QA

How To Fill Bearing Buddy

Can you overfill bearing buddies?

Can Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors Be Over-Filled with Too Much Grease It is possible to over-fill a hub that has a Bearing Buddy bearing protector such as #BB1781. The convenience of easy filling through the zerk fitting can often mean we can be tempted to keep adding more grease.

How do you know when a Bearing Buddy is full?

The air pockets inside the hub cavity and Bearing Buddy® will work their way out past the piston (or blue ring) on the Bearing Buddy®. You should see the piston extend out or the blue ring past the front of the Bearing Buddy® when it’s properly filled.

How often should I add grease to Bearing Buddy?

Every 3,000 to 3500 miles or annually, whichever comes first. Manufacturers recommend to remove old contaminated grease from the hub and repack with new grease instead of just adding more.

Can you over grease trailer bearings?

There’s no such thing as too much grease for bearings! You would not pack grease in the hub otherwise and not in the drum since the brakes would not be able to grab with grease in the hub. Grease caps, dust caps, and bearing protectors have to be installed right to avoid losing them.

How often should I grease my boat trailer bearings?

The most effective way to keep your rig rolling is vigilance. How often to grease boat trailer bearings? Keep the bearings greased and take them apart and service them at least once per year.

How much grease do you put in a boat trailer hub?

It is equally important to retain the grease around the bearing. For traditional greases (NLGI Nos. 1 and 2), pump a ring of grease into the entire circumference of the wheel hub and coat the hub cap inner wall. The housing should only be half full of grease.

How do I know if my trailer bearings need grease?

Keep your hand on the wheel and spin it. If you feel any motion that is not smooth, hear any noises, or if the wheel does not spin freely, the wheel bearing is defective or needs lubrication.

Do Bearing Buddies work on boat trailers?

Bearing buddies are really designed for boat trailers, since they go thru the thermal expansion/ contraction cycles much quicker then other trailers.

How often should I pack my trailer bearings?

How often should you repack your trailer bearings? The axle manufacturers recommend that you repack your trailer bearings once annually or every 12,000 km. If you are over-do for trailer wheel bearing maintenance, we would be happy to help you.

Do you grease boat trailer rollers?

When the pin and split pin are in place, put grease all over them to ward off rust. Going through this procedure with all the rollers should take you around 20 minutes in total. Getting the boat on and off the trailer should now be a lot easier. Check your winch cable regularly for signs of wear.

Why do boat trailer bearings fail?

A potential cause for bearing failure is the castle nuts being over tightened. Castle nuts should be just slightly more than hand tight. If too tight this will put excessive pressure on the bearings and could lead to premature failure. I suggest an inspection of the tires on the affected wheels.

How do you put grease on trailer bearings?

Tips for Hand-Packing Grease into Bearings Place grease into the palm of your hand. Press a section of the widest end of the bearing into the outer edge of the grease closest to your thumb, forcing the grease into the interior of the bearing. Repeat the process while rotating the bearing from roller to roller.

Should you grease a trailer ball?

You do not need to grease your trailer hitch ball. That is entirely up to you. However, greasing it is recommended. Greasing will help ensure that the trailer hitch ball keeps its structural integrity, and it will help prevent it from squeaking.

How warm should trailer bearings get?

About 130-140 is too hot to touch and anything above that probably too hot for a wheel bearing. Compare it to your hot water temp at home. If you can’t touch the wheel then I would consider them too hot… warm to the touch is OK.

Can you mix Marine grease with regular grease?

Don’t Mix Grease, but Change If Needed If you can, start with completely clean parts and new grease. Otherwise, greasing more often will flush out the old incompatible grease faster.

How do you preload trailer wheel bearings?

To pre-load the bearings, install the spindle washer and spindle nut onto the spindle with the hub and bearings in place. Tighten the spindle nut finger tight (until snug) and then with channel-lock pliers or a crescent wrench, tighten the spindle nut another 1/4 turn or about 15 to 20 ft pounds of torque.

How often should you grease trailer hubs?

When Should You Grease Your Bearings With a larger travel trailer, you should grease your trailer wheel bearings every 10,000 miles or once a year, whichever comes first. If you have a smaller travel trailer, however, you’ll need to grease your wheel bearings every 2,000 miles.

How many pumps of grease are in a bearing?

Using the chart and the formula, the bearing only needs 8 grams of grease every 10,000 hours. If your grease gun delivers around 1.35 grams per stroke, that means the bearing needs 6 strokes every 13 months; you could average it out to a stroke every 8 weeks or so.