loose hub? on trailer

Okay guys my family just got a jet ski and it came with a trailer. one of the wheels on the trailer is loose like i can grab it move it sides ways a little bit. idk if that safe to drive on so i was wondering what you guys thought. if it isnt safe(im assuming its not that safe) do you guys know how to tighten the hub?

here are some pictures for reference of the type of trailer/ axle

 

Hey 113tac,
I think you should take that entire hub apart..dead blow hammer to get the bearing buddy off. Clean all the grease off, and loosen the large nut that is behind the bearing buddy. Basically take it all apart.. there is slop in the bearing. It could just be that the large nut has backed off a bit, or the bearings could be shot.. ($20)..
hope this helps.
D.

 

^^this.

there should also be a cotter pin that must be removed before the nut will come off.

when re assembling, tighten the nut just until there is no slop side to side, and no more. Use a new cotter pin.

Also, make sure you pack the bearing correctly, look it up on youtube if you don't know how.

good luck.

 

thanks for the info. i will probably check it out soon

 

Bearings are TOAST

 

would bad bearings cause a rougher ride also?

 

yeppers

 

alright well then im assuming its the bearing then cause the ride isnt that great especially at low speeds

 

(Wheel on)If there is more than a 1/16th inch or so of side play its probably bad bearing. Pull the wheel and spin the bearings, you will know if they are toast or not by how it feels. Small trailer wheels often have a slight side-play to the wheel on the spindle. Either way, cheap fix if you take care of it before the wheel goes rolling by you on the highway. Seen too many drivers out there who don't check trailer wheels/bearing until its too late.

 

good info. its more than 1/16th of an inch its maybe closer to 1/4 or 1/2 inch each way. i definitely want to fix it before that happens haha

 

also just a small tip, whenever towing a trailer on the freeway for long stretches, always pull over every 100 miles or so to check the temp of the hubs. They should stay warm to the touch at most. If they're heating up you either have too much preload or not enough grease.

 

good to know. i dont think ill be towing that long though. probably at most 30 miles that i can see in my near future haha

 

cool, good luck with it.

 

thanks man!

 

Little wheels spin very fast trying to keep up with 15+" Tacoma wheels they take a beating you should pack/inspect at the very least once a year. The bearing buddies are intended to be used to force water out (after a boat launching) and really are not a substitute for a bearing repack.