Bearing Buddies

[Ted]

Before I drove off yesterday I tried to lift the tongue. I could do it, but it was an epic struggle. I would guess my weight on the tongue to be about 175 to 200. I am not sure how I could weigh it, though, to be sure. I suppose I could load weights onto the rear until it tips back. My household scale won't go that high. If I moved the boat forward by shifting the winch stand the boat wouldn't float off quite as easily.  Hmmmm.....

[Billy]

Ted,
Here are a few pictures of mine. It seems that the trailer axle is about even with the aft stantion.





Not sure if you remember when we hauled her out, but I can climb into the back of my truck, lower the tailgate, and step on the winch so I don't get my feet wet.

Also, I think Skip moved the axle on his trailer further aft. Doing that shouldn't effect how far you have to back in to float her off, and add more tongue weight. be sure to check you max weight. Mine is around 400lbs i think. But I can lift the tongue myself with out exerting too much energy. I would say my tongue weight is not over 125lbs. but that is just a guess.

Of course if you are worried about floating her off you could always get a tongue extension.

NICE BOAT BTW!!!

[skip1930]

A standard CP-19 set on the standard Performance trailer with the factory extending tongue set-up in the factory way will raise the jack and it's wheel clean off the ground if a 216 lb fellow walks astern.

That's why I made this up. The following year I switched jack and winch around and moved the boat forward for more weight up front. The next year I skidded the axle more to the rear of the trailer.

The way the roller supports are gigged and welded onto the trailer at different heights there is no way that the keel on a CP-19 could ever rest or touch all four rollers at the same time. No biggy three is enough plus the vee block plus the two hull bunks properly bent to profile the hull's shape.

skip.

[deisher6]

Hey Ted:
When we picked up our boat the PO had loaded it with the keel resting about a foot up on the end of the tongue.  We tied the boat onto a tree and pulled the trailer forward to get the weight aft some.  We now trail with the keel evenly distributed over the four rollers.  When we travel the motor is mounted on the front of the trailer.  This gives us between 60-80 lbs of tongue weight.

regards charlie

[Salty19]

Let's not confuse the 16's and 19's tongue weight.  The 16's should have roughly 160lbs of tonque weight, the 19's about 300.

I can say with certainty our setup tows well on the highway.  We've towed her about 2500 miles with nary a sway or misbehavior. I cannot lift the tongue unless the trailer is empty. Doing that math, that seems about right.

Looks like our winch is forward of others, but so is the axle. The aft keel is about where skips's is..just a few inches forward of the aft roller.



Back the performance trailers, a lot of them use a hub and bearing assembly called "Superlube".  They are pretty cool, you just remove a rubber cap, hook up the grease gun, spin the tire (put trailer on jacks) and lube away with a grease gun via a nipple under the cap.  It forces grease into the inner bearing, through the outer and out the hub where you would remove the old grease with rags.  So much easier than repacking, and can be done on the road if needed.

[Billy]

I must have super human strength then 

Seriously, My 19 seems to sit further forward on the trailer than yours. And then wouldn't that increase the tongue weight? But I can lift the tongue with the boat on the trailer.

Having the axel forward would decrease the tongue weight.


here is a pic of the front of the keel


and the back


Maybe I am missing something but I really don't think my tongue is 300lbs and it trailers just fine at 60+mpg

[Citroen/Dave]

I am a little late in this thread, but this information is important.

I picked up my '87 CP16 from Ohio this past Summer.  It had an original Hutch trailer.  The previous owner put new bearings and tires on the trailer because he knew I would be taking the boat back to Virginia.  My point: the new bearings were in the the water only once after installation when he pulled the boat for my inspection.  I have since replaced the axle as a precaution after reading about trailer axles of the same vintage breaking on the road.  In removing the new bearings installed in Ohio, one hub had water in the grease!  Just once in the water after a sort drive from the trailer shop and water was sucked past the seals into a new bearing.  Bearing Buddies are a must! They prevent a vacuum from forming inside a warmed hub that otherwise might suck in some water.  

Another thought while we are on the topic.  Never mix grease types! The components of one brand of grease will attack the other causing the greases to liquefy and run past the bearing seals.  This type of failure is observed with the comment, "Oh, the bearing overheated".  No, the two greases attacked each other. Always clean the bearings and replace any unknown grease with the brand of grease in the grease gun you use! Have a dedicated grease gun.  Do not randomly add grease from different sources.

[Ted]

That's good advice.

I had black grease in my gun when I went to pick up the boat. Upon my first "squeeze" I noted that they had put red grease in. I will have to clean them out now and stick with one or the other.

Had the shakedown cruise today. All went well except the motor wasn't consistently drawing gas through the line. I think the gas tank hookup, at the motor, is a bit loose and will need replacing.

She sailed great! It is my first boat with a roller furler and that was an enjoyable thing to behold! Not much wind, but that was good for a first time out.

[deisher6]

Hey Ted:
I hate to mention it but did you have the tank vented?
I have done that once.
regards charlie

[Billy]

Hey Ted:
I hate to mention it but did you have the tank vented?
I have done that once.
regards charlie

I've never done that.......



Never

[Ted]

Hey Ted:
I hate to mention it but did you have the tank vented?
I have done that once.
regards charlie

Yep - I had it vented. It's a good question, though, as I have done that before and more than once. If I squeeze the bulb I get some gas leaking out at the connection at the engine, so I know gas is getting up there initially. The leaking may indicate that air is able to be sucked in to the system and the hose is not "sealed" properly to the motor. That's my current working theory, anyway. I will start by replacing the connector and see what happens from there.

Thanks!

[skip1930]

" I will have to clean them out now and stick with one or the other. "

O.K., NEVER wash any roller, ball or tapered bearing or any cage or race out with a solvent. No solvents, no gasoline, diesel, no 'fast' solvents [also called 'HOT' solvents], no parts cleaner, brake cleaner...nothing. It's not necessary. Never metal on metal since bearings work by floating on a petroleum product such as grease, oil, ect.
I'll go with what Berry Bearing told me to do with our Timkin Bearings.

" The biggest problems around shops is that someone uses an air blow gun which will put 20 years use on a bearing in 30 seconds spinning it dry."

Yep especially when they are spun up dry. Or when they are under lubed by a cleaning solvent, same ware. It's kind of like washing a carpet. You wet and foam, the surfactants in the soap release the dirt on the surface of the carpet fibers only to have the dirt fall toward the carpet's backing...you really did not pick up all dirt and left it to bubble back up in short order.

The solvents break up the dirt and the micro pieces and are still in the nice old shiny-clean bearing, cage and race. The idea of the grease is to hold the dirt in suspension till displaced by new grease.

Like solvents dissolve like solvents.

Just repack the bearing with fresh grease. Pushes all the old stuff out.

Fuel Delivery:
Since it was brand new, the hold open-push on-and release snap gas line connection on my Mercury 5 hp two cycle would always allow a leak, drip and bubble into the fuel line thus feeding air into the crankshaft pulse actuated fuel pump on the carburetor...very madding as the engine would starve for fuel, but if I was 'Johnny on the spot' a quick pull or push or tweak on the connector would restore and assure adequate fuel delivery.

The darn thing always felt like it was loose. And the squeeze ball pressure would dribble out making rainbows on the water and dribbles down inside the housing. Well that's better then smoke on the water I guess. But not much.

The cures tried but failed were new o~rings, Parmatex non-hardening gasket sealer, some epoxy putty, and even R&R the connector with a new one. Yet all this failed.

Now I wrap the whole snap on connector with Rescue Tape. A silicone tape that sticks to it's self. About an inch wide. Lasts all season with no leaks, no air, no problem and at the end of the season the tape is cut off with a knife, allowing the connector to be un snapped and the motor run until dry for six months of winter storage.

skip.

[brackish]

I bought a brand new six gallon poly tank and a brand new gas line for it.  The gas line had a faulty connector right out of the box.  I didn't have time to send it back, just bought a new connector and replaced it.  My policy is to leave the gas hooked up all the time all year long to eliminate wear on those fragile connectors.  I don't disconnect from the motor unless I'm prepping to trailer.  I try to keep the tank, lines, carb full to eliminate potential for condensation.  I never run the motor dry. I rarely go over two weeks without starting the motor.   I use gas without alcohol and don't use any additives, however I do periodically switch tanks and burn up the oldest in the lawn and garden equipment.  Starts with two short bursts of the starter or two hand cranks every time runs great under power, although I have a rough idle in the winter, have to run the choke out about 1/4". I've had two many of those connectors to count go bad over my lifetime.

Skip I always clean my bearings with a fast evaporating solvent.  "Fast evaporating"  When they are dry, it is gone, there is nothing left to breakdown the new grease.  If that grease in the bearing is old, crusty, has rust particles, water or dirt of any kind, trying to push more grease through will not get it out.  Just my opinion.  I do mine on trailer day if I had towed at all that year and gone into the salt.  Trailer day gets the bearings repacked, any rust spots painted with cold galv, brakes cleaned and adjusted, tires cleaned and soaked in 303 protectorant, lights checked, jack greased, winch strap checked and general inspection and repair.  Takes one long day to do it all, but great piece of mind on the road.

[ribbed_rotting_rusting]

 For bearings I use diesel. I do think that some of the solvents will cause problems, there seems to be some adhesion to metals by grease or oil that is displaced by it.Diesel is a lubricant, high pressure fuel pumps like the ones on Yanmars develop up to 3500 psi with diesel as the only lubricant. I always try to clean the bearing out as much as possible, cleaning it with diesel wet rag or soaking then cleaning and packing using either a bearing packer (http://www.harborfreight.com/bearing-grease-packer-69027.html) or by hand. The biggest problems around shops is that someone uses an air blow gun which will put 20 years use on a bearing in 30 seconds spinning it dry. The reason I like the greaser packer is then I can use hi-temp disc brake grease easier than doing it by hand. That grease is great stuff, will not melt under any conditions I've seen. It can be difficult to pack or repack with, but it is just as difficult for water to contaminate it. Mike.

[Salty19]

Skip, I respectfully disagree on the solvent.  If the bearings are not sealed within the race, by all means they NEED solvent to rinse away the gunk.  What you shouldn't do is spin the bearing in a dry race or use solvent in an area where it cannot evaporate (or otherwise have the lack of patience to let it evaporate). True, if solvent is left in the bearing and mixed with grease bad things happen.  This is why kerosene is not optimal, it does not evaporate readily and leaves a film behind.

Berryman's B19 is awesome stuff for cleaning bearings (and carburetors!). Fast evaporation, very strong cleaner and zero residue.  

I would of blown out motorcycle wheels, head bearings, suspension parts many a times if solvent had a role in damaging bearings. Had to rebuild off-road bike bearings on a yearly basis as dirt, quartz, clay and iron get in there. Breaking down 40 miles from the truck ain't fun

If a bearing is sealed within a race where you cannot access the bearings, that should be replaced with a new part.