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repacking boat bearings - how often do YOU do it?


mazzgolf

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For those guys that dunk their trailers in the salt often, how long do you wait before cleaning and repacking the bearings?

After neglecting our boat for a couple years, dad and I are finally catching up on all the maintenance we should have been doing but didn't. We got those rusty leaf springs replaced on the boat today - ended up also getting new rear brackets welded on the frame. Salt water is amazing at the destruction it causes.

A couple months ago, I spent a Saturday getting the motor all cleaned up with new oil, fuel filters, lower unit gear fluid, steering arm greased up, prop shaft cleaned up. Even both trailer lights work! :)

With the shiny new leaf springs installed, the final thing I need to inspect is the hubs and repack the bearings; I'll be all caught up with maintenance tasks after that is done. This boat is about 4 years old, and dunked in the salt a few times a month over the past several summers. I'm afraid to look inside the hubs.

 

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https://www.boattrailerparts.com/

I buy from these guys. Very quick shipping. 

If your gonna repack bearings, nows the time to replace them. Cheap item for avoiding a problem down the road. 

After you use your trailer in salt, RINSE the trailer when you get home. Pay attention  to your new leaf springs. Soak them, in between each leaf. From both sides of the trailer. Use salt away if in budget. 

Every season inspect everything. This way your not looking for another Welder to fix something. Catch issues early. 

LET EM GO SO HE CAN GROW

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1 hour ago, Booner said:

Oh. In case you don't know...... boats suck and everything  involved with them

Beg to differ!!!!

Yeah as the saying goes best two times in your life the day you bought it and the you sold it.

I owned multiple.

First best was I used to last launch Atlantic Highlands ramp. It was a 17 foot Stuery 

That boat was a tank solid built!!

Used to fill the tanks my 55 horse Johnson 35 mi trip gas was total of $20

Went to another boat 19 footer 

Last was a 23 ft mako io Ford 351 Cleveland windsor

That's SOB was a rocket ship on water cathedral Hull.

Too much for me to handle 

Ended up selling it to boat us 

Moral of the story

Stay within your affordable means!

“In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen.” -Theodore Roosevelt

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24 minutes ago, hunterbob1 said:

Beg to differ!!!!

Yeah as the saying goes best two times in your life the day you bought it and the you sold it.

I owned multiple.

First best was I used to last launch Atlantic Highlands ramp. It was a 17 foot Stuery 

That boat was a tank solid built!!

Used to fill the tanks my 55 horse Johnson 35 mi trip gas was total of $20

Went to another boat 19 footer 

Last was a 23 ft mako io Ford 351 Cleveland windsor

That's SOB was a rocket ship on water cathedral Hull.

Too much for me to handle 

Ended up selling it to boat us 

Moral of the story

Stay within your affordable means!

Mmmmm, ok

LET EM GO SO HE CAN GROW

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Your trailer is as important as your boat. Always maintain bearings and replace BEFORE necessary. Use bearing buddies but don’t over pump them, just a couple quick shots with the grease gun pushes out any remaining water. Leafs get sprayed with WD every other outing. Cheap maintenance eliminates bigger costs due to lack of maintenance. 

AWM

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Bearings are easy, I did mine 4 years ago on the side of the parkway after I saw a smoke coming from my passenger side front wheel. 

Buddy of mine said how often do you grease them, I said every so often. He said every time you dump the boat you're getting water in the wheels put grease it'll push the water out your bearings will last forever. I'm hoping that's the case knock on wood been doing that since I repacked all of them four years ago when I get home I put grease in them and then put the boat away. When we get down the shore after I pull it out of the water I put grease in them. That way each drive has fresh grease in it I'm going with this theory it seems to be working and on

Edited by Roon

Not a complete a$$ hole just one of the dingle berries that hang off it.

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I have a friend who has a small jon boat - 14 foot - with a trailer. It must have been 10 years ago or more he bought it (maybe 15?). And it was used at the time he bought it. Now, granted, it is garaged and it only ever goes in freshwater (for fishing the lakes of south jersey). But I asked him, "How often do you grease the bearings?" He goes, "I've never done it." :headscratch: It isn't that he just hasn't repacked the bearings... he hasn't so much as squirted an ounce of grease in the hubs in all those years.

I don't plan on going to that extreme :)  but I just thought that was interesting. Which is why I asked the question here.

I really think when you put saltwater in the equation, all bets are off.

 

 

 

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45 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

I have a friend who has a small jon boat - 14 foot - with a trailer. It must have been 10 years ago or more he bought it (maybe 15?). And it was used at the time he bought it. Now, granted, it is garaged and it only ever goes in freshwater (for fishing the lakes of south jersey). But I asked him, "How often do you grease the bearings?" He goes, "I've never done it." :headscratch: It isn't that he just hasn't repacked the bearings... he hasn't so much as squirted an ounce of grease in the hubs in all those years.

I don't plan on going to that extreme :)  but I just thought that was interesting. Which is why I asked the question here.

I really think when you put saltwater in the equation, all bets are off.

 

 

 

He’s been lucky(it will run out) and probably doesn’t drive far either. A 14’ tin boat isn’t heavy and doesn’t put a load on a trailer like most saltwater boats do so stresses are minimal. And being in fresh water does indeed change the whole game

AWM

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