DaySailer.org Forum

Prior to travelling to Pensacola for the Florida 120 in May, I replaced and re-greased my trailer bearings. Travelling home after the 120, I noticed that one of the dust caps had fallen off. It was a Sunday night and there was still grease inside the hub (plus a generous amount on the trailer wheel), so I elected to continue home without the dust cap. After I returned home, I purchased a new dust cap and with considerable difficulty, installed it on the hub. After the next time I used the boat (<10 miles round trip on the road), the same dust cap is missing again. Given how tight the cap fit when I installed it, I am quite surprised it came off on its own. The dust caps are not the rubber kind that cover bearing buddies; they are the stamped metal kind that fit directly on the trailer hub. The bearings have no more or less grease inside the hubs than they have had for the 20+ years I've had the boat. I have never experienced this problem before. Has anyone had this issue?

The inside bore in the hub can be off. But usually that would mean it's too easy to get the cap on. I've had a hub where the bearing buddy wouldn't stay in. I manage to work around that problem with a bit green (penetrating) thread locker. I finally just replaced the hub.

Oddly, yes I have had that problem, though with my old trailer. I also thought it was strange that it would be so hard to get the caps on and they would not stay on. I couldn't decide if it was defective dust caps but I suspected as much. The ones that fell off were all out of the same batch, I think.

Another possibility, though, could be that once the mating surface for the dust cap and the hub get greasy they can be dislodged easier. I suppose it's even possible that the bearings heat up enough to expand the air inside to actually press the dust caps off while they are well lubricated.

That is really strange Chris. The caps on my homemade trailer's Yugo-axle hubs are the metal kind, and are pretty tight, but those are sealed bearings, so no grease would escape even if they did come off ...

I decided to bite the bullet and replace the entire trailer suspension; axle, springs, hubs, and U-Bolts. All were original (1980) and the springs and U-Bolts were very much on borrowed time. Just picked up the parts today and should have things rolling again in a few days. New axle is an EZ Lube and should make it easier to keep good grease on the bearings.

Chris,

It sounds like a really good move. I had a spring break on my old trailer. That trailer really had that living on borrowed time look about it.

Good thinkin' Chris, especially if you are going to continue to long-haul it (i.e. FL 120) ...

... lessee: I was a sophomore in high school in 1980. Wonder which has more miles on it, me or your trailer?

Hmmm - mebbe it's time my old Yugo axle was replaced too ...

I've been thinking about replacing my axle as well. My trailer is a 76 model. The last few years of hauling to the Tx200 have put some wear & tear on my trailer.

John

John,

For mine it was $235 for the parts; EZ Lube axle with spindles, hubs, bearings, races, dust caps, springs, bolts, and a can of grease. The last few years, I haven't been able to get one year out of a set of bearings because the spindles were so rusty they roughed up the grease seal on the hub and allowed saltwater to seep inside. Every time I removed the hubs, the outer bearings looked new and the inners were rusty pieces of junk metal.

Wow, that's a good price. I paid more than that just to get new leaf springs. Musta overpaid..