Grease Seal Installation on 1985 Coleman Versa Trailer

Question:

I installed grease seals on my 1985 Coleman Versa Trailer. I did one side myself, and the seal is below flush because it looked like the seal needed to near against the face of the bearing, based on the wear pattern on the bearing face when I removed the old seal and bearings. I had trouble with the other side and had a local dealer put it on. They installed the seal flush with the hub. Will one side fail and the other side not? It seems like it needs to be pressed in below flush to get the seal against the bearing, burt everywhere I look they are described as being installed flush, which means there will be a gap between the inside face of the seal and the face of the bearing.

asked by: Randy H

Expert Reply:

It should not matter whether the grease seal is fitted flush or slightly below the point of being flush to your hub's inner surface. What matters is that it does its job - retaining your bearing grease inside your hubs. Its always a good idea to keep an eye on your hubs anyway, so you can periodically check for any leaking grease. As long as you have no issues with that you do not need to be concerned about the different positions of the two seals.

expert reply by: Adam R