dust caps or bearing buddys?

What do you use? Keep throwing grease buddys of different brands off the trailer. Also I packed my hub pretty full and noticed inner seal leakage....any experts on maintaining wheel bearings?
Another thing that has bugged me is when adding grease through a bearing buddy fitting....how does the grease get past that huge washer behind the spindle nut to the bearings anyway?
I think I am over packing the hub personally and just packing my bearings and putting a little lube in the hub with dust caps may solve the problem?

Also a huge concern...how much should you tighten the spindle nut leaving how much play (wobble) in the wheel...and how easy should your tire spin when up on jacks after assembly? My problem is if I tighten leaving little if no play the tire doesn't spin as freely but because of the increments in the (castle nut (sp?) the cotter pin only allows certain locations of nut tightness?

Please don't link a video...I have watched them and none explain these issues...anybody have any personal experience with these issues?

I have always serviced my own bearings when they need attention. My trailer has the grease fitting in the center of the spindle which allows the grease to go to the back of the hub and pushes the grease out the front which i think is one of the best setups. If that set up isn't on the trailer i pack the bearings and 1/2 of the dust cap. As far as how tight to tighten the nut on the spindle i take it all the way in snug tight to ensure the bearing seat good on the races with the new grease then back it off to the next slot to put the pin in.

[QUOTE=Havacman;518628]I have always serviced my own bearings when they need attention. My trailer has the grease fitting in the center of the spindle which allows the grease to go to the back of the hub and pushes the grease out the front which i think is one of the best setups. If that set up isn't on the trailer i pack the bearings and 1/2 of the dust cap. As far as how tight to tighten the nut on the spindle i take it all the way in snug tight to ensure the bearing seat good on the races with the new grease then back it off to the next slot to put the pin in.[/QUOTE]

I too service my own but have always wondered how the grease gets past the washer just inside the nut to the bearings and hub? My point is what purpose does a bearing buddy serve if any if grease cannot get to the places it needs too be?
I too tighten the nut snug then back it off a little but this causes some play in the wheel which makes me think the bearings move a little. I have burned bearings up on wheel before on this trailer and am always paranoid trailering my boat watching in my rear views constantly.
There are allot of things that don't make sense to me in the whole process like how grease gets to the bearings and how backing a nut off allowing slop is good for the function of the whole setup in the first place. Anyway I think hand packing the bearings and putting a little 1/4 full in the hub then sealing the outside with a dust cap is the way I'm going to go.
Shame I'm not rich enough to afford those new maintenance free deals on these 40k boats you don't have to worry about.

What are you using to seat your bearings?

Have you changed the seal and its still leaking?

If yes, is this the same side you burnt a wheel off of? And what exactly do you mean by burnt a wheel off? Now that I think about it, in my mind I imagine a roasted and toasted spindle. I imagine the tire flying off and the the spindle going to poo as it rubs pavement with trailer weight on it.


Like what was said I also tighten the nut to get a good seat then back it off a hair. I was always taught that you want just a tiny bit of play in the wheel.


The grease gets past that nut because it is spinning very fast as you drive down the road.

I never really liked the bearing buddy style caps. Some people really like them but i always felt that it put too much pressure on the rear seal. I have discovered if the rear seal stays good there is no or very little water getting into the bearing. The water getting into the bearings will cause the bearing failures. A good sealed hub will last. I have had my boat for 9 years and have never packed the bearings but the rear seals aren't leaking grease. I have the grease fitting in the center of the spindle as i said before and add grease about twice a year which pushes the old grease out the dust cap hole. (Caps are open around center with rubber plug) as soon as i see grease slinging on inside bearing i will pull it and change the seal repack bearings. There are different seals also some with two spings or have a stronger spring around the seal flange which work best on boats. Another thing people don't think about is mixing some greases will cause failures also as some just aren't compatible with others . I use lubrimatic marine grease and have for years. One friend of mine used the red color and lost two beatings on the highway at different times but alot of people really like that grease think it was called aqua lube. It says on the tube ( or use to ) not to mix with other grease.

[QUOTE=GobyPuck;518624]What do you use? Keep throwing grease buddys of different brands off the trailer. Also I packed my hub pretty full and noticed inner seal leakage....any experts on maintaining wheel bearings?
Another thing that has bugged me is when adding grease through a bearing buddy fitting....how does the grease get past that huge washer behind the spindle nut to the bearings anyway?
I think I am over packing the hub personally and just packing my bearings and putting a little lube in the hub with dust caps may solve the problem?

Also a huge concern...how much should you tighten the spindle nut leaving how much play (wobble) in the wheel...and how easy should your tire spin when up on jacks after assembly? My problem is if I tighten leaving little if no play the tire doesn't spin as freely but because of the increments in the (castle nut (sp?) the cotter pin only allows certain locations of nut tightness?

Please don't link a video...I have watched them and none explain these issues...anybody have any personal experience with these issues?[/QUOTE]

I personally use the Bearing Buddies and have been for over 25 years or maybe a little more.

I also get a little grease leaking out the rear seal on one of my tires but that's not of a big concern to me right now. It just means that the rear seal needs to be replaces.

I just fill the bearing buddies with grease every other trip. I pump in grease until it comes out the front end of the bearing buddies and the stop. I'll wipe off any excessive grease with some paper towels and put the dust cap back on the bearing buddies.

When you drive down the road the bearings heat up and will get hot. When you back your boat trailer into the cold water the bearing cool down and create a vacuum inside the hub. This can and will draw some water into the bearings though the seals if they leak or though the bearing buddies themselves. This is why there is a spring in the front of the bearing buddies. This spring will retract and help keep the grease packed in tight against the bearing and this keep water out of the bearings themselves. I've been lucky as I've never yet had a bearing go bad on me since 1978 when I got my boat trailer.

As far as the castle nut? I know exactly what you are saying. I think I'd back off a notch and make sure that the wheel can spin freely and not bind. Tighter the nut up until the wheel starts to bind and then back off a notch or maybe two until the wheel starts to spin free and easily. That's how I did mine the last time I checked and repacked my bearing. I had the inner steel part of the wheel break away from the hub and the wheel came off my trailer. The wheel was old and rusted and that's why it came apart. But the bearing and the bearing buddies never were hurt. I dragged the trailer axle for about 50 yards before I could stop the truck and left a long scratch mark in the pavement. A couple stopped to help me get the old hub off and put on my spare tired.

I repacked the bearings on that side of the axle to make sure that no dirt got into them as the bearing buddie was knocked off when the wheel flew off. I found the wheel about 300 yards out in a open field the next day when it got light enough to see. This happened at night. Then I searched the ditch along the side of the road by the curve where this accident happened and found the bearing buddie and the bearing buddie braw as still attached. So I was good to go. I did put in some new seals and a some new bearings just in case. I checked the spindle for any damage and found it good to go. The square metal at the end of the axle took all the friction from the pavement and was not damaged at all. Only some paint was scratched of the bottom of the metal. I was lucky.

I've had my boat trailers axle break in half due to rusting. Like I said the trailer is an old 1978 Hosclaw Trailer and it's falling apart around me. But the bearing buddies and the bearings look like brand new.

Fill them up with gear grease frequently and they will last you a life time. And like was said above, never mix the grease with another type of grease. That's a big no no. Make sure you use the right type of marine bearing grease and if you do change the type of grease to another then clean out all the old grease before putting in any new grease. Clean all the old grease out with gasoline and or solvents and then let the bearing dry before adding any new type of grease to them.

These are highly reccomended, i just put them on my trailer...verdict is still out. but they seem good. No Touch Vortex Hubs...NO MAINTENANCE FOR 100,000 MILES OR 6 YEARS!!

[url]http://tiedowneng.com/avortex.html[/url]

I have had bearing buddys in my trailers since 1990 simply because they came with them. Never had any problems burning bearings. I was trailering frequently 130 miles each way on weekends and annually a trip 600-800 miles each way. I trailered a lot. Finally my axel broke (nothing to do with the bearings) and I got to learn all a bit about axels, spindels, and bearings as I bought new everything along with the axel.


On my first trip i was defunately parinoid having installed the axel, hubs and bearings myself. I monitored the temp of the hubs constantly. One side was warm so I would stop and let it cool some. I believe as far as temperature goes you should be a be to keep your hand on the hub. If you have to remove your hand because it is too hot after just four or five seconds then it is too hot. (There is probably a better rule of humb on this)

You defunately don't want to fill them up so the spring is all the way compressed which i guess is the natural tendency.

Here is what bearing buddy suggests.


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Grease can be added to the hub through an easily accessible grease fitting located in the center of the Bearing Buddy® piston. Lubricant level can be checked by pressing on the edge of the piston. If you can rock or move the piston, the hub is properly filled. If the piston won't rock or move, add grease until piston moves outward about 1/8 inch. When adding grease, always use a hand grease gun. An automatic grease gun will destroy the hub's inner seal.

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More from bearing buddy here..

[url]http://www.bearingbuddy.com/faq.html[/url]

Good luck.

The biggest mistake people make with bearing buddies is pumping it completely full of grease. Just like the directions said above "pump grease until pushes out 1/8". If you pump it full of grease it blows the inner seal out as so many talks about. Both too much pressure to start with then you get it hot and grease expands its got to go somewhere, so out the inner seal it goes. I too thought you pumped it full until I read it last time I was putting them on. Every person I asked how much grease you put in every single person was wrong, they said pump it full then argued when I said manufacture says otherwise. I will also add 99% of friends who I asked are mechanics of some kind not necessarily trailer mechanics but have all put on many sets of trailer bearings.

[QUOTE=JUSTINHALL;518769]The biggest mistake people make with bearing buddies is pumping it completely full of grease. Just like the directions said above "pump grease until pushes out 1/8". If you pump it full of grease it blows the inner seal out as so many talks about. Both too much pressure to start with then you get it hot and grease expands its got to go somewhere, so out the inner seal it goes. I too thought you pumped it full until I read it last time I was putting them on. Every person I asked how much grease you put in every single person was wrong, they said pump it full then argued when I said manufacture says otherwise. I will also add 99% of friends who I asked are mechanics of some kind not necessarily trailer mechanics but have all put on many sets of trailer bearings.[/QUOTE]

Another confession:

For a long time I pumped them full. Gotta do a good job filing them right. Slung grease all over the inside side of the wheel for years. Never had a problem though. I do it per the instructions now.

Tip: When you are messing with your bearings, take a quick look at the weld that joins the spindle to the axel. Especially if it is an older trailer. They can crack and break. Maybe not that common but it happened to me. Fortunately it gave way when I was pushing the boat around on the driveway. So I get home and when rolling the boat by hand it breaks. I felt lucky!

Gobypuck,

I had the same issue your having, going through bearings. I ended up going to a junk yard and getting another spindle and had it welded on and put new bearings on and haven't had any trouble since. I thought I was doing everything wrong as well but found out it was the spindle. I hope the best for you....Oh and by the way I also use bearing buddies.

[QUOTE=bigbasscatcher;518818]Gobypuck,

I had the same issue your having, going through bearings. I ended up going to a junk yard and getting another spindle and had it welded on and put new bearings on and haven't had any trouble since. I thought I was doing everything wrong as well but found out it was the spindle. I hope the best for you....Oh and by the way I also use bearing buddies.[/QUOTE]

I was wondering about this and will check into it...anyway I appreciate all the help by everyone!