Bearing Buddy grease nipple failure

[am_dew]

I had bought a new grease gun and after adding a few squirts of grease into one of my Bearing Buddys I tried to remove the grease gun fitting but it would not budge no matter what I did while also being careful not to damage the BB. I ended up holding a large flat head screw driver head against the BB and gently pulling on the grease gun fitting to try and get the fitting off the nipple. It finally came off but in doing so, the BB's grease nipple broke off and was stuck in the grease gun's fitting. The result was a 1/4" hole in the face of the BB. Big trouble and to make things worse, this was the morning I was about ready to tow my boat about 200 miles to a vacation spot. I did not want to have to replace the BB so I got creative in my thoughts about needing to seal that hole. I ended up inserting a very short bolt with a small washer under it into the hole in the BB and then generously applied JB Weld under and around the bolt's head and the washer, and then waited for the JB Weld to harden before we left. I stopped several times along the way to check to be sure everything was holding and no grease was leaking. Obviously, I will need to replace that BB, but my fix worked well and got us to and from our vacation spot. Be careful about the grease gun you may buy and try it on something you don't care about before using it on your BBs!

 

[bruceb58]

Sounds like it was more of a grease gun failure!

I never have to add more grease to my Bearing Buddys once they are full.

 

[Rick Stephens]

That's a fine short term repair. Have to replace the bearing buddy anyway. At least you can make your trip.

Just so you know, a bearing buddy is not very good at pre greasing your bearings for a trip. They mostly get the outer bearing until the hub is entirely filled, and then if they get the inner bearing they puke grease all over your wheel.

Proper way to do wheel bearings is completely clean and inspect with fresh grease and seal every winter, then squirt just enough grease in the bearing buddy to push the spring out a little bit right before you back into the water. When the water cools off, and shrinks, your warm hub, instead of sucking in a drop of water your spring loaded buddy pushes grease in.

If you load up your buddys before heading out on a longish road trip, by the time you get there the grease has pushed into the hub and the buddy does nothing to keep water out. You don't have to put much grease in at the ramp, but the protections are much greater using them this way.

Rick

 

[am_dew]

Sounds like it was more of a grease gun failure!

That is true!

 

[am_dew]

That's a fine short term repair. Have to replace the bearing buddy anyway. At least you can make your trip.

Just so you know, a bearing buddy is not very good at pre greasing your bearings for a trip. They mostly get the outer bearing until the hub is entirely filled, and then if they get the inner bearing they puke grease all over your wheel.

Proper way to do wheel bearings is completely clean and inspect with fresh grease and seal every winter, then squirt just enough grease in the bearing buddy to push the spring out a little bit right before you back into the water. When the water cools off, and shrinks, your warm hub, instead of sucking in a drop of water your spring loaded buddy pushes grease in.

If you load up your buddys before heading out on a longish road trip, by the time you get there the grease has pushed into the hub and the buddy does nothing to keep water out. You don't have to put much grease in at the ramp, but the protections are much greater using them this way.

Rick

Thanks Rick for that good info.

 

[WIMUSKY]

I've had my gun stick on various fittings, not all by any means, so I think there my be a slight variance between fittings.

As far as greasing at the ramp? Never done it nor have I ever seen anyone else do it. Search for BBs and you'll have days of reading....

 

[Rick Stephens]

As far as greasing at the ramp? Never done it nor have I ever seen anyone else do it.

May not be common enough practice. Common is LOTS of inner wheel bearing failures on boat trailers through thinking bearing buddies can grease them effectively.

I owned a trailer shop for 20 years, built, rebuilt and repaired trailers. Most common thing towed into the shop is a boat trailer with an axle ground off. And most often, if we do preventative maintenance, it would be to find inner bearing rusted out and water intrusion on all inside bearings while the hub itself was packed with grease by virtue of bearing buddys.

You will never suck in water if you have spring pressure on your bearing buddys, You will never keep spring pressure when roading for very far without puking grease into your wheel wells or into your brake drums if you have em. Three, four squirts with a grease gun at the ramp each time and you will never have water in your hubs. Is that worth anything to you?

 

[BRICH1260]

You might want to give the tip of your gun a turn or two. I`ve gotten my gun stuck before finding that the grip of the tip can be adjusted by turning the outside collar to loosen its bite.

 

[am_dew]

You might want to give the tip of your gun a turn or two. I`ve gotten my gun stuck before finding that the grip of the tip can be adjusted by turning the outside collar to loosen its bite.

Good tip -- thanks, but I returned the gun for a refund when I bought the JB Weld for the temporary repair.

 

[bruceb58]

Three, four squirts with a grease gun at the ramp each time and you will never have water in your hubs. Is that worth anything to you?

If you have to put 3 or 4 squirts of grease at the launch ramp every time, where is all that grease disappearing to? When I fill my hubs, I fill them full. Doesn't take long before you never have to touch them again. If you need to put that much grease in, you have blown the rear grease seal and will grease all over your brakes.

 

[gm280]

If folks really think how bearing bubbies are designed to work, it is quite simple to have no bearing failures. First you clean everything out of the hub and the bearings. I use mineral spirits in a parts washer myself. After that you fill both bearings full of grease. I use the hand method as well. Then you install the rear bearing and seal and slide it on the axle. Then before you install the front (outer bearing), you fill the hub up with as much grease as you can. Then you install the front bearing and washer, nut and cotter pin. Then the Bearing Buddy. Then you use a grease gun and pump grease in until the bearing buddy piston just starts to move outward. That's it. The bearings and hub are now full so no water has any place to come in...period! No need to refill anything again. If you do it that way, you will not have any grease slinging all over the rear seal... JMHO!

 

[Frank Acampora]

You don't absolutely need to replace the bearing buddy. The zerk grease fitting that came out was undoubtedly a 1/4 inch size. They are made in various sizes with the same size nipple. SO: go to a good hardware store or possibly Fastenal and get the 3/8 size. Enlarge the hole and tap it for the new zerk fitting. Presto! Bob's your uncle.

If course, if you don't want to go through that trouble buy another set, but me being tighter than a crab's a---- (and that's water tight) would do it. Why throw out a perfectly good piece of equipment? Besides, I have the necessary taps.

 

[bruceb58]

That's it. The bearings and hub are now full so no water has any place to come in...period! No need to refill anything again. If you do it that way, you will not have any grease slinging all over the rear seal... JMHO!

++++1

 

[gm280]

You don't absolutely need to replace the bearing buddy. The zerk grease fitting that came out was undoubtedly a 1/4 inch size. They are made in various sizes with the same size nipple. SO: go to a good hardware store or possibly Fastenal and get the 3/8 size. Enlarge the hole and tap it for the new zerk fitting. Presto! Bob's your uncle.

If course, if you don't want to go through that trouble buy another set, but me being tighter than a crab's a---- (and that's water tight) would do it. Why throw out a perfectly good piece of equipment? Besides, I have the necessary taps.

Frank, some how we think alike. I was thinking the exact same thing being how I even remove jerk fittings before throwing any auto part out. And after just rebuilding the front end on our Blazer recently, I have a nice collection of different sizes as well. Just replace the jerk fitting and happy boating. I say we think alike but I really don't know about the crab's a---- part... :facepalm:

 

[Rick Stephens]

If folks really think how bearing bubbies are designed to work, it is quite simple to have no bearing failures. First you clean everything out of the hub and the bearings. I use mineral spirits in a parts washer myself. After that you fill both bearings full of grease. I use the hand method as well. Then you install the rear bearing and seal and slide it on the axle. Then before you install the front (outer bearing), you fill the hub up with as much grease as you can. Then you install the front bearing and washer, nut and cotter pin. Then the Bearing Buddy. Then you use a grease gun and pump grease in until the bearing buddy piston just starts to move outward. That's it. The bearings and hub are now full so no water has any place to come in...period! No need to refill anything again. If you do it that way, you will not have any grease slinging all over the rear seal... JMHO!

I suppose your grease doesn't expand when it gets hot.... regardless, doesn't matter to me how you do it. However, open your eyes and you will see lots of boat trailers on the side of the road with a burned out inner wheel bearing. Having made my living for 20 years on trailers, along with a long relationship with Dexter, I can tell you that filling a hub is not the best practice. And it surely won't work if you have brakes. Just no need to pump in that much grease.

 

[bspeth]

I just coat the inside of the hub and repack yearly,dont even use my BBs

 

[Fed]

There is no such thing as a rotating seal that stays perfect.

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/why.html

Aside from Bruce of course.

When the hub is full & pumped up then a little grease weeping out is normal.


I re- pump and wipe mine with a rag a couple of times a year, it's nothing.

 

[am_dew]

You don't absolutely need to replace the bearing buddy. The zerk grease fitting that came out was undoubtedly a 1/4 inch size. They are made in various sizes with the same size nipple. SO: go to a good hardware store or possibly Fastenal and get the 3/8 size. Enlarge the hole and tap it for the new zerk fitting. Presto! Bob's your uncle.

Good idea, but I don't think that I'll be able to remove the bolt that is now part of the BB's face due to the JB Weld I used to hold it in place and seal the hole.

 

[bruceb58]

Having made my living for 20 years on trailers, along with a long relationship with Dexter, I can tell you that filling a hub is not the best practice.

Well, if filling the hub isn't the best practice, how come the Dexter EZ-Lube axle fills the hub completely full? Bearing Buddy also tells you to fill the hub completely full.

Bearing Buddys only purpose in life is to provide pressure to the hub. The person packing the bearings is responsible for making sure the inner bearing gets properly packed. The Bearing buddy does not pack the wheel bearings!!!!!

 

[bruceb58]

Aside from Bruce of course.

Your grease is seeping out between the hub and the seal! Looks like you have a cheap seal or you cocked the seal when you installed it and bent it.

This is what mine looks like with the bearing Buddys full. And no I did not wipe it off for the picture.