Bearing Buddies

[kk4iz]

Chris and Mike how did you remove the grease fitting on the end of the axle and how often and how much or should say how many pumps of grease? Talked to QualityTrailer Parts, they are the one that make the axles for Xpress, they said to do away with the fitting in the end of axle and put Bearing Buddies on.

[xpress spanky]

Warren,it's been a while since i did mine,but i'm pretty shure they are pressed in.Try vice grips,and if that don't work,take a hammer and chisel and whack the crap out of it. The best i remember they came out fairly easy with a little force.After you get the buddies on fill them with grease till the piston comes out just a little.Now spin the wheel while you have it jacked up to work any air out and pump a little grease till you see the piston move.You don't want to force it all the way out,but if you get a little to much in there they do have a pressure relief built in and bleed the excess out.BE shure that the bearings are well lubed before you put it all together because if you put the bearings in dry,you won't get grease to the back bearing because of an air pocket.Check them after every trip,and top them off till you no longer need to add grease.To see if the buddy is holding a little pressure you should be able to push the grease fitting from side to side and see it rock.

[Bass Junkie]

Zerk fittings come in two flavors; pressed in and screwed in. I would have to think those are the screwed in type. Look close at the fitting itself and see if the perimeter of it looks like a small nut. If so it will unscrew with a wrench.

[Bass Junkie]

Dang, Spanky types faster than me apparently. Maybe they are pressed in. If so you should be able to jerk it out or pry it out. It you tear it up, who cares, your throwing it in the trash anyway.

[xpress spanky]

If i beat you typeing,your pretty slow.

[Bass Junkie]

I got an excuse; I was trying to watch the game on ESPN at the same time as I was typing. Yeah, or something like that......

[kk4iz]

3 of them are press in and one screwed in because it fell out when we went to grease it a few years back. Thanks guys We have run Bearing Buddies but it been a long time.

[Kevin R.]

I threw mine out when I picked the boat up... I would have shipped them to ya.

[kk4iz]

What are you using?

[Kevin R.]

I run dust caps and hand pack mine, with a waterproof high end grease, With a packing tool. As a tech I see my fair share of axles that are shot due to the lazyness of most owners I see. My new trailer was close to being included. The seals were the 10 yr old ones that were blown out and the inner bearing was rusted and coming apart. the outer had plenty of freash grease but was pitted bad. I know most here know they still have to tear them down and clean the old worn grease out and repack, check the seals and just use the buddies as a maint. pump or two, but some think this is how you grease the bearings. I don't believe that pumping old worn grease into the inner bearing until it blows the seal lip out is how you repack bearings I have 14 trailers as of now, I take a day off a year, tear down the hubs, clean and pack, repalce the seals on my water toys, and clean and adjust the brakes on those with brakes. I am an over maint type person with everything. In 10+ yrs I have never had a road side issue or a seized hub. I had a guy 2 weeks ago ask me to use the shop grease gun and watched him pump chassy grease into his hubs untill rusted grease folded the worn out lip of his seal out on his ski rig trailer. He's going to need an axle soon I bet. I may catch some flak for this but, it's my trailer and I'll do the maint how I feel best for me.

[cmtbasser]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Kevin R. &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I run dust caps and hand pack mine, with a waterproof high end grease, With a packing tool. As a tech I see my fair share of axles that are shot due to the lazyness of most owners I see. My new trailer was close to being included. The seals were the 10 yr old ones that were blown out and the inner bearing was rusted and coming apart. the outer had plenty of freash grease but was pitted bad. I know most here know they still have to tear them down and clean the old worn grease out and repack, check the seals and just use the buddies as a maint. pump or two, but some think this is how you grease the bearings. I don't believe that pumping old worn grease into the inner bearing until it blows the seal lip out is how you repack bearings I have 14 trailers as of now, I take a day off a year, tear down the hubs, clean and pack, repalce the seals on my water toys, and clean and adjust the brakes on those with brakes. I am an over maint type person with everything. In 10+ yrs I have never had a road side issue or a seized hub. I had a guy 2 weeks ago ask me to use the shop grease gun and watched him pump chassy grease into his hubs untill rusted grease folded the worn out lip of his seal out on his ski rig trailer. He's going to need an axle soon I bet. I may catch some flak for this but, it's my trailer and I'll do the maint how I feel best for me. </td></tr></table> All good advice, I do the same. I knock em off too and use a cap, I havent yet on mine since I had new brgs installed in wisconsin before the trip down here a few years ago and I jack it up and check em before every road trip.

[kk4iz]

I've got a packing tool but still like to do it the old fashion way, grease on the edge of bearing and use palm of hand to push the grease out the other side of bearing. We use Amsoil water proof bearing grease and do believe in repacking. Just like the prositive pressure on the bearing when backing into the water.

[Kevin R.]

I understand. Alittle silicone on the dustcaps and you never have water in the bearing area.

[MrTotty]

I used a Pry Bar that has a nail remover in it. I hit it a few times with a hammer (to knock it on the fitting, and pulled. It popped right out

[xpress spanky]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Kevin R. &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I understand. Alittle silicone on the dustcaps and you never have water in the bearing area. </td></tr></table>

I do not agree.You WILL suck water in from the rear seal IF you have the dust cap sealed well.Let me explain,when you drive down the road the hubs heat up slowly releasing the pressure along the way.Now you back your trailer into the cool water and it creates a vacum in the hubs and will suck in water.Thats why the bearing buddy is the best system on a boat trailer.It's not that you never have to clean and repack bearings,but to keep water out.With the slight pressure of the pistons,it keeps a positive pressure on the inside.Now with the factory setup with the fittings on the axle,when you pump grease in it goes all the way to the back bearing first,and forces the old grease out the front but does not keep water out well at all.Just pull the rubber plug and look after you pull the trailer out of the water.Thats why i think that setup is not good,and i shure don't want just a solid dust cap on mine.In 30yrs of pulling boat trailers WITH bearing buddies i've never had a bearing issue.You can do as you please because it's your rig,but i shure wouldn't recomend it.

[Kevin R.]

Well, like I said, not everyone would agree. So far it's worked for me, I've only had boat trailers for 10 years but no water in the hubs so far.

[kk4iz]

Talked Robert at Quality Trailer Parts, the one that makes axles for Xpress trailers and other trailer companies, he does not use the axle fitting but the Bearing Buddies. He has worked for them for over them for 30 yrs and he put BB on his boat trailer. He said the axle fitting was find for equipment trails that is not put in water like a boat trail. Also said the same thing that Mike said.

[kk4iz]

Got my BB installed with new tang washers.Guess what in the caps that came from the factory with only 12 mile to the ramp and 12 miles back. WATER Clean everything up good and knock the front two fitting off and the back two screwed in Installed the BB and used Amsoil water resistant wheel bearing grease pump enough grease in to start the spring part to move out and stop turned wheel and check hub. Should not have any problems now

[JR250SHO]

I'm stickin with the center drilled axle. Warren, do you have a number for Quality Trailer Parts? Mike, I think someone might have miss lead you on the hub expanding and contracting due to heat. On a bridge section that is several hundred feet long and has tons of steel and concrete only a few inches is allotted for expansion. The thermal expansion of cast iron and steel isn't enough to cause this a vaccum that the rubber seal and plug can't compensate for. Maybe the expansion of the grease but with inside rubber seals and outside rubber plug should be more than enough to compensate for any volume change.

[kk4iz]

I talked to Robert at Quality Trailer Parts his number is 1-800-334-6355 ext. 114. He is the one that first told me to go with BB I believe.