Replaced wheels and hubs - stuck cotter pin, what a pain!

[nguye569]

Previous owner had never changed the tires on trailer since he purchased his boat (and now I'm thinking he probably only looked at the bearings every few years).

One wheel came off just fine as I would have expected, the other side had a different level of exposure to the elements and the lug nuts were completely seized. I ended up loosening 3/5 studs from the hubs, so they kept spinning. Womp womp, time to replace the hubs I guess.

The cotter pins used were some other type of style that I had never seen and did not freely slide out of the hole. I ended up having to find various screws and pounding them through (took me over an hour to get both pins off!). What a pain of a "simple" tire replacement this was.

Atleast I'm happy that's done with and I was in my garage rather than the side of the road.

 

[Johnny]

P R E V E N T A T I V E maintenance:
"to stop or hinder something bad from happening - before it happens"

S C H E D U L E D maintenance:
"to stop or hinder something bad from happening - before it happens"

no matter what you call it - annual checkups, oiling, greasing, adjustments, etc.
can prolong the life of motors, bearings, tires, wheels, hubs, etc.

 

[safetyfast]

Mine both had a nail in them instead of a cotter pin. A cotter pin puller, which looks like a screwdriver with a hooked point in the end is helpful.

 

[nguye569]

did not know they make tools for pins! I'm glad I went through this whole ordeal, because now I know I have new wheels and hubs on this trailer. I bought the trailer used and it was always stored indoors so it's in great condition cosmetically, but I doubt the previous owner ever did preventative maintenance. The tires on the trailer were still the original ones from 2001.

 

[Johnny]

to keep a tool box simple, many of the tools are often multi-tasked.
Personally, I use a pair of needle nose pliers. Put one jaw through the
eye of the pin and tap it out with another tool. But, both legs of the pin
must be aligned as straight as you can get them. Or else, cut them off with a
whack of a chisel. LOL nails do work. I have used many on kids wagons.
But, not on a wheel that may spin at over 100 miles an hour.
Worst case is where the head of the pin is deformed and the pin is rusted into the hole.
Then, it is up to your own ingenuity to git-r-done.
Once it is all apart, dress up the nut. Remove the burrs and make nice straight sides.
and - vow to use only heavy duty stainless cotter pins of the correct size upon reassembly.

Jus my Dos Centavos



.

 

[coastrider]

Side cutters are what I use and if they don't come quick I just hammer on a socket and impact off the nut......use a punch to drive out the remainder. It works for all sorts, tie rod ends also. Being a heavy duty mechanic, it's always ciezed and by the hour. The cost ads up fast