Marine Trailer Grease

What’s the 411 on switching marine trailer grease? Currently running Shipmate marine and trailer but it’s impossible to find…maybe they stopped making it???

Anyways, I thought I heard you shouldn’t mix certain greases…is it okay to use another marine trailer grease? What do I need to look for when purchasing? Thinking of going with Lucas marine grease since it’s readily available.

Thanks,
CC

How are you mixing it? Repacking or just shooting some in with a grease gun? Grease doesn’t flow much so there won’t be much mixing, shouldn’t really be a problem.

I switched to the Lucas red sticky a number of years ago and I’m very pleased. Every other year I pull and repack all my trailer bearings plus all the day to day maintenance on brushhog, lawnmowers, and so on. I’ve noticed a positive improvement and it’s what I use

I’ve been using hydrophilic Amsoil Trailer bearing grease, great stuff, provides protection even if you get some water intrusion past the seals.

The common wisdom is not to mix trailer greases. allegedly certain grease is incompatible with other grease and could cause it to break down.

This seems to be one of those mechanical truisms where a lot of people know it but examples of the dire predicted consequences are few and far between if you can find any at all. You would think at some point somebody would have come up with a “don’t mix” list to get a little more specific.

For what it’s worth I’ve mixed grease in all kinds of mechanical applications. It’s basically unavoidable, how can anyone know what kind of grease was used by the OEM? So basically with everybody doing it, you’d think the ditches would be filled with dead trailer and equipment carcasses that died from the dire consequences of grease-mixing. But yet…

IMO way more equipment dies from lack of grease and neglected grease than has ever died from the near-mythical mixed grease breakdown. Grease away.

Grouse

Like grouse said, I wouldn’t worry too much about mixing similar greases. Problems come when mixing specialty greases or greases with different thickeners and base oils.

For instance mixing Lithium and Polyeurea will cause a reaction that breaks down and dries out the greases which stops lubrication. But standard trailer greases should (for the moat part) be okay to mix.

If you’re worried, I’d check the manufacturers breakdown of what each grease is made of and see how similar they are.

Ive used nothing but Mobile 1 for all my grease needs for a very long time. Trailers, sleds, trucks when they still had fittings, etc.

I mixed greases and then found out that it may be an issue, prior to towing the trailer. So I did google the question and found a list of ones that supposedly were not compatible. I seem to recall most of the brands fell into two distinct categories that should not be mixed. After all that i said the heck with it and completely cleaned out both hubs and all four bearings and filled with lubrimatic. I bought a lot more lubrimatc for spare so i don’t forget and mix them again.

Thanks everyone. I’m an early boat winterizer (I know I know) and like to get it all done at once or I’ll forget even if I write notes.

That said, I’ll be winterize in two weeks but I think I’ll wait on the trailer grease until next spring.

I’m guessing with quite a few experiences on here I’ll be fine using a different grease but I also have some time until next spring so maybe I’ll forgo it this fall and hopefully remember this spring…and it’s back in stock.

I would really check your bearings in the fall if there is even a little bit of water in the bearings it will pit and rust. I used to wait until spring but ended up replacing the bearings every spring. Plus if you do it in the fall come spring nothing to worry about. In another post in the outdoor gear there is another great thread about bearings and grease sorry I don’t know how to link it but there is a great info there as well as a video on Wal-Mart grease to Lucas Red and Tacky eye opener as soon as the boats in the last time I’m going to clean regrease with Red and Tacky they are a lithium based grease so a slight amount should not cause an issue Wal-mart marine grease is Lithium as well. Just my 2 cents

X2 as Mr pike said. do it this fall

Agree with Randy. Switched to Lucas Red and Tacky a few years ago and no problems since.

I picked up a tub of Red N Tacky today on your recommendations. It’s got a kind of pleasant smell–not what I’m used to.

Shipmate can be bought at Fleet Farm. I just pulled hubs to check bearing and was thinking of what grease and looked at the Lucas Red and Tacky but ended up with the Mystic Marine. I see that Lucas also has a marine grease and was wondering why use the Red and Tacky if they make a marine grease? After looking there is an awful lot of greases out there including some synthetics. I guess I am second guessing my choice.

leinieman wrote:

I see that Lucas also has a marine grease and was wondering why use the Red and Tacky if they make a marine grease?

I saw that, too, but Red ‘N Tacky is labeled for boat trailer bearings, so I went with it.

If you’re doing them yearly, I highly doubt it makes much difference.

Yes probably right on the grease I just went with what said marine grease. Going to pick up new seals today. Thought the bearings and races looked great yet so will just repack and put all back together. I’m going to a trailer shop to get seals and I’ll have them look at the races and bearings also just to be sure.
First time I saw races that fit smooth to the inside of the hub where you don’t have much of a lip to tap them out but I’m no trailer mech either.

leinieman wrote:

Shipmate can be bought at Fleet Farm.

Which location? This would be great. Even online it’s not available within 100 miles of the metro.

Thanks,
CC

Shipmate Marine Grease. Don’t know about buying it on line but Menomonie Fleet Farm has it on their website and I even called and they have it. Thought I would also try the Fleet Farm store in Hudson and it is on their website as well, I did not call them.
Hope that helps.