My 2 cents on wheel bearings

[Big Block Power]

Boy those covers are pretty tight. But hey if that's what you think clean them off good and put silicone around the outside too prevent it from going In.

[shrfdeputy]

I have dealt with wheel bearings on boat trailers, travel trailers, 5th wheels, etc. for 41 years. They have been the most problematic item I have dealt with. Even with Bearing Buddies, I always had the bearings inspected & repacked every year & still had leakage, grease on brake pads, and one complete breakdown in the middle of Wyoming one year.

I may be jinxing myself by saying this, but I believe my current system is the best system I have had. The Heritage trailer that carries my Cobalt has a sealed oil system called “the Vault”. Zero maintenance until 10 years. The dealer said this was an upgrade when he ordered the trailer but he had had great success (zero leaks or breakdowns). I’ll be 80 by then so bearings will probably be the least of my problems!

I’m mentioning this because if you are getting a new boat or trailer and have an option on this, it may be worth adding this on. I only have 2 years experience with these but so far they have been great. Supposedly the grease solidifies when put in water, then when trailing, heats up & gets like oil. Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps someone.

Dub

Are you still liking the Vault hubs? Any issues at all?

[Big Block Power]

Shrf I have not heard of anyone but to like the vault set up. It is very nice. I was just saying I wouldn't swap out my axles for them but hey I'm cheap.
Myself I would buy a new trailer rather than screwing around with something like that. By the time you sell your trailer and buy another for the diff in the able you can buy a new trailer. That's how I think. To me a trailer is cheaper. See I'm cheap.

[shrfdeputy]

Shrf I have not heard of anyone but to like the vault set up. It is very nice. I was just saying I wouldn't swap out my axles for them but hey I'm cheap.
Myself I would buy a new trailer rather than screwing around with something like that. By the time you sell your trailer and buy another for the diff in the able you can buy a new trailer. That's how I think. To me a trailer is cheaper. See I'm cheap.

Well $7k isn’t cheap! Lol. But I get where you are coming from. I really like my trailer, but I hate working on it!

[Big Block Power]

Shrf I have not heard of anyone but to like the vault set up. It is very nice. I was just saying I wouldn't swap out my axles for them but hey I'm cheap.
Myself I would buy a new trailer rather than screwing around with something like that. By the time you sell your trailer and buy another for the diff in the able you can buy a new trailer. That's how I think. To me a trailer is cheaper. See I'm cheap.

Well $7k isn’t cheap! Lol. But I get where you are coming from. I really like my trailer, but I hate working on it!

Like I told Bob a long time ago. I don't deal with headaches. They go down the road. That's just the way I am. I'll help you search for new trailers we can fit your new tires on

[shrfdeputy]

Shrf I have not heard of anyone but to like the vault set up. It is very nice. I was just saying I wouldn't swap out my axles for them but hey I'm cheap.
Myself I would buy a new trailer rather than screwing around with something like that. By the time you sell your trailer and buy another for the diff in the able you can buy a new trailer. That's how I think. To me a trailer is cheaper. See I'm cheap.

Well $7k isn’t cheap! Lol. But I get where you are coming from. I really like my trailer, but I hate working on it!

Like I told Bob a long time ago. I don't deal with headaches. They go down the road. That's just the way I am. I'm help you search for a new trailers we can fit your new tires on

Lol. Ok get on it.

[shrfdeputy]

I kept thinking there has to be a better option than having to SWITCH OUT MY AXLES. I think I found it today. These fit right on my existing axles and have a 6 year 100k mile warranty. I have 4 on the way.

https://trailerparts.com/vortex.html

[Snowman8]

I grease them religiously and have had them repacked twice in 3 years. They just always seem to get water in them.

So does your bearing princess do that too!?

Honestly then your seal is not sealing tight on your axle. I would put the seal on the axle to see how tight it is.

Lol. She actually did help me change one of them on the side of the road. It was not any fun at all. I think it leaks past the dust covers and then it just can’t get out. I try to keep it completely full of grease without putting in too much, but this trailer has been a bear. I’ve had numerous other trailers and never fought it like this, but I also didn’t have k my other trailers in the water.

I am no expert but you said that you try to keep everything completely full of grease may be why you are having so much trouble. You need to leave room for the grease to expand when it heats up while driving down the road. If the cavity is completely full of grease it will expand and either push out the seal or cap while driving. Also when you slash it in the water it cools quickly contracting and possibly pulling water back into the hub assembly.
By saying this I will probably have bearing trouble this summer.... In all of my years I have never had a failure and al I do is to clean and re-pack the bearing by hand each spring. Then after I put everything back together I pump the hub full of grease with a hand pump grease gun then wipe the inside of the cap clean to leave room for expansion. Also I always use a high quality lithium based wheel bearing grease. Valvoline, Mobile 1, my current trailer manufacturer recommends Wolf’s Head grease.

[Big Block Power]

I kept thinking there has to be a better option than having to SWITCH OUT MY AXLES. I think I found it today. These fit right on my existing axles and have a 6 year 100k mile warranty. I have 4 on the way.

https://trailerparts.com/vortex.html

To me that just looks like prepacked hubs. Nothing special. They are just relying on the grease manufacturer and good seals. Tipple lip seals. Nice easy way to change over. I'll buy your spare hubs. Lol

[shrfdeputy]

I kept thinking there has to be a better option than having to SWITCH OUT MY AXLES. I think I found it today. These fit right on my existing axles and have a 6 year 100k mile warranty. I have 4 on the way.

https://trailerparts.com/vortex.html

To me that just looks like prepacked hubs. Nothing special. They are just relying on the grease manufacturer and good seals. Tipple lip seals. Nice easy way to change over. I'll buy your spare hubs. Lol

Lol. I’ll see what shape they are in and let you know. These are pre-packed hubs, but they have a screw-on cap. That should keep water from leaking past the old dust covers, and no more banging the covers back on with a hammer and a 2x4. Should make opening it up to have a look at things and closing it back up easier.

[Big Block Power]

I kept thinking there has to be a better option than having to SWITCH OUT MY AXLES. I think I found it today. These fit right on my existing axles and have a 6 year 100k mile warranty. I have 4 on the way.

https://trailerparts.com/vortex.html

To me that just looks like prepacked hubs. Nothing special. They are just relying on the grease manufacturer and good seals. Tipple lip seals. Nice easy way to change over. I'll buy your spare hubs. Lol

Lol. I’ll see what shape they are in and let you know. These are pre-packed hubs, but they have a screw-on cap. That should keep water from leaking past the old dust covers, and no more banging the covers back on with a hammer and a 2x4. Should make opening it up to have a look at things and closing it back up easier.

Right. I saw that. In 6 years. Lol
If they were cheaper I would think of it but for $300.00 I'll pack mine. What size bearings do you have? I actually just want a spare hub. I have 1 but it needs new studs. Due to 1 rim flying off at 65mph.

[shrfdeputy]

To me that just looks like prepacked hubs. Nothing special. They are just relying on the grease manufacturer and good seals. Tipple lip seals. Nice easy way to change over. I'll buy your spare hubs. Lol

Lol. I’ll see what shape they are in and let you know. These are pre-packed hubs, but they have a screw-on cap. That should keep water from leaking past the old dust covers, and no more banging the covers back on with a hammer and a 2x4. Should make opening it up to have a look at things and closing it back up easier.

Right. I saw that. In 6 years. Lol
If they were cheaper I would think of it but for $300.00 I'll pack mine. What size bearings do you have? I actually just want a spare hub. I have 1 but it needs new studs. Due to 1 rim flying off at 65mph.

The thought of that happening makes me weak. Here are the ones I ordered.

Tie Down Engineering 81013 Vortex Hub Assy 1750# 5 Stud

I didn’t order them from Amazon because their delivery time was over a month if I chose 4. I’ll see what condition they are in when they come off and let you know. I’ll definitely ship you a few if they will fit. I’m sure they will.

[Big Block Power]

This is the bearing numbers.
Yea same as mine.

[shrfdeputy]

I pulled up the ones I bought from O’Reilys and that Vortex hub had the exact same specs.

[Big Block Power]

Sheriff I tried to call your bilge princess today. I was doing the trailer wheel bearings!!
Why does a easy job always turn into a project. I just wanted to get the right side done as it's against the way in the garage. The rear axle went fine. Frt axle last year when I spun the wheel no noise nice and smooth. This year when I rotated the tire to get the lug nuts loose im like great I hear the Famous bad rusty bearing noise. Get the drum off and yep bearings bad. Good thing I keep a spare set for when I Travel so pound out the races and put in new bearings. What a pain.