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I'm putting new tires on my boat. I was wondering what your guys thoughts are on these hubs with buddy bearings. Do you guys ever take them off & do maintenance on the bearings or just give them a few shots of grease every now & then. My boat has them but I have never taken them off I just give them a lil grease & go. Just wonder what you guys do. Thanks
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I have something similar on my trailer but they're not exactly bearing Buddies. There is a blue button that comes out as you fill with grease and as grease is used it will go back into the Hub which lets you know it's time to add more. I can't remember exactly what they're called though.
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I've had them on all my boats, since they were introduced on the market. Normally I just pump them up a couple times a year, or whenever I notice the inner cap isn't flush with the inner rim of the buddy. I have, in the past, knocked them off & checked the condition of the grease within. If it looked OK, I'd put them back on & if the grease was in any way "milky" looking .... all the grease was removed and replaced with new (and the bearings were checked for damage).
One other thing to do on occasion, if not regularly, is take a peek at the seals on the inside of the hub and make sure grease isn't coming out from around that seal. And if it is, it's time for some heavy duty maintenance & parts replacement.
As always that’s some great advice again from the 2013 Man Of The Year! Crappie Pappy if I can add one thing to your post it would be to carry a complete replacement set of inside and outside bearings along with the seals because if you ever have a problem it’s never 2 miles from the house. To protect them from damage caused by moisture I vac pack all of the bearings and put them in a water proof container and stow them in the boat. If you have the bearings you can usually get the needed repairs done in short order and salvage your trip.
If you over pump them you will blow the seal and that will allow water to enter. If all look well and all you do is pump them now and then you still need to jack up one side at the time and roll the wheel. You should hear nothing. If you hear a slight roar you need new bearings. It's best to remove the hubs once a year usually just before you start your spring running around. Knock out the inner bearing and seal and clean both sets of bearings and also the hub. With the hub cleaned you can check the races for any signs of staining of pitting. Change out any bad ones and you're set to go for the season with just a little pumping now and then. Another quick check is to put your hand on the hub after a few miles. It should be only slightly warm to the touch. Any more than that, pull the hub. You can get an infrared thermometer and use that to check the heat of the hubs. That makes it easy to head off any problems before it becomes a problem. The side of the road is a lonely place if you are not prepared. Carry a spare hub and bearing assembly if you travel down the interstates, you won't be sorry.
PPG
My boat trailer has the Bearing Buddys. I check them regularly and keep them topped off with grease.
I jack the trailer up a couple of times throughout the season and check for play in the bearings. I also carry a complete hub in case of a bearing failure if I'm going more than an hour from home.
it is pretty easy to blow out the inside seal on them from too much grease.
most of the time they don't require lots of replacement grease unless you are already leaking .
not sure if i like them more than the old regular types , the old version requires more visual inspection and is more likely going to reveal an internal issue if there is one .
one thing for sure the regular covers are messy to take off and add grease to the bearing area for sure
I can tell you from experience it's not a bad idea to repack hubs every 3 to 5 years even with the bearing buddies. After a while the geese don't get to the back bearings very well and it's not a fun sight to see both your wheel and tire pass your tow vehicle, especially with a single axle trailer.
geese don't get around as well when they get older
lol
Geezers neither!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranger R61
PPG
I visually check the bearings at least once a year. I check for over heating by touch every trip .
I also jack up the trailer and check for excessive slack by gripping the top and bottom of the wheel. 2-3 times per year.
Found my hub cover ( vortex brand ) cracked last month. Got lucky and was able to replace it before any water or dirt got in.
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Most common mistake is over filling the buddy bearings.
Just a couple pumps is plenty unless you have bad seals.
I always check my seals after launching or loading the boat.
Easy to do so with no boat on trailer.
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Only bearing fails that I’ve had has been with buddy bearings !
so I don’t use them anymore ! Take em apart every spring and inspect em clean em and grease back up and use the old style cap! No issues since I started doing that! :twocents
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Adams
Exactly most that have bearing problems with Bearing Buddies is they over fill them, and blow out the inside seal, the spring should be just compressed. Bearing buddies have nothing to do with getting grease into the bearings it is about keeping pressure inside the hub so water cannot get into the bearing area.
Example Your running down the road the tires and hubs get warm the spring compresses from higher temps then back that warm hub into the water and cool it down causing a vacuum the spring in the Bearing Buddy pushes back in to keep positive pressure in the hub.
Has anybody used the axle buddies? Those are what I use there is a blue button that comes out when it's full and as it goes in you know it's time for grease. You can visually check it when you couple or uncouple the trailer you don't have to take any dust covers off or anything. There's a little round cap you remove to access the grease fitting
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I take mine off every year no matter what they are to inspect and repack . Old habits die hard . lol :ThumbsUp