Ferg,
Hand packing is good I have no doubt. Its the traditional way but I have to
say that I don't agree with you when it comes to the Bearing Buddies. I
have a 950kg 1/2 cabin speed boat on a single axle trailer that I drag up
and down the coast on expressways between 50-60 mph. I have always been
anxious about losing control if I lose a wheel, and to that end I have been
using bearing buddies with more confidence for the last few years. The
spring tension to keep the bearing competely packed is arguable i.e.
whether the buddies truly have enough pressure there but I have never had a
problem and I regularly have to totally submerge the wheels to put the boat
in and out. I think a combination of both ideas would definitely end up
with the best solution but the Bearing Buddies are cheap insurance for any
single axle trailering. The true answer is to have dual axle trailer, but
if you were going to do that you might as well modify your Europa and turn
it into a twin. Any takers! :-)
Reg
Tony Renshaw
>Bravo, James Nelson!!
> Bearing buddies are OK for the teeny trailer with the 8foot Sabot and
>the tiddly oars. Having had the failure to the inner cone as described
>by "europajim", I can serve as confirmation to his words.
> When we are readying the WW II aircraft annually, the bearings come off
>and are 'palmed' on both sides until sated with grease.
> What one does is to take a tablespoon or more of the icky stuff onto
>the palm of the stupid hand, grasp the bearing at the periphery with the
>smart hand, and slap the bearing into the grease - rotating the bearing
>with each slap until the 360degs is done. Then, turn over the bearing
>and repeat for the side - replenishing the icky as required. Like
>banging your head against the wall, after a while it becomes fun.
>Familiarity will quickly tell you when the bearing is packed, as excess
>icky comes out the top.
> By the way, don't forget the aircraft wheels when you do the trailer
>annually!
> Yours for icky,
>Ferg #A064
>
>
Reg
Tony Renshaw
Builder No.236
|