Trailer Bearings - Greasing Questions

[Mark Hodowanec]

I repacked my trailer bearings before a 1000 mile trip. Then trailer was in & out of the water a half-dozen times. I used a high quality automotive wheel bearing grease. Should a 'marine grease' have been used? Also have concerns about mixing different brands of greases. Are they usually compatible with each other?

My wife will be driving back home alonee (1000 miles) & want to make sure that she does not have problems. Should I do anything before she heads out?

[Ozzie Seadoo]

Re: Trailer Bearings - Greasing Questions

I also use a high quality wheel bearing grease (not marine) and have never had any problems. Although, everyone i have spoken to suggests that a marine grease be used as it is resistant to marine conditions. I'd suggest packing some more grease into the bearing if possible. This will ensure that any water is moved out/away from the bearings and they are properly lubricated. Also, if you didn't know, you should always let your trailer sit for 10-15 minutes after a long trip before you put the trailer in the water to launch the ski. This gives the bearings time to cool down.:)

[surveyguy]

Re: Trailer Bearings - Greasing Questions

yup, probably fine. Greases are pretty compatible. Next time, install bearing buddies and you'll have way less worries. If you did, you could just go pump a couple more pumps in and you'd be fine, and you could switch to marine grease.

the thing about bearing buddies, you'll know if there's grease in there where is in your case, you don't know if the grease is still in there (well, I'm sure you can see that your seals haven't blown and so the grease is still probably in there, but it's just a point).

[David Drift]

Re: Trailer Bearings - Greasing Questions

You can mix any brands of grease for your Wheel Bearing Module because they basically do the same thing. Just be sure to match the formulation to the application. For example, "marine" grease was developed with boat trailers in mind, high-temp grease thrives better in disc-brake environments, and so on.