How Tight to Get Spindle Nut of Trailer Hub on Malone Microsport Trailer

Updated 03/17/2026 | Published 03/13/2026

Question:

Good morning! Received two BK1-100 kits and replaced the race, bearings and seal on my Malone MicroSport trailer. I tightened the castle nut by hand until the drag felt good and installed the cotter pin and new bearing buddy. Questions: 1. I saw a video where the castle nut was first torqued to 25 ft. lbs. then backed off with the wrench to about 45 degrees and then to align the nut for the cotter pin. Is it necessary to do this preload of 25 ft. lbs.? 2. The video shows applying grease to the cavity of the hub. Should I have coated the cavity with grease? I didn’t do these two things and wondering if I should take the hubs apart to do these two things? 3. From the pictures can you tell if I added enough grease to each hub?

asked by: Richard C

Trailer Wheel and Hub
(click to enlarge)

Helpful Expert Reply:

Hey Richard, what you did is closer to the correct way than shooting for a torque spec. This is what we generally recommend:

The nut is ran down until there is no side to side play in the hub, and then backed off to the next notch in the castle nut so the retainer can secure the nut. Over-tightening the castle nut can damage the bearings, races and spindle.

If you click on the video link I provided down below, and fast forward to the 4:45 minute mark, you can see the procedure.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Ron

3/17/2026

You absolutely should coat with grease first so the initial turns on the bearing don’t score or wear on it. You don’t want to wait for the grease to work its way into the rollers. Slather it all as you install

Jameson C.

3/17/2026

@Ron good tip!

Ken E.

3/17/2026

Yes, hand tighten the nut then back it off to the next notch on the nut. I pre-grease the bearings and also fill the hub cavity with grease to insure adequate lube supply