# Trailer bearings and grease



## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

so I had someone re-pack my bearings a year ago, and I just checked them again today. The "grease" they used was liquid, not after driving the trailer around but after it sat in the garage the last few days. It was some sort of pink oil. I know that bearing grease is supposed to turn liquid when at work (bearings are moving), but I didn't think it would be liquid when sitting in the garage (granted it's pretty hot in there, but not hotter than 120*). 

What grease should I be using? Do I need to remove ALL of the previous grease before repacking with new stuff. Can I use this stuff?


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

You have been bamboozled. The mixing of two different base types of grease can cause a runny and useless mess. You're going to have to force out all the old grease with new grease. Whichever grease you chose, stay with it. Polyurea, lithium, whatever. Just pick one and stick with it. The best grease is the grease that gets changed most often.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

JM is right. If it were mine I would take the assembly apart and clean it out the best I could and buy new bearings to put it back together. Then pick a grease that you can readily buy so you never run out and can get in a flash.

Lucas makes good stuff- if you can buy local then go for it.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

I had a tube of grease I left in the garage do that to me once. Made a mess of my grease gun. It gets hotter in your garage than you might think, and I assume without the mixing action of the wheel/bearings turning the thin oils separated out.

Assuming this is a boat trailer axle there should be a grease zert under a cap on the end of your axle, and you don't need to remove the hubs/bearings to re-pack your wheel bearings. Just jack up the trailer, take your wheel off (keeps from getting grease on it) , take the rubber cover off the hub, and pump in new grease while turning the hub. The old grease gets pushed out, and its obvious when the new grease has pushed the old grease out. [Put a piece of cardboard under the hub for the old grease to fall on, and have rags handy.]

If you're paying somebody to do this you run the risk of them using different greases that can also cause the thin oils to separate out like JM said.

I've been happy with the <$5/tube Valvoline multi-purpose grease for DISC brake service from Auto Zone. Change grease when the Daylight Savings Time springs forward and false back.

DON"T use marine grease with paraffin (wax) in it for your trailer. The wax thins too easily in trailer bearings, leaks out the bearing seals, and paints the inside of your trailer fender with wax. That grease is made for packing glands, cutlass bearings, and rudder bearings that don't ever get hot and are always exposed to water.

http://www.autozone.com/greases-and...rpose-grease-tube/54182_0/?_requestid=2532295


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

yobata said:


> I know that bearing grease is supposed to turn liquid when at work (bearings are moving), but I didn't think it would be liquid when sitting in the garage (granted it's pretty hot in there, but not hotter than 120*).


This is false. Grease experiences sheer thinning but does not turn to liquid under normal operating conditions. Lithium grease has a working temp north of 300 degrees. I can assure you, your garage does not get hot enough to cook a chicken. 

When the grease reaches its dropping point, that's when you see grease slung all over the inside or outside of your trailer wheels. The inner and outer seals of bearings simply keep the grease from falling out, however the bearings are not a sealed unit. Oil bath hubs are a different story all together. 



MariettaMike said:


> I had a tube of grease I left in the garage do that to me once. Made a mess of my grease gun. It gets hotter in your garage than you might think, and I assume without the mixing action of the wheel/bearings turning the thin oils separated out.


How long was it in the garage? The shelf life is only about 3 years.

If everyone gave their hubs are pump or two from the grease gun every time they got home from the ramp, you would see very few problems with bearings.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

jmrodandgun said:


> This is false. Grease experiences sheer thinning but does not turn to liquid under normal operating conditions. Lithium grease has a working temp north of 300 degrees. I can assure you, your garage does not get hot enough to cook a chicken.
> 
> When the grease reaches its dropping point, that's when you see grease slung all over the inside or outside of your trailer wheels. The inner and outer seals of bearings simply keep the grease from falling out, however the bearings are not a sealed unit. Oil bath hubs are a different story all together.
> 
> ...


It may have been old when I bought it.

As for putting a couple pumps every time that could get expensive for rags to wipe the old grease out of the EZ Lube cap every day.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

I pump grease every three months or so if I trailer a lot and do not cover the axles with salt H2O when loading or launching. If you normally submerge your axle bearing to launch, (most of the boat trailers I have owned) I would pump grease every other trip or every long trip. In over forty years of boat trailering I have not had a boat trailer bearing failure. Probably just lucky.


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