# trailer bearing grease



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

A poll for grease?
Top, are you really that bored?
As long as it's heavy duty water resistant high temperature wheel bearing grease,
I don't care. I've used the red, the green, the kinda bluish, even the black stuff.
It didn't matter which. Just never mix types or brands.
Always clean the hubs and bearings of all old grease,
before applying any new grease.
And did I say never mix greases?


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## vantagefish (Jul 16, 2014)

Brett said:


> A poll for grease?
> Top, are you really that bored?
> As long as it's heavy duty water resistant high temperature wheel bearing grease,
> I don't care. I've used the red, the green, the kinda bluish, even the black stuff.
> ...


I don’t want to sound like a moron, but why? I only ask because I recently regreased with a different brand? Did I give my hubs herpes!?


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## Indoman (Jul 25, 2013)

I may totally jinx myself here but in 20 years I’ve never had mixed grease be an issue. I try to always use super tech (blue ish?) but some marine grease is better than no marine grease to me. I worry more about constantly checking it. Have pulled boats 1000 miles round trip probably 20x ??without incident.

I wouldn’t make a habit of it but I wouldn’t sweat it one time.


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

Brett said:


> A poll for grease?
> Top, are you really that bored?
> As long as it's heavy duty water resistant high temperature wheel bearing grease,
> I don't care. I've used the red, the green, the kinda bluish, even the black stuff.
> ...


I sure am....waiting to sell my place to go to coastal n.c to damn hot in coastal s. ga.......and bored is putting it politely

I was wondering if there was a hells bay of grease?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Frquent inspection and maintenance is most important.
Reason to not mix grease, incompatible chemistry.

Good article

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a2948/choosing-the-correct-grease/


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## Rayreds (Oct 24, 2016)

Brett said:


> Frquent inspection and maintenance is most important.
> Reason to not mix grease, incompatible chemistry.
> 
> Good article
> ...


Great read. Having been in the auto repair bus we always hand clean and pack bearings. Even cut the bearing cage open to inspect the inner race as sometime that where the flaw is hiding.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

This is what happens when a hub blows out...I was lucky my fender kept the wheel on while I pulled over to the side. This was a hub I'd "lubed" earlier in the year and trailered to the Keys and back from Tampa. Now I try to carry a spare any time I'm on the highway...


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## fishicaltherapist (Mar 9, 2013)

ALWAYS carry a spare! If on long trip TWO (2) spares !! When you see a boat & trailer along the side of the road and unattended, what do you think the owner would have given for a spare ?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I carry a spare tire, patch/plug kit, 12v air pump/pressure gauge
and a full replacement hub, grease packed with races/bearings and seals, ready to install.
Spare hub wasn't much more than a bearing kit. 40 bucks plus tax.
Beats tapping out a split race at 2 in the am on the road back from Flamingo.
Been there, done that....once, never again.
Deep Woods Off is just a flavor enhancer to the glades skeeters.


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## Rick hambric (Jun 24, 2017)

I use a high temp marine grease on every piece of equipment I own, including my trailers.


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## Jim Lenfest (Jul 20, 2016)

I just try to get a marine based grease. I don't care which brand, I don't care if it mixes with other brands. It is the Bearing Buddies I swear by. As a clam digger, using my boat about 3/4 of the year, sometimes some in the winter too, I have often backed my trailer into the salt water 4 times a day for weeks and weeks. Before bearing buddies, I would expect 2 years to a set of bearings at best. I bought a new trailer, I think 1980, the dealer encouraged me to buy the bearing buddies. To this date they are still on the trailer and the bearings are fine as far as I know. In fact, I once disassembled them after about 10 years of use, cleaned them, repacked them, and have never had them apart since. That was a waste of time! Granted, I have not used the trailer for a couple of years late years, but if I were to use it tomorrow, I would pump them full of grease and take off. My theory, is that if the hub and bearings are full of grease, water can not enter. It is that simple.


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## Jim Lenfest (Jul 20, 2016)

Jim Lenfest said:


> I just try to get a marine based grease. I don't care which brand, I don't care if it mixes with other brands. It is the Bearing Buddies I swear by. As a clam digger, using my boat about 3/4 of the year, sometimes some in the winter too, I have often backed my trailer into the salt water 4 times a day for weeks and weeks. Before bearing buddies, I would expect 2 years to a set of bearings at best. I bought a new trailer, I think 1980, the dealer encouraged me to by the bearing buddies. To this date they are still on the trailer and the bearings are fine as far as I know. In fact, I once disassembled them after about 10 years of use, cleaned them, repacked them, and have never had them apart since. That was a waste of time! Granted, I have not used the trailer for a couple of years late years, but if I were to use it tomorrow, I would pump them full of grease and take off. My theory, is that if the hub and bearings are full of grease, water can not enter. It is that simple.


This is the type I bought. They store a little grease under spring pressure, to push it into the bearings as you drive.

https://www.amazon.com/Bearing-Budd...ocphy=9002740&hvtargid=pla-464102893093&psc=1


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## FlyBy (Jul 12, 2013)

topnative2 said:


> I sure am....waiting to sell my place to go to coastal n.c to damn hot in coastal s. ga.......and bored is putting it politely


Where are you going to in NC?


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

FlyBy said:


> Where are you going to in NC?


Oriental area


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## FlyBy (Jul 12, 2013)

Haven't fished there, got a buddy who loves it. Big Reds next month there,


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

Looking forward to getting there


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Jim Lenfest said:


> This is the type I bought. They store a little grease under spring pressure, to push it into the bearings as you drive.


Yep and it squirts it out the backside and all over your wheel, trailer and boat.

But they do work. The oil ones are better but expensive.


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## State fish rob (Jan 25, 2017)

Have tools will travel ....... I could go into mobile trailer repair full time with all the crap i stow on a long trip. Best of all is inverter for power tools No such thing as too much trailer maintenance. Anything “bad” that has happened to my boat over the last 20 years, it was mostly likely on the trailer. Does anyone get there trailer “ inspected” periodically like their car.


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## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

Interesting thread, I hadn't thought about different greases being incompatible. 
I pulled a tin boat to the Ga coast, about 275 miles. I didn't know how it would be on trailering, so I borrowed an infrared thermometer, like you would use in the HVAC business. I stopped several times and "shot" the temps of my trailer hubs. They never got over 100* so all was well. Its probably a good time to tear down and check my hubs.


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## perrymcfly (Jan 19, 2017)

FlyBy said:


> Haven't fished there, got a buddy who loves it. Big Reds next month there,


They've already started showing up, next month should be epic.


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