Q: bearing & seal numbers? for Ramlin Single Axle?

[AirTool]

I need to pull my hubs apart and would like to have the parts on hand or know they are available before I do it. Does anyone know the bearing numbers and seal number for a 2007 single axle Ramlin trailer?

The most important number I need is the seal. I'm pretty sure my local parts house will have the bearings. But I've had trouble in the past with odd seal numbers.

See pic of hub with drum brake.

Thanks in advance....Air Tool

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[NCH2oSki]

RE: Q: bearing & seal numbers? for Ramlin Single Axle?

If they are grease these are what I have. If they are oil bath I cant help.

My trailer is a 99' single axle Ramlin, 6 lug with drum brakes.

SKF Napa BR1515123 small bearing
SKF Napa BR25580 Larger bearing
SKF NAPA 22558 Seal

[AirTool]

RE: Q: bearing & seal numbers? for Ramlin Single Axle?

Yes they are grease, not oil. I believe they have the 2.440 inch front hub diameter. Is that what you have?

Also, have you stayed with the kodiak covers? ...or replaced with spring loaded buddies?

If you stayed with the kodiaks, do you have a grease fitting on your spindle? ...if so, do you add grease that way?

I'm wondering what the chances are that grease leaks into the brake area. I've never worked on this type of arrangement before....but I'm sure I'll be an expert after tearing them down and putting them back together. I'm not sure how well I'm going to like these. Already the Kodiak o-ring on the cover is cracked all over. I don't know if the water is getting in there or from the rear seal.

AirTool.

[NCH2oSki]

RE: Q: bearing & seal numbers? for Ramlin Single Axle?

I have kept the stock set up. I have not changed anything yet, but have the parts ready. It was going to be a winter project that never got done. I called Ramlin and they gave me the numbers for the parts I needed, you might call and confirm the #'s I gave you work for your trailer.

I "repacked" the bearings by pumping a tube of grease into each hub till it came out fresh. Its messy but much less work then taking everything appart. I checked the hub temp today and they are nice and cool, so I will probably put off doing any overhaul work on my hubs till next winter, unless something bad happens.

Good luck and tell me how it all works out.

[AirTool]

RE: Q: bearing & seal numbers? for Ramlin Single Axle?

Thanks for your help.

I really don't want to mess with these bearing before my vacation next Sunday. On the other hand, I'd rather work on them in the driveway rather than a narrow road shoulder in the Texas Hill Country.

Friday, I pumped a tube of grease into one of the hubs and less than a tube came out. I'm thinking Ramlin doesn't fill the entire hub before the trailer ships. I'm hoping that no grease leaked into the brake drum. The pumping force required was so light that I believe the grease was coming out only in the front. The brakes worked fine after.

Tomorrow, I will call Ramlin for the bearing and seal numbers and Kodiak about getting some new o-rings. I can't believe the o-rings are all cracked up after less than a year.

After I do that, I'll decide to either tear them apart one night this week or pump another tube into each hub.

More to follow.

AirTool

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[LT206]

I know this is an old thread, but Airtool, I believe you and I have the same trailer. I still have the oil bath cover over a greased bearing. I grease it through the fitting in the end of the spindle, but it is a real pain to take off the cover everytime, and it doesn't keep water out at all. Are you still working with this same set up or did you convert to oil bath or did you install a spring cap like a bearing buddy (this is what I'm strongly considering if I can find the right size).

[gride300]

i have a tandem 06 ram-lin with grease style. i too have been wondering about changing to buddy bearings. i run the kodiak cap and grease through the fitting too. you can't get the caps off by hand after a while. if anyone has used the b.b.'s and likes them please let us know. about to do an overhaul. my trailer has the 1.980 size and i know buddy makes it for mine. i'm sure they will for yours also.

[AirTool]

I know this is an old thread, but Airtool, I believe you and I have the same trailer. I still have the oil bath cover over a greased bearing. I grease it through the fitting in the end of the spindle, but it is a real pain to take off the cover everytime, and it doesn't keep water out at all. Are you still working with this same set up or did you convert to oil bath or did you install a spring cap like a bearing buddy (this is what I'm strongly considering if I can find the right size).

Wow this is an old thread.

I still have the same setup and I have never taken them apart. I do have spare parts though. Like NCH2oSki said,..."winter job that never got done." I have been exchanging the grease by jacking up the wheel and pumping in grease while spinning the wheel. I wear gloves and keep a trash can with liner nearby and catch the old grease and chunk it in the can.

I have ordered a dozen or so extra o-rings from Kodiak and two extra blue covers. They are tricky to get on/off and the o-ring centered. Very long hot highway trips will spider crack the o-rings so take your spares and change them out when you get there. Put the old ones back on for the trip home. There is also a rubber plug for the hole in the middle used to fill oil for the oil bath case...i'm thinking these leak and might seal these up w/adhesive next time off.

I will not change these to spring loaded bearing buddies.

The pic is gone on this old thread so I'll refresh the pic.

Here are the bearing numbers I got from ramlin. I have not had the hubs apart to confirm.

Inner Bearing – 25580
Inner Race – 25520
Outer Bearing – 15123
Outer Race – 15245
Seal – 2250

I have my concerns about the seal number. I think it is uncommon and a single lip seal. I have two 2250's I found at an industrial trailer shop and they are quite #&^*!*$. Maybe the number NCH2oSki is the better choice. I've found some double lip seals with similar dimensions in some of the seal catalogs. This winter....i'll get it figured out.

[LT206]

Thanks Airtool. I have been spoiled the last couple of seasons because I was able to store my boat at the lake and towed it only a few feet to the ramp - greasing the wheels never was an issue. Now I've lost my free storage and am towing it an hour to the lake every weekend. I guess I wouldn't mind the setup I have if it kept water out.

Today I'm going to try to let the wheels cool for awhile after i get there before I put in to see if that helps. I've always heard that a hot wheel put in water will suck water in past the rear seal, and that is why a bearing buddy works - because it keeps pressure on the grease and against the rear seal to keep the water out.

Do you regrease your wheels before the trip home? or just once before you leave to go on the trip?

[AirTool]

Thanks Airtool. I have been spoiled the last couple of seasons....

Me too....I'm 2.5 miles from the lake and have a dedicated tow vehicle attached 24/7. Perhaps after the Macondo well is shut in and the November elections right our government....I might be able to build my house there.

Plus last summer we didn't travel to our favorite vacation lake because it was 16 ft down and the ramp at our favorate lodge was closed.

.....I've always heard that a hot wheel put in water will suck water in past the rear seal, and that is why a bearing buddy works - because it keeps pressure on the grease and against the rear seal to keep the water out.

Yes that is true on the BBs and they are great if your back seal is exposed so you can get to it and see/clean any grease that has been forced out. Typically the back seal will ooze grease and if you have drum brakes (not sure about disc but they are probably okay), the seal leaks the grease into the drum. So I would probably never put the BBs on drum brakes unless my spindles didn't have grease zerts and/or I didn't have a choice. For small hubs with no brakes, putting the BBs on is a no brainer - do it. I'd like to see a pic of the back of a disc brake set up...they might deserve a BB as well.

Do you regrease your wheels before the trip home? or just once before you leave to go on the trip?

No I typically don't regrease the wheels before the trip home. With the new o-rings under the blue caps and since the hubs are cool because we are basically sleeping at the boat ramp, I've never seen water get in. And remember, there is almost an entire tube of grease in there if you pumped the cavity full using the grease fitting. If the hubs are full and the grease is the expanding marine type, a small dose of water won't hurt for the trip home.

[DanielC]

If you have an axle with the Zerk fitting in the center of the spindle, do not use Bearing Buddys. The center Zerk fitting feeds grease through the inner bearing, through the space in the hub, and out through the outer bearing. A bearing buddy tries to push grease through the outside bearing, through the space in the hub, and then into the inner bearing, and then the grease dead ends there, against the seal.

[AirTool]

If you have an axle with the Zerk fitting in the center of the spindle, do not use Bearing Buddys.

If one wants the primary benefit provided by a Bearing Buddy, there is no reason one can't use them with a spindle that has a Zerk fitting.

[DanielC]

A Bearing Buddy just becomes an expensive cap, on an axle with a center Zerk fitting. To properly grease the bearings, you need to remove the bearing buddy, pump grease into the center Zerk, until clean grease come out of the outer bearing, and then replace the Bearing Buddy.
If you just pump grease into the bearing buddy, the clean grease has nowhere to go, until the inner seal fails, and then it ends up in your brakes.

[AirTool]

A Bearing Buddy just becomes an expensive cap, on an axle with a center Zerk fitting. To properly grease the bearings, you need to remove the bearing buddy, pump grease into the center Zerk, until clean grease come out of the outer bearing, and then replace the Bearing Buddy.
If you just pump grease into the bearing buddy, the clean grease has nowhere to go, until the inner seal fails, and then it ends up in your brakes.

Okay....I'm going to give it my best to make this my last post on this thread.

Yes ....what you are saying is true and I addressed all this clearly in my post and other posts on this site. But if one wants the dominant benefit of a BB (positive pressure due to the spring) then, there is nothing wrong with putting BBs over a spindle with a Zerk fitting. Sure, the best way to grease would be to 1)pack properly by hand then 2) assemble and fill the cavity from back to front through the spindle Zerk then 3) put the BBs on and pressurize.

The topic and issue whether or not to use BBs with drum brakes is a separate matter whether there is a spindle Zerk or not ....and I reference drum brakes in post #10.

[LT206]

This discussion has been interesting to me. When I was pumping a tube of grease into my bearings the other day before my trip, I was thinking, "man we never used this much grease on our boats when I was a kid" - and we didn't because we had bearing buddies. But now that I think about it, we also had grease slung out all over the back of the wheel and the trailer didn't have brakes on it.

So I think for now, I'll continue to buy tubes of grease and enjoy the mess when it comes time to grease the bearings before a trip! Letting the hub cool for an hour seemed to help too. I still have some moisture in the hub, but I don't see any standing in the blue cap tonight like I did last weekend.