Good luck... I won't mess with that contraption ?

BTW: Came standard on a Load Rite trailer as far as I know

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I always put too much grease and it slings. Grandpa used to say never skimp on oil and grease. I can’t go cross country without packing them full.  I’m 5 hours south of home and it’s rolling nicely tho 

Just paint your wheels black and your all set..?

The more grease you can get into the hub when you first install the bearings, the less you have to add later.  The air in the hub should work out through the vent hole as you are towing the trailer, so you have to keep adding a good bit of grease every trip.  Once the air is out, they will usually keep the disc the fitting is in floating, so a small shot just before you launch is all it should take.  If they are floating, you don't even need that small shot.  

That's why I like the red eye caps.  It's a lot easier to see if they are full or not with just a quick glance.

Bearing buddies, most of the time you have to use something to push on one side of the disc to see if it's floating or bottomed out.  If it's bottom out, it pays to make the float before dumping that warm hub in that cold water.

Yea, this all sounds like a lot of work just to put a boat in the water, but once the air is out, some times I could go several trips without having to add grease, and it only takes a small shot when you do need to. 

Now, once they are full, adding too much grease is what cause the to come off when towing.  

 

It was asked how I take them off.  I tap them slightly to one side, and then the other.  And I mean slightly.  Just enough I can get off the seat and so I can get a 1/2" blade screw driver (with a square shaft) between the hub and the cap.  I then use a 12" adjustable and twist the screwdriver a little on each side, going back and forth until it comes of.  

Beating them off from side to side will cause them to fit too loose fairly quickly.

 

The pic of the wheel, that's grease coming out of the Bearing Buddies.  They make rubber bra's you can slide over them to help prevent that, if you insist on putting too much in them.  

If you are smart, you will keep you old caps or a spare BB in the boat or vehicle.  Nothing like showing up at the lake after a long haul to see nothing but a greasy nut and cotter pin in the hub.  Then you have the fun of launching the boat, and hoping enough water doesn't get in to burn it out before you can get back home.

21 hours ago, Way2slow said:

The more grease you can get into the hub when you first install the bearings, the less you have to add later.  The air in the hub should work out through the vent hole as you are towing the trailer, so you have to keep adding a good bit of grease every trip.  Once the air is out, they will usually keep the disc the fitting is in floating, so a small shot just before you launch is all it should take.  If they are floating, you don't even need that small shot.  

That's why I like the red eye caps.  It's a lot easier to see if they are full or not with just a quick glance.

Bearing buddies, most of the time you have to use something to push on one side of the disc to see if it's floating or bottomed out.  If it's bottom out, it pays to make the float before dumping that warm hub in that cold water.

Yea, this all sounds like a lot of work just to put a boat in the water, but once the air is out, some times I could go several trips without having to add grease, and it only takes a small shot when you do need to. 

Now, once they are full, adding too much grease is what cause the to come off when towing.  

 

It was asked how I take them off.  I tap them slightly to one side, and then the other.  And I mean slightly.  Just enough I can get off the seat and so I can get a 1/2" blade screw driver (with a square shaft) between the hub and the cap.  I then use a 12" adjustable and twist the screwdriver a little on each side, going back and forth until it comes of.  

Beating them off from side to side will cause them to fit too loose fairly quickly.

 

The pic of the wheel, that's grease coming out of the Bearing Buddies.  They make rubber bra's you can slide over them to help prevent that, if you insist on putting too much in them.  

If you are smart, you will keep you old caps or a spare BB in the boat or vehicle.  Nothing like showing up at the lake after a long haul to see nothing but a greasy nut and cotter pin in the hub.  Then you have the fun of launching the boat, and hoping enough water doesn't get in to burn it out before you can get back home.

Very helpful advice. Thank you 

After reading through the thread. I've noticed that no one has mentioned tightening the spindle (castellated) nut. When I do the bearings on my trailer/s. I just tighten the nut up enough to get friction, no play in the wheel when you push/pull it and it is tight. Then I back off the nut like a 1/8th to 3/16th of a turn and line up for the slot for the cotter pin.  I've been running on running on the same set of bearings for years and a lot of miles. 

Good luck, Skunk.

Fishingmickey

 

p.s. Good seals, clean grease, and buddy bearings should last you years of trouble free towing. 

 

Dumb idea but might be fun.

Pull off the hubs, change bearings  then place level on a sheet of cardboard. Heat up 3-4 axle grease tubs until they flow  in some boiling water. Lay the top bearing in place ,stick a pipe down the center and start filling it up around the pipe.  I wouldn't recommend heating them up in the kitchen.?

One thing is for sure, you'll always have enough grease.

Regarding alignment, it is more than being equidistant from the center of the tongue. I believe it is also the caster, camber, and toe angle. I have read that trailers that are out of alignment and have tires that scrub are more prone to bearing failure. 

I used to have my axle's aligned when on any trailer I had that I pulled very much or far.  

The problem you run into now, nobody knows how.  It takes an old shop that has the equipment and know how to bend straight axles.  Those are few a far between since they went away from straight axles in trucks back in the 60's.   Todays shops have to be able to put the vehicle in their computer and let it tell them what to do, they don't have a clue if it's not in the computer.