QA

How To Grease Bearing Buddies

How do I know if my Bearing Buddy has enough grease?

Grease can be added to the hub through an easily accessible grease fitting located in the center of the piston. Lubricant level (and pressure) can be checked quickly by pressing on the edge of the moveable piston. If you can rock or move the piston, the hub is properly filled.

Can you put too much grease in a Bearing Buddy?

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 often do you grease bearing buddies?

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.

Do bearing buddies grease the bearings?

Expert Reply: Bearing Buddy pumps grease into the center of the hub all the way back to the grease seal. It would then fill the cavity inside the hub and continue to the inner bearing.

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 boat trailer bearings be greased?

Standard tapered trailer wheel bearings are recommended to be re-packed with fresh bearing grease about every year or every 12,000 miles under normal use. In certain conditions this interval could be shorter, such as if you routinely tow the trailer under conditions of extreme heat or near its maximum load capacity.

Are bearing buddies a good idea?

Bearing Buddies are a great way to keep grease in a trailer hub. I recommend them as long as you are aware that it’s very easy to put too much grease in a hub with these which will blow out the seal. They have no problem being used on longer road trips so the would work well for you.

How many pumps of grease are in a trailer hub?

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. Too much grease causes churning and higher temperatures.

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.

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.

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.

How often should trailer bearings be repacked?

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.

Are all bearing buddies the same size?

How to Measure for Correct Bearing Buddy Size You will want to use a digital caliper to measure the inner diameter of the hub bore, where the grease cap sits. When choosing a Bearing Buddy, you will want to choose one that is a few thousandths of an inch larger than the hub bore opening.

How do you know when to grease trailer 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. This is because the wheels are smaller and spin faster.

Do I grease a tow 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.