the seal to the axle with something to stop it spinning?

[Marchy001]

Yeah I stick the rubber to the axle too. Any oil resistant sticky stuff that I find laying around the toy box gets the job. Hardest part is sticking stuff and working with oil/grease at the same time. If possible I let the the rubber seal sit glued for a few hours before reassembly.

[gazza2006au]

Good topic this one

i've never encountered a bearing failure and i have towed very long distances one trip took almost 24 hours of pretty much non stop driving in NSW

i have always thought the theory of filling the hub with grease would under G force feed the bearings grease especially on highways doing 110kph the centrifugal force would push the grease to the outer hub than feed it into the bearings as needed by pressure but the rear seal and front caps would lock in the excess grease from pushing out

make sense?

i always fill the hub haha

[aussiebasser]

Had the Stratos 9 years now. 3 sets of tyres. Still running the original bearings. Bearing Buddies, don't overfill.

[ozscott]

Bearing Buddies with Timkin or similar good quality bearings and you cant go far wrong.

Cheers

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[tunaticer]

Drill and tap the hub between the bearings and fit a stainless grease nipple.

[gofishin]

I use Durahubs, or their equivalent, but hubs not filled with oil, just grease. They also allow me to easily prime the grease nipple, tapped into the stub axle. Best part is the clear window gives a nice quick visual indication of what's going on inside.
Cheers
PS. There is a 2" Durahub on the side of the road heading north at the Anzac Ave exit - if anyone wants it. Might have a dent in it though, as it hit the concrete wall hard I am told .