Things You'll Need:
- Hammer
- Seal puller
- Needle-nose pliers
- Mechanics tools
- Grease
- Wheel seal
- Tire iron
- Jack
- Jack stand
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Step 1
Break the torque on the wheel lugs with the tire tool. Jack the trailer up until the wheel clears the ground. Install the jack stand for safety. Finish removing the lugs and remove the wheel from the hub.
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Step 2
Gently bump the wheel cup off with the hammer. Straighten the cotter pin with the needle-nose pliers and remove it. Remove the castle lock from the wheel nut if present. Remove the wheel nut with a ratchet and socket.
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Step 3
Remove the wheel nut washer and the outer bearing by sliding them off the spindle. Slide the remaining hub assembly off of the spindle. Remove the wheel seal with the seal puller and pull out the inner bearing. Clean all old grease off of the spindle and out of the wheel bearing cavity in the hub. Inspect the spindle and the bearing races for pitting or damage. Heavily scored or pitted races and spindles must be replaced.
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Step 1
Place a moderate amount of grease in the palm of one hand. Hold the inner bearing, large side down, in your other hand. Using the edge of the bearing like an ice-cream scoop, work it in until you see fresh grease come out of the top side of the bearing. Rotate 1/8 of a turn and repeat until the whole bearing is full of fresh grease.
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Step 2
Place the inner bearing in the back of the wheel hub and add a liberal dose of grease. Position the new wheel seal in its recess and lightly drive it home with the hammer. Be careful to not deform the metal part of the seal.
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Step 3
Slide the hub assembly onto the spindle and push it back into position. Grease the outer bearing by hand and slide it and the wheel bearing washer onto the spindle and into the hub recess. Install and bottom out the wheel bearing nut, then back it off 1/4 turn. Reinstall the castle lock and replace the cotter pin with a new one. If the castle nut does not line up with the hole in the spindle, then loosen the nut slightly until it does.
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Step 4
Pack the bearing cup with fresh grease and lightly drive it into the hub recess with the hammer. Apply grease with a grease gun through the zerk fitting on the bearing buddy if bearing buddies are used instead of cups.
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Step 5
Reinstall the wheel onto the hub and torque the wheel lugs. Torque the lugs in a star pattern to allow it to draw up evenly. Do not tighten more than 100 lbs.
