That's a timely question for me. I'm on the verge of replacing the rusting
running gear on my 32-year-old trailer. I plan to order a Spindle-Lube
axle, new hubs, galvanized 12-inch wheels, and maybe new springs, but
that's a lot of iron to ship from Louisiana to California.
I may upgrade the load rating of the springs but that will mean a harsher
ride for the Potter. I guess if the old springs have lasted this long they
must be adequate. I even carried a Coleman canoe on top of my Potter for a
couple of hundred miles with no harm done. But I intend to do a lot of
trailering in the next few years and would like to be confident that
nothing will break.
Champion Trailer doesn't like Bearing Buddies (like I have now). They say
the sustained pressure in the hubs tends to cause the seals to leak. When I
bought my boat used, it already had Bearing Buddies. Not knowing any
better, I pumped grease into the hubs until grease was forced out behind
the wheels, through the seals.
My old tilt-up trailer makes launching so easy that I don't have to
submerge my hubs, although I occasionally do by accident. I recover the
boat the same way, but the winch has to work hard to pull the boat back up
onto the trailer. I may buy a lower geared or 2-speed winch for the trailer
and rig the old winch to pull the trailer up the driveway.
So, does anyone have any experience or opinions about the Spindle-Lube axle?
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA