Trailer Wheel Hubs: Choosing a Perfect Fit

A wheel moves because of the axle, and the wheel hub connects both parts to make the system fully functional. Your trailer’s wheel hubs are as important as the wheels themselves, and therefore requires the same maintenance. Failing to do so might cause difficulty in steering or result in a broken axle.

Keep Rolling: Easy Trailer Wheel Hub Maintenance

Trailer wheel hubs are what connect your trailer wheels to your trailer axle, and also makes sure both components spin smoothly, so it’s important that the wheels hubs are in great shape. It can sound intimidating to pull apart your wheel hub and poke around, but it’s actually pretty easy to do. Here are a few pointers to ensure that you’re maintaining your wheel hub properly:

Pre-Haul Inspection for your Boat Trailer

Before you even think of taking your boat out of your yard this summer, you should first see to it that it won’t just roll over on its side while you’re doing 70mph on the highway. This means inspecting every part of your boat trailer for safety and possible signs of wear.

Wheels and Tires

Of all the trailer parts that you have, the wheels and tires are some of the most vulnerable to wear, and thus, are in need of constant maintenance. To remove the tires, use a lug wrench to remove the lug nuts– then, jack up the trailer and check the wheel hubs. If the studs, bearings and brakes are no longer in good working condition, consider getting them replaced.

Trailer Lights

Trailer lights can be a handful as you may need to check the efficiency of the parts, whether you plan on driving with the trailer attached or not. You should inspect the brake, turning, running, and clearance lights and make sure they are all satisfactorily operating. You can also save yourself some trouble by installing a light bar that you can easily remove as the trailer gets dunked into the water.

Inspect and Adjust

Throughout the drive to the lake or river, or wherever you choose to dip your boat into, make sure to keep adjusting the trailer coupler, bow safety chain, trailer-lights plug, trailer safety chains, bow-winch strap, and transom straps. Doing so will add up to your safety in the long run.

The Importance of the Wheel Hub: A Historical View

Since its invention thousands of years ago, the wheel has helped civilization advance to far greater heights. It didn't matter that the first wheels were made out of stone; mankind finally found a way to transport goods much easier. Unfortunately, the wheel means just half the job done. With a hollow core, how can it be put to use for carts and other vehicles?

The answer lies in the other half of the machine: the axle. By designing a fixed platform where the wheel can freely turn, early civilizations came up with the first modes of transportation like the chariot. The need to continuously lay down rollers, like what the ancient Egyptians did when they were building the Pyramids, was eliminated.

The key in keeping the wheel and axle tandem working lies somewhere in the middle: the wheel hub. Early wheel-and-axle machines incorporated the wheel hub as part of the wheel, but today's wheel hubs are separate, allowing easy tire and axle replacements. Even the individual parts of the wheel hub can also be replaced: lug nuts, washers, bearings, you name it.

As long as the wheel hub is there, the wheel and axle will continue working together, hauling your boat or taking you where you need to go. 

Visit your Trailer Parts Store before taking your Boat off your Yard

Throughout the drive to the lake or river, or wherever you choose to dip your boat into, make sure to keep adjusting the trailer coupler, bow safety chain, trailer-lights plug, trailer safety chains, bow-winch strap, and transom straps. Take note of any part that you might think is faulty and be sure to have them replaced.

For optimum safety, everything from your boat trailer’s bearings to the trusty trailer wheel hubs should be in good working condition. Always remember the importance of maintaining your equipment before you leave for a long tow.

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Knowing if You've Got the Right Trailer Wheel Hub

Trailer wheel hubs are an important part of making sure a trailer runs properly. Unlike the truck or car pulling the trailer, there is no central suspension that coordinates all the wheels together. This is where a trailer wheel hub comes in. Without the wheel hub to align the wheels together, you might end up conducting repairs more than traveling.

This is why making sure that you have the right wheel hub for your trailer is important. Some reasons for installing a new wheel hub may range from the old one having worn out to needing a total overhaul after an accident. The end result must always be choosing the correct wheel hub. To do this, there are a few things to consider:

• Check on the number of stud holes in the hub. They are either four or five depending on the make of your trailer.

• Check the bolt hole in the center of the hub and measure it. This is where the castle nut goes to hold the entire thing together and the correct diameter makes sure it is a snug fit. Castle nuts usually range from four to six inches, so measure carefully.

• There are inner and outer ball bearings in the hub and you need to know their sizes. Just check on their reference number.

When to Grease or Replace Your Trailer Bearings

The looming spring and summer are ideal seasons for out-of-town family vacations. Before packing up and traveling, make sure that you’ve thoroughly inspected your vehicle and trailer for mechanical issues that might affect your journey. You surely don’t want to ruin your vacation by a broken trailer wheel while on your way to the beach. Here’s how to know if your trailer wheel bearings need to be replaced.

A trailer wheel bearing is not visible as the majority of its components are concealed within the metal housing. Therefore, you won’t easily find damage that tells you it should be replaced right away. Instead, you can check what’s visible—the wheel itself. If you find that some tires have an uncommon wear, it probably means the bearings are broken or poorly installed.

Dust and debris may little by little enter the bearing and affect the rotation of the balls that keep the wheel’s turn smooth. Such a concern can spell disaster as it may increase the friction formed between the rotating wheels and the bearings. This is the most likely problem if you start hearing unusual noise in the wheel as the trailer starts moving.

Jack up the trailer and remove the wheels to access the trailer wheel hubs where the bearings are. Get rid of debris and make sure it’s well greased before you put it back. Try towing it and if the unusual noise disappears, it means the trailer is ready to take a long journey without breaking down on the road.