Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Bearing Buddies For Sale at Princess Auto

R

rod_stewart

Outstanding Contributor
"I was in the local Princess A

"I was in the local Princess Auto today and they have the bearing buddies for sale for $12.99 a kit set of two.

They are designed to fit a hub with a 1.980" inside diameter. They are a hammer in friction fit. The kit includes the chrome housing, inner spring plate with grease nipple, and protective outer gray rubber cover cap.

For those who don't know, these are designed to replace the outer bearing cover cap on all utility, ATV, boat, snowmobile trailers. They provide a means of greasing your trailer wheel bearings as often as you want with only a grease gun. Takes about 5 minutes or less to grease an average boat trailer.

Just thought there may be folks out there who would like to know.

Rod"
 
"Those things make me nervous

"Those things make me nervous a little bit. I used to have a bad problem with the trailer to my old boat. It was a Shore Lander Trailer. That thing always lost the dust caps off the axles. I would put brand new ones on at home and by the time I would get to the cottage, they would be gone. The new ones would be a good tight fit at home, but still come off. I moved to cleaning the inside lip of the hub with varsole and drying it, then using silicone to glue the new caps on. After that, I never lost another one. After all that, my brother-in-law said to get some bearing buddies for ease of greasing. I can just imagine a bearing buddy coming off that trailer and slamming through a windshield of a car on the highway.
Also, the grease wears out and needs to be replaced every once in a while. Just pumping in more and more, just gets new stuff mixing with old stuff.

I know alot of people use bearing buddies, and have good luck with them, but I know my luck, and I better just keep doing things how they're supposed to be done.

Wrench"
 
"I never thought about bearing

"I never thought about bearing buddies as UFO's(unrestrained flying objects) but it is sure a matter of concern. I do alot of riding on a road bicycle during the summer months and have seen dozens of these bearing buddies on the side of the road. My trailer is used locally at speeds under 35 mph and I have never lost a bearing buddy but I can see how at faster speeds and higher temperatures, a serious problem might exist. It is about time that trailer manufacturers come up with a axle and hub combination that is completely waterproof and and able to withstand repeated submersion in salt water without damage. Maybe if Honda or Yamaha were to build trailers, they would last for a much longer period and require less maintenance."
 
"Wow, I never heard of lost be

"Wow, I never heard of lost bearing buddies before. That is a new one on me, but I can see it happening. I have never lost one in 30 years of boating, and my trailers have been over some pretty lousy roads (like the Trans Canada highway for instance).

Something to think about. They seem to be a realy tight fit such that lots of pounding with a large hammer and wooden plank is needed to get them in. But hey, you never know. Maybe Loctite would be the way to go.

Rod"
 
"Gents, the purpose of bearing

"Gents, the purpose of bearing buddies is to maintain a small + pressure on the rear seal to keep water from going into the wheel hub...When the hot hub hit the cold water things srink,,,a slight - vacumm will occur..thats why bearing buddies are so wide spread around the country...
They keep the water out..."
 
"If you're launching your

"If you're launching your trailer in salt water, bearing buddies are a must. Not only do they keep your bearings greased they use 'constant positive pressure' to keep water out of bearings. I've never lost a BB ever.

Wrench your hub must be bent. Somebody must of banged into your trailer or your trailer hit something. Does it happen on both sides? Just curious."
 
When installing black dust cov

When installing black dust covers I clean off the buddy w/solvent like brake clean. Then install the dust cover by pushing in on the center of it. Doing so creates a vacuum and prevents the dust cover from coming off.
 
I tried that Guy but once you&

I tried that Guy but once you've been on the road for a bit the heat build up causes a slight pressure. Wonder if a bead of silicone would help.
 
"Gents, I agree with Guy, I pu

"Gents, I agree with Guy, I push on the centers to install and have never lost one cover...This is a 250mile trip one way...Stop over thinking and never silicone..just use as they were intended...
As for wrench..you may have hub problems, you can pick up a new set with BB and your done,,no more problems...I know on my long trips you never want to worry about bad hubs/berings...Do the smart thing...replace and no worries"
 
"heat build up causes a sl

"heat build up causes a slight pressure."

My bearing hubs never get hot; only luke warm so that you can hold on to them as long as you want. Over filling the hub will blow out excess lube and pop a cover loose.
 
"Pugetsounder and Bert...

A

"Pugetsounder and Bert...

As for the hubs of that trailer being bent, thats highly unlikely. They were never hit and nothing ever hit them. Yes it happened on both sides.

The silicone trick that I used worked perfect. I don't have that trailer anymore so it doesn't really matter. My new boat trailer only gets dipped into the lake a couple times a year as the boat is docked at the cottage all summer and the trailer sits at home. Those bearings get cleaned and repacked every year. No bearing buddies on those hubs. It gets nice new fresh grease every time.

Wrench"
 
Back
Top