My 5th wheel bearing are packed with some kind of blue-ish grease. I didn't pack them or service them last (trailer is used and new to us.) I can't find anything that looks identical at the store and the tubes I looked at said not to mix grease types. Guess I can understand why some types would be incompatible, but should I have any concerns about pumping a good quality general purpose grease in on top of this? Or should I do the full blown pull everything clean it all out and start fresh with a known grease?

 

Did you also check the marine grade grease? But it can be more of blue-green color.

Speaking of "baby blue" grease, I used to have a tub of that stuff a few years ago but don't have any more left to tell you what it was.

 

It is usually not a good idea to mix greases. There are lithium based greases and I can't remember what the others are but they for the most part are not compatable. I would clean everything out and start from scratch with a good heavy duty wheel bearing grease. Repack everything nice and clean, install new seals, and test drive it. Check the bearings after a few miles and readjust if necessary. I usually go into overkill on bearings but have never been left sitting alongside the road either.

 

Have you checked into the synthetic greases? Highly recommend them for better longevity.
Bob

 

You beat me to it, I was going to recommend that too.

 

I use Valvoline Synpower on everything, but the boat trailer bearings.

I had a problem with Mobil 1 synthetic on the front discs on my F150; the oil separated from the soap, when the rotors got hot. The Valvoline Synpower never separated. I have not touched the rotors in 30k miles.

Grease for boat trailer bearings, I use the cheap anti corrosive grease (walmart, etc.). I have a Bearing Lube axle, and flush a little grease out before every trip.

Last weekend, i inspected the bearings on my tandem flatbed trailer. One set looked like it got a little warm (brake drum), so I replaced it. The grease in the other 3 wheel bearings looked great. They have been in service for ~4 years with the Valvoline Synpower!

HTH

Tony

 

OK then... guess it is safest to do it right. Clean them out and repack with synthetic sounds like the best plan of action. Thanks for the quick feedback guys.

 

Pulling things apart and cleaning/re-greasing is really the ONLY correct way to do it, IMO. I can't count the number of people who have brought me their trailers for a general service, and because they have grease fittings on the end of the axle stubs, I find an over-abundance of grease EVERYWHERE. More often than not, the brake pads are junk because of all this grease, and usually the grease seal is blown out as well. If you give these 'Bearing Buddy' things a quarter of a pump from a grease gun, that is more than enough for many miles of use. Unfortunatley, people just cram the grease to them, and the result of that is ruined innerds!

chaikwa.

 

Agreed! You can't just pump grease into the bearing lube axles. Pump slowly. If you have a boat, pump slowly, 4 or 5 times; get some fresh grease in there & flush the old (wet) grease out!

Tony

 

I didn't know Janitors were qualified to do trailer sevices?

 

The blue grease is most likely Kendall Super Blue.

It is available in gun-tubes and tubs.

It is the only grease I will use and have used it for some twenty years.

I installed new u-joints in my F-350 thirteen years ago and used nothing but Kendall Super Blue.

I had to remove one a few weeks ago to weld in a different yoke and it looked good as new.

I could detect no wear whatsoever.

I use it in wheel-bearings and whatever.

 

I'm not qualified to make coffee either, but everyone drinks it and no one's died... YET!

chaikwa.