EZ Loader oil bath bearings

T

trailertrawlerkismet

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2011
Messages
2,519
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Vessel Name
(2022) Kismet
I decided to have the oil bath bearings on on EZ Loader trailer checked out after a couple of conversations with fellow Tugnutters and thought I'd share what I found. While at the repair shop I had the trailer brakes checked as well and they have 80% remaining and the rotors are in great shape. The oil bath bearings are a sealed unit and all seals were found to be in good order with no leakage, however each bearing needed a slight adjustment and I had the gear grease/oil changed out. The one thing they did find, with 8,000 miles on the trailer and about 50% salt water launches was that a part on the caliper called a slide pin was not working efficiently because of rust and or corrosion (see attached photo). Each slide pin on each caliper had to be taken out, cleaned up and reassembled so the wheels would turn with more ease and the calipers release properly. So if you have the Reliable oil bath bearing system and or calipers with stated slide pin this might be something to add to your trailer maintenance list when servicing.

bearingspart.JPG
 
Start a kitty to eventually replace the calipers with the stainless steel versions of the Kodiak 225. They'll set you back about $350 or so. Our calipers looked like something sunk in the Coral Sea in WWII and they were merely ballast. Nothing moved!

Salt water had also corroded the main brake line which ran inside the trailer frame to the point that it came out in pieces. It was absolutely impossible to wash salt water off of it.

As a substitute for that line I ran several short sections of (?epoxy?) coated brake lines available at NAPA. I used brass couplings to connect the sections and ran them outside the frame. I used UV resistant cable ties to secure them. They are exposed so they can be washed.

Theoretically they are not protected as well as the original line but the originals were worthless since the fluid just ran out of the holes in it whenever the brakes were activated. The 5' piece, for instance, is NAPA BK 813-5457. Figure the lengths you need, buy all but one section, install those, then measure for the final one. Otherwise you may wind up with "dimension creep" leaving you with a part you can't use. You can't imagine how I know that! 🙁
 
Great info, thanks. Is that $350 for each caliper or? As a launching routine I was thinking, and I think I got this idea from Mike Rizzo on Illusions, to carry a two gallon plastic pressure pump to use for rinsing the brake parts off when launching or retrieving from salt water. Does anyone else do this or if you read this Mike tell us what you use.
 
Thanks for the pix and article. I am sure that is exactly what happened to my right rear wheel. Left for a trip to Chelan for a week. As I always do after driving 5 to 8 miles pulled over to check the boat and trailer, especially hubs. Right rear HOT!
I have electric over hydraulic (or is it hydraulic over electric 😱 ) with the oil bath. Long story short - had to cancel the trip.
One thing I might add - be sure you can take the lug nuts off if you have to change a tire. Had to get a ratchet gun to remove the nuts, and since I was at that wheel I did all the rest and then set them to 90 lbs torque. Now I am in the process of checking the pins as shown in this article.

Recommended that I get anti-seize and apply them to the lug nuts or will have the same issue. I have always been told to not put any lubricant on lug nuts. Any thoughts on this??
 
Anti-seize is good.
My trailer manufacturer calls for 140 foot pounds of torque on the lug nuts.
Too much less than that and the wheel may squirm on the hub and fail.
 
I have the Float-On trailer with electric over hydraulic disc brakes for my R27, which has traveled about 8,500 miles. A number of things I've had to deal with:

1. All 4 brake calipers seized up after 6,000 miles and just under 1 year, even though I hosed off the calipers with fresh water after every salt water dunking. One caliper was seized closed and the other 3 seized open. One bearing was damaged.
Float-on provided 4 new calipers and one set of new bearings under warranty. I did the replacement work. Float-on recommended that I carry a 2 gallon sprayer with Salt-Away in it to spray down the calipers after every salt water dunking, which I now do in addition to fresh water spraying. I also check that the calipers are closing and releasing properly before each major trip by jacking each axle and rotating the wheels after applying brake pressure and releasing it.

2. Brake fluid was contaminated with water after 6,000 miles, as a result of the caliper seals being rotted out, apparently from the salt water. I flushed and replaced all the brake fluid. I now check the seals and the fluid reservoir before each trip for any contamination.

3. All 4 hubs had water in the axle grease. I removed each wheel from the axle, cleaned each one and replaced all the grease. Before each trip, I now check each hub for any water contamination. I carry extra grease tubes and a grease gun to use as needed.

4. One running lamp bracket broke off after about 6,800 miles. Float-on provided new, thicker brackets which I installed. I also installed a stainless steel safety chain to each bracket.

5. One license plate bracket broke off after about 7,000 miles. I replaced the bracket with a stronger attachment and with a stainless steel safety chain.

6. The bow roller was crushed and partially shredded after about 6,000 miles. I replaced the bow roller. However, on my latest trip from Ft. Myers Beach back to Texas, the roller is being crushed again. I blame this on the truly awful, horrid roads in Louisiana that I have to drive through. Sometimes, I have to slow to 45-50 mph. I plan to somehow re-enforce that bow roller. I do supplement the bow attachment with a cargo ratchet strap from the R27 bow eye to the trailer frame to minimize any bow movement action. I also have two stern straps to prevent movement in the stern. I don't fully have a solution for this problem yet. Does anyone else?
 
trailertrawlerkismet":3l23o9ca said:
Great info, thanks. Is that $350 for each caliper or? As a launching routine I was thinking, and I think I got this idea from Mike Rizzo on Illusions, to carry a two gallon plastic pressure pump to use for rinsing the brake parts off when launching or retrieving from salt water. Does anyone else do this or if you read this Mike tell us what you use.
Click to expand...

That was the price for the pair. They also include stainless backing plates for the pads. I found them from a regular advertiser operating on e-Bay. This vendor shipped quickly and the price was as good as I could find.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Kodiak-STAINL ... 32&vxp=mtr
 
STELLA L":2ww1olz0 said:
Thanks for the pix and article. I am sure that is exactly what happened to my right rear wheel. Left for a trip to Chelan for a week. As I always do after driving 5 to 8 miles pulled over to check the boat and trailer, especially hubs. Right rear HOT!
I have electric over hydraulic (or is it hydraulic over electric 😱 ) with the oil bath. Long story short - had to cancel the trip.........
Click to expand...

Mine overheated because of the chunks of rusty iron that used to be the calipers and shoes were dragging heavily on the rotors. It would be best to pull the entire hub assembly and examine the seals. If not, you may find water in the hubs before long. Mine on one wheel had been destroyed by the heat and developed a bad leak. It is a simple fix but you will have to locate the proper seal and then have a brake shop remove the old seal and press in a new one.

I am not at home right now but when I return I will try to find the link to the supplier of the seals. (A tip: they were cheaper than from the trailer manufacturer!)
 
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