Confused about boat trailer hub "protectors"
 

I need to remove the hub/drums from a boat trailer. However, it doesn't have standard dust caps like usual. It has chrome tubes with a vinyl cap on them. Whe you remove that there is a large snap ring which holds in a big spring that pushes on a rubber washer that pushes on a metal disc with a zert in it, and an O-ring around its edge. Under that is the axle and the castle nut and cotter pin.

Question is: How do I remove the "tube"? Rubber mallet? Channel locks? Never seen anything like this.

edit: It seems these are a "Bearing Buddy" or a knock off of the bearing buddy anyway. They say to place a block of wood on each side and hit it with a hammer.

Next question: Is replacing the bearing races a DIY task? One wheel is quite noisy when it spins so I think it needs new bearings. I don't know if I need to change out the races though, or if I even can. Would I need to heat the drum in the oven?

Those are bearing buddies. The cap is called the bra

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/faqs.htm#6

6. How do I remove Bearing Buddy®?Lay a block of wood against the side of the Bearing Buddy® and strike the wood with a hammer. Place the wood on the opposite side and hit again. Continue this procedure until you "walk" the Bearing Buddy® out of the hub. Don't disassemble the Bearing Buddy® to attempt to remove it.

In the past, when I've had to pull the BB's out, I've just taken a rubber mallet and tapped around the edge in a circle until it worked it's way out.

The races are certainly DIY. I just take a drift and stick it through the opposite side of the hub and place it against the edge of the race. Then, start tapping with a hammer, moving the drift constantly in a circle around the perimeter of the race until it works it's way out.

Reverse the process to install the new race.

In either case, installing or removing, never tap too much on any one side as the race will jam and possibly be damaged.

What Evan said. The races are definitely DIY if I can do it! :D

Do yourself a favor. To re-install the races, pop over to the nearest discount auto-tool supply store. Pick yourself up a "bearing race-seal driver" set. About $20 and greatly reduces the chance of you marring the race surface from a misdirected blow.

At the time, if I could have done that (late at night), that would have been an EXCELLENT idea. I had to use a board and gently tap the board to push it in flat. But what do you expect when you are not at home and found that one of them fell off?

Found this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piece-bearing-race-and-seal-driver-set-95853.html

Will cost more than the parts though.

Any particular grease I should use?

I use high temp, disk brake bearing grease.

Here's a pretty good video of bearing packing. I usually stick 2 fingers through the center and press and drag the rollers through the grease in the palm of my other hand.

The idea is to get the grease to ooze out of the gaps in the bearing cage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agxjGtmHV_4

Here is something else you can do. Install the grease seals backwards, so grease can exit the bearings and water can't get in. You can periodically purge the grease with a grease gun and wipe off the excess. Seals installed in the conventional direction will not allow grease to be pumped through the bearings and will allow water to enter when the warm hubs hit the cold water.

Why would the seal let anything move in any direction? I thought the whole point is to keep water and dirt out.

Most seals are directional- in the case of wheel hubs, they are designed to keep grease in, since they are not normally submerged in water, espescially salt water. As pressure is applied to the inside of the seal, it will grab the seal surface more tightly. Pressure applied to the outside of it will be able to penetrate the seal. That is the rationale for turning them around- water can't get in and the grease can get out.

Well, since the bearing buddy keeps the grease under constant pressure, wouldn't I end up with grease "all over"?

Yes. You can wipe off the excess as indicated in post #9. Better to have a little grease on the outside than salt water on the inside.