Tub Trailer Bearing Grease

[7magtime]

Hi all, I picked up a used tandem axle ATV tub trailer awhile ago. I was wondering what type of bearing grease you guys would use for repacking the bearings. I was leaning towards a marine grease for keeping water out but the minimum temperature on some I looked at was -18 to -20 Celsius which isn't the best for colder November hunting and winter acreage work/ice fishing. Appreciate any recommendations or advice, thanks.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by 7magtime

Hi all, I picked up a used tandem axle ATV tub trailer awhile ago. I was wondering what type of bearing grease you guys would use for repacking the bearings. I was leaning towards a marine grease for keeping water out but the minimum temperature on some I looked at was -18 to -20 Celsius which isn't the best for colder November hunting and winter acreage work/ice fishing. Appreciate any recommendations or advice, thanks.

My trailer gets the same low temp grease my sleds get, works fine in the hot days and is designed for those cold Novembers.


If the seals are good, water is not an issue most times. I generally did a quick clean and re pack before each Hunting season when I used my tub trailer a lot.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by 7magtime

Hi all, I picked up a used tandem axle ATV tub trailer awhile ago. I was wondering what type of bearing grease you guys would use for repacking the bearings. I was leaning towards a marine grease for keeping water out but the minimum temperature on some I looked at was -18 to -20 Celsius which isn't the best for colder November hunting and winter acreage work/ice fishing. Appreciate any recommendations or advice, thanks.

Like sooner said make sure your inner seals are good, and if you don’t have grease fittings on the hubs repack twice a year.

Once they start to go they come apart quickly. I’ve got 8 of the tandem walking beam trailers and if you stay on top of it they last a long time.

[7magtime]

Thanks guys, knew I'd get some good info here!
I'll pick up some low temperature bearing grease tonight, the trailer has grease zerks on all 4 hubs. I'll be replacing the grease seals and bearing caps(already have them) as well as any suspect or worn bearings/races so I know what I have under the tub from here on in.

[Sooner]

My old tub's bearings must have got water in them one year and I noticed they were bad right before a trip. I just soaked them in gas to clean, repacked and used as is. I could not get new ones before the trip. Growled a bit but being pulled by my old & slow 92 4x4 honda quad was perfect. They never got hot, even loaded with wall tent camp gear lol. 3rd gear was a stretch when pulling that loaded tub with that honda.

[7magtime]

Originally Posted by Sooner

My old tub's bearings must have got water in them one year and I noticed they were bad right before a trip. I just soaked them in gas to clean, repacked and used as is. I could not get new ones before the trip. Growled a bit but being pulled by my old & slow 92 4x4 honda quad was perfect. They never got hot, even loaded with wall tent camp gear lol. 3rd gear was a stretch when pulling that loaded tub with that honda.

Lol, that's one good thing about tub trailers going fairly slow. They don't heat up quickly like a highway trailer so you can push it a bit.
I wanted a tub trailer for awhile, wish I would have got one sooner. Been using it year round since I got it, great to have.....

[Drewski Canuck]

If you have grease caps you should be able to get bearing buddies for the hub.

There is a very good high heat extreme pressure grease which is lithium based, called BLUE MAX.

This is very slippery and sticky grease, which is a surprising combo.

Nice part of a bearing buddy is the constant grease load on the bearing. IF a seal starts to go, the pressure keeps the water out.

Blue Max is very hard to wash out.

Drewski

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by 7magtime

Hi all, I picked up a used tandem axle ATV tub trailer awhile ago. I was wondering what type of bearing grease you guys would use for repacking the bearings. I was leaning towards a marine grease for keeping water out but the minimum temperature on some I looked at was -18 to -20 Celsius which isn't the best for colder November hunting and winter acreage work/ice fishing. Appreciate any recommendations or advice, thanks.

My tandem axle tub trailer gets used for exactly what you describe. Had it for 14 years now. Bought it brand new. Never looked at a hub yet. Some day I will. When I do I will fill it with whatever grease happens to be in my grease gun

[7magtime]

The trailer does have bearing buddies on all 4 hubs which is good as mentioned.
I pulled all the hubs/bearings last night. All 4 inner bearings/races were in rough shape so I'm going to replace them, outer bearings/races were next to new. The fella I bought it off of said that he had changed the bearings out a couple years ago, he must have not known there were two per hub....lol. I'm glad I pulled them apart and now know I'll have good components carrying the trailer for future use.
Thanks again for passing on your knowledge guys, appreciate it!

[Cageyc]

A calcium sulphonate grease is recommended on boat trailer wheel bearings. Shell SRS 2000 extreme is a superior grease for this. Although it lacks the colder temps requirements. Calgary lube and grease has a test grease that is an all season grease and is an excellent product. Hopefully it will come to market soon.

[Dean2]

I use my Quad for game recovery when hunting and for plowing. It rarely sees anything higher than 3rd gear. Despite that, the front wheel bearings needed to be replaced this spring. Discovered that while cleaning and adjusting the front brakes. The quad is 20 years old but only has about 350 hours on it. The front bearings have no grease fitting and I had never serviced them, so just goes to show that even with low, all low speed miles, bearings will wear out if not serviced regularly, especially if used in a lot of water. I am a Big fan of Synthetic grease for anything that needs to operate in cold weather and still have good lube. I use Mobil 1. As others have said, the external seals are what keeps water out, but even with great seals, you should repack at least every couple of years.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Deans point that he never goes above 3 rd gear, your trailer is operating at very low speed not like, boat trailer going down highway at 120km. Regular repacking every 1-2 years with most grease products with good seals should suffice. That is unless your are like Tork hauling out them monster Yukon bull moose.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Deans point that he never goes above 3 rd gear, your trailer is operating at very low speed not like, boat trailer going down highway at 120km. Regular repacking every 1-2 years with most grease products with good seals should suffice. That is unless your are like Tork hauling out them monster Yukon bull moose.

Sometimes we haul big loads in too lol
Seasons worth of gas, and even a new front door for the cabin. Almost a 12 hour one way trip to that camp, but still cheaper then flying it in

I truly think the side loading with heavy loads on is what burns them out the fastest. But if you stay on top of them with even “heavy” use they will last.




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[EZM]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

If you have grease caps you should be able to get bearing buddies for the hub.

There is a very good high heat extreme pressure grease which is lithium based, called BLUE MAX.

This is very slippery and sticky grease, which is a surprising combo.

Nice part of a bearing buddy is the constant grease load on the bearing. IF a seal starts to go, the pressure keeps the water out.

Blue Max is very hard to wash out.

Drewski

Same thoughts, I either have, or have put on bearing buddies on all my trailers where I can. Really easy to grease up, you can see how much is in there (by how far out or in the plate is on the spring plate) and they are virtually idiot proof after that.

They also do a good job of keeping crap out of there and if you have a rough trip, just grease and re-fill and any water comes out pretty easy.

I use good quality marine grease for all my hubs, you get all the lubrication the same as a high quality grease plus some additives to help with water.

Should have added - on a few trailers the size of the opening wasn't perfect and the bearing buddies where slightly too big to slide in or tap in - so I spun that a little on a belt sander (the bearing buddie's outside suface) and tapered it ever so slightly, then tapped it in with a piece of wood and hammer and it will seat. But after that, your trailer will fall apart before these things fail ....lol.