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  1. #1
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    Default lubing polyurethane bushes

    Hi all.
    About to fit a set of poly bushes on my slipper springs and am wondering about some sort of lubrication.
    I have read that these bushes become noisy and should be avoided unless they can be readily greased !

    Cheers .. Ken.

  2. #2
    Yonnee's Avatar
    Yonnee is offline Trailer Bloke & Mild Mannered Moderator
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    I take it you mean the Red/Blue polyurethane bushes that are fitted as aftermarket replacements to Motor Vehicles, then yes, they require lubricating with Molybdenum Disulfide grease, otherwise they can squeak. (Although, a trailer's suspension doesn't have anywhere near the same travel that a car does, so squeaking may not be an issue.)

    The Nylon bushes that fitted to trailer springs as standard do not require greasing.
    Too many projects, so little time, even less money!
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  3. #3
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    There's poly bushes and then there other poly bushes. Most are just junk. Some I have seen look and crumble like cheese in a short time. I'd stick with nylon on trailer springs.

    Nev.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yonnee View Post

    The Nylon bushes that fitted to trailer springs as standard do not require greasing.
    would you recommend just Anti-seze the bolt?

  5. #5
    Yonnee's Avatar
    Yonnee is offline Trailer Bloke & Mild Mannered Moderator
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    You could go to the trouble of putting anti-seize on the thread, but unless it a commercial trailer used on a daily basis, the amount of times the front spring bolt would ever need to be removed would be counted on your thumbs. If you installed the springs using Zinc plated bolts, then this lessens the chance of the nut rusting to the bolt. And worst case, a 4" grinder will take the head of the bolt off fairly quickly, but I've only ever had to resort to this with boat trailers.
    The nylon bushes usually outlast most domestic box trailers, but if you do travel a bit with a trailer, the replacement cost of the bushes is less than $5.00 each.

    One thing I would recommend seeing as we're talking about the bolts, either use a Nyloc nut, or a bolt long enough to use two nuts and lock them together. Plenty of times I've seen the front spring bolt missing the nut...
    Too many projects, so little time, even less money!
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  6. #6
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    crowie is offline Life's Good, Enjoy each new day & try to encourage
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yonnee View Post
    You could go to the trouble of putting anti-seize on the thread, but unless it a commercial trailer used on a daily basis, the amount of times the front spring bolt would ever need to be removed would be counted on your thumbs. If you installed the springs using Zinc plated bolts, then this lessens the chance of the nut rusting to the bolt. And worst case, a 4" grinder will take the head of the bolt off fairly quickly, but I've only ever had to resort to this with boat trailers.
    The nylon bushes usually outlast most domestic box trailers, but if you do travel a bit with a trailer, the replacement cost of the bushes is less than $5.00 each.

    One thing I would recommend seeing as we're talking about the bolts, either use a Nyloc nut, or a bolt long enough to use two nuts and lock them together. Plenty of times I've seen the front spring bolt missing the nut...
    Yes Yonnee, I built & registered my trailer about 30yrs ago in NSW.
    Back then, it was a registration requirement to use "grade 8 bolts with double nuts" on all fasteners on the trailer and mine is only a H/D domestic unit.....
    Cheers, crowie

  7. #7
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    This issue has been well canvased in the 4wd community.

    The advice there is that if you are fitting Polly eurathane bushes, you must fit greaseable pins.
    Greasable pins have a grease nipple in the end, are drilled and have either flats or groves to retain some grease.

    The problem is that Polyeurathane is pretty well complenetly non absorbent and unlike nylon is not self lubricating.

    The result is no matter what grease you use, if you do not grease regularly the bushes will squesk like a bastard....when they stop squeaking they will chew out..and pretty fast.

    What grease to use is very much up for discussion.
    Even the bush manufacturers cant agree, most ship some sort of grease with bush kits for automotive use, some ship plain ordinary molly grease, others silicon bassed grease others teflon fortified grease, or somenthing they are not telling.

    The general consnesus is that some form of fortified grease, is the go..something with molly, teflon, graphite or whatever, because when the oily part of the grease is squeased out the dry component will remain.

    BUT the single most important thing is thay have to be regreased...and regularly

    On the matter of never seeze.......these days I put something on every bolt and nut I put in anything.....I like never seeze and a tube goes a long way, but some sort of grease or oil is way better than nothing.
    It can be the difference between doing you maintenance with a spanner or an angle grinder.

    About a year ago, I pulled my brotherinlaws boat trailer appart to service it.....I'd rebuilt it over 8 years ago.....every bolt and nut came off with a spanner, because I greased ever single one when I assembled it.

    cheers
    Any thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
    Most powertools have sharp teeth.
    People are made of meat.
    Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.

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