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Old 08-23-2014, 03:55 PM   #1
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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


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Old 08-23-2014, 03:55 PM   #2
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Old 08-23-2014, 04:24 PM   #3
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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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Old 08-23-2014, 04:35 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snorton711 View Post
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


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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?
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Old 08-23-2014, 05:12 PM   #5
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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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Old 08-23-2014, 06:16 PM   #6
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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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Old 08-23-2014, 07:22 PM   #7
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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?

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Old 08-24-2014, 06:55 AM   #8
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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?


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Old 08-24-2014, 07:19 AM   #9
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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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Old 08-24-2014, 07:51 AM   #10
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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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Old 08-24-2014, 07:59 AM   #11
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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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Old 08-24-2014, 09:52 AM   #12
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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.
Mine were "bolts" on the original axle for my boler American, but they had a tapered seat much like a lug nut.

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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?
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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Old 08-24-2014, 09:55 AM   #13
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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.
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Old 08-24-2014, 10:02 AM   #14
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Your axle is probably ok.
Chuck
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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Old 08-24-2014, 10:08 AM   #15
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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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Old 08-24-2014, 03:40 PM   #16
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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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