Articles

How to Maintain the Bearing of the Trailer Wheels?

by James Spencer Blogger

Don’t you always fear being stranded in the middle of a road with a disabled boat trailer? If you are planning to take your boat out make sure you look into the brakes of the trailer or its wheel bearings? 

Checking the wheel bearings

Being out of visibility the bearings are often neglected which is not a good sign if you want to enjoy a ride on your boat. As the trailer is responsible in carrying, launching and retrieving a boat, the owner should focus more on its maintenance to ensure maximum functionality of the trailer. 

In order to ensure that the trailer is in perfect condition to move the boat you must maintain it. After all a worn out or loose bearing may cause the brakes of the trailer to get damaged. Thus, as a responsible boat owner you must invest your time and effort into maintaining the wheel bearings and various other parts of the trailer. Checking the bearings from time to time will mean you can expect it run to smoothly. 

Here is what you must do to ensure that the wheel bearings are in perfect condition: 

Check out for looseness: Side-wise looseness is a common issue with trailer wheels. When the wheels turn wobbly or spin loosely its time you will require to hire experts who are pro in maintaining trailer wheels in Sydney. Who knows the bearing may need to be replaced or serviced? 

Watch out for noise: loose bearings can lead to noise. Look out for squeaks, clicking or grinding noises which may be a good indicator that the wheel bearings will need to be serviced soon. When such sounds generate from the trailer wheels, it may necessarily indicate a replacement or servicing. 

Find out if it the wheel hub is getting heated: In order to see this, you will need to tow your boat trailer to a certain distance on a highway speed followed by which you can park it and then check if the wheel hubs have heated up. Use your hands to detect heat. If the wheel hubs get too much heated there is chance that you may have to change the bearings. 

Maintaining the trailer 

You may not be a pro in handling the trailer but you can definitely get it maintained at a basic level. If the axles are enabled with grease zerk, it is obvious that you will require greasing the bearings at an interval of 6 months. Alternatively you can grease the bearings after 6000 miles of usage to ensure safe and reliable operation. In most cases however, experts recommend professional Boat Trailer Wheels maintenance in Sydney to assure that the wheel hubs are in ideal working condition. 

So you have set up your mind to grease the wheel bearings all by yourself? Here is how you must proceed: 

  • Get these components such a jack stand, grease gun, wheel chocks, screw driver and socket set. 
  • Remove rubber plug from axle end 
  • Position the grease gun right on the zerk 
  • Pump grease till you find new grease appearing 
  • Install the rubber plug or a cap

Repeat the same procedure for other wheel bearings. When trailer axle is not enabled with a grease zerk refer to the user manual for servicing the wheel bearings. As mentioned it is always better to have a professional to cater to your needs. 


Sponsor Ads


About James Spencer Senior   Blogger

135 connections, 7 recommendations, 735 honor points.
Joined APSense since, January 15th, 2018, From Perth, Australia.

Created on May 15th 2020 06:51. Viewed 271 times.

Comments

No comment, be the first to comment.
Please sign in before you comment.