We are moving on to trailer questions

I think that's pretty much the price for ones I've looked at too. They gotta be the way to go, I hate grease.
 
I know nothing about oil bath hubs but I still need to interject.

Charlie, my guess is you probably run oil in the engine of your nice new truck right? I would suspect that oil there is subject to significant more stress and possible breakdown than a oil hub bath might ever see right?

I guess it would work...

And to think I thought bearing buddies were the best, darn it all Steve......
 
Hi Eric,

Yup, I use oil in the engine of my truck (not so new btw, 2001, I could use a new one if you're buying...).

Then again, I use high temp wheel bearing grease in all the wheel bearings (plus and the drive axle and the suspension). I think passenger cars and trucks to use grease packed into the wheel bearings (and CV joints, etc.).

I've only seen oil bath bearings (or whatever they're called) on big tractor trailers and heavy duty dump trucks.

Like you, I'm not an expert. Just thinking out loud. However, I suspect some very smart engineers have thought it through pretty extensively and that is why we have grease where we do in our vehicles and trailers.

Charlie
 
Time flies when we're having fun.

I've bought and sold several trucks since I joined the board. You're probably remembering the new Tacoma doublecab I bought in '04. I sold it off so the wife could get a family wagon. I/we figured she should have a newer safer car since she hauls the kids more than I do.

The '01 Tundra I have now is a fun rig. Big enough to tow the boat, plow the drive, haul some junk around, but not so big it is a gas pig.

Sorry, back on topic, I've never owned a car or trailer with oil filled hubs, but I'm sure they are awesome. I'm looking forward to the field reports over the next few years.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Charlie
 
My horse carriage has packed roller bearing hubs,but it has hydralic brakes.I like the oil bath on my new trailer better than the bearing buddys on my other one.
 
I've seen greased bearings where the grease was "fried" around the bearing doing it no good. The oil ones make sense to me big time. Now we will have to have a "discussion" on what weight oil and is synthetic or regular the best way to go.
 
Well, after reading Charlies link, I'd say 80-90wt synthetic gear lube.....My trailer sets more than it moves and now I am cornfused.
 
Didn't think so.....

Just because a mfg. of any product doesn't "recommend" a componant, or in this case condemns it, doesn't mean he doesn't have ulterior motives for that assessment.....

I can direct you to people that can dispute each and everyone of their "negatives" so that in the end it comes down to you deciding who to believe and how much money you want to spend.....

I particularly liked the line about "being able to run a grease packed bearing for "some distance" if you lose the hubcap where the loss of a hubacp on an oil filled bearing would result in "an expensive tow bill".....maybe I'm just particularly unlucky but I've burned the bearings on my big trailer (3) times in the time I've had the trailer.....each and every time the hubcap was lost....each and everytime required an "expensive tow" because the reality of that little "marketing lie" is that if you lose the cap on a grease filled bearing and don't see it before it slings the grease out of the hub, (and the only way you'll see that happening is if you happen to stop and are in the habit of checking your hubs everytime you do), by the time you know the hubcap is gone, and the grease gone, your bearing will be fried, and welded to the spindle and in all likelihood the hub will be toast as well....and since you'll be on the road, and since it will be unsafe to move the trailer because at that point the wheel is subject to falling off if you do, you'll need to have it towed.....

The rest of their "reasons why not" can be debunked just as easily and to the point that unless you are a dyed in the wool Shorelander Fans you'll be back to making a personal decision based on persoanl experience....

Mfg's want to offer a good product at an affordable price.....as such they don't always offer whats best, (flor instance a quick look at the Shorelander spec's doesn't show them using a sealed wiring harness, silver soldered and heat shrinked splices, junction boxes or LED but I can assure you that each and everyone of those items is SUPERIOR to what they do use.......

Boat trailer mfg's want you to "think" that grease packed bearings are "squirt and forget".....if that has been your experience with them then you are one of the "lucky ones"......in reality they aren't as "maintenance free" as Shorelander wants to make you believe they are in that 2 year old statement of absolute fact as Shorelander sees it.....so recognize that its "the gospel according to Shorelander" and that doesn't really mean all that much if you know why mfg's tout some of the things that they tout, many of which are not in "your" best interest....

Steve
 
Ok Charlie I had to bite, 06 Nissan Titan 7200 miles, 5.6 ext cab 4 doors (not crew cab) completely loaded with everything except gps. Heated leather seats tow package 4x4 off road etc, etc, etc. $29,000. $36,255 new
 
its not a "good thing" to leave a trailer sitting for an extended period of time.....now Shorelander says that its not a good thing cause the bearings are out of oil and the moisture in the hubcap can cause rust......well guess what?.....if you have any pockets in a grease filled hub then you have condensation in that hub as well, and if you have condensation you have contaiminated grease and if you have contaminated grease you have either rust if the surface is exposed, and pitting if its not....so the diff is?

If sitting in the same position because of non-use, (and thats definately the case with my big trailer as its almost never used between Feb. and Sept.), then I'm risking not only rust on my bearings but also risking premature dry rot on my tires and flat potting my bearings......simple answer to that NON problem is move the thing periodically, which tire and bearing mfg. recommend already anyway, (too bad Shorelander left those two items out but since they didn't serve their purpose I can see why they did).....

I'll take the ability to confirm that I have the right amount of lubricant and that its not contaminated over the inconvienance of moving the trailer once in awhile.....

Steve
 
Leslie,

That's what you're buying me? Thanks, you're the man! I'd be glad to take you hunting in it any time. I'll even buy the coffee and donuts.

Or am I supposed to buy it? Sounds nice, but no thanks.

If I had $29K burning a hole in my pocket, I'd be buying a boat with it. 19' welded aluminum plate boat to be exact. I know where I can get one for $25K, and I guess I'd still have another 4k left to add my personal touches. This is like winning wheel of fortune...

Charlie

Steve,

Correct. I am not in manufacturing, I am in software R&D. We don't do much with bearings.

Charlie
 
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the little rust spots you are talking about is exactly why I had to replace my axle & hubs. The water got in and was holding there causing pitting on the bearing, hub, and axle spindle. Some of it was really deep and not worth the effort of polishing and repacking. In under 1 hour I had a new axle bolted in and ready to roll for under a Benjamin. Thank God for Northern tools. I wish I had bought oil bath caps, But the red eyes kinda do the same thing. You just pump grease in until the red disc is compressed, and the spring keeps pressure on the grease so when some goes out it just keeps on feeding it till the redeyes dissappear. Then you just pump a little more until they pop out again. I think oil bath has two advantages, 1 less friction- less friction = less drag =less wear and tear. 2 availability of lubricant to moving parts. Oil will wick itself onto something meaning it tends to spread out and cling continually. Grease can be spun off so to say due to the rotational force it recieves when rolling. If there is a loss/gap of lube between the hub/spindle the heat will build up an cause it to break down the grease, possibly catch on fire. With the oil bath there is no gap because even leaking/low the lube will be still contacting all major parts. That's my 02 on the OBH vs traditional packed hubs.
 
If those oil bathies had a more serious cover, rather than the plastic cup, I'd be all over them like white on rice.

T
 
but thats a LEXAN hubcap with a seal as opposed to a friction fit on a buddy bearing.....both are subject to damage but Lexan isn't fragile.....I've seen some heavily "curbed" semi trailer tandems where the rim was trashed and the sidewalls of the tire torn with only scuffs on the lexan.....

Since the hubcap is in the well of the wheel its not particularly subject to being "hit" by things as Shorelander implies in their, "we don't like em" expose....

Steve
 
Are you positive it's lexan? I'd be a bit surprised as Lexan is actually polycarbonate and is quite hydrocarbon sensitive. Polycarbonate will craze terribly around hydrocarbons. I'd think it would be something like Acrylic instead. Acrylic by itself is a very good material for that application. Many aircraft windshields are made of Acrylic due to it's clarity.
 
I guess the more I read about these, the one question I have that hasn't been discussed is centrifugal force. Going down the highway at 75 mph, isn't the oil going to be spun to edges of the container? How does the bearings get bathed then? I can see the bearing spinning moving some of the oil around, but not "bathed four times per rotation" as the ad says.
 
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