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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | Hey guys,
I am new to owning a boat that I take on the road a lot. Had a bearing go out this year because of ignorance. I didn't know that they needed to be pumped regularly when taking long trips (sounds dumb I know but you live and learn).
My point is now that I have the new bearings I want to keep them as nice as I can for as a long as I can so I don't find myself on the side of the highway again.
I need to know what the go-to grease gun is for most people. Not trying to spend a lot of money but if I have to I will. Hope you guys can point me in the right direction.
Thanks again! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | any auto parts store, Menards, Farm n Fleet etc... will carry something like this.. I just get the marine grease in the tube, pop it and pump away.. you only need to do it a couple x a season unless you go on long trips often
https://www.amazon.com/Lumax-LX-1152-Deluxe-Pistol-Grease/dp/B000MD4... |
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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | |
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Posts: 1209
| I would say every 4 uses on 10mile trips or 300 miles I'd grease up. I went 200 miles and launched once and there went a berring the one time I didn't Re grease. Most of my fishing is done 150 miles away and after loading up I normally re greesed and it would get me back to that lake 300-350 miles. I suggest berring buddies and paper towels to clean up dispensed grease. If you don't have berring buddies make sure not to push out the inside seal. |
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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | How does one know if he has bearing buddies or not? does it say somewhere or look different? |
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Posts: 1209
| Bedding buddies have a soft plastic/rubber cover over the hub. Inside that there is a grease zurk on a large, spring loaded washer. When you pump it up it will compress the grease and as you drive and thin out the grease it pushes new grease into position. Leaving the thinner grease on the outside of that washer to be wiped off with paper towel. This design isnt perfect but it keeps you from pushing out the back seal and in theory the back herrings shouldn't get water near them cause the water grease mix is always to the outside. Many people will love and many people hate berring buddies. I myself other than the one time I was lazy have had great luck. With them. Now I have oil baths and it's awesome since I don't need any grease with me. But I also have had tandem trailers on purpose on all my boats. My dads isn't tandem but we never had an issue with that either. Google Bering buddies and you should see them. 18$ each I think. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | Fishysam - 9/22/2016 4:53 PM
Bedding buddies have a soft plastic/rubber cover over the hub. Inside that there is a grease zurk on a large, spring loaded washer. When you pump it up it will compress the grease and as you drive and thin out the grease it pushes new grease into position. Leaving the thinner grease on the outside of that washer to be wiped off with paper towel. This design isnt perfect but it keeps you from pushing out the back seal and in theory the back herrings shouldn't get water near them cause the water grease mix is always to the outside. Many people will love and many people hate berring buddies. I myself other than the one time I was lazy have had great luck. With them. Now I have oil baths and it's awesome since I don't need any grease with me. But I also have had tandem trailers on purpose on all my boats. My dads isn't tandem but we never had an issue with that either. Google Bering buddies and you should see them. 18$ each I think.
Deal with many bearings at work that take lots of abuse. 12-14 hours a day 6 days a week. One screen plant is all oil bath bearings they seem to fail constantly... our mix plants are all greased bearings. As long as you maintain and grease properly/regularly they seem to last forever. Just my opinion. Of course we are not submersing them in water though...
I have bearing buddies. Grease a few times a year, take apart clean and repack once a year. They should last a long time. |
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Posts: 1209
| Agreed. My first boat had grease zurk hub caps. I got the boat with bad bearings, had them replaced and they said come back next year and we will repack them. Don't touch them they said. 1000 miles later they're all toasted. So after that I did the above grease plan and had no issues till I didn't follow the plan one time. But with tandems I can limp home on three wheels. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | I also buy Marine grease for my trailer. |
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Posts: 5193
| Use a high temperature grease chevron might be the brand I'm thinking of,been dealing with bearings for over twenty years don't skimp on the grease. |
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Posts: 99
| Interesting thread. I guess I don't grease my bearings near as much as some people. I was told to press on the spring loaded washer and if it moves in and out it's good. If it doesn't move add grease. So are those of you without bearing buddies repacking your bearings multiple times a season? |
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Posts: 1209
| Marine grease has attributes to resist water penetration more than other grease... I have a friend that has a play boat about ten years old. Sees a couple hundred miles a year and 20 launches. He has never even looked at the bearings. Lots and lots of factors at play. |
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Posts: 49
| Go to your local Napa store and they will have at least two different styles of grease guns ( a rigid hose model and a flexible hose model.) I like the flexible hose because I use it for all kinds of grease zirks I can't get with a rigid hose model. Also pick up a tube of their blue marine grease and you'll be good to go. It has a higher drop point and provides some corrosion protection. One thing to keep an eye on with trailer bearings is the rear seal. A lot of people keep pumping grease into the hubs and don't realize that the rear seal is blown and the grease isn't staying in the hub and packing the bearing. Once the rear seal is ruptured, water gets sucked into the hub when you submerge the bearing in the water at the boat ramp due to the rapidly cooling grease in the hub. Once the water gets in, it's only a matter of time for the bearing to corrode if not attended to. |
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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | thanks again guys. I will keep all of this information in mind when I am wondering about my bearings. Picking up a grease gun after work and going to take a look to see what I have. |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | I have the lincoln grease gun with flexible hose. I also use marine grease. My crestliner has bearing buddies. It has a blue rubber indicator that pops outward as you put grease in it. I bought an axle with a through the spindle grease setup. I lime that alot. Grease goes through the spindle, through the back bearing first then through thr front. It pushes the old grease out. |
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Posts: 5193
| chevron Delo grease
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Posts: 59
Location: Fifield | Lincoln grease gun with pistol grip and a flexible hose. Not expensive(prolly under $20) will last for the life of your boat and prolly all your life. |
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Posts: 299
Location: Nowheresville, MN | Fishysam - 9/22/2016 4:40 PM Agreed. My first boat had grease zurk hub caps. I got the boat with bad bearings, had them replaced and they said come back next year and we will repack them. Don't touch them they said. 1000 miles later they're all toasted. So after that I did the above grease plan and had no issues till I didn't follow the plan one time. But with tandems I can limp home on three wheels. You've got something mechanical going on. There is no reason you should have to grease that often. Something is causing your seals to wear and lose grease or just plain wear out the bearings. Besides, most zerks will only fill the outer bearing anyway. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | tfootstalker - 9/30/2016 8:03 AM
Fishysam - 9/22/2016 4:40 PM Agreed. My first boat had grease zurk hub caps. I got the boat with bad bearings, had them replaced and they said come back next year and we will repack them. Don't touch them they said. 1000 miles later they're all toasted. So after that I did the above grease plan and had no issues till I didn't follow the plan one time. But with tandems I can limp home on three wheels. You've got something mechanical going on. There is no reason you should have to grease that often. Something is causing your seals to wear and lose grease or just plain wear out the bearings. Besides, most zerks will only fill the outer bearing anyway.
I also cant figure out why someone has to grease so often. Just where does that grease go once the hub is full? Its not like its getting consumed. Too much and youll blow out the rear seal causing the mess all over the inner rim and fender. |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
If you are repacking yearly (which most I believe do for the most part), you don't need to add a bunch more grease each time you go. When the bearings warm up, the grease becomes more fluid. The more grease you add isn't really doing anything other than filling space in the hub. Too much grease and the seal is blown, creating a much bigger issue, and water intrusion becomes more of an issue.
I repack in the fall, and after assembling the hub, I add just enough grease to get the bearing buddy moving on the spring. After that, I leave it alone. Maybe half way through I'll add a pump or two, but that is it. I have had very very very little moisture in the hubs, and this is with over 20 years of doing so, and a trailer that is dunked quite often.
The key is proper yearly maintenance. Seals are an inexpensive investment which saves you lots of $$ in the long run. damaging a hub or a set of bearings is more in part due to a lack of proper maintenance.
Repack, and once or twice a summer, give the hubs a squirt or two... you should be good to go given the repack was done correctly. Check your hubs anytime you stop on the way to your destination. If you cannot grab your hubs due to how hot they are, the castle nuts are on too tight. If you are sucking water into the hub when you put your trailer into the water, your hubs are too hot... They should be warm at best...
Steve. |
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Posts: 1209
| I agree ^^ to much grease is a bad thing. But filling the air void with grease was the difference maker for me. Dunking my trailer under water with any air void would allow water in kinda easy. Filling all the area with grease doesn't make a vacuum. I actually read the directions on boat trailers it suggests that you spray water on them prior to launching your boat to cool the hubs. |
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