Red N' Tacky for Trailer Wheel Bearings?

[SwampSurvivor]

I can't find any real information on it. Some people say there's better, but nothing on here that says to use it or not to use it. I have been using Marine Grade Supertech Grease in my trailers without issue ( https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Marine-Grease-14-oz-Tube/16928008 ). Or at least without any lubrication failures. I did overload my small harbor freight trailer and it killed a wheel bearing. That's different. Anyway, I decided to spend the extra money and Red N Tacky for my car trailer: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Marine-Grease-14-oz-Tube/16928008 . A whole $1.00, wow! My car trailer has 185/80-13 tires. Going 65 with the trailer they'll be spinning at around 890 RPM and will have a load on them at the same time. I have always heard great things about RNT, so I figured I'd try that. Over the Weekend , I made a 500 mile round trip with a friend's car trailer and ended up losing a wheel bearing almost home. It was hot to the touch and the grease I cleaned out when I got home looked like anti-seize compound. I want to avoid that with mine. Will the RNT work well enough or should I switch to something else?

 

[tig1]

My 12 year old utility trl has been pulled around several states including Florida with no bearing issues. Grease used from day one is M1. Even after extended hwy use the bearing hubs stay cool.

 

[krismoriah72]

Not sure if you are talking about Lucas Red N Tacky but if so its rated GC-LB so the GC means its rated for axle and wheel bearing grease. Some things to consider are tire pressure, and suspension for happy bearing life. Not sure if i have seen a car trailer with 13 inch tires..

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Yep - Lucas Red N Tacky. It was a boat trailer in a former life. And the suspension is completely brand new. It says wheel bearings on the tube, but wasn't sure if that was accurate or not.

 

[Zaedock]

I used Valvoline Synpower Synthetic Wheel Bearing grease. Been to Moab and back and the Rubicon. Those trips plus dozens of Jeep or ATV's trips since the bearings were done, and the grease and bearings still look good. In my experience, I find that when my friends and such on trips have trailer wheel bearing issues, they overtightened the spindle nut. When we bought our 26' Jayco camper, we made it home and I touched the hub and it was hot. It seemed like they used the slip joint pliers and cranked them tight. The Dexter spec is like 50ft/lbs, back off and finger tighten. That's all it needs. Anyway - The Red N' Tacky should be fine.

 

[samven]

I use Red and Tacky for just about everything. It is rated for disk brakes which just means it has a higher drop point. I dont think Marine grease will lubricate any better but it should have a higher washout resistance if its not just a knock off Blue Lithium based grease. But the first rule of wheel bearings is grease and the second is NO water so if water is getting in, no grease is going to last long.

 

[nwjones18]

You'd be fine with either grease.

 

[Boomer]

If you back a boat trailer into salt water, you need to use a grease (aluminum based) that can tolerate the salt.

 

[4WD]

My coated boat trailer hubs came pre packed with RnT … been in saltwater a number of times … I give each side a half dozen pumps post trip and displace it out a bit …

 

[samven]

If you back you boat in with hot trailer hubs you risk it sucking water but if your seals are in good shape no water gets in. If it does it wont matter what grease is in there. The water will find a way to sit in the races and rust and that will destroy the bearings.

 

[4WD]

Yes, and things that help me avoid that: Don't tow over 65 mph … hubs don't get hot Grease after each trip (have TieDown Engineering with zerk) Keep the bearing filled 105% (when I put the end rubbers back on, have to wipe off grease)

 

[Elkins45]

Originally Posted by samven

If you back you boat in with hot trailer hubs you risk it sucking water but if your seals are in good shape no water gets in. If it does it wont matter what grease is in there. The water will find a way to sit in the races and rust and that will destroy the bearings.

It depends on how far you drive. If you have a way to go they will probably get warm enough to drive out the water. The very worst is like my Jon boat trailer where it gets driven 10 miles to the lake and 10 miles back. If those seals are leaking then it never gets hot enough to dry them out. The main thing about bearings is that they be greased. As long as you're using a grease rated for bearings that's probably good enough.

 

[4WD]

Bought a boat in 2006 and another in 2013. Both had spindle ports and zerks similar to this. (Perfect for boat trailers.)

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I don't like those EZ lube hubs. They don't lube the outer bearing and then you end up wadding that.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted by tig1

My 12 year old utility trl has been pulled around several states including Florida with no bearing issues. Grease used from day one is M1. Even after extended hwy use the bearing hubs stay cool.

Im now using m1 in my travel trailer. I used to have it leak and seep out every where, i don't see that now. It works good for me. I've never used it, but i've never heard anything bad about the red n tacky.

 

[dlundblad]

Lucas Red n Tacky can be used on wheel bearings. It says it right on the tube.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by Miller88

I don't like those EZ lube hubs. They don't lube the outer bearing and then you end up wadding that.

There is only a rear seal behind the port. Every ounce of grease pumped pushes an ounce of grease past both bearings and out the end. So you displace whatever amount you like whenever you like - blood, guts, feathers and all. Then replace the cap with the hub full. Never once had water intrusion like Bearing Buddy peddles … and if you think that happened … pump more grease and clean it out = cheap and easy. If you want to get really BITOG … raise that wheel and turn it while doing the grease job.

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

Guys, let me help you out here just addressing the most common tapered roller failures and why they happen ( and what to do about them) The most common failure is running misaligned. ( this is where mechanical forces destroy the bearing in stages and in short order)- this mainly comes from improper tolerances allowing excess displacement axially ( and geometrically multiplies when road forces and geometry come into play) No tapered roller can run off axis out of its designed contact pattern for long and survive. No grease can overcome this condition. The second most common is inadequate lubrication ( notice, didn't say too little or too much)- "inadequate' means no acceptable boundary scenario based on alignment, load, thixotropic cycle and replenishment. That's a floating requirement based on a specific application. You can have a 100% full hub with weapons grade unicorn oil with too tight a clearance or too loose ( off axis) and have "inadequate' lubrication. Small amounts of grease get hot and oil bleeds= no thixotropic recombination= running on thickener only= failure in short order. No grease known will overcome this either. Don't worry about all these articles about the evils of over greasing as 95%+ of them are fundamentally and fatally flawed or out of context with the application. ( grease insulates and holds in heat yes- but rarely beyond a bearings design limit) But this is a long conversation with lots of qualifiers and beyond the scope of this post. Grease gets contaminated by water ( churning like grease mixed with water in a blender) then is needs to be cleaned and replaced immediately. It has now become an agent of damage. Purging is usually good enough but mechanical cleaning is best. If the spindle is scarred, out of spec for the bore etc- get a new spindle because if that axial loading displaces the seal fit or the finish interferes- contamination WILL ingress and start the failure chain. Also if this induces off axis performance ( usually only a few MINUTES off axis- not anywhere close to a full degree will damage a tapered cone bearing)- if this happens, it will generate excess heat and destroy the grease. Nothing will overcome this either. Look for those things and address them- I promise you will see an increase in performance and a reduction in MTTF for the bearings

 

[tnt_motorsports]

I can't find any real information on it. Some people say there's better, but nothing on here that says to use it or not to use it. I have been using Marine Grade Supertech Grease in my trailers without issue ( https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Marine-Grease-14-oz-Tube/16928008 ). Or at least without any lubrication failures. I did overload my small harbor freight trailer and it killed a wheel bearing. That's different. Anyway, I decided to spend the extra money and Red N Tacky for my car trailer: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Marine-Grease-14-oz-Tube/16928008 . A whole $1.00, wow! My car trailer has 185/80-13 tires. Going 65 with the trailer they'll be spinning at around 890 RPM and will have a load on them at the same time. I have always heard great things about RNT, so I figured I'd try that. Over the Weekend , I made a 500 mile round trip with a friend's car trailer and ended up losing a wheel bearing almost home. It was hot to the touch and the grease I cleaned out when I got home looked like anti-seize compound. I want to avoid that with mine. Will the RNT work well enough or should I switch to something else?

I use the red & tacky in my 36' travel trailer. I grease the hubs once per year and usually travel about 3K to 5K miles. Each spring rinse and repeat. No issues in 4 years of motoring...

 

[whosmatt]

I've got red & tacky on one side of my boat trailer and Mobil 1 synthetic on the other side (also red, and oddly enough, also tacky). I'll let you know if I find any difference when the next time I re-pack the bearings. Just tie a string around my finger or something.