TOPIC: Balko trailer genious.

In the process of stripping and rebuilding this 50's Balko trailer and found this ingenious, at least I think, way of greasing the wheel bearings. Why don't other trailer manufacturers do this? Would put bearing buddy out of business.
Might be old tech but it's the first time I've seen it. A grease fitting on the hub.

Like it. I even like my snowmobile trailer hubs even more because the fitting is dead center of the spindle. They bore the center and the port opens out the back into the back inner bearing . The fitting is threaded in. When you pump grease in, the new grease displaces old pushing old grease through and out the front rather than just adding grease in front to older grease behind. I guess most of us are likely old school overkill and take apart and repack anyway if we tow a lot or launch a lot just to play it safe. I love it when I service an old trailer and find newer full clean grease with no pits or scars on the spindles. Thank you to those previous owners who saved me lots of headaches. Cool pictures!

Haven't gotten around to degreasing anything yet, curious to dig further into it. Got to agree with you with the maintenance end. I'd rather see a pile of old hard grease on something than a pile of loose flaky rust. I'll be pulling the hub this week. Would be nice to see a small plug somewhere on the back side for "grease relief". Gotta love that feature on a snowmobile trailer, can't see myself kneeling in the snow tapping off a hub cover.

Go to google and click the Images header. Then type in EZ Lube Spindle and it will bring up lots of illustrations of this style I have. With the front dust cap off, it allows older grease to ooze out the face while new grease enters from the back and works forward. I really like this style. Had so pull a complete hub off of someone else snowmobile trailer at night around 10 degrees out. Got lucky 2 pull of the 2 lane highway at the last intersection street light to help. Had to leave the trailer. Had to call brother and ask if he could come back to his shop 5 miles away for both of us at 10 at night... after an hour of fun, I told x relative I would only use my trailers after that once I learned he never learned the word maintenance. Prior proper planning prevents poor performance. ... I left out one P as this is a family show.

Did what you said, about a dozen how to pics on the ez lube. Who wudda thunk. Old dog - new tricks

My Tee Nee has these but the zerk is on the back. Still came with bearing buddies on the front though

Interesting. I'll be pulling the bearings this week, curious to see the condition after so many years.

On my old Electra trailer it had some weird size bearings, axle and the seals were very hard to get. Not only that but cost more. I got pissed and put a zerk right in the dust cap and drilled a small hole in the seals in back when I thought I would get no more use from the seals. I cranked that thing full of grease till it started squirting a small amount out of the back hole I drilled. Every few trips out I just gave it a shot. I drove it for many years that way with no problems at all. I hated that trailer.

I actually did find new bearings and seals locally at a Bumper to Bumper auto store. All I did was bring the old bearings and seals to the store, the counter guy took his magnifying glass, looked at the part numbers stamped on them and went in the back room and pulled out four new bearings and two seals. They do not come in a kit. Perfect fit.
The new wheels had to have the centers enlarged to fit the old hub so it would fit tight to the hub and over the grease zerk. Just need to do the cosmetic touch up now.

All looking great Cal. You will be complete and ready for spring. Looks new!