Save your self time and trouble
replace wheel bearings every 3 or 4 years, don't wait 10 years like me...
Just thought i'd share this, my friend and myself, went to Guntersville lake for a couple days, we loaded our gear in the truck, was going to camp in the campground at guntersville lake, and longline troll for crappie, before we left i greased the wheel bearings on the boat trailer,  everything looked good, I always shake the wheels to check if theyare loose. we made it ok, got some sleep Monday night, up early started to lunch boat, and noticed grease all over the right trailer wheel, went on fishing for a couple hours, the water was stained, couldn't see past about 2 and 1/2 feet, the water temps around state campground and town creek were 62.7 there were around a dozen boats in the area, several people fishing from the lake bank and a few fishing under the town creek bridge, we never got a bite, and I never saw anyone else boat a fish, I couldn't enjoy fishing for thinking about my boat trailer, so we stopped fishing and went to see how much damage was done to the trailer wheel, as i jacked the weight off the wheel, it was ready to fall off, we had been towing that thing 75 mph for hours, the good Lord let us make it to where we were going before the bearings were all gone, here is the part I wanted to really share, we left the boat jacked up and went to Guntersville town about 6 miles or so from the campground, we were looking for a parts store and saw Collins Napa auto parts, went in and a couple older guys were behind the counter, I told one what was going on and he said he was sure he had the bearings i needed, but needed to know the size of the trailer axle spindle, I asked if he had a cheap measuring mike for sale, or one I could leave a deposit on and use, he said he thought he had one, but before he could get it, another customer said to me, sir my name is Jim and I overheard your conversation and my shop is just across the road, you can use any of my tools you need, so I took him upon the offer, I offered to leave a deposit to cover the worth of his tools, and Jim said there wasn't any need. so we took his measuring mike, a couple cold chisels, and a dead blow hammer. finally got the two bearing races off the axle, went back to the Napa store, the Collins guy had the bearing size in a kit, I bought two kits, went back to the boat, tried to put it back together, the front bearing race knocked it easy, but the back one wouldn't go, so I told my friend, lets go back to the guys shop and see if he can press this one in, the guy tried and he couldn't get it in either, so he used the measuring mike and the new race was a bit larger than the old one, had to take it back to Collins Napa store and told him that the shop guy Jim said the kit bearing was to large, the front bearing in the kit worked fine, but the back one was to big, the napa guy found the size bearing we needed and replaced the larger sizes that was in the two bearing kits, went back to the shop and Jim knocked the races in the wheel hub, I tried paying Jim, but he refused to take any pay for his work and the use of his tools, I don't think I ever meet any nicer people in my life, I just felt like, Collins and Jim weren't interested in making money, they both were only trying to help a stranger, if any of you guys are ever around Guntersville lake and have boat trouble, go to Guntersville town, and the Collins guy that runs the Napa store, and Jim that runs Olivers tire store, will treat you so nice that, you will think, why, why, why can't the whole world be more like these two guys. went back to the boat, replaced the wheel, lowered the boat and raised the other side and removed the wheel, replaced and greased the bearings on that wheel, it was easy the races hadn't seized to the axel. now both wheels were tight and turning nice, we had something to eat, turned it early and planned on getting an early start on longlining for crappie, but awoke the next morning to the wind about to blow our tent down, loaded up and headed home, a bad trip, but a good trip, I wouldn't give meeting those two guys in Guntersville, for a dozen limits of crappie. when a person goes out of their way, to help a stranger out, that touches my old ticker, I've read in the bible, where it says. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained Angels unaware. I'm not an Angel, but if I was the two guys that I met in Guntersville AL, sure would have gotten a good report from me.
