Recommendation For Greasing Boat Trailer Bearings - Regular or Marine Grease

Question

Question:

I work for the Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality. We have nine boats with trailers that we use regularly. Up until this point our boats havent been cared for adequately, but Ive been put in charge of it and Im trying to do things right. Weve had new hubs/bearings/seals put on all the trailers. My question is, how important is it to use the same grease at each greasing period? Ive heard some people say to use the exact same grease every time or you could have some issues. Ive heard others say that you should never mix marine grease with general purpose grease, but mixing different brands of marine grease wont hurt. Can you shed some light on this for me? And please explain why or why not it matters if you mix greases. Thank you for your time.

asked by: Clint C

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Expert Reply:

Your statement (I have heard others say that you should never mix marine grease with general purpose grease, but mixing different brands of marine grease wont hurt.) sums up the way I have used grease all of my life. Being raised around all kinds of things that need grease, tractors, trailers, boat trailers, combines, planters, and a number of other miscellaneous pieces of equipment we used grease, a lot of it, because if the item had grease it lasted longer and we were not constantly working on it. The only rule we have ever stuck to was that any wet service item, such as boat trailer bearings, gets marine grease no matter the brand. If it has grease you definitely better off than if it does not because you did not have the right brand handy.

Technically marine grease has additives that make it hydrophobic (repels water). Standard grease is somewhat hydrophobic but not nearly as good as marine grease and standard grease will mix much more readily with water. You have seen the milky white substance left when a hub has had water contaminated grease in it. Marine grease is much more resistant to this mixing. It would not bother me nearly as much if i needed to use some marine grease in a dry application. I would go the extra mile to make sure there is marine grease in boat trailer bearings but the brand would be low on the list of priorities.

expert reply by: Robert G

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Answer 1

Even though I cannot comment specifically on the grease you used because I am not familiar with it, I can tell you the best grease for trailer bearings is a a grease with a rating of GC-LB, which just means it is made to withstand very high…

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Answer 2

According to my research, the Dico 15638 Braking Assemblies that you have now are 10" x 2-1/4" therefore the correct replacement for you will be the Hydraulic Brake Kit part #AKUBRK-35-D for single servo or part #AKFBBRK-35-D for…

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Answer 3

I attached a picture that shows what type of lighting requirements are needed for a trailer over 80 inches in width as well as a link down below that covers this as well.

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Answer 4

The UFP H-1377 correlates to a Dexter #84 spindle, which is for a 3,500 pound axle. This will utilize an inner bearing #L68149 and an outer bearing #L44649. As this is being used on a boat trailer, I highly suggest going with the etrailer.com…

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Answer 5

The CE Smith Multi Sport Plus Boat and Kayak Trailer #CE48870 uses #L44649 bearings. The correct Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors are the #BB1980A-SS. These fit a 1.98" hub bore and L44649 outer bearings. They also have a stainless steel…

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Answer 6

By 12 inch tire I assume you mean you need a tire that fits on a 12-inch wheel. A great tire that could work for you is the Kenda Karrier #AM10130 which will fit 12" x 4" rims and is size 145/R12, which means it is 5.7"…

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Answer 7

EZ Lube Dust Caps, like #DC200L-DCRP, have a rubber plug that can be removed to access the zerk fitting. The rubber plug can be removed by gently prying it up with a flathead screwdriver. If your dust cap is in good condition and you want to avoid…

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Answer 8

Yes, the direct replacement for your Titan 225S passenger's side brake caliper is the #K71-773-02. For the driver's side use part #K71-773-01. These brake calipers are compatible with 3,500 lb axles with 10 inch brakes, which…

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Answer 9

The #L44649 bearing referenced in your question features an inner diameter of 1.063 inches and is typically used as the inner and outer bearing on the BTR spindle or the outer bearing on a #84 spindle. I was not able to find any information on the…

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Answer 10

EZ Lube spindles are generally preferred over Bearing Buddy setups. The EZ lube allows you to insert grease down the middle of the spindle easily which is basically the best option aside from removing the hub and taking it all apart and cleaning and…

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Answer 11

The DB-42 is an older style of UFP 3,500 lb axle disc brake components. The Kodiak kits like the part #K2HR35D will fit in replacement of that and would be an upgrade so this would be a great solution. It comes with everything you'd need to…

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Answer 12

Yes, the disc of the 7-Piece Installation Set for Bearings #PTW83020 that measures 1.965 inches would be the correct one to use with a race part #L44610. I attached a review video for this that shows how it works as well.

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