bearing throwing grease

[hipster dufus]

was heading home from lake and noticed grease on front of one of my trailer wheels.hub was cool after 50 mile trip at highway speeds. grease came out front of wheel . hub has the rubber cover over it that pops out to grease hub. got home and cleaned wheel up. thin pink grease in hub. wiped it up and shot some fresh grease in. back of wheel was clean. rubber cap seems a little loose. new this year trailer made by bear with less then 3k miles. any ideas on what i should be looking for. wont get out till after labor day. appreciate any info. thanks

 

[DaleH]

That's usually seen when over-greased ... as it expands when heated.

 

[jethro]

Agreed. I have been overgreasing my trailers for years, often greasing the hubs 6-10 times a year. This past year I bought my first brand new trailer, a snowmobile trailer. I bought it from the northeast's largest trailer retailer by far, they sell 7000 units annually. I was told that the best practice was one, single squirt of high quality bearing grease at the beginning of the season and THAT IS IT. Any more is detrimental and can push the seals out the back. And before you think "well of course they say that, they want your service work in 3 years when those hubs fail"... they are 5 hours drive from me and know they aren't getting any of my service work.

 

[hipster dufus]

the first time i greased em was when this happened, like i said new trailer. thanks guys will monitor. i do have a warranty

 

[KMixson]

Keep an eye on it. Too much grease will make a mess when it pushes out of the hub. Too little grease can cause the hub to get hot and when you back into the cool water at the ramp the hub will cool too quickly pulling water into the hub. There is a happy medium somewhere.

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

Too much grease, have to clean the wheels with solvent a few times per year.

Too little grease, have to change bearings & races.

Better to play it safe!

 

[DaleH]

Also remember to run the trailer tires at their max rated pressure ... learned that here!

 

[jethro]

Also remember to run the trailer tires at their max rated pressure ... learned that here!

Yes, me too, and don't forget to check them often! Those little tires don't seem to wanna hold that 60lbs of pressure for more than a week or two.

 

[ppine]

Needs a new seal.

 

[turbotodd]

I am not a fan of "bearing buddy's" for this exact reason.

They don't need greased if they're packed properly. If they DO need greased, you have a leak somewhere.

They're (bearing buddy's) REALLY good at allowing one to over-grease the hub, and normally only grease the outer bearing anyway.

Some axles are drilled such that the fitting greases both inner & outer bearings together. Same principle, easy to over-grease them. TOO easy.

 

[driz]

Yup overgreased. That’s what that overflow vent is for. Bearing buddies work but they don’t exempt you from pulling and at least inspecting that outer race preferably at seasons end. If the grease is at all milky looking it’s advisable to repack them. During the summer months they keep moving around but over wintering I’ve seen rust started on the exposed surfaces by spring. You just can’t escape maintenance [-X with those old type greased bearings.

 

[ppine]

I have bearing buddies on a shorlander trailer from 2004. I have taken the trailer on some long trips. If I over grease the bearings a little grease shows up on the wheel. When a seal fails there is grease everywhere.

 

[bcbouy]

or when the bearing buddy comes off completely like mine did last weekend.what a mess.