Why the buddy bearing?

[handle]

What exactly does the buddy bearing do?

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

It's a bearing buddy.
It's just a dust cap with a zerk fitting and a spring loaded disc to keep positive(grease)pressure on the bearings. Supposed to keep water out better than a dust cap alone.

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

 

[handle]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

The hub is a sealed unit what draws the water into the system?

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

The hub is a sealed unit what draws the water into the system?

When they are warm, Yes.

LK

 

[roscoe]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

Warm hub from running down the road.
Back trailer into cold lake water and it can draw water in.

The bad part is when the cycle repeats a bunch of times.

Yes the hub has a seal, and is sealed, but not hermetically.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

Bearing Buddies are a well proven concept.....but......they can be problematic if not fully understood. They can be over-greased causing the rear seal to leak or the Bearing Buddy to fall off. I have been a firm believer in BBs but lately I have tried a new concept, I use conventional dust caps, pack the bearings with food grade grease and pack the hub cavity and dust cap 25% full. I adjust the bearings on the loose side (about 1/32? at top of wheel) this prevents the hubs from getting warm. The food grade grease can tolerate water better than marine grade grease if any water was to get sucked in. The downside is food grade grease is expensive at $20 a tube. Even with the bearing buddies I have been using food grade grease for over 15 years on trailers and I/O zerks.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

OK, I heard somewhere that "any grease is better than no grease at all", but I would be concerned about the food grade grease's ability to lubricate and protect the bearings under normal operating conditions i.e. 70mph towing.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

OK, I heard somewhere that "any grease is better than no grease at all", but I would be concerned about the food grade grease's ability to lubricate and protect the bearings under normal operating conditions i.e. 70mph towing.

It is aluminum complex extreme pressure grease. I have industrial experience with that stuff and we have used it in some of the most extreme conditions,like everything you can imagine where bearing are getting washed down or are submerged in water day after day. I can't factually say it is better than marine grade but we tried both on some waste water pumps that were not required to use the food grade thinking the marine grease would be better...our PM records gave the food grade a slight edge.

 

[TimB]

Re: Why the buddy bearing?

I think the main advantage of bearing buddies is that it makes it easy to grease the hubs, so it is more likely that it will actually get done ... before the wheel falls off.