Adjusting drum brakes and re-packing bearings

[AaronWhitt82]

Hey guys today I got myself in to a fun little project.....

Last week I had new Goodyear Marathon's put on the trailer and when I went to put the wheels back on I noticed the right side drum brake seemed to be out of adjustment as there was no drag when I turned the wheel when it was jacked up.

Today I took the wheel off and popped the little cap out on the hub and started adjusting the round little thing inside the hub with a screw driver to get a bit more drag and it didn't seem like it wanted to move much.

I then ended up getting a block of wood and beating the bearing buddy out and then taking the cotter pin out and the nut that holds the hub on.....

Here is where the fun beings once I removed the hub. The grease was a tan color and sort of runny and the brakes were all full of grease and filthy.
Went to auto parts store and got 2 cans of brake cleaner and cleaned the brakes off really good and the inside of the hub.

Checked the 1 bearing I got out and it seems OK so I am going to soak it in kerosene and then re-pack.

I am not sure the last time the bearings have been re-packed or when the brakes were adjusted, but I am sure glad I checked because I am going to a lake in a few weeks that is about 2 1/2 hours away....
I do regularly grease the bearings at least once a week.

Now the bearing that is in the rear of the hub is held in by I believe a grease seal so it doesn't leak out of the back of the hub.
I am going to have to take a punch and hammer to get the bearing and seal out the back.

Does anyone know where I can get the replacement seal?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ordergs.htm
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/spindle_seal.html
I'm not sure which ones I need and I do not know the size of the bearings/seal.
I'm wondering if the local auto parts store would stock them at all?
Trailer is single axle, 5 lug. Maybe 1.98OD? Not sure on the ID though....

Good news is that the brake pads still look brand new.

Hopefully the other side isn't too bad.....
It will be nice once I get this done knowing the brakes are adjusted correctly and the bearings have fresh grease.

Thanks

EDIT:
I'm just going to go ahead and replace all the bearings and seals just to be on the safe side....
Went ahead and ordered this kit from Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWAX:IT#rpdId

[kaneboats]

Glad you caught that before the longer haul. Losing a wheel bearing on the road is no fun. I am not speaking from experience though because it's something I stay on top of too.

[AaronWhitt82]

Yeah after doing more reading about the bearing buddies and re-packing bearings over on Iboats I'm going to make sure I re-pack the bearings at least once a year.... Some of the guys said on Iboats not to overfill the bearing buddies with grease otherwise it can cause the rear seal to blow out causing water to get in to the bearings.
I don't usually trailer but a few miles each way to the ramp and maybe go on one trip a year, but I will still make sure I pull the hubs and check the bearings out just to be on the safe side.....

[Suprahunter]

Aaron is dead on about the bearing Buddy's. Use a wood hammer handle or dowel to drive out the grease seals. Clean and inspect the hubs, bearings and races any marks or pitting replace them. There are part numbers on the bearings,races and seals any good auto parts store should have them. The adjusting wheels on the brakes tend to rust up you may have to remove them and free them up before you can adjust them.

[AaronWhitt82]

Well I guess I should have done more research before ordering the bearing kit.....
The ones I ordered are for a straight 1-1/16" spindle and mine is tapered.
So anyone that needs information on the sizes and part numbers for the bearings then here ya go.....

Mine is a 1999 Boatmate single axle trailer:

Outer Hub ID: 1.98
1-1/16" x 1-3/8"
Outer Bearing number: L44649
Outer bearing inside diameter: 1 1/16"
Outer race number: L44610
Inner Bearing Number: L68149
Inner Bearing diameter: 1 3/8"
Inner race number: L68111
Seal Inside diameter: 1.719"
Seal Outside diameter: 2.565"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Hope this helps anyone replacing their bearings...

[squeeg333]

So, not to hijack this thread, but I was curious what you guys with newer boatmate trailers with the Vault axle bearings do. I haven't read up on them at all, but was curious what kind of maintenance they require. I trailer my boat everywhere since I'm not lucky enough to live on the water. It's typically a 20 to 30 mile drive each way.

[gcnettl]

Greasing once a week is a bit much, you will cause grease to escape the seal and that is why you had grease all over your brakes. When was the last time you pulled your hub off your truck and re packed the bearing in there? My point in that is your grease interval should be based on mileage or something. I would say repack or grease in your case since you have bearing buddy, about every 2 to 3 thousand miles.

Even if you get new seals, if you keep shooting grease in there, its going to go somewhere, and it will blow another seal.