Bearing Buddies

[BoatBuoy]

Are they really worth it or could I just drill and tap the dustcap and install an Alemite? Or just re-pack regularly. What is best-practice?

 

[wayne h]

Re: Bearing Buddies

get them they are well worth the money. drilling and tapping will not be the same because there is a spring the holds grease pressure on the bearings. u still have to inspect and repack bearings but buddys will make it alot cleaner and easyer to keep water out and grease in

 

[Ross J]

Re: Bearing Buddies

Ditto what wayne34609 said!<br />I ran my boat trailor (salt water use, 5m boat) for x4 years without bearing buddies and replaced the bearings and oil seals on average at 18 months! when I decided to fit the bearing buddies I haven't been through a set of bearings yet! And thats over three years since.<br />I wouldn't have a trailor without them, there's little maintanence.<br />You'll never regret that decision.<br />Ross

 

[dogsdad]

Re: Bearing Buddies

I agree completely with the other guys. For the ease of maintenance and the confidence they provide, they are definitely a MUST-HAVE!

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Bearing Buddies

A must have for sure. When I started this boating season I checked the wheels on the trailer and they were rough sounding, pretty bad. I pumped grease into them and went on my way. I checked again after a couple trips and it was better but still rough sounding when I spun the wheel. I put more grease into them today and tonight at the ramp you cannot even hear the wheel spinning.<br /><br />If I did not have these bearing buddy;s I would have had to pull the hub and re-pack the bearings, a real mess for me usually.<br /><br />They are worth it!!!!!<br /><br />-=John

 

[wayne h]

Re: Bearing Buddies

Johnshan1 <br />if you are getting a gritty "rough" sound when spinning the wheel u really need to take it apart and see what is in there and what is going on before u lose a wheel. even know the sound might be gone i am sure there is bearing damage.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Bearing Buddies

Lose a wheel? Any dry bearings will cause a rough sound.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Bearing Buddies

10 years with the Buddy Bearing and still love them....

 

[jlshields]

Re: Bearing Buddies

Johnshan, if you have had dry bearings you have had damage. If not from running them dry then by condensation and rust. Better heed Wayne's suggestion.

 

[Cobotr]

Re: Bearing Buddies

I agree with Wayne. The adding of grease is only masking the sound and problem. With less grease on the bearings (I doubt they're dry), you are getting a better representation of the races to the rollers. When you add the grease, you allow the rollers to insulate themselves (remember, there's no weight on the wheel at this time) away from the races slightly. Once the weight is reapplied the bad rollers come into harsh contact with the bad race and will continue to self distruct no matter how much grease is applied. And feeling the hubs for heat is not always a good indicator of a bearing that's going out, only one that's really really bad. Better to catch it now, it's trying to tell you something. Better to be the hero in the driveway rather than the looser on the road. Bearing buddies are nice but they aren't the end all for bearing maintenance.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Bearing Buddies

Thanks for the advice however I take my bearings apart and replace every 2-3 seasons anyway, on every trailer I own. I am not worried about it in the least, but thanks for the advice guys im sure if there hadnt been apart in 5+ years I may have a concern on my hands. All my vehicles and equipment is very well maintained.

 

[wayne h]

Re: Bearing Buddies

hummmm ok food luck it only takes 2 min to pull the outer bearing and look at it to be sure. a wheel baring should never go dry and should NEVER have a rough sound to it unless there is a problem

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Bearing Buddies

I believe you have identified a problem, I would recommend that you replace the offending bearings in the driveway, cuz I think if you just grease them up you will be doing it on the side of the road. They are not that expensive, and bearing buddies are cheap insurance at about 12 bucks a pair. Had them on my dads boat trailer since 1976 and never a bearing related failure. <br /><br />Once dirt infiltrates the bearing you are best off replacing the entire bearing. Same said for running them dry.<br /><br />Just my opinion, but I hate being stranded roadside when I should be boating!!

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Bearing Buddies

I repeat, I take my bearings apart and replace every 2-3 seasons I dont know of anyone who does that, just because my bearings needed a little grease doesnt mean they are shot. Let it go guys im all set.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Bearing Buddies

Johnshan1,<br /><br />Your maintenance schedule is not in question, every 2 - 3 years is great, but if you wait 2 years after you hear a rumble, you are asking for trouble. Your safety is your problem, but when your bearings sieze and snap an axle it becomes everyones problem - ever seen a wheel flying of a trailer at 50mph?<br /><br />It happens. It happens to people who service their bearings regularly. It happens to people with the best intentions.<br /><br />A rumbly bearing cannot be fixed by greasing it - it will only mask the problem.<br /><br />The people on this thread are not attacking you. They (and I) have identified a glaringly obvious problem - what you do with that is up to you.<br /><br />Good luck.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[wayne h]

Re: Bearing Buddies

dont drive behind him hahaha. <br />u are right not every 1 does that every 2-3 seasons thats the people u see on the side of the road missing a wheel because they did not realize there bearings had a rough sound to them haha. just because they are serviced ever 2-3 seasons does not mean they will not go bad. all it take is a hot wheel and cold sea - lake water to cool the wheel fast and suck in all the water and sand into your bearings. even a good bump or pot hole can shatter a bearing now u have all the metal in there grinding everything up. i value my boat,my life and others around me too much to let a noisy bearing go. looks like u have a 10 to 1 vote that u might have a poroblem.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Bearing Buddies

So lets see, do I just clean the bearings or replace? <br /><br />If I pull the bearings and find no foriegn debris at all, do I win a prize? :-d

 

[wayne h]

Re: Bearing Buddies

u need to clean and inspect them thought you serviced them every 3-4 seasons? how do u service them just wondering.remember every bearing has an inside and outside race the inside race is part of the bearing assy. and most people never look at that they just check the rollers and can miss a bad race. win a prize ?? if peice of mind is a prize. none of us are trying to pick a fight just trying to help out and maybe save u from a disaster. i think all will agree with me on this. i keep writing in because i want u to know that we are all on this board to help teach and learn. just pull the outside bearing and see what u find if its nothing then we all stand corrected. i say the outside bearing because that is usually the 1 that fails and makes all the problems on the road

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Bearing Buddies

I service my bearings every 3-4 seasons by simply REPLACING them, along with the races, and cleaning the hubs till they are spotless, new seals as well.

 

[Cobotr]

Re: Bearing Buddies

I'd say that if the bearing set is making noise, both bearings need to be thoroughly inspected. I wouldn't stop at just the outer bearing if it's found to be bad. Best case it costs you a seal, worst case it costs a bearing and a seal, but you definely know what you have. I've serviced bearing sets that the outer set was great and the inners were the problem. I've serviced wheel bearings for over 30 years and have seen all kinds of failures.<br /><br />You don't have to have "foreign debris" to have a bad bearing. All it takes is one bad pit in either a race or a roller to make the noise and start the deterioration process.<br /><br />I'm not trying to argue with anyone, it's just that there may be people out there that want to learn how to do it right. Servicing on a regular basis is great, however, that doesn't mean that the bearings are guaranteed to go from service interval to service interval. So from time to time, you jack it up, check the play and listen to what the bearings are trying to tell you, regardless of the service interval. Very cheap assurance.