Re: Gator Trailer Bearings

[lotec]

Hi Buccaneer – my son "Hurricane Harry" just went through this same exercise on his 1954-55 Tee Nee. He could not find a "kit" for them and was facing ordering the Timkin bearings and seals individually, I think the cost was going to be something in the neighborhood of $100 per wheel.

We have been down a similar road before with my 1956 Mastercraft trailer. On that the bearings, hub size and bolt pattern for the wheel were all unique. The hubs were aluminum and not in good shape, the rims were also pretty corroded and unique to that era. My fear with that trailer was what would happen if, far from home on a Sunday at 4:00PM, I had a flat tire, rim issue or bearing/hub failure? There was a 0% chance any normal boating supply place or box store like Wal Mart having a replacement to get me home. Due to the design of the axle, I was never able to come up with a satisfactory solution, short of having a custom axle made up. (I eventually dodged that bullet by selling the trailer.)

Harry was fortunate with the Tee Nee since the spindles on the axle were 1" and had the same measurements/spacing as a modern trailer. The easy (and safe) answer was to replace the Tee Nee hubs with new ones, bearings and seals included – the cost was only about $45 per wheel. (Or about what the bearings and seal were on one side with the originals!) The bolt pattern on the new hub is also the same, allowing use of the O.E. wheels – nobody is the wiser for the swap. He’ll save the original hubs for the day he goes to Pebble Beach with it and the judges get under there with a magnifying glass, but short of that, he can trail with confidence.

While I like having a vintage trailer with a vintage boat, I also want all my trailers to be 100% safe and to avoid having a breakdown on the highway miles from home.