Wheel Bearings

[Kaz]

So my trailers only 1 season old with about 800 miles on it. I outfitted the axle with bearing buddies. Should I worry about repacking the wheel bearings for this season or is it not necessary? Is it overkill to carry a spare hub and bearings?

[Jdw2717]

I repack mine every season especially if we plan any long trips. I also carry a spare tire and one of the hub sets with bearings and seals that are pre-greased from Northern Tool. Remember that when something fails, it will usually fail at the worst possible time at the worst possible place. At least it seams that way some times. I feel that I would rather repack the bearings in the garage at a no pressure pace then be on the side of some narrow road having to do it quickly and in a dangerous place.

[Tomterrific]

Bearing Buddies are made for boat trailers. The hub is warm from towing a boat on the highway, now the trailer hubs are backed into cold water, the Bearing Buddy is spring loaded so no water can be sucked in from negative pressure. I'm not saying Bearing Buddies aren't nice but they are not made for greasing bearings. A hub needs pulled and bearings greased to be sure rthey have grease. You may find that bearings aren't really greased when the hubs were originally assembled.

T

[Redneck Teepee]

Bearing Buddies are made for boat trailers. The hub is warm from towing a boat on the highway, now the trailer hubs are backed into cold water, the Bearing Buddy is spring loaded so no water can be sucked in from negative pressure. I'm not saying Bearing Buddies aren't nice but they are not made for greasing bearings. A hub needs pulled and bearings greased to be sure rthey have grease. You may find that bearings aren't really greased when the hubs were originally assembled.

T

Straight from the Bearing Buddy web site
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/

[les45]

I repack mine every season especially if we plan any long trips. I also carry a spare tire and one of the hub sets with bearings and seals that are pre-greased from Northern Tool. Remember that when something fails, it will usually fail at the worst possible time at the worst possible place. At least it seams that way some times. I feel that I would rather repack the bearings in the garage at a no pressure pace then be on the side of some narrow road having to do it quickly and in a dangerous place.

+1!!! It's called Murphy's Law (if anything bad can happen, it will, and at the most inopportune time). I always carry a complete spare hub assembly for the same reason. I'm not one who thinks the entire hub cavity has to be filled with grease so I make sure that there is ample grease in and around each bearing assembly. Anyone buying a Chinese trailer like the HF or NT should clean and pack with fresh grease before the first use. They come with a preservative that most people do not consider adequate as high temp grease. But you also have to inspect the name brand axles like Dexter before first use. I recently bought a new Dexter axle and (to me) it did not appear to have enough grease. It was only greased directly over the roller bearings with little or none on the sides of the bearings and races. I re-pack about once a year regardless of the amount of use. I think Bearing Buddies and similar caps that use grease fittings are a waste except on boat trailers.

[Shadow Catcher]

Too much grease is a problem http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28664/dangers-of-overgreasing Overgreasing can lead to high operating temperatures and collapsed seals.

[Tomterrific]

If you read the history and mission statement on the Bearing Buddy site you see they are designed for boat trailers. I was a service manager at a marina in 1975 so I dealt with plenty of boat trailers. I did not know that when I first saw the Bearing Buddy it was a new invention.

T