HF wheel bearing protectors

[nikwax]

I found these at HF the other day and bought a set (still sitting on my desk). Looks like a good idea, it has a zerk fitting right under the (ugly grey) cap. Install instructions are:

clean bearings.

place protector in dust cover bore.

drive protector in with hammer and block of wood

fill unit with grease gun


Comments? I know you would still want to periodically clean and inspect the bearings.

[madjack]

...also known as "bearing buddies"...some people hate 'em and some love 'em...if you use 'em, be sure to grease them with a hand pumped grease gun and not an air powered one...an air powered gun or even a hand held one can blow out the rear seal if you overload with grease...the zerk should be in a spring loaded plate that will push out as it is greased...DO NOT OVER GREASE as this could cause the aforementioned seal failure....
madjack

[angib]

Can you get at the bearings after you've driven the protector in with a hammer? This looks like a one shot deal - if the bearings go, isn't the whole axle scrap, because you can't get at the spindle nut to take the hubs off?

Andrew

[BrwBier]

Periodically greasing the bearings on a teardrop is totally unnecessary. Has anyone owned a car before front wheel drive? How often did the bearings on the front wheels require service. Bearing buddies were designed for boat trailers, they are ment to give a shot of grease when coming out of the water and are ment to expell the water past the rear seal.
Brwbier

[bobhenry]

Can you get at the bearings after you've driven the protector in with a hammer? This looks like a one shot deal - if the bearings go, isn't the whole axle scrap, because you can't get at the spindle nut to take the hubs off?

Andrew

It look like it simply replaces the dust cap . You drive it on also and just wiggle it loose with pliers to remove it . I am sure that is how this contraption works.

[Nitetimes]

It look like it simply replaces the dust cap . You drive it on also and just wiggle it loose with pliers to remove it . I am sure that is how this contraption works.

That is how it works but I have found that once you remove them and re-install them they tend to be a bit too loose and end up working themselves out of the hub. I've actually had to duct tape them back in after a seal replacement so the customer wouldn't lose them on the way home.

Don't like those things, seen them cause way too many bearing failures.

[bobhenry]

That is how it works but I have found that once you remove them and re-install them they tend to be a bit too loose and end up working themselves out of the hub. I've actually had to duct tape them back in after a seal replacement so the customer wouldn't lose them on the way home.

Don't like those things, seen them cause way too many bearing failures.

Back in the day when I was wrenching if the dust caps were sloppy we would take a well used center punch ( dull as hell) and peen them from the inside in 3 places equal spaced around the cap. this makes a little mushroon outward and will tighten them back up. After all duct tape just screams tacky workmanship !

[nikwax]

Periodically greasing the bearings on a teardrop is totally unnecessary. Has anyone owned a car before front wheel drive? How often did the bearings on the front wheels require service.
Brwbier

I owned several rear wheel drive cars, now have a 4x4 truck, all require front wheel bearing lubrication at regular intervals. 30k on my truck, I think it was 18k on the VW's. Oh, my BMW motorcycle with shaft drive has a several bearings in the rear drive that need periodic replacement. Much better to replace them before they fail than get towed.


I completely disagree that bearings don't need regular service. At the very least I'd want to look at them periodically to make sure nothing is amiss. Any bearing can fail.

[nikwax]

good discussion on these bearing buddy things. As they are unopened, I'll return them, seems like they aren't going to do anything for me that regular maintenance wouldn't, plus they'll add some overhead that I don't need.

[bobhenry]

good discussion on these bearing buddy things. As they are unopened, I'll return them, seems like they aren't going to do anything for me that regular maintenance wouldn't, plus they'll add some overhead that I don't need.

And you can visually inspect them. Look for pitting ,spalled areas (looks like a flake was lifted off) and any scratches. If these exist replace them.
The squirt and go method won't allow visual inspection . This is probably the single most important step in servicing bearings.

[Nitetimes]

After all duct tape just screams tacky workmanship !

I agree, but when they are too cheap to replace them you do what ya gotta to get em out the door. It usually just got them home and gave them time to figure out they really did need new ones. I've done the punch thing before but that is really just a temp fix too.

[brian_bp]

Periodically greasing the bearings on a teardrop is totally unnecessary. Has anyone owned a car before front wheel drive? How often did the bearings on the front wheels require service.
Brwbier

I owned several rear wheel drive cars, now have a 4x4 truck, all require front wheel bearing lubrication at regular intervals. 30k on my truck, I think it was 18k on the VW's. Oh, my BMW motorcycle with shaft drive has a several bearings in the rear drive that need periodic replacement. Much better to replace them before they fail than get towed.


I completely disagree that bearings don't need regular service. At the very least I'd want to look at them periodically to make sure nothing is amiss. Any bearing can fail.

I don't see any disagreement here. Periodic service or maintenance is required... but the period is very long (it would take most people several years to put 18,000 miles on a recreational trailer), and that service is not blindly squirting in grease every trip. It is disassembling and inspecting (yes, with grease replacement as necessary) at each of those infrequent intervals.

I believe that the "bearing protectors" or Bearing Buddies allow people to perform a completely unnecessary (for travel trailers) operation of blindly forcing in more grease, and don't avoid the required periodic maintenance of inspection.

[brian_bp]

Periodically greasing the bearings on a teardrop is totally unnecessary. Has anyone owned a car before front wheel drive? How often did the bearings on the front wheels require service. Bearing buddies were designed for boat trailers, they are ment to give a shot of grease when coming out of the water and are ment to expell the water past the rear seal.
Brwbier

I also had a front-wheel-drive car for 353,000 km (about 220,00 miles) with this same type of bearings in the back. Those rear bearings were inspected and repacked when the brakes were serviced... and not otherwise. They never gave any problems.... but it wasn't an amphibious car!

[BrwBier]

I guess what I should have said is not every 3k to 5k as some have said. Periodic was the wrong choice of words. If you really feel you have to and have just to much time on your hands, then seasonally would be OK but I would pick a mileage to service at. Like maybe every 12k or 2 years. If properly done and properly adjusted they will be just fine. A light coat of grease on the axle and grease on the lip of the seal, pack the bearings by hand, don't put the seal in crooked, inside bearing in the wheel then the seal, slip the hub on the axle, outer bearing on then the washer and nut. Now put the wheel on, then it is time to adjust the bearings. (Remember, you only adjust bearings with the wheel on.) Tighten the nut to 12ft lbs, then spin the wheel and then back the nut off and then tighten finger tight. If you feel play in the wheel it's too loose, if you think you felt play that is just about right. Put the cotter pin in and the dust cap on and forget it for two years.
Brwbier

[angib]

Put the cotter pin in and the dust cap on and forget it for two years.

I'm with you on most of this, but I would always jack the wheel up and test for free play after 100 miles or so - and if necessary, adjust the bearings then.

Andrew