Went to a different lake this weekend up in the mountains. The last ten miles or so was twisty down hill narrow road into the bottom of the valley. Long story short we get there and I get out of the truck to notice my rims are covered in grease. I assume this is because the surge brakes were basically on the entire time. I disconnected the brake line from the master cylinder for the ride home and hoped I had enough grease to make it home without frying a wheel bearing. Luckily I did. I pulled over three times and checked for heat but the wheels were cool to the touch. I regreased them yesterday and reconnected the brake line. <BR>Has anyone else had this happen? <BR>Whats the best way to bleed these brakes?

Use high-temp grease. You can bleed them by using the hitch stinger to pump the master cylinder.

You can also install an override switch on the dash to lock the brakes out on long descents.

What is a "hitch stinger" ???

<i>What is a "hitch stinger" ???</i> <BR> <BR>The hitch. Just push on the end of the hitch. That will bleed the brakes when you crack them open.

The stinger is the part that goes into the receiver.

On long hauls I chuck my grease gun in the bed of the truck just for kicks. I noticed that many people take their trailer maintenance lightly. Not necessarily anyone on here, but I saw six boat trailers on the side of the road to and fro the lake over the weekend (270 mi each way). Most were blown tires I am guessing. <BR> <BR>I grease my bearings every couple of hundred miles. Basically I am just cycling grease through the bearing buddies and it comes out the front into the cover, but I keep fresh grease coming and it's under slight pressure like it should be. At highway speed, I hate to think that my bearings are frying. <BR> <BR>I also replace any trailer tire that looks suspect. after 5 years they simply start to rot, then they bubble. By doing so I have had zero blowouts. Also keep them at proper pressure.

Sean, <BR> <BR>The fact that your wheels were covered with grease probably has nothing to do with driving down a mountain road. The primary reason for grease leaking on the trailer wheel is a blown seal (second most common cause would be a leak due to a bearing cap or buddy depending on what you may have). <BR> <BR>Checking the hubs at every stop is a good idea for all towable trailer owners, that tells you your wheels have lubrication. Keep doing it. <BR> <BR>Unless you do a little maintenance on the trailer my guess is you will see the problem reoccur(leaking grease). Check your wheel seals and replace if necessary. Verify your bearing cap or bearing buddy is properly installed and not leaking. <BR> <BR>As far as bleeding the brakes and the best way..I believe there is only one way do it correctly. If you need the procedure call me at 408 451 9596 and I will be happy to talk you through the process. It is a little much to type all of the specifics and there are some variables that I dont know. GOOD LUCK! <BR> <BR>FLUX <BR> <BR>I would recommend reconsidering the practice of greasing your wheels every couple of hundred miles. This is what causes the seals to leak. The grease has to go somewhere and the seal is the path of least resistance. I can provide specifics if you give me a call.

Thanks for the heads up topside. <BR> <BR>Please correct me if I am wrong, but bearing buddy states that the blue ring should float a bit and be raised, indicating that there is grease under slight pressure in the system. This is what keeps the water out right?? <BR> <BR>Now I have zero grease on the inside of the hubs where the seals are. The excess grease bleeds back through the bearing buddy piston on the front and into the cover. When I grease em, it's usually when the piston has bottomed out. I wipe away the spill grease and pump in new grease until the piston floats again. <BR> <BR>You are not incorrect that I am a bit overzealous with the grease, but I would worry more if my inside seals were blown. I do repack all my own bearings and have completely redone my brakes including the surge assembly, calipers, and rotors. We had some bad rot when we first got the boat and a caliper had hung up on a long road trip. When we took it apart at home, we found out we were damn lucky to have made it home at all.

PS-> I do check out my trailer every time we dunk the boat. I check for the grease on the inside indicating a blown seal and for play in the caliper/piston assembly indicating that it's working correctly and not hanging up.

I've been doing basically the same routine as Flux for about 14 yrs, although it's probably more like every 500 mi for me. My seals are all good, never shredded a hub, and have only ever had one blowout, and that was on a newish Goodyear Marathon. (I've run Carlisles ever since. <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/blush.gif" border=0>)

Flux, <BR> <BR>It sounds like you are doing the "right stuff". <BR> <BR>The blue ring is supposed to "float" so to speak. This is an indication the hub is full of grease. Since there are no voids inside the hub (they are full of grease)there is no way for water to fill in the void (and it will not intrude into the bearing when the wheel turns). <BR> <BR>But, I am trying to figure out where the grease is going. If you are just adding to an already full hub of grease maybe the excess that you wipe off is equal to the amount that you pump in???? <BR> <BR>You might try not filling them so much and monitor them very closely, I would be surprised if you see a need to add grease. Just keep an eye on them and every stop do a check of the hubs. They should all be about the same temp (Make allowances for those in the sun for a couple of hours on the road). If any single one feels abnormally warm (as compared to the others) or is so hot it cant be touched, then there may be a problem. If not, I will bet its OK. BTW I have not been required to add grease to my bearings in so long I cant remember when it was. But, I also monitor them religiously. I think I am just one of the lucky few<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" border=0>

Topside, <BR> <BR>I am sure you have taken apart a bearing buddy and it's basically a somewhat loose fit piston on a spring held in by a retainer clip with a zirk in the middle. The excess grease sneaks back through between the walls and the piston and ends up in the cover cup. I don't add alot, just a bit to push the piston out. Perhaps I am using a low viscosity grease?? It's the greenish/blueish colored Lubrimatic stuff. <BR> <BR>Regardless, and like trace, i have never had a seal blow or a blowout. Undoubtedly I am probably overcautious, but sitting on the side of the road wondering what the hell I am gonna do with a boat trailer that is gimpy and a truckload full of kids, dogs, friends, the wife, and gear is not where I wanna be. <BR> <BR>i have also not filled my bearings for 600 miles and not had a problem either, but it's a small task that takes the guesswork out. I do trailer close to 3000 miles a year.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I dont think I have any blown seals. I think the brakes being on for so long heated everything up. We were on a steep twisty down hill for a few miles. I could hardly touch the front wheels they were so hot. I always check for the blue seal showing and add grease if need be. I am pretty religous about maintenance.

I had a similar experience this past weekend. I had a blowout on the trailer and when I pulled over to change the tire the front wheels were very hot. I was on flat terrain but for some reason the tounge did not pull out when started to drive forward so the brakes heated up and blew out my tire. Mine has a little key to lock out the brakes so I just used that for the rest of the trip but I still need to fix the problem.

One of the things you can do to stop brakes from overheating on long down hill hauls is to make sure you have a good dampner in your actuator. <BR> <BR>If it is worn out, it will allow your brakes to "ride" during long down hill drives. Should be inspected every year. If you are able to push in your actuator by hand it needs to be replaced.

You can also install a switch on the dash that turns on the reverse lockout solenoid.

I am considering doing what Trace says with the switch. I will check the actuator Phatboypimp but I am pretty sure that it is still tight. <BR>Chris, did you have any grease that ran out on your wheels? Its seems the grease got so hot and became so thin it leaked out the little chrome covers.

Not all surge breaks have a reverse lockout solenoid. Some require you to manually insert a pin.

Or just turn the electrical plug 180 and turn on the headlights before starting the decent. That has always fixed it for me going down the 5 miles to cottonwood. I would have a mess at the bottom before I locked out the brakes.

Bryan, so you have had the same thing happen with the grease?

I didnt have any grease leak out. Just the blown tire.

A reverse solenoid can be added to most trailers in an hour for under $50. Much more convenient than getting out to mess with it twice every time you back up or go down a long hill.

Chris, it sounds to me like your master cylinder might be sticking. It may be both calipers, but less likely.

Sean yea every time I went down that long curvy hill I tried every kind of grease but had the same problem. I bought a clip to put into the slot to prevent the brakes from coming on but it would scratch the tongue so I just started to do the reverse plug thing and no more grease. I have a 3500 GMC so the boat pushing me was no issue.

Right on. Coming home with no brakes wasnt too big of a deal. But I was glad to have my 2500 Duramax insted of my old 97 1/2 ton. I did gain an appreciation for my trailer brakes though.