Bearing buddies

[Stu_000]

Just after some opinions on bearing buddies. I realise it's been touched on before but I think it's an important issue as blown bearings on a long trip can ruin your day (although I carry a spare hub on the trailer packed and ready to go if that should happen). Saves being up to your elbows in grease on the side of the road.

I'm pretty convinced they are not worth installing. I repacked my bearings, installed the buddies and went to work with the grease gun, rather than fill the whole hub with grease, as they are supposed too, they tend to fill the outer hub (and push a bit of grease through the outer bearing) and then blow the seal on the bearing buddy and start filling the outside of the buddy. The inner bearing gets no grease at all as the buddy cannot withstand enough pressure to force grease through the outer bearing. The weakest point is the O ring on the buddy. The only purpose they seem to serve is to keep water out of the outer hub area which a cap will do anyway.

So do I have cheap and nasty buddies here or have other people found the same problem? I really think they need to be redesigned to withstand the grease gun pressure so the whole hub can be filled. And another point where is the air supposed to go when you fill the hub with grease? Through the seal on the axle or back through the bearing buddy?

Interested to hear your thoughts and opinions

Cheers

[Shane]

Wouldn't have the foggiest, but would be very interested for when I am water mobile again.

[brad mcdonald]

g'day stu,

i had a similar issue mate and have not found a real solution.

another glitch i found is that the grease nipple can work loose. i actualy found one of the nipples stuck in side the dust cover...

along a similar theme i have had an issue with my grease gun (brand new) not releasing from the nipple, to the point that to get the dam thing off you just about stuff the bearing buddy.

perhaps i have the cheap dodgy ones as well....

last lot i put on i locktighted the nipple into the buddy and have not tried to fill it since.... i'll see how it goes this weekend.

macca

[Richo]

All these bloody nipples, were ya having trouble cause it was cold??

[Stu_000]

along a similar theme i have had an issue with my grease gun (brand new) not releasing from the nipple, to the point that to get the dam thing off you just about stuff the bearing buddy.


Same problem I had Brad. You have to rip the gun off the nipple and hence put more tension on the bearing spring and perhaps the O ring.

Where does all this grief end ?

Richo cold or not you have to use a grease gun. Putting the grease in your mouth and your mouth over the nipple is never going to work

[Stu_000]

BTW has anyone ever used a bearing buddy and managed to actually fill the hub? If so what brand of BB?

People warn you not to pump too much grease in as you may blow the inner axle seal - fat chance of that I reckon

[madaff]

stu it goes back to when you first install, I have always used the original Bearing Buddies and found they are worth their weight in gold. All of my first boats I always had rust issues through simple and normal use. I have had bearing noise through water intrusion and shaft's with rusted pit marks. Now, no-one ever touches bearings until something goes wrong. When I first bought my Hornet I fitted the Bearing Buddies, but before I did that I pulled the hub's cleaned out all the old cheap crap grease, repacked the bearings. I packed in as much grease inside the hub as I could. Then fitted the Buddy to this day now some 8 years down the tack between my old Hornet and my current boat I have had not a single issue with rusting or noisy bearing. I can concluded that they do what they are supposed to do. One is to replace the air cavity with grease and create pressure for which water can not intrude.

Some grease guns have a adjustment screw where it clips onto the nipple, this is because grease nipple sizes vary so the adjustment must be done to complete a positive connection.

I have had grease blow out the side of the cap and the rear seal and I think this was because the entire inner hub was full of grease.

Yeah I think the original Buddies are well worth it, I did once try a set of plastic ones but one day one of them just fell off and grease went everywhere

[BIG PETE]

Stu

there is another system for lubing the bearings mate from memory they dont use grease you put oil in them
i cant remember what they are called but if you give trailer parts a call they can tell you all about them

[Stu_000]

Thanks madaff. Good to see someone has had some success with them. One thing I disagree with is no one touches them 'til something goes wrong. I regularly repack mine and replace the bearings if required.

I was thinking last night it may help if you actually put some extra grease in the hub before you actually put it on the axle. Obviously allow enough room for the axle. That may couter the fact that my BB seals are crap and blow out easy.

The other issue that occurred to me is that people may rely too heavily on the BB's and just put a squirt of grease in every year rather than inspect the whole hub assembly as they should. It only takes a small tear in the axle seal and water will get in and affect the grease (turns milky) and then in time the bearings.

Interesting the oil concept Pete - i'll look into that

Cheers

[Rosie]

I've found the original Bearing Buddies to be great. But we replaced both bearings when they were installed so that might make a differance.

The other oil type ones called "Durahub" can be bought from supercheap and have a little glass window on them. I don't know how well they work but they add bling to your trailer.

[Brad Y]

Stu,

the tracker came with bearing buddies in the trailer and they have been great. I do alot of travelling up to perth, to albany, walpole etc and my bearings have been fine so far. Every couple of months, I wipe the old grease out and fill with new stuff. I use Caltex Liplex2 grease (blue/green). Nearly had the boat a year now and havent had to change bearings. Will probably do it before perth round.

On the issue of having trouble removing the grease gun, how full are you filling the buddy? I know on some of the grease nipples at work, if I pump them right up so I cant do it anymore, it gets hard to remove the nozzle. I will tend to watch how much I put in as too much just flies out and splats all over the boat. Maybe reduce the amount you put in a little.

Cheers

[BIG PETE]

thats the one Ben i know a few guys who run them on really big tri axle boat trailers and these guys do big trips up north they love them never had prob

[Mark M]

Stu, I recall Bundy Bear had a problem with the oiler types, when travelling to Hedland. One of the leaked all the oil.

I understand that you can use an old inner seal , reverse it onto the axle and use a large SS clamp to fix it to the axle so the new inner seal rest against it. Apparently stops the inner seal blowing and leaking grease?

[Craig]

Stu

I also had the non-original bearing buddies and they were hopeless as you are discovering. I even had one exit the hub on a trip to Busselton! Yes the grease gun was always sticking to the nipple (Richo syndrome I think it is called).

So for bearing buddies go the original if you can find them.

Currently I am running the Dura Hub (oil filled) and have had no real dramas.

[Pete from the East]

I have used bearing buddies for years and I could not fault them, get the grease right before fitting and no problems.

I have just swapped over to the oil filled ones and I use a mixture of 50 wt and lucas oil stabliser as it sticks to metal.
I have taken my trailer for a couple of long runs without any problems so far.

What I like about the oil fill system is you can see if the lube level is down and if any water gets in it sticks out like dogs ears.

Even with the oil type you have to wait a while for the oil to work its way thru the bearings so that you get the oil level right, the blurp says the for every revolution the bearings get covered four times.

Big Pete from the east