How Do I Stop the Trailer Axle Caps From Coming Off??

[Dave666]

Every trip of 30 minutes or more and I find that I have lost the bearing buddies or standard axle cap, which has been bashed in super tight.

For some strange reason this is only happening on the rear axle (tandem trailer). I have the inside marine seals glued to the axle and also have silicon around it, so I guess the heat in the hub is building pressure and pushing the axle cap off. Must be a lot of presure because these axle caps are bashed on very tight.

How do I stop the bearing buddies / axle caps from coming off??

Thanks in advance.
Dave

[marto78]

I have the same problem with the drivers side wheel on my trailer, I'm starting to wonder if the hub itself wasn't machined enough to fit the caps/bearing buddies as I notice that side is a lot harder to get the cap on in the first place.

Araldite might be a solution if you can get the hub clean enough to make it stick.

[Mattya]

Maybe a little less grease in your hubs? Give it a little more room for expansion?

[Out-Station]

Sounds as though you got those suckers sealed up well and truly!! Agree that expansion maybe pushing them off. I recon either

1. Lose the glue so as to allow for some air travel through your seals under pressure, or
2. Buy a set of dura-hub caps that have the diaphragm in them that stretches in or out depending on internal hub pressure.

Scott

[MrNanks]

Cable ties if they are the soft ones. Thread locker (loctite ) if metal should do it.
Cheers

[Dave666]

Mattya - the hubs were not fully packed with grease, about half, so i dont think its a case of excess grease.

Out-Station - glueing the seal stops it spinning on the axle which in turn wears the rubber seal and lets water in.

Sounds like a really good air tight water seal means the caps wont stay on, but when the caps stay on then the water seal is not 100%.....Hmmmmm...... there must me a solution to this problem.

[Scalem]

I would agree with Marto78. I'm no expert and have learned a lot from trial and error, but I would check the inner of the hub which is often pitted or damaged from the last bearing change when tapping out the bearing race. If there are any marks this will prevent dust caps or bearing buddies from going in all the way. I bought two brand new front braked hubs and found one quite pitted so improvised with a round grinding wheel for the electric drill. Fixed! Not till after I picked up the bearing buddy 2 ks down the road.

Scalem

[captain rednut]

friction causes heat and expansion so less grease in the end cap will allow this without blowing off your caps.
chinese bearings run much hotter then quality jap bearings for your interest.

[wrxhoon]

If as you say is a very tight fit ( you should have trouble getting it in place if it's tight enough) and if you don't have it overfull of grease then the hubs must get very, very hot . If that's so make sure the bearings are not overtightened..

[Gon Fishun]

Drill 2 or 3 holes 7/64 or1/8 through hub and fit short stainless self tappers. Seal accordingly.

[WalrusLike]

Not an expert... Just guessing.... Maybe it's not heat but rather vibration?

Is it possible there is a wheel wobble in the back? Can you get someone to drive alongside as you tow to see if its vibrating?

Maybe the rear axle not perfectly aligned? Just noodling.... No real idea...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Grim Reefer 750]

Dave,
Gon Fishun's suggestion is a good 1, if you find it too difficult try this, clean both surfaces with either brakekleen or contact cleaner, buy a tube of Loctite master gasket 515 or 518, measure both surfaces ( should have interference fit ) coat both surfaces with loctite, tap bearing buddies on with a soft faced hammer. Never bash them on! If you have sealed the hub as good as you say then over greasing is going to hydraulic the caps off everytime! Good luck!

Don

[feral cat]

I had the same problem years ago. No matter what i did every bump i hit i would lose a bearing buddy.
Now i do what grim reefer has said. Clean both surfaces and loctite it in, it dosn't seem to matter what sort of loctite as they all seem to work.
Havn't lost one now since.

[Noelm]

what can happen is... there is some grease inside the machined edge the bearing buddy get "bashed" into and this causes them to fall off, you will need to clean the area with thinners are something, and try again, however, seeing as it is only one wheel, that points to a faulty hub, can you swap it for another one just as a test?

[murf]

how hot are the hubs when travelling? warm to the touch or that hot you are uncomfortable holding your hand on them permanently?

No one has mentioned the old towball trick to tighten the bearing buddies up ;)

when you say tight fit what size hammer and Drift do you use to smash them on with?

I am amazed at how many people loose bearing buddies, although I did loose a cap the other day because in a hurry some IDIOT forgot to tension the bearings and put in the split pin:-[ lost a 20km old bearing too as well as the castle nut :(

cheers Murf

[Dave666]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts / suggestions.

The bearings, while the chinese type, are quite new (I got them for free & thought why not use them). Yes I did have to bash the caps on hard to get them fully into the hub. I just used a hammer onto a block of timber held against the cap.

I will check to see if they are running too hot, perhaps I have them over tight. If not hot I will try the Loctite option (hope I can get them off later). If that fails I will drill & self tap screws through the hub & then seal.

Thanks again.

[tassjo]

Not trying to sound like a (a-hole) but you state you don't even know if the hub is hot or not.I suggest taking the boat to your local repairer.I & probably many on this forum repair vehicles for a living,why is it that we might do a brake job on a vehicle eg machine discs replace pads wash & repack or replace wheel bearings send car away and see it back for its next service with the axle caps still on .We all try to save money on doing small jobs ourself,This is a straight forward job for most and while you are doing your best how do I know that you have put the brakes back on the trailer correctly.Some of us on this forum don't even know how much greese to put on the bearings or even how to greese a bearing properly by hand.Slapping greese around the bearing does not mean it is packed.

I myself use a double lip seal & don't bother with bearing buddies.Once a year pull apart and check the bearings ,replace if needed,i sink the trailer .In my opion lots of boaties who have bearing buddies give it a couple of pumps of greese and think its all good.How many trailers you seen on the side of a freeway.REASON1: LACK OF MAINTERNACE .
REASON 2: DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING

[Bros]

Hope you solve as I didn't. I have a caravan and one wheel I have always had trouble keeping it on. I machined the cap so the cap was running true and the bit that goes in the hub was parallel but no luck. Now I just surround it with sikaflex and it opens up but doesn't come off. I just accept it now.

[tassjo]

Hi bros you have gone to the trouble of machining the cap and still have the same problem,its trying to diagnose why.There is always a reason you cant just keep on using glues of such for a quick fix

[tunaticer]

I drilled and tapped my hubs with M3 allen bolts thru the lip of the bearing buddies, havent lost one in 15 yrs now......used to lose both every trip to Stanage or to 1770 without fail.
Pure weight of the bearing buddies plus the pounding on corrugated roads easily works the buddies loose.
There must he hundreds if not thousands of them along the sides of the two roads I mentioned.

[Dave666]

Tassjo, yes I did check the heat in the hubs for the first few trip after I replaced the bearings and the hubs were not hot & warm at best, I just havnt checked them lately or after every trip.

Why do you assume its a cost issue? I can afford to have someone replace my bearings, its more a case of wanting to learn these things so if I have a problem I can at least get myself out of trouble. Also, in my case its something I am genuinely interested in (all things mechanical). I am a desk jockey by day, but I love doing mechanical work.

Given the reply to this post it sounds like I am not the only person to have trouble keeping axle caps on. I agree that people who do not take the time to do bearings properly should take it to their mechanic, but come on, its not rocket science.

[WalrusLike]

Dave I agree. I had bearings done by two different professionals that got it wrong.... One failure was a near catastrophe....

I had a third do em and they seem ok but I would much prefer to know how myself so I can be confident its done right.

At the moment it's pay and pray.


(Using Tapatalk on iPhone so can't easily 'thank' or 'like')

[Fed]

There is always a reason you cant just keep on using glues of such for a quick fix
I agree with this part though, you don't want to mask an underlying problem.

Get to the bottom of it Dave no glue & no screws for normal use, maybe different for bushbashing.

I don't believe heat or internal pressure is a problem.
Have you tried rotating the wheels front axle to back axle?
Do you have a good supply of caps?

I once had a brand new wheel & tyre on a trailer that was so far out of balance it was jumping like a jackhammer, I only found out when one of the mudguard support welds broke off from the vibration.
It was about 1" x 1/4" butt welded and a good weld.

Also had a bearing buddy that was bottoming out on the end of the axle and trying to push itself off by its own spring but that won't be your problem as you're losing standard caps as well.

Stick with it, there's millions of trailers out there that don't have a problem.

[Bros]

Hi bros you have gone to the trouble of machining the cap and still have the same problem,its trying to diagnose why.There is always a reason you cant just keep on using glues of such for a quick fix

No I just got sick of it, it was like if from almost new. I have done 10's of thousand of Klm's with it without any problem even over rough tracks and it still falls off. During this time I have fitted new tyres so as you see I'm over it and just accept it. I've packed the bearings about 3-5 times during this so there is no problem there.

[Runlikehell]

Somebody I know who used to run a dealership, used tin snips to 90 degree cut about 2-3mm in from the edge. That created a tension within the hub to hold it there. Haven't tried it myself, but that's what they did at the dealership.

[honda900]

I had one wheel doing the same thing, on a single axel trailer, changed the lazy hub, problem solved.

Regards
Honda.

[tassjo]

hi dave666 first up I wasn' having a go at you in regards to $(cost) if you do want to learn you might be able to do some sort of basic mechanical course at tafe.As you state it's not rocket science ,well you and every 1 else explain to me why so many people have problems with bearings and caps falling off.

WalrusLike you had 2 so called professionals screw up I suggest find yourself a new merchanic.Across aust their would be hundreds of brake/bearing jobs going on in workshops on a daily basis without a problem.Its sounds like you are trying to say us professionals don't know whats going on (HOPE I'M WRONG)

[johncar]

I'd also be looking at the excessive vibration as the culprit as trailer tyres, rims, hubs can be a little crudely made and tyres can form faults too. I don't think heat would be your problem and it would take a lot to blow them off and being the lazy axle they only get warm at best. I must be just lucky as I can't remember ever losing any caps, but I also have rarely used buddies, just regular caps and I have always done my own like my father before me who taught me well.
You may be able to whip the wheels off and get a tyre crowd to spin them up for you to check them for reasonable tolerances and if OK then just put 2 complete new hubs on, they are fairly cheap and you will have emergency spares.
Hopefully you will be all fixed after that and continue to glue those seals on the axle, I agree it is a good practice.
Good luck with it..

[Dave666]

It all good Tassjo, I would love to have a fraction of your mechanical knowledge, but thanks mostly to the good Ausfish folk my knowlege is increasing all the time. I think WalrusLike's comment was to say that all proffessions have a number of people that are not good at what they do (none more so than my industry) and to not be completely dependent on others.

Johncar - good suggestion. The tyres (with balance) and hubs are all new, but as someone else suggested, I am definately going to check for vibration / wobble. I am thinking that as its just the rear hubs, perhaps thats a clue to the problem.

[Gon Fishun]

As with all things manufactured and machined to tolerances, the tooling becomes worn and tolerances can and do vary between the new and the old worn tools used. Your hubs may have been the first cab of the rank , so to speak, and the diameter maybe a few thou bigger. Another way to over come the problem is to peen the inside of the hub where the cap fits. It would also be wise to have the wheels balanced and checked for out of round if you haven't already.

[cormorant]

Why doesn't ausfish have a pinned education article / thread on wheel bearing change and seals ? Would save a lot of trouble for people who need to see how it is done right not like the below clips.

with so much good info out there how could anything go wrong with a bearing change???;D

Yes I am joking - scared actually.

for a laugh and I hope I am never near this trailer on the road. Any idea how they sheared off the studs Tasjo?? I wonder why people have trouble with marine seals? ha ha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmyux3BbzcI

Here is a commercial organisation showing a half job

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSbVSD6YCFE

[tunaticer]

The guys in your first video have put the Dodgey Brothers to shame well and truly. I sure hope that axle has broken by now and no longer a danger to the community.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people just do not have a clue, or have the inclination to find out correct procedures on the simplest maintenance.
The Supercheap vid needs to be much more specific about parts of that job.

[fisho64]

did he glue that seal in place?

[Grim Reefer 750]

did he glue that seal in place?

Yes he did glue the seal in, and fitted stainless steel bearings, with a light smear of grease. Just to top it off better bash the dust cap back on. Lmfao..... Top job!

[tassjo]

At least in the 2nd vid he showed how to pack a bearing .the first vid must be a gee up, you cannot be that dumb.PEOPLE LIKE HIM AND HIS MATE RECORDING NEED TO HAVE A GOOD LOOK AT THEMSELF,THEY ARE PUTTING OTHER PEOPLES LIFE AT RISK.

[murf]

Why doesn't ausfish have a pinned education article / thread on wheel bearing change and seals ? Would save a lot of trouble for people who need to see how it is done right not like the below clips.

with so much good info out there how could anything go wrong with a bearing change???;D

Yes I am joking - scared actually.

for a laugh and I hope I am never near this trailer on the road. Any idea how they sheared off the studs Tasjo?? I wonder why people have trouble with marine seals? ha ha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmyux3BbzcI

Here is a commercial organisation showing a half job

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSbVSD6YCFE


that is just scary stuff, even the supacrap vid other than how to pack a bearing :)

hey we are all human and make mistakes or forget things (like tension on bearings and putting split pins in :-[ ) and yes have had several professional bearing jobs fail on boats and vans over the years >:(

cheers Murf

[thylacene]

Over zealous fitment of dust caps using a reel hammer can result in a "burr" on the inner edge of the hub, making it "tight" to fit, the burr then slightly deforms the dust cap/bearing buddy, and minimise s the contact area, usually sitting slightly off centre, meaning there is opportunity for minute movement. This results in the dust cap/bearing buddy working its way off while you travel. Can't guarantee this is your issue, but it took me three attempts to finally find it using a digital micrometer.

A light hit with a Dremel and some wet and dry sorted it.

I prefer to use a wooden block to tap the caps on with, and a nylon hammer, steel hammers are actually harder than the hub material and will deform the hub if direct contact is made.

Loctite also do a bearing retaining compound that is designed to provide adhesion between metal surfaces if you have to resort to "glue", expect to have to use heat to release it in the future.

Cheers

Thy

[cormorant]

They aren't G-ups . There is hundreds of even worse ones on utube where so many people go to to get ideas on how to do mechanical things. Scares the crap out of me. Look at the number of hits these "instructive" videos get.

Anyone use simple things like temperature crayons so they are aware if a hub has been getting hot? Yep a cheap lie detector for bearings the same as we have used on motor parts for years to scupper false claims on engine seizes due to cooling faults? If so what temp range crayons have you used?

http://www.omega.com/pptst/OMEGAMARKER.html


In regards to caps or bearing buddies coming off a reasonable surface area and interference fit between the hub has always been enough when both parts are in tolerance but some of the hubs I have seen are so far out of spec and also the shoulder on the caps so short ther isn't enough metal to metal contact over a suffecient are to hold em in. I have never seen a seal hold enough pressure to pop a well fitted one off on trailer set ups.

Off road and corrugations I would head down the 3 pointed loctited grub screw path for security and had done that on a boat trailer before to stop the knobs at ramps knocking off bearing buddies.

I have seen numerous times the hub that won't hold a cap actually having a crack in it when inspected closely so find the mechanical cause and don't just treat symptoms or live with it as a bigger failure may happen.