Changed a flat on my 16 foot double axle last night and noticed play in the bearings. Hopefully I can get away with a repack and adjustment. Will adding those bearing buddies that you see on boat trailers be a benefit? Instead of having to tear the spindles apart every so often Im thinking I pump them up full of grease and I am good to go. I have had a bearing sieze and bust the hub so I am thinking this may make it a lot easier to service the trailer or am I way off?
I Don't like buddies I put the trailer on a maintanace schedule like my truck
every 6 months jack it up pull the dust caps and check the hubs. So far so good.
I make a point of walking around the trailer after pulling it a short ways and checking the temperature of the tires and the wheel hubs. I do this with all trailers, not just mine.
I make a point of walking around the trailer after pulling it a short ways and checking the temperature of the tires and the wheel hubs. I do this with all trailers, not just mine.
I had to use it yesterday. It was a last minute thing and I didnt have time to line up another trailer. I did this. Nothing was hot so I assume the bearings are still good. Plan on tearing it apart this weekend.
I don't think filling the bearing cavity with grease is the best plan. Neither is pushing grease out past the seal. If the seal is a good one, but it's fit into the hub is on the low side it's not unreasonable to expect pushing grease in will push the seal out.
I use a premium grease on all hand packed bearings and I make point of buying high quality bearings from a bearing house and not from the LAPS. Since I've started doing this I have not had any bearing related problems. It cost a lot more up front, but I don't have to do it again two years later and I don't worry about them while in use.
I have heard both sides of this arguement and agree with both sides. I honestly just don't want to pack the bearings every couple years. That's why I'm thinking bearing buddies but I only see them on boat trailers. Is there a reason?
I have heard both sides of this arguement and agree with both sides. I honestly just don't want to pack the bearings every couple years. That's why I'm thinking bearing buddies but I only see them on boat trailers. Is there a reason?
Depending on the spindle you have, you could go with a oil lubricated bearings. If you have a type 42 spindle you should be able to order oil lubricated bearing hubs. The hub will be different due to the oil seal.
Putting too much grease into bearing buddies can cause the rear seal to blow out.
I have heard both sides of this arguement and agree with both sides. I honestly just don't want to pack the bearings every couple years. That's why I'm thinking bearing buddies but I only see them on boat trailers. Is there a reason?
Yeah, the idea is that keeping the bearings pumped full of grease will keep the water displaced from immersion when launching and ramping boats. To a certain degree it works, especially if you do this every weekend.
On the other hand, the general idea is that your seals will fail anyway. Which is not good. Using a trailer offroad might get you dunked, but rarely enough to offset the advantages of your seals working properly for everything else you subject the bearings to.
My feeling is that the buddies are good for maintaining the grease through the dunkings, but you still end up having to properly service those bearings anyway.
BTW, ntsqd's suggestion to check your hub temps frequently is a good one regardless. Professional truck drivers get in this habit, because they are often pulling someone else's trailer, with perhaps iffy or unknown servicing. Of course, if it's you own trailer, all the better an idea.
My Dexter axles offers a system called EZ lube. I like EZ lube 100 times more then buddy bearings. It was designed to lube bearing also to allow for water immersion. I find Buddy bearing messy and never felt it worked that good.
My new boat trailer has EZ-lube (Safe-T-lube) and I agree it's a better system. I have yet to repack by hand but really want to get to this task soon.
Here's my issue:
I need to source the wheel bearing seals and not sure how to go about this. I've tried to go through my boat dealer and they can't seem to get an answer from Bear Trailer as to the wheel bearing seals (not a part number OR just to buy the seals from them).
Any ideas how to go about sourcing wheel bearing seals for trailers in general?
Are these things pretty standard and I can just roll in to my local parts store and expect to find the rish size wheel bearing seal?
Thanks for responding. I assume you meant the "seals" should have the number stamped on them... I have only bought Toyota OEM seals and they don't have a number on them.
Just measuring the OD and ID makes me assume this isn't that hard... just a hassle to pull then go shopping...
