Trailer Hub/Spindle Repair

I had a bearing that went out on my boat trailer, the bearings got fried out and ended having metal-on-metal wear which created two flat spots on the spindle. Unfortunately, these flat spots are right where both the outer and inner bearings ride. One method would be to add material/weld to the flat spots and grind/file/sand it back to within tolerance…OR…I also can buy a new spindle from Northern Tool and have the old one cut off and weld on the new one. It just takes somebody who cannot only weld, but also can weld it back on so it is perfectly in alignment. Does anybody know of a person/shop that can weld on a new spindle? Sad to see these warm temps and able to get back into the Mississippi! Thanks for your help.

Depending on if you can.get just a spindle. Many trailers don’t have removable spindles. Means a new axel. Been there. Welding will weaker the tempering so I would not do that.

I have built up a spindle for a friend in the past, it is still on the road.

Spindles are not tempered such as spring steel. Spindles only bear weight and all the wear is on the race and bearing which are hardened.

It takes time but its fairly easy to lay metal with a wire feed then use a file, maybe a grinder if you lay too much on. I strongly recommend at least using a caliper and if you can gat a dial indicator for run out, all the better.

i had the same problem last year. I ended up just buying a new axle, with spindles and hubs on both sides for around $100 from cabelas. It took about 20 minutes to install and was cheaper than trying to have something welded on.

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i had the same problem last year. I ended up just buying a new axle, with spindles and hubs on both sides for around $100 from cabelas. It took about 20 minutes to install and was cheaper than trying to have something welded on.

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Ill second that. New axle with spindles and bearings on it for my trailer ran about $140. Time to change out was less than repacking bearings.

Now if you have breaks its going to be a little more but still doable. What brand of trailer is it.

If you try to repair and it isn’t perfect you will wear tires out. That will cost you more time and trouble.

It is a Bear trailer with a curved/bent axle(curved to go under the V of the boat). I called Hannays Marine where I bought it and they suggested taking it to Axle and Spindle Repair and have them work on it. I called them and they said they would just cut off the old spindle and weld on a new one..for about $200-$300. Northern Tool sells spindles for about $25-$35.

I will look at Cabelas and see if they have a replacement axle. My neighbor was going to do the weld/file/grind deal for $100 and then I would just order a set of bearing to fit the new dimensions for that wheel.

Did youtry calling bear and see what they suggest? When mine went out a quick call to karavan had a new one to my house in about 3 days. Would of been even better yet if they had shipped the right one.

Rigid Hitch in Burnsville sells complete axles also.

Redneck Trailer Sales can likely sell you a new axle from stock for less than your estimated repair cost though it may take a few days to get.

Over the last 10 years I have had to replace 2 axles on two different trailers. One bearing failure (EL Loader), and a bent axle (ranger). Both were custom made for each manufacturer. I looked for them on line and found I couldn’t buy one without going through a dealer. They were both $900-1000 to replace. Good luck. I thought for about a minute to have a shop try to fix the one with a bad spindle, but decided against it. I figured with the amount of money riding on that trailer this didn’t seem like the time to cut costs and hope all would be well.

Thanks guys for the help. I am going to make the recommended calls to the suggested places as well as the manufacturer. I did buy a new spindle and as of now, have a new one tack welded on..just have to take the time with a digital micrometer to make sure the thing is exact to make sure there is no toe-in, canter etc.

Well, for the record, and if anybody else has future damage to their spindle and hub….I ended up cutting the axle to remove the old spindle.. Because the outside diameter of the spindle was smaller it nan the inside diameter than the hub, I added two rows of electrical tape to the spindle to make up the difference. Then this fit snugly into axle and a couple small tack welds added. From there, we used an electronic micrometer to get the spindle exactly straight to make sure there is no camber or toe-in on the tire. We got it to within .015″ and finished welding it up. I hope it works well. I have been out twice and don’t see any different tire wear and there is no vibration whatsoever.