Wheel bearings and Hubs
Here we have a picture of the new taper roller bearings and new hubs which we have just fitted to the team trailer. The old trailer had been used formerly as a boat trailer earlier in its life and we are sure these had not been changed for at least 10 years. Trailer bearings and hubs often suffer badly from corrosion from salt water, being immersed in the sea repeatedly when used with boat trailers. The sea water is highly damaging to steel and soon takes its toll on these trailer parts by eating away at the surface and eventually finding its way inside the seals and into the roller parts of the bearing. When this happens, rust forms inside and even though they may have grease in, they form rust very quickly which acts as a grinding paste, wearing out the surfaces and eventually loosening the taper bearing on the hub.
Failure of the bearing can quickly occur if the bearing is not adjusted properly or the rust gets so bad that friction, heat and complete collapse happens! It is not unknown for trailer wheels to completely come off the trailer with the hub still attached and the bearings left in a trail down the road... Not a situation Team TBR want to happen,so a new set is fitted :) The hubs have some important dimensions to note such as the internal diameter (stub axle size), the depth of the hub and the PCD - pitch circle diameter which is one way that wheel fixings and stud spacings are referred to.
