Bearing buddys for HF hubs

[kd5edj63]

Im worried about dammaging the rear seal and bearing if I try to remove and repack them. I was thinking about installing bearing buddys on the hubs and calling it good (maybe the bearing buddys will flush out the hubs over time) What size bearing buddy would my hubs need. Has anyone had good luck with this method or any other method that eliminats the repacking. I did repack the outer bearings and filled the hubs completely with grease, including filling the caps with grease. I would like to replace the grease fitting in the back with a relief valve. Does anyone know where I can get grease reliefe valves. Thanks

[mary and bob]

bearing buddys are generally used for boat trailers where the hubs will be submerged in water. where is the grease fitting and where does it feed grease to?

[kd5edj63]

The grease fitting is on the back side of the hub. Hard to get to without taking the wheel off. Id like to replace it with a relief valve. Or, if someone has part numbers for the inner bearings and seals, Id rather replace them then to try removing and cleaning the ones that came in the hubs

[IndyCubby]

Harbor freight carries their own version of bearing buddy to fit their hubs. Same idea...

http://www.harborfreight.com/198-inch-w ... 97166.html

I had them on my first teardrop. I like to repack my bearings each season and inspect the condition of the bearings and races, so I don't use these anymore. Besides, they tend to push the grease through the rear seal, causing it to fling everywhere as the wheel spins...big mess.

I agree that the grease zerks are hard to reach on the hf hubs.

[Wild Bill]

I will second that bearing buddies are for boat trailers that are submerged over and over again. The grease pressure when over greased will cause the premature seal failure and then if gone undetected will cause bearing failure. Annual repacks seems a bit much but if you feel better by doing it then ok. I would do repacks every 3 years or 5k miles, using quality grease. The new trailers seem to skimp on grease and I have always repacked new hubs when they are new, then I know how much grease is there and the quality. Good luck with your trailer and happy travels. Bill

[kd5edj63]

Thanks for the help guys. Many complaints that the HF units wont fit

[kd5edj63]

I went ahead and just removed and repacked the bearings as per the instructions. I added one step on one of the hubs...I boogered up the seal as I was affraid of. That was not a step. They do us no favor by assembling the hubs and then have you take it apart. Id rather it come completely dry and dissasembled. Oh well. I'll keep an eye on the seals and what not for my 1st few trips.

[Modstock]

Good thing you asked this question. I was wondering the same thing but now i'll just repack mine next season.
The past 2 yrs I ve been greasing in the zerk behind the wheel using an angle greaser thingy. But
Since I've had this TD, the passenger side hub has always leaked grease all over the wheel. MESS . Thinking the builder over greased the hub I haven't greased it much.

So while on road trips, while at rest stops, ect. I put my hand on the hub to check the temp's and see if its hot. As of now the pass side gets a little warm (not hot) after 100+ miles and the drivers side stays nice and cool . I keep an eye on it but next year its time to do the hubs .

[CowboyKell]

I just assembled my HF trailer for my TD a couple weeks ago. The inside of my hubs and bearings were dry for all practical purposes. (I'll explain "all practical purposes" someday) The bearings and seals seemed of adequate quality however I did find some very small welding splatter on the spindles. This would wreak havoc with the seals. I lightly scraped the splatter of with a flat screw driver then ran some fine sandpaper over the spindles to make sure I didn't miss any.

The rear bearing came out easy enough tapping on a piece of 1 inch wood ripped to the right width to fit across the bearing. I know, not the proper way but being slow and careful it worked.

Packed the bearings and filled the hubs with good grease. All I can do now is hope that's enough. I'm not worried though.

[len19070]

Not to cause any problems, but I think these are just "Fancy Dust Caps" with no grease fittings.

http://www.harborfreight.com/198-inch-w ... 97166.html

These are Bearing Buddies.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... 35751&mt=e

The size for a HF trailer is 1.98"

And though it is true that they are primarily used on boat trailers they do have a use on small trailers like ours. However, they will not replace a bearing pack.

I have 2-3 pairs in various sizes that I use when towing "Old" trailers back to my shop in situations where I can't repack the bearings before towing and don't really care how much grease splatters out. A few pumps of grease into the old bearings and I'm good to go....for a while!

Once back at my shop they get a proper bearing pack (or replaced) .

Happy Trails

Len

[Kody]

I worked for some time in the US doing vibration testing of bearings in an oil refinery. The bearing operated in a multitude of situations, types and sizes. One of the most impressive setups was where the tapered roller bearings ran in an oil bath, lubricated with oil instead of grease. This form of lubrication gave superior performance compared to lubrication with grease. The bearings ran much cooler and lasted so much longer. Maintenance was also much easier being quicker and cleaner. Any problem with the oil or bearing was instantly seen and the problem if any could be quickly made good.
The wheels on my trailer are lubricated at the moment with grease. The hubs will be coming off next year and oil baths fitted. The most important requirement is that the oil seal surface be as perfect as possible. This is easily achieved by using the stainless steel "seal saver" inserts on the axle that come in the kit or sold separately. The insert is only used on the inner bearing and is sealed (glued) onto the axle with a special silicon. It is essential that the "seal saver" inserts are used when running an oil bath for the bearings. The seal surface on the axle itself is the worst surface to ever run a seal on. The sealing area of the axle is only CNC machined and it's not polished to the degree that is needed for any seal to work properly.
Even if you retained the grease for your bearings, it would be to your great advantage to fit the "seal savers" to your axles as the seals will last much longer and do what they are supposed to do.
These oil baths will definitely be fitted to my axles/hubs next year. You can see all the info about them here, http://www.tiedown.com/pdf/c753.pdf

Kody

[KCStudly]

I notice that the oil bath end caps are threaded into the hub. Most hubs that I have seen in the USA only have a press fit at this location.

Are threaded hub dust caps common in OZ, or are the hubs part of the conversion?

[Kody]

The standard hub caps here in Aust, are knocked on with a hammer and a specific shaped drift that prevents damage to the end of the cap. The caps for the oil lubed hubs are threaded to provide a positive seal with an "O" ring. The caps are transparent to enable a daily visual check of the oil when on the road, or a yearly check if one is so inclined. The best thing about them is the very positive lubrication they provide which gives the gearings 3X's the life compared to a grease packed bearing. They are definitely a great and worthwhile investment.

Kody

[KCStudly]

So are the threaded hubs part of the conversion?

Do you have to have your existing hubs threaded (not an easy operation for a shade tree mechanic due to the large thread size and short depth), or do new hubs come with the kit?

[Wolffarmer]

Large trucks and their trailers use oil bath tapered bearings but I really question if they would really pay out on the smaller size bearings we are using. If a wheel bearing is properly serviced they will last a very very long time. I have a Datsun Pickup and the last time the front wheel bearings was greased was when it had about 90,000 miles on it. It now has 270,000 miles. And the original bearings. Ok I agree it needs to be done again. Trailer axle bearings are just front wheel bearings that do not steer so they have less stress on them. So why all this fuss about wheel bearings? Just service them properly. Feel the hubs occasionally. ( as you should your car bearings ) and use Bearing Buddies only on boat trailers.