What KF said!
I bet bearing failure is the #1 cause of most trailer breakdowns
Many people only use them locally, the bearings don't really get a chance to heat up. A long drive at highway speeds is another matter.
Best bet if you haven't already, is to pull wheels, grease/check bearings, and maybe spring for a Bearing Buddy or similar item.
Every deer season, I-75 is littered here in MI with camp trailers that lost a wheel or seized up and overturned due to bearing failure.

KF an Solotripper -- good thoughts on the bearings.  That trailer has hauled so much over the years...sand, rock, dirt, firewood, refrigerators, my daughter's worldly belonging to college...you name it.   Now it'll be Bells, Wenonahs, and Siouris Rivers along with Duluth Packs. 

As for the lubing, I check/repack the bearings about every 2 years or so, but I've read I'm supposed to do it yearly...what kind of schedule do you guys have on your trailers? 

prouboy

Puckster wrote on Apr 12^th, 2009 at 12:53am:


This depends on how often it's used, the number of miles you put on, where the trailer is stored and the overall age of the bearings. If bearings were 32 years old I would check them before every long trip.
Bearing buddies are worth the cost and effort to install if the trailer is used alot, say thousands of miles per year, and/or if it gets dunked in water like a boat trailer.

Also a good idea to feel the the hubs at every gas stop to check for heat.

One item I have not seen mentioned is how far out the back of the trailer the canoes stick out. I checked with the sheriff’s department some years ago about how far a load can extend out the back of a vehicle / trailer.  Their answer was something along the lines of any more than three feet beyond the furthest back lights (probably brake lights) and it needed to have a red flag attached. Seemed pretty simple, but also quite useless if it is after dark. Don’t know if anyone has ever had problems with this; just something for consideration.


Also, ditto on the frequent bearing maintenance, as well as checking them at the stops for any heat buildup. Pretty cheap insurance. And while you are at it, stop and check / retighten those lug nuts after about the first 15 – 20 miles or so. (Don’t ask)

I repack and readjust thrust in bearings on my heavy duty trailer every spring. It gets tons of use -sever use-every season-1000's of tons. Be sure to use a good quality old fashion Li grease-the super sticky stuff-I have had a horrible experiences with synthetics so they have lost my vote in this application....forever! I would also replace the 32 year old bearings and dont forget the races and grease seals. Also remember to hand pack the bearing cartridges when they are brand new-very important! Removing the races and seals should not be a big deal on a utility trailer-hammer and bronze punch/hardwood block works good...not the same at all on a truck chassy trailer....where the drive axle is used as the axle-these are lubed with gear oil and the bearing/seal configuration is different. Tearing the hub and spindle down will allow you to inspect the condition of the equipment- remember rust and iron oxide scale is harder than the spindle material-it is a great abrasive and can cause a lot of wear and lead to failure and more corrosion-water and dirt is the enemy....  A good auto parts store with be of great assistant in in these process-along with a mic and a person that knows how to use it-the spindle must be measured too. I have my own take on the bearing buddy grease covers-I believe if you maintain the trailer properly there is real no need for them...and they do have the tendency to blow the inwale grease seal out if one is over zealous with the grease gun.  I have also found it very useful and important to have a redundant ground on the the trailer-super easy to do when you rewire it-Good luck. And for GOD's sake dont forget to put the receiver pin in!