Oil bath vs greased wheel bearings

[MattPark]

I'm putting new brakes and bearings on my boat trailer. I love the idea of not having grease fling all over the wheel, tire and trailer if I put too much in, and I see more trailers getting the oil bath units from the factory.

Anyone have any input on why or why not I shouldn't get them?

[Paddler]

Wish I knew. I never had any problems with my now 9-year-old trailer with greased bearings, but my new EZ Loader came with the oil bath type. Sure hope they hold up. I'm guessing that if they come as OEM, they'd better be pretty good, or else somebody will have to answer some pointed questions.

[threexkc]

Only problem I see to oil bath bearings are if you damage the plastic hub cover. You"ve got BIG problems. With grease filled bearings, you could lose a hub cover and drive for hundreds of miles. Just food for thought

[Tacklebuster]

No comparison.
If your oil level is the same and you don't have water in the oil, you are good to go. Truckers have been using them for years putting millions of miles on them. Just make sure you have a spare plastic hub, oil, and thread sealer just in case. The plastic hubs are tougher than they appear :twocents:

[FishinTechnician]

I talked to a major boat trailer manufacturer at the boat show and he had examples of both on his counter and told me they have tried both and were not impressed with the new oil bath system. He said if you stored your boat for long periods of time the oil would drain off the upper half of the bearing. If there was any moisture in the axle at all it could then damage the bearing, particularly if the axle was used in saltwater. Truck axles don't sit for long and aren't usually immersed in water, let alone saltwater. For my $$$ I'm sticking with grease and Bearing Buddies.

[SlipKnot]

I love the oil bath hubs on my trailer. It's been almost two years and a hech of a lot of miles and not one single problem.

If water was to get inside them, you would be able to see it quite easily.

[troybuz]

Only problem I see to oil bath bearings are if you damage the plastic hub cover.


I understand they now make an alluminum cover with a site lense, which gives more durability over the plastic.

[OTH]

Anyone know how often you need to service the bearings or change the oil? How about synthetic oil?

[Tacklebuster]

I really don't think you need to worry about the bearings unless the oil gets water in it or the oil level drops.

I change the oil regardless every year just to be safe.

[OTH]

What kind of oil do you use? I would think that a synthetic would run cooler, and be better for the bearings.

[fishingls]

Food for thought. Many farmers and construction outfits have converted their trailer axles to grease. They claim that infrequent use leads to seal failure and the reason they give is that the seal dries out. They all state that if the trailer has frequent use, then oil is the way to go. If not, go grease.

[Okie]

MattPark;
You don't say what kind of brakes you are putting on your trailer, but if it's disc brakes, gease is the thing that is normally used.
Good Luck;

[WaterDog]

OTH,

Liqua-lube is the only synthic oil I know of. You can Google "Liqua-Lube" and look at their site. I'm sure the oil would work in the EZ-loader. Call them to find out for sure, they are great folks to work with.


Food for thought. Many farmers and construction outfits have converted their trailer axles to grease. They claim that infrequent use leads to seal failure and the reason they give is that the seal dries out. They all state that if the trailer has frequent use, then oil is the way to go. If not, go grease.



Shorelander has a tech bulletin on this and it may or may not be true. :shrug: I had oil bath and will have them again. I've had too many issue with grease on seperate trailers and I'll never go back ever. With oil bath you can look at the hub and know if there is water in there or how the oil level is. Look at a greased system and tell me what you can see?

You still need to maintain them by draining the oil every year and you'll still need to change the seals as well. I'd at least pull the bearings at every oil change and look at them. I'd probably change seals and bearings every 2 or 3 years just to be safe. It's easy and not that expensive. Replace a couple of axles and you'll do more preventative maintenace.

:cheers:

[OTH]

Thanks WaterDog.

I just went and did something that most of us all do last. I read the owners manual. It says to use either 50w or 90w gear oil in the hubs. I'll call Ez-Loader first, but I will probably use the same synthetic that I use in my outboard gearcases. Thanks