Trailer Suspension Grease Caps & Hub Bearings

Fitting Ball Bearings

1. Unpack the bearings from the greased paper.
2. Wash the hub in paraffin to ensure that it is clean and free from dirt or shavings.
3. Clean and lightly grease the stub axle.
4. Ensure that the rubber seal is properly seated in the rear bearing.
5. Lightly grease the rear bearing and seal and fit into hub.
6. Lightly grease the front bearing and fit into hub
7. Pack hub with grease, use marine quality for best results, Fuchs: Renolit Aqua 2.
8. Slide the hub with the rear bearing and the front bearing onto the stub axle.
9. Ensure that the bearings are both seated into the hub properly.
10. Fit the washer and castle nut, supplied with the suspension units.
11. Firstly tighten the nut with a spanner to clean the stub thread, and then slacken off again.
12. Tighten again, tight! Fit split pin.
13. Fill the grease cap with grease then fit it, ensure that it seats properly.
14. Fit and rotate the wheel a few times, to ensure it is running freely.
15. Lastly use the grease nipple on the hub (when fitted) to pack the hub.
16. Stop greasing immediately the first trace of grease emerges out the grease cap breather hole.
17. One-for-the-road can be a disaster; it can unseat the grease cap or the rear seal, don’t do it.
18. Ensure the Grease Cap is still properly seated, wipe off excess grease, job done.

Hub and Bearing Maintenance:

It is essential that trailer hubs and bearings are properly maintained; regularly repack the grease cap. Once a year, remove the hubs altogether and wash them out with paraffin, repack as above.

Marine trailers especially those subjected to saltwater, submerged or not, must be repacked at the end of the season, plus at least once during the season. Salt and sand ingress through the breather hole as the hubs cool down, the salt emulsifies the grease, rendering it useless, the sand particles added to this emulsion, produce an abrasive paste, instead of an effective lubricant, bearing failure!

Use water repellent grease, HG902 Fuchs: Renolit Aqua 2 etc, which helps extend the bearings life.

Marine Trailer bearing life can be further extended using Bearing Buddies - HGB01.

Ball Bearing Hub Assembly