Grease gun and bearing buddies

[sidechoke67]

This is my first Spring with my new boat. The trailer has some type of bearing buddies on the wheels - not sure if they are true bearing buddies or some competing product....either way, they basically look like bearing buddies.

I don't own a grease gun currently. Is there anything special that I need to know before buying one? i.e. are the fittings universal for all bearing buddy type products, or do I need figure out specifically what type of bearing protectors I have and match that to some grease gun fitting? The trailer is a basic EZ Loader without trailer brakes, if that matters.

thanks in advance!

 

[mike64]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

I believe the fittings are universal. Your bearing buddies should have a little metal nubbin on them called a "zerk" that the business end of the grease gun locks onto.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Any standard grease gun will work.Do not over do it..it will push the seals out of the backs of the hubs.
Depending on what type is on your trailer some bearing buddies have a relief hole if you over grease it.
Just pump until you see the center of the bearing buddy start to move out.

 

[22E6441]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Just pump until you see the center of the bearing buddy start to move out.

What he said.....best advice ever.

The buddies have a little hole in the sides that lets excess grease out when you get them full. However, getting them that full often causes problems with the seals on the other side. You see those trailers that have really greasy dirty wheels on the inside of the rim? Blown seals...likely from stuffing the buddies too full with too much force.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Don't buy the cheapest Harbor Freight gun.... I did and I wasted more grease trying to get it to work than I got into the bearings.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Don't buy the cheapest Harbor Freight gun.... I did and I wasted more grease trying to get it to work than I got into the bearings.

+1^ on that for sure! i bought one from harbor freight, it broke, exchanged it, still didnt work. so here it sits on a shelf, and the one i bought from walmart is 10x better. be careful and "angle" the grease gun when u slide it off the fitting, if not it will tweak the spring and the plate in there a little bit. Before you pump em up full of grease, are you going to inspect the bearings and repack them? if the trailer is brand new, its probably not neccessary.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

My advice is to take apart the wheels and clean and inspect the bearings if the trailer has been around for a while. I would take it apart and repack the bearings by hand that way you know where you stand. Nothing worse than have a $50.00 part ruin your whole week-end or even your whole day. Be safe and check it out. Then you can give the bearing buddies a little squirt now and then and be confident. Happy boating,

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Lots of great advice, that I plan to follow.


Thanks everyone!

 

[BeeLiner*87]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Just purchased HF pneumo gun...hopefully I will fare better...
Bearing Buddies look like a good invest. Def hav to repack bearings-not done since I've had...Spring is in the air!!!

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Just purchased HF pneumo gun...hopefully I will fare better...
Bearing Buddies look like a good invest. Def hav to repack bearings-not done since I've had...Spring is in the air!!!

I almost bought the pneumatic gun the then I would not have one to take with me on trips.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

I have a pneumaic, but i dont use it on bearing buddies...i like to pump them up slowly and feel the resistance building so i dont overdo it.

 

[tunes]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

I learned a trick from some of customers when I was the freindly NAPA guy. With a single lip seal, That is a seal that only has one lip that touches thespindle instead of two. You can turn the seal over and put it in the hub backwards that puts the sharp edge toward the water and will allow to seal out the water better and the grease when you pump it in will flow out easier with out pushing out the seal. The lip on a seal is designed to keep out whatever is on the sharp side of the seal.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

I don't know about that one, I wouldn't because it leaves the tension spring out there in the elements to rust up and disinigrate, good concept though.

 

[wvmedic]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

The NAPA seals don't have the tension spring, and they are easy to put in backwards if one isn't paying attention.

I just got two seals from NAPA and yes I put one in the wrong way, so I went to the local marina store and got two new seals.

The man that owns the store said the other seals woul have probly failed because they didn't have the tensioner spring and useing the bearing buddys you need the ones with the spring due to the pressure that the BB's keep on the seals, 3 psi. per there site.

Now I'm not saying you can't use a seal without the spring, just what the store owner told me.

Jeff.

 

[dan t.]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

spend the bucks,buy a top of the line grease gun, I suggest Lincon brand , it will last you the rest of your life. I also suggest Wynns ultra-synth high temp grease,I have used it for years in trailer bearings and never had a bearing failure

 

[Ram58]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

I agree with the Lincoln brand grease gun, with a rigid grease tube (easier to hold on the zerk) and Penzoil Marine grade or Lubriplate brand grease.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

I learned a trick from some of customers when I was the freindly NAPA guy. With a single lip seal, That is a seal that only has one lip that touches thespindle instead of two. You can turn the seal over and put it in the hub backwards that puts the sharp edge toward the water and will allow to seal out the water better and the grease when you pump it in will flow out easier with out pushing out the seal. The lip on a seal is designed to keep out whatever is on the sharp side of the seal.

Why not just buy a double lip seal in the first place?

 

[Begester]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Can someone enlighten me on what a Bearing Buddy is? I have greasing my trailer bearings on my list of de-winterizing things to do but am not sure where to look for the metal fitting that I plug the grease gun in to. I've got a standard EZ-Loader tandem axle with brakes. I assume that greasing bearings on a boat trailer is similar to greasing bearings on a car.

I'm also planning on taking my boat over the mountains to Eastern Washington for Memorial Day weekend, which is about a 300 mile round trip through mountains. Do I need to worry about greasing my bearings twice? It's my first trip long-hauling a boat trailer, trying to eliminate any surprises.

Thanks for the help.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

It's basicaly a bearing cap with a grease zerk with the exception that it has a spring loaded plunger, it enables you to use a grease gun to fill the entire hub with grease.

 

[fortyfreak9]

Re: Grease gun and bearing buddies

Begester where are you going in Eastern Washington? I am in Spokane and I know some hot spots for fishin.