How to Repack Wheel Bearings on Harbor Freight Utility Trailer

[@MrSTOUT73]

Nice job on the bearings! One thing I used to do if I used the trailer on a long trip was to feel the bearing cap every time I got fuel. As long as it wasn't hot I was ok.

[@everydayguy.5580]

For torquing the lug nuts I use a kick bar for my impact wrench. It basically looks lick a socket extension, but it is designed to stop turning at a curtain poundage. I find them so much more convenient then a torque wrench. I also couldn't help but notice you appeared to be using a standard socket for your impact wrench. Due to the forces of the impact those can randomly shatter and cause injury. you may want to look into some impact sockets.

[@TroyWarr1980]

Your video series on this trailer has been super helpful! Thanks so much for making these.

[@TNGUNGUY]

FYI, Bearing Buddy makes a set the correct size for these hubs. A bearing buddy has a zurk fitting in the front so you can grease without disassembly and your hub has one on the back for the same purpose. small investment that saves a lot of work and protects your bearings and hubs.

[@EliteGeeks]

wrench tighten the nut till you feel resistance like it it very snug, rotate the hub then back off the nut till it rotates fairly free... this will seat the parts... just putting on the nut does not remove errors in seating and can result in the hub needing to be re-tightened later

[@stevenshelp1107]

I've loved my trailer, it looks identical to how yours came out. I take it from Florida to the mountains near Atlanta GA (5 hour drive) of straight highway and it handles it perfectly. Best 600 dollars I've spent on a trailer. Thanks for this quick detailed maintenance video overview.

[@gle4068]

Hey Steven I just noticed your comment and I am curious if you drive the trailer on its stock tire/wheel in excess of the recommended 55mph speed limit? I will be using this trailer on the highway like yourself but around here you would have to drive around 70mph to not get rear ended. Please let me know!

[@fullback118]

This is such a helpful video Steph! Thank you for taking the time to make it so clear and informative!

[@Flyfishers1]

Steph, thank you for one of the best videos on wheel bearings I have ever seen. I can probably help you with your torque wrench problems as I spent 30 years calibrating and repairing click type torque wrenches. Most clickers do click but possibly what you might be looking for is just a slight give in the resistance of the wrench. If you are still having problems, then I might suggest purchasing a dial type wrench. You can read the torque you're at from the front dial. Congratulations on a job well done.

[@maryjones7862]

I love to see you a women, teaching us other women how to do different things ourselves! Thank you.

[@Samwise-o2r]

We have one of those trailers. Originally, we put a floor on it to allow us to fold it when needed, but eventually, we decided we didn't really need to fold it and put a regular wood floor on it using 2x6's and 2x8's with spacing in between to allow water and snow to go through. My hubby takes care of the maintenance, although I do help him so I know what to do. This is a handy video for those who don't. Also, even though you have to remove the cover anyway, there are extensions for the impact socket to allow it to reach longer.

[@acjmathis]

Bought my trailer today. Your videos are helpful. I see you enjoy time with your mom. Awesome!!

[@a29miller]

Great video! Question - where did you get the part information for the seals, etc?

[@xxfree2romexx]

Thank you for your videos! Me and my daughter have watched and learned a lot from them!

[@MechInvent]

Fun video, thanks. Used as podcast at work. FYI you dont torque by sound, the click is by feel. You feel it give way and it will have no resistance for a split second.

[@jpgale]

When using the sockets use an extension to give you clearance. You can do this with a torque wrench and not effect the torque setting (as it is straight out) that way it is not rubbing the wheel and causing friction which can make it feel tight and not get your clicks. Also Torque the wheels when the trailer will not move, attach it to the car or something.

[@hollyhasegawa6095]

Wow Steph, that was quite the project for you to complete. For sure wearing gloves is great. And yes the bearings did have plenty of grease but I also understand redoing them for the experience, that was a good thing. So glad that it all went well and you are amazing at the projects you complete. thanks so much for sharing this video, I hope that you have a great weekend coming up, sending love and hugs, bye for now. 🥰🤗💜💜💜

[@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY]

Thanks Holly!

[@nathanielramirez8997]

Is the grease fitting only to add grease in between packing bearings?

[@R50_J0]

Torque wrench problem: There is sometimes an audible click, sometimes not. It all depends on the internal design and construction. The cheap torque wrenches tend not to emit an audible click. But you don’t primarily listen for the click, you get the indication of the set torque being reached by a slight and sudden “give” in the handle of the wrench. You find the click point by feel. The word “click” for a torque wrench more describes a sudden mechanical action than a sound. At the instant you feel the change (click-action aka break-over), you let up on the handle. Using a torque wrench is easy, requires no skill, no leaning curve, Forrest Gump could do it. But you either need to have someone show you once what the “click” is, or watch a video that shows you what you’re looking for. I taught a neighbor how to use a click type torque wrench this spring. He’s intelligent, has a 4-year degree, and is mechanically inclined but had never used a torque wrench before. He blew through the click on my “click type” wrench a few times. I showed him how to slowly apply force to the wrench and wait for the slight disturbance in the handle that was the “click”. He found the click point and said, “There was NO click.” I said, “Yeah, but you FELT it, right? That was the click.” After that he had no problem using the wrench correctly. If you want, I’ll make an temporary, non-public video on using a click type torque wrench for you.

[@thefreeloadersent.2460]

How do you get the castle nut off

[@Marktheshark943]

Great video how can you tell if the bearings need replacing vs just adding grease ?

[@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY]

I think they would show wear

[@Smithers_smith]

I’ve just bought the same trailer and while assembling my wheel hubs to the trailer I’ve come upon an issue… my hubs will not sit all the way flush to the trailer leaving just about half an inch of metal from the axel still showing, I was wondering if this was normal or if the hubs needed to be completely flush to the axel? I tried hitting it with a rubber mallet with no success on getting it seated any further this is the same on both hubs so I’m wondering if there suppose to not sit flush or if there’s something I can do to get them in further

[@pdirv]

On the annual greasing, that's an industry thing, and more so for trailers that are getting regular use. Like you said, the best thing you can do with infrequent use is take the dust cap off and visually inspect, especially if it's being stored outdoors in an area where moisture could possibly get in. On the torque wrench, 80-90 ft lbs will require a fair amount of strength. Think of lifting a 80-90 ft dumbbell or anything that weight off of the ground. If you're not hearing the click with two wrenches, it would seem likely that there just isn't enough strength being put into it. The other possibility is the wrench is maybe not locked into it's position, though in a lot of cases it will still click but may walk from your 90 ft lb setting to something a little lower or higher. You could bring it down to a trusted mechanic and have them test it. They can also borrow it and have it's calibration checked with their local tool truck, or maybe something they even have at the shop real quick.

[@nerdydaddyo]

Loved the video, however, I highly recommend using a standard 1/8 by 2 inch cotter pin as the 5/32 will be a tighter fit but you will be there until Xmas trying to remove it for the next service.

[@madddrummer22]

Great video! Can you please post a link to the bearing seals you used? Thanks!

[@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY]

Written post and materials about repacking bearings: bit.ly/repackbearing

[@frankbatenga3167]

So if you look underneath the trailer on the back of the hub there's a grease nipple where you pump the grease into so you don't have to take it apart. Just found out. I looked underneath my trailer and there was one.

[@GregHassler]

I was wondering why they didn't just put a zerk fitting on it. So there is.

[@kennethjones839]

Hi you probably got this now but the click with the tourge wrench is sometimes more of a feel than an audible sound oh and nice job with the video.

[@GHE2005]

R u sure u hv the setting to the torque wrench 85 -90 ft lbs? I bought my torque wrench at Harbor freight but it's goes to 90ft lbs only. Hv u try the torque wrench on other things to test other setting & see if it works?

[@heffo51]

Absolutely correct. You don't need to repack the bearings every year if it is not a boat trailer or house trailer. Occasional use trailer used in short haul trips, then check them every year and repack every few years depending on how often its used. Well explained video, not too much American wordiness.

[@fixaajets]

I’m not sure I got the right bearings and I couldn’t see how far you were hub goes back. Can you referred us to the part numbers that you got on Amazon and which exact oil grease seals you ordered because I’ve gone through four sets I cannot get them to go on. I haven’t took it to a mechanic and he couldn’t get them to go on without destroying them, my problem is the wheel hub will not go back far enough the axle with the threads it’s not sticking out far enough and I cannot understand why are the wheel bearings a different inner diameter is the innermost wheel bearing a little bit bigger does it slide over the lip of the axle please I’ve got a weird problem and I can’t figure it out

[@robertbailie9382]

The bearings are tapered but I could not make out which side goes in first, the side with the smaller diameter or the side with the larger diameter?

[@mattjans]

I found this video trying to solve that problem. She has the tapered side of the bearing group against facing in against the tapered side of the hup. Manual doesn't address it and my outer bearings were backward. But when you look at it, it's the only thing that makes sense. Otherwise those bearings aren't riding on anything. Of course this wouldn't be the first thing I thought I was "fixing" and did backward. Did you find any answers?

[@frankbatenga3167]

I have the same exact trailer. What was the part number for the barents that you used. And size

[@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY]

Here is a link to what I used: bit.ly/repackbearing

[@jermykxng9546]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@dison4linux]

If you're not hearing the click, its not clicking... 90ish ft*lbs is a decent amount, and it'd likely roll the trailer forward or backward even with decent wheel chocks. Since you have a nice impact gun take a look at "torque sticks" which go on the impact gun and limit how much torque they can apply. That'll make it so you can use the impact to install the log nuts (when the torque sticks are used) not just be able to remove them.

[@TN-ez6lz]

Thank you! Never heard of torque sticks before. Just ordered a set!

[@TheAndyIbarra]

Terrific video and channel, Steph. Which coordless impact wrench did you go with?

[@feelthecalm176]

Is it necessary to also pump grease into the zerk fitting on the hub?

[@mattjans]

Manual says to do it during assembly. At least my manual does. Now just trying to figure out how to do that. Great video and channel!

[@MeMe-cd1wy]

You didn’t change the races. Where are races? I don’t know what they look like.

[@leeb.7188]

I would like to see a video on how to connect the trailer to a vehicle hitch. I don’t own a trailer, but there’s a self-serve trailer rental in my town where you rent it online and then go there and have to figure out by yourself how to hook up the trailer to your vehicle.

[@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY]

How to Attach Utility Trailer to Car: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3eqYaCFpZmofc0

[@leeb.7188]

@@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY : Thank you!

[@darrin81128112]

Anyone have the bearing kit link

[@MotherDaughterProjectsDIY]

amzn.to/3QBjUza

[@karencaspari4227]

90 ft-Lbs on a two foot wrench means you have to push the wrench with 45 lbs at the end. If you slip a two foot pipe over the handle then you cut the force to under 25 lbs. The snap when the wrench clicks will still be heard and felt at the end of the extension.

[@mtnguyen1696]

How fast can you pull this trailer?

[@tbtitans21]

They say like 60 mph I think but I've pulled it on the highway at 80. If it gets bumpy I slow down to 70. But I'm here because I'm feeling friction from the trailers bearings at probably a premature date. Thinking I've put maybe 1500-2000 miles on the trailer in about a year?

[@benlent3254]

Re:Torque wrench. I use my torque wrench to torque down nug nuts on my vehicle's, and have used it many times with no problems but I had the same issue as you when I attempted to Torque my Harbor freight trailer wheels it just wouldn't click no matter how hard a tighten them down.... Strange.

[@EricGonzalez-bd1qd]

Super late but as far as the torque wrench, it sounds like it is not working properly. To fix this, I suggest you find the biggest strongest bolt you can find. Then, lower your torque wrench to the lowest torque setting. 10lb or 15 etc. Then, try to torque the bolt. Your torque wrench SHOULD click. Once it does, then move the torque wrench to a higher setting. Like 20 or 25lb and try to torque the bolt again. The torque wrench should click. Keep increasing the torque value on the torque wrench a few lb each time and clicking several times each time. Work your way up as high as possible and done. I found this to be an issue with harbor freight torque wrenches in general! Every time I buy one, I do this "break in" procedure first to make sure the inside clicking mechanism is working. I also try to do this every time before using it to make sure everything inside is still working as it should and I haven't had any issues with it after doing these steps. Hope this helps you, or someone else needing to know this.

[@s4alexis]

You could also just stand the trailer up, like for storage. Then you do not have to raise the trailer to remove the wheels. This also lets you do both wheels without having to raise and lower each side differently.

[@R50_J0]

Wheel bearing grease: stored in a garage, used infrequently and lightly, not pulled in the rain or through standing water, the wheel bearing grease doesn’t need to changed again for an indefinite time. You used a brand name, quality grease to repack them. It was wise to remove the Chinese grease. It’s what I’ll do if I buy a Harbor Freight trailer.

[@Coecoebrown]

My only suggestion would be a digital torque wrench 🫤