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08-23-2014, 03:55 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Name: Stephen
Trailer: 81 13' Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 12
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Old Bearings
Does anyone know what type of bearings these are? I didn't think they were EZ Lube or Bearing Buddies but I'm not sure. I see the zerk on the outside, can I just pump in new grease to replace the old grease or do I need to disassemble and repack? 1981 13' Scamp
Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
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08-23-2014, 03:55 PM
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#2
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Junior Member
Name: Stephen
Trailer: 81 13' Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 12
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Forgot pic!
Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
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08-23-2014, 04:24 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Trailer: Class A Motorhome
Posts: 7,912
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First and foremost, if the Scamp is new to you I'd suggest taking everything apart and, after cleaning, inspecting and repacking bearings and putting it back together with new seals (and bearings if there is any sign of wear or burning), I would install new bearing caps and ferget the existing system.
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08-23-2014, 04:35 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Name: Clif
Trailer: 08 Weiscraft Little Joe 14 Subaru Outback 2.5i CVT
Louisiana
Posts: 754
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snorton711
Does anyone know what type of bearings these are? I didn't think they were EZ Lube or Bearing Buddies but I'm not sure. I see the zerk on the outside, can I just pump in new grease to replace the old grease or do I need to disassemble and repack? 1981 13' Scamp
Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
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They don't really look like Bearing Buddies. Definitely not Easy Lube.
Easy Lube is a type of axle with a zerk on the end of the shaft. It is accessed through a hole in the bearing cap that has a removable rubber plug.
These really look like someone just drilled a hole in the cap and installed a zerk, so they could approximate Bearing Buddies. I may be wrong, but the only way to tell is to pull the cap and see what is inside. If you see a spring and a follower of some sort, they are a version of the Bearing Buddy idea, Definitely don't want to use them if the trailer has brakes since the only way for grease to get out is through the bearing seal, i.e. on to your brakes.
Quick note: Bearing Buddies are meant to maintain positive pressure on the grease around the bearing to prevent water intrusion on boat trailers. Easy Lube, and I believe there are others, are a bearing lubrication system which pushes grease from the back of the rear bearing and up to an through the front.
Question: Is that lug bolt at the top of the picture bent?
__________________
Clif
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08-23-2014, 05:12 PM
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#5
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Commercial Member
Name: Ian
Trailer: 1974 Boler 1300 - 2014 Escape 19'
Alberta
Posts: 1,380
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Looks like a Farmer Jones special. I think all they did was drill the dust cap and thread a grease fitting in, NOT a good way to grease wheel bearings. Dissassemble, clean and repack by hand, that is the best way.
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08-23-2014, 06:16 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Name: Dennis
Trailer: Scamp 16'
Utah
Posts: 258
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I had a utility trailer with a Chinese axle and it came with the zerk fitting on the bearing cover-just like the one pictured. In the instructions, it stated that the fitting was used to 'top off' the axle grease. Never used them.
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Dennis
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08-23-2014, 07:22 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Name: David
Trailer: 1978 Trillium 1300
Cumberland, Indiana
Posts: 392
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That set up looks pretty "shade-tree mechanic to me." Can't tell much from the picture about the bearings. As others have said inspect, clean and repack the bearings by hand.
It's really kinda therapeutic! Google wheel bearing repack, lot's a videos.
Are those bolts or lug nuts holding the rim on?
Spanke
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Trilliums Rock!
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08-24-2014, 06:55 AM
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#8
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Junior Member
Name: Stephen
Trailer: 81 13' Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 12
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Thanks for all the replys, I didn't really notice before but they do look like bolts, I guess I'll put lug nuts on the list! Does anyone have a certain brand or type of grease you recommend?
Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
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08-24-2014, 07:19 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Trailer: 1972 Boler American and 1979 Trillium 4500
Posts: 5,137
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From this end of the keyboard, I'm thinking it might be time for a new axle. In addition to the things you have pointed out, your trailer is 33 years old and appears to be sitting fairly low. If original, the axle is probably due for a change.
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08-24-2014, 07:51 AM
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#10
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Moderator
Name: RogerDat
Trailer: 2010 Scamp 16
Michigan
Posts: 3,744
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I think bolts were standard on some trailer axles, back in the day. Which would be more indication that this is an original axle.
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08-24-2014, 07:59 AM
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#11
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Junior Member
Name: Stephen
Trailer: 81 13' Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 12
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So do you think I should do a new axel before my first trip, or repack the bearings for a few trips this season and new axel next spring?
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08-24-2014, 09:52 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Trailer: 1972 Boler American and 1979 Trillium 4500
Posts: 5,137
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerDat
I think bolts were standard on some trailer axles, back in the day. Which would be more indication that this is an original axle.
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Mine were "bolts" on the original axle for my boler American, but they had a tapered seat much like a lug nut.
Quote:
Originally Posted by snorton711
So do you think I should do a new axel before my first trip, or repack the bearings for a few trips this season and new axel next spring?
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I think that all depends on what your bearings look like on inspection and how much travelling you plan to do and the type of terrain. I posted what I think to be a fairly comprehensive list of things to look for in this thread:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...arm-37248.html
I had towed the trailer from the southern coast of MA to Southern ON and then out to Cape Breton Island in NS, PEI and back to Southern ON including a few more trips before I replaced the axle on my boler American. OTOH when I got my Trillium I towed it home to Toronto from Ottawa and immediately swapped out the axle. The original Trillium axle was in much better condition than the original on the boler American. I knew more by then and the timing was right.
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08-24-2014, 09:55 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Name: Chuck
Trailer: tp
Washington
Posts: 649
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If it were me I would take everything apart and clean the bearings. check their condition. If they need replacing on that trailer the inner and outer are the same size. Always buy new seals. Your axle is probably ok.
Chuck
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08-24-2014, 10:02 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Trailer: 1972 Boler American and 1979 Trillium 4500
Posts: 5,137
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FTTRV
Your axle is probably ok.
Chuck
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It might be the angle of the picture shown in the OP's profile, but the trailer looks like it is sitting pretty low to me.
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08-24-2014, 10:08 AM
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#15
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Junior Member
Name: Stephen
Trailer: 81 13' Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 12
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Looking at bearings today, anything to look for on the bearings or races that would make me need to buy new ones? I assume grooves of any kind, anything else? Also you don't fill the void between the inner and outer bearings with grease right?
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08-24-2014, 03:40 PM
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#16
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Junior Member
Name: Stephen
Trailer: 81 13' Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 12
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Well we took everything off. On the right side everything looked fine so we just repacked and reinstalled. On the right side, one of the bearings had a small knick in it and was slightly bent so we replaced both bearings on that side and the back seal. All the races looked fine to us so we left. We used Lucas Red 'N' Tacky #2. The little zerk thing on the outside looked pretty homemade, you would have to pump a lot of grease into the cap to get it to do anything.
Is there any issues to having one set of bearings replaced and not the other?
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