14/07/2017
Emili Australia’s Tip of the Week.
Trailer bearings are an essential part of any trailer boat. A necessary evil and without them, towing your pride and joy to the boat ramp would be near impossible.
Like any mechanical moving part, regular servicing and maintenance can be the difference between a great day on the water, or being stuck on the side of highway, back of Burke, stranded on some idle Sunday afternoon.
Get to know you bearings. I am not saying you need to take them out for dinner and a movie, but at least find out where they came from. Are they Holden, Ford or maybe Toyota designs?
Chances are, small boats like tinnie’s with unbraked trailers, are probably using Holden bearings, and larger trailers are more likely to be using Ford due to load ratings.
Either way, find out what they are. Your trailer manufacturer will be able to assist you or failing this your local mechanic will be able to determine it for you at little cost.
Once you know what bearings you have, shoot down to your local Auto shop and pick up a spare set for less than the price of a 6 pack.
Now here is the important part. Once you purchase the bearings, wrap them up in a plastic bag and store them permanently in your boat, not in your garage, not in your car, but in your BOAT.
How many times have you driven past an abandoned boat and trailer on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere? I bet quite a few. You may have noticed that nearly every time there is a wheel completely missing from the trailer. This ladies and gentlemen was no flat tyre, this was the result of a bearing failing and the whole wheel falling off while driving.
You see, unlike the bearings in your car, trailer bearings are constantly exposed to high alkaline corrosives such as sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−) ions along with Hydrogen, Sodium, Magnesium, Vanadium, Sulfur, Calcium, Potassium and Bromide, otherwise known as “salt water”.
This has the tendency to cause corrosion and rust within the bearing, eventually causing the bearing to seize and the following friction tears the internals apart. Next thing you notice is your trailer is out of control while one its wheels smugly overtakes you.
This is where your spare set of bearings come into play. Now, the process of changing a bearing is not particular difficult but not all of us share the skill set nor carry the tools to do so. Why carry the bearings I hear you ask? Because when you break down at 5pm on Sunday arvo, you are going to find out that there are more people who do have the tools and do have the knowledge, than there are shops within 1000km that have the bearings. RACQ, NRMA, RACV, the local Servo, the Farmer Next door, the Old Bloke at the caravan park has the tools and know how, but not the bearings.
This problem can occur at any time and total prevention is nearly impossible, but risk management is easy.
Pack your bearings regularly.
Bearings use grease to lubricate, the easiest way to ensure there is grease in them is to have “bearing buddies” installed. The Viscosity of the grease is decreased over time and escapes out of the bearings, bearing buddies are spring loaded grease plungers that replace your standard bearing caps and constantly force fresh grease into your bearings. All you have to do is pump some grease into them every few months to keep them topped up.
Let your bearings cool down before you back down the ramp.
Trailer bearings will always generate heat during use. But this also means that air inside the bearing has hearted and expanded as well. So the first thing that happens when you back down into the cold water, the bearing and the air inside cools and contracts, drawing a belly full of salt water directly into the bearings, greatly reducing their working life.
Looks for signs
Is there grease bleeding from the hub?
Can you see movement in the wheel when you rock the boat from side to side?
Are your bearings heating up to the point where they are too hot to touch?
Is your wheel missing altogether? Because it may be too late by then…..
Have your bearings checked or replaced every 2 years by a mechanic or trailer specialist.
Lastly, don’t let you boat go anywhere near the water. This is by far the safest option and will keep your trailer in tip top condition. But this is about as much fun as Sexual abstinence.
Now get out there and play some boats.
Tommy
The Big Boy in Boats
