WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT DURAHUB : GREG STAPLES

Dear Durahub team,

I felt compelled to contact you and say well done on an excellent product. As a professional abalone diver and formerly as superintendent of one of the countries biggest mechanical workshops, I know a little about boats and trailers.

Oil filled hubs with windows to see the oil level and condition are not new to me. Most quality highway trucks and trailers have been doing this for nearly 30 years. The benefits over grease are many and I will just name a few. Firstly and most importantly, your bearings will receive optimum lubrication at all times in all conditions. Secondly, your bearings are kept cooler, not only because of the lowered friction but also because the heat produced by the bearings is transferred evenly and immediately to the hub and wheel which are air cooled. And third, your bearings are kept clean and clear of those microscopic pieces of metal that occur as your bearings slowly wear over their normal life.

My abalone boat and trailer weighs up to 4 tonne. I launch and then retrieve around 200 days a year and tow near 20,000 kms. I converted from grease hubs to oil around 5 years ago. It took a day or so drilling and tapping the 4 hubs so I could fill them, then bronzing a second plug in the old metal cap for checking the oil level. All this time I was cursing because no one had gotten around to making a “knock in” hub with a window and filler plug just like Kenworth or Volvo trucks were using 25 years prior.

My original wheel bearings are still going strong. I do dismantle the hubs as part of my once a year maintenance regime. And I do keep expecting to see wear and finally replace them, however so far that has not been the case.

I purchased and fitted the Durahub product the first day I saw them on the shelf. Now I have further peace of mind with the ability to see the oil and watch for water or metal in my oil. Both these things being signs of imminent bearing failure.

I pride myself on running a professional commercial fishing rig that is maintained to a standard where it never lets me down. Durahub makes that job easier.

Thanks Durahub!

Greg Staples,
Professional abalone diver and inventor of the Boatcatch (automatic launch and retrieval system),
February 2010