# Trailer Hub Oil Baths



## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

Up to this point my boat trailers have always had the bearing buddy grease filled hubs. The downfall to this type of system is it still allows water to migrate into the hub and breakdown the grease. This means opening up the hubs, cleaning, repack bearings, etc each season (or 3500 miles). 

I am thinking of switching my boat trailer hubs to a oil bath system. Completely sealed, no water penetration, and should only need to do maintenance every 40,000 miles. Clear hubs make it easy to visually inspect the oil to ensure it has no water and that it is at proper level.

Does anybody here have the oil bath hubs on their boat trailer? I would appreciate your opinion on switching over. Thanks.


----------



## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Not familiar with those, but you may consider the newer style hub that most now use with a hollow axle with a grease zerk on the end pushing new grease behind the inner bearing and pushing old grease out the access hole, hardly any need to ever pack bearings again.


----------



## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

Huge29 said:


> Not familiar with those, but you may consider the newer style hub that most now use with a hollow axle with a grease zerk on the end pushing new grease behind the inner bearing and pushing old grease out the access hole, hardly any need to ever pack bearings again.


I have this style now. The problem is when you have a warm hub and back it into the cool water, the water finds its way into the hub, which breaks down the grease. This style of hub requires maintenance every 3000-4000 miles. Just adding grease to the zerk does not count as maintenance. Most usually overfill with grease thinking that is good enough, it isn't. You still need to pull the hubs apart every year, clean the bearings, and repack with grease. The advantage of the oil bath (as I understand it) is it is 100% sealed and only needing maintained every 40,000 miles.


----------

