So, I have has this 5x8 grated flat bed trailer for about 12 years and she finally broke on me. The right side cap that was in the center of the wheel hub is gone and now the axle is poking through an extra couple of inches and the entire wheel wobbles and is loose. has nothing to do with the lugnuts since they are tight. I have NEVER f*&$ed with trailer axles before and need to know what it may be????? Is there a huge nut that should be on the axle on the inside or outside or??? I cant pull it anywhere because i dont want to make it worse or lose the wheel, but I CAN put it on my larger flatbed to take it somewhere to get it fixed. I bought the thing brand spankin new for $500 back then so I dont really want to sink a bunch of money in her even though i have used her like a MF'er for all of these years. Help/suggestions please. IF you are in or near cincy and can fix her, I'll give ya a few bucks and bring her to you. I will look under her tonight to see if I see anything glaringly obvious. I guess I could always just buy and entire new rear axle assembly for $168 and be done with it. Thanks.
Sounds like you blew a bearing and seal... Yes there should be a Castlenut on the outside that holds both bearings in.. Do a Youtube search for trailer bearings.. Lots of vids on replacing, packing and re sealing... Check your axle for score marks... That alone could make new bearings do the same...
My local Northern Tool has just about every part you need to build or repair a trailer on the shelf. Good luck.
Your local truck/trailer sales shop should have most of the parts. I think I've seen the parts at tractor supply and good family owned auto parts stores. In the future, grease those bearings at the beginning of every season and at the end. It pushes the water out if anything. Careful with the castle nut, there's a locking type bend up washer tab deal on some hubs that you can't always see because there's grease on it. It shouldn't be much more than a couple turns than hand tight, so before you go beating the shit out of it, take a second look. You may need to rent a puller if you really cooked the bearings.
Yep, sounds like the bearing is toast...pretty easy repair. I dunno if there is a Tractor Supply near you but they will have all the parts you need.
If I were you I would give Haskins Hitchen Post a call. They are over on the west side and probably have any part you would need in stock. They were highly recommended to me and I had a good experience with them.
bearings are blown, if you pulled it for any distance its very possible that you also wrecked the spindle at minimum youll need to replace the bearings and seal as well as the castle nut in there do both wheels while you are at it, also for the future get something called a bearing buddy, it allows you to refill the hubs wits a gearse gun through a zerk fitting on a spring loaded reservior
Tractor supply is your friend. $50 along with an hours work and your back on the road. As already stated, you should get acquanted with your trailer more. You should be greasing your bearings a couple of times a year. Without bearings your trailer goes nowhere....thus your stuff goes nowhere. lol BTW I have a shop in Avondale and I live in Norwood. I can help you out. PM me if you want. I leave for Tally on Fri but I'm free most of the day tomorrow, I can get you going man.
Remove the wheel, then the castle nut and take the hub to someone who can install new races. Grease your new bearings and take them with you and they can install the new seal for you also. You need to figure out what spindle you have, so you get the correct bearings. For that size trailer it's either a straight spindle that uses 2.. 1-1/16" bearings or a tapered spindle that uses 1 1 1/16 bearing and 1 1 3/8 bearing. The tapered will be smaller on the end just inside (about 1 inch) where the threads end, and then get bigger towards the axle. If the spindle is burred up a little you can file it a bit but don't make any flat spots. If you need part #'s let me know. Good luck.
+1!! on long trips i usually carry a spare set of bearings. those little wheels on those trailers produce a lot of heat. you should take apart and clean and repack the bearings every year or 2. i do mine every spring, and when i had a boat it was done every 4-6 weeks depending how much i used it.
Be carfeul of the Chinese bearings sold at most major retailers. Bearing installation is typical and I'm sure there are LOTS of write-ups to guide you. Most important- SPRAY CLEAN before getting your CLEAN hands gooey to pack in the new grease. Final torque is finger tight. -SP
