How to Choose Replacement Axle for Old Boat Trailer

Updated 04/07/2020 | Published 04/06/2020

Question:

Well I have this old boat trailer, no I dont know the year, make, or model number of it. Old and Free to good home .... One of the hubs was without a dustcap/buddy bearing for some time so I decided to remove it and clean it up. Well the end of the hub has a dent in it so its not completely round anymore which would be ok if the bearing was in good shape. They are not in good shape and I can see wear marks on the inside of each bearing p/n: LM67048 which rides on the cup p/n: LM67010, Grease seal p/n: 203013. Bottom line is I tried searching the Internet for hub assemblies but couldnt find anything that matched exactly but now I have found you all. So Im faced with trying to repair the old hubs or You all can offer me complete assemblies for a quick and easy fix. Please let me know,

asked by: Donald W

Helpful Expert Reply:

Thank you for those part numbers, it made it much easier to look, but there are no current hubs available that have the combination of that bearing and that grease seal, which is not altogether surprising since you mentioned it's an old boat trailer.

Essentially - since you absolutely do not want to repair a hub for safety reasons - what that means is you are going to need to replace the axle (which you can get with the hubs already on) to get a more modern axle and spindle combination. I can help you with that as it will only take a couple measurements.

In order to choose the correct replacement axle for your trailer you will need to know the dimensions of your current axle's hub face to hub face and spring center to spring center as in the diagram I have added; the other thing you need to know is the weight capacity of the axle you need, which I realize may be difficult but it is vital for safety.

For example the Dexter Trailer Axle with Idler Hubs # 20545I-ST-72-15 has a 2,000 lb capacity and measures 72 inches from hub face to hub face and 58 inches from spring center to spring center.

I've added a link to our selection of axles for you to check out, or if you get back to me with that information I'd be happy to try and find something that will work for you.

expert reply by: Kyle S