Bearing buddy ?

[RUGER]

Ok I have bearing buddy's on my boat trailer wheels.
I love the fact that, in order to grease my bearings, all I have to do is walk up, attach the grease gun and give it a few pumps.

My issue is, apparently, the spring in the bearing buddy can actually blow the seal out of the back side of the bearing.
Not a huge deal but I am tired of seeing my trailer wheels all nasty and black from the grease being slung around everywhere.

When I first put them in I pumped the bearings full of grease until the spring was about 3/4 of the way to fully compressed.
I never dreamed the spring would have enough force to push grease out the back.

I fear not having "enough" grease in them and a bearing going down on the road.
I guess my question is, how do you know how much to put in them to insure you have enough, yet not have it blow the seal out in the back?

Would I be better off just replacing the bearings and pack them the old fashioned way and put a regular cap on the hub?
If so, how often would you take them apart and re-pack with grease?

 

[Mattt]

Might have been the spring but more than likely just too much grease. I check mine yearly, and before any big trips. I pull a trailer at least once a week and do some cross country trips every hunting season.

 

[RUGER]

That is what confuses me.
If I stopped putting grease in before the spring was compressed fully, how did it have enough pressure to blow the seal?

 

[randy]

Did the seal actually come out of the hub? or did the grease just get pushed by the seal?

 

[RUGER]

Did the seal actually come out of the hub? or did the grease just get pushed by the seal?

Good question.
I would venture to say it just got pushed by the seal.
Been too cold to tear into it and look LOL

 

[randy]

A lot of seal problems can be attributed to the wrong type and or size of seal.

 

[FishnFed]

ruger,

I'm very familiar with bearing buddies. I pulled a Champion Bass boat all around East Texas fishing bass tournaments for several years. You're correct about blowing out the rear seal; been there, done that and it is always at night, in the rain, on some back country road.....

The trick is to only put enough grease in until the blue collar inside the bb moves out about 1/8". You should be able to rock it a bit. This will allow for expansion of the grease as it heats up going down the road but not so much that it puts enough pressure on the hub for a rear seal blow out.

 

[Spurhunter]

We tend to over grease everything. It sounds like this is the case. You have the entire cavity full of grease. When everything heats up and expands there's nowhere for it to go. I will add that those hubs they sell at Northern for a cheap price have cheap seals. I have also noticed the springs tend to be stronger than the seals.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[dr]

We tend to over grease everything. It sounds like this is the case. You have the entire cavity full of grease. When everything heats up and expands there's nowhere for it to go. I will add that those hubs they sell at Northern for a cheap price have cheap seals. I have also noticed the springs tend to be stronger than the seals.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Yep, I did that. I ended up removing part of the grease from the hub, and reinstalling the seal.

 

[Duck dogn]

Done the same thing myself this year thinking I blew a seal on my boat trailer I removed both hubs before duck season to find good seals with too much grease! I also have bearing buddies

 

[Steyrhunter]

I top mine off a couple of times per year. They have served me well for last 15 years on ATV trailer. Still on original bearings, and third set of tires. The pay for themselves over and over...

 

[larry ipock]

ruger,

I'm very familiar with bearing buddies. I pulled a Champion Bass boat all around East Texas fishing bass tournaments for several years. You're correct about blowing out the rear seal; been there, done that and it is always at night, in the rain, on some back country road.....

The trick is to only put enough grease in until the blue collar inside the bb moves out about 1/8". You should be able to rock it a bit. This will allow for expansion of the grease as it heats up going down the road but not so much that it puts enough pressure on the hub for a rear seal blow out.

This ^

 

[jlanecr500]

The only way that I have found to keep the seal in place with bearing buddies is to thoroughly clean the hub where the seal is pressed in. Clean the metal seal frame and install it with high strength loctite to secure the seal in place.

 

[double browtine]

Larry ipock nailed it. Too much grease. The first bass boat I bought used had buddy bearing. The guy I bought it from told me he had just taken the hubs all apart the year before, and everything was in great shape. He gave me a tube of the grease he used, and told me I should not have to add any for a year. He said each spring, just add a couple pumps till the spring seal side barely moves. I used a pistol grip grease gun, and that's what he had. I kept that boat for 7 years. I don't think I added more than a teaspoon of grease the whole time. I always would take the rubber caps off after each trip to let any moisture evaporate. Also make sure to use marine wheel bearing grease.

 

[randy]

I put in grease till it comes out of the relief hole.
I have never had a seal come out.

 

[Headhunter]

The wheel and tire need to be off the ground and spinning when you put grease in and don't put to much.