trailer_lights_againOPBank beaterSpartanburg, SC19 posts, joined Nov 2025#1
Rig 2011 Triton 20 XS, Mercury OptiMax 225
2011 Triton 20 XS on the original trailer. the left tail light has failed four times since june and in october a bearing on the passenger side started to growl on the way back from Lake Hartwell. i got it home, it was hot to the touch. i was lucky.
so i am rebuilding both hubs this winter and i want to do it once. three questions.
Bearing Buddies with grease, oil bath hubs, or just plain repack every fall and forget the gadgets.
lights. i keep replacing incandescent bulbs and sockets. are the sealed LED lights actually better under water or do they just die more expensively.
last one, what am i forgetting before it sits all winter.
merc_pro_xs_techTop tenClarksville, TN137 posts, joined Nov 2025#2
Rig 2015 Ranger Z518, Mercury 200 Pro XS
we see trailers come in on a rollback every spring, so here is the shop opinion.
Bearing Buddies are fine if you use them right, which means a few pumps of marine grease and stop when the piston moves out a little. people overpump them and blow the rear seal, and then grease is all over the inside of the wheel and the brakes if you have them. oil bath hubs are great until the cap cracks and lets the lake in, and you do not notice because the oil is behind a window covered in road grime.
if you do not want to think about it, repack every fall and replace the seals every time. a bearing kit is cheap. doing it on the side of I-85 is not.
LEDs: yes, go sealed LED. most of your problem is the ground, though, not the bulb. a lot of trailers ground through the frame and the frame is a rusty wet thing. run a dedicated white ground wire back to every light.
z520r_on_guntersvilleBack deckScottsboro, AL41 posts, joined Nov 2025#3
Rig 2022 Ranger Z520R, Mercury Pro XS 250, Ranger trailer
my old Triton trailer did exactly what yours is doing for three years and the fix was the ground. the plug at the truck had one green pin that was corroded white. 6 dollar plug, never had another light problem. check the truck side before you buy anything for the trailer.
i repack every fall. it is a saturday afternoon and a beer.
jackplate_or_notBack deckPalatka, FL29 posts, joined Nov 2025#4
Rig 2020 Bass Cat Puma FTD, Mercury 250 Pro XS
Florida opinion, we dunk in brackish water a lot down here on the lower St. Johns. i went to oil bath hubs two years ago and like them, but i check the window every time i launch. if the oil looks like a chocolate milkshake, water got in, and you do the job that day.
rinse the trailer with fresh water after every saltwater launch, including the inside of the frame if it is a box tube. people forget the inside.
trailer_lights_againOPBank beaterSpartanburg, SC19 posts, joined Nov 2025#5
Rig 2011 Triton 20 XS, Mercury OptiMax 225
did it over Christmas. both hubs: new bearings, races, seals, marine grease, and i put the Bearing Buddies back on and pumped them twice each, no more. passenger side race was pitted, which explains the growl.
lights: the truck plug was fine, mine was a ground at the left fender where the wire was screwed to the frame and the screw had rusted to nothing. new sealed LEDs, a white ground wire run to each one, heat shrink on every connection. lights work. i will report back after ten launches.
for anybody else doing hubs, the axle maker's site has bearing numbers and the maintenance schedule by axle size, mine is a Dexter: dexteraxle.com. match your bearing numbers before you buy a kit, i almost bought the wrong one.
skeeter_zxr_kentuckyBack deckPaducah, KY33 posts, joined Nov 2025#6
Rig 2021 Skeeter ZXR 20, Yamaha SHO 250
pulled my wheels off before storage on the advice of this thread and the bearings were fine but one of the rear seals was cracked. thirty minute job now instead of a roadside job in April. thanks.
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