I bought a new boat trailer in March '20. It came with Tie Down Co. vortex hubs. The claim is no maintenance required for 6 years or 100,000 miles. For those of us who have towed trailers for over 50 years, that is really "too good to be true" but that's their guarantee.

I'm headed down to Florida from New England in 3 weeks and I feel compelled to check and grease the bearings as in the past but if any of you guys can give me confidence based on your experience I would be happy to forgo the chore. After all, I paid extra for this benefit but I don't want to learn the hard way that the claim is B.S.

Thanks in advance for your input.

I would think that a company that's been in business for almost 50 years (formed 1972, incorporated 1992) wouldn't make outlandish claims.

 

https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.tie_down_inc.e7872d763f46499d40f99d2414f8e1df.html

Skeeter trailer comes with Vault hybrid hubs that like your require no maintenance for 10 years. I’ve hauled the boat for thousands of miles with no issues. Every time I stopped I feel the hubs and they have always been cool. That includes long trips to Texas, Florida both over a thousand miles of no stop driving except for fuel and food. Like you I was concerned but they prove to be very reliable.

Same wheel bearings on my 1986  trailer I did a CLEAN & repacking in 1996 ?  Then reset the bearings to a couple of thousandths loose  when heated after 1 hour of 65 mph.  Not touched since 1996. 350# load on the 1,000 pound trailer.  

8 hours ago, GaryH said:

Skeeter trailer comes with Vault hybrid hubs that like your require no maintenance for 10 years. I’ve hauled the boat for thousands of miles with no issues. Every time I stopped I feel the hubs and they have always been cool. That includes long trips to Texas, Florida both over a thousand miles of no stop driving except for fuel and food. Like you I was concerned but they prove to be very reliable.

Mine leaked last year and threw grease all over on the way home from the lake. Then nobody around here would/could service them.

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Mine leaked last year and threw grease all over on the way home from the lake. Then nobody around here would/could service them.

Good point. That was something I asked my dealer. They will replace them if any failure. Hopefully I don’t need to find out.

 

16 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I would think that a company that's been in business for almost 50 years (formed 1972, incorporated 1992) wouldn't make outlandish claims.

 

https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.tie_down_inc.e7872d763f46499d40f99d2414f8e1df.html

Making claims and actually taking responsibility are very different actions.

My initial concern, and reason for my post, comes from a review I read that described a failure of a vortex hub which led to irreparable damage to the axle spindle. According to the reviewer, Tie Down would not take responsibility in any way. The help came from the guys boat dealer who, because the boat was just 1 month out of warranty, shipped him a complete new axle. It took 3 months to finally get the axle and install it. There is a video of the entire process which is informative. So, if you tend to not question a companies sales claims that is your prerogative. Me, if someone yells "DUCK", I tend to duck.

Someone once said, "believe nothing that you read and only half of what you see."