Front bearings getting wet

[WickedWindsor]

I've had to change my front wheel bearings after every outing offroad (in deep water). They get crusty with water and eat at the bearings and races.
I don't have the O-ring installed on the backside of the hubs though I've used lots of grease in that spot. The spindle suface is rusting slowly into the seal area in the rear bearing.
I'll try to get some new O-ring seals for the hub, but where can I look to rid the water infiltration into my bearings?
I HATE HAVING TO CHANGE BEARINGS all the time!

 

[little x]

Me too. What you can do to significantly help the situation is use a bead of silicone all the way around where the o-ring should be. It will actually form an even better seal, and it keeps the hubs from falling off when your rotating tires.

 

[WickedWindsor]

Thanks, I actually did just that yesterday when I changed the bearings out. I looked everywhere for replacement O-rings for the hubs and nobody listed them, not even Ford which seems to be de-listing everything now for gen1's.
I'm starting to suspect maybe the axle seals that go into the back of the hub as well. They haven't ever been changed.