Bearing buddies

[qlddsl]

Has anyone used bearing buddies while on big trips?

[glenm64]

The whole idea of bearing buddies is to keep the corrosive salt water out by pressurizing the hub and seal with grease.
On long distance trips with the boat I emptied the bearing buddies, otherwise when you drive long distance and the grease gets warm from long hours on the road(especially here in the west going north), you end up with expressed grease flung everywhere.
If you've got good bearings and they are well packed with grease you don't need bearing buddies on a camper or van etc.
I'm assuming you are talking about a camper or a van.

[bully]

Would you fit bearing buddies to your car.  No difference between car and trailer really. If you have good seals and properly packed bearings with quality grease there is no need for these.
Never understood the bearing buddy concept as it only pushes grease to the outer bearing.
But each to their own. I just ensure quality seals and grease is used an never had a problem. Even on all the boat trailers I have had.

[speewa158]

My Dad swore by them on the boat trailer . Traveling short distances under 20Km return to go fishing & home  . They do fling grease everywhere bit it means fresh grease is going through the bearings . Made a mess of the bottom of the boat though   

[Streetkid]

Would you fit bearing buddies to your car.  No difference between car and trailer really. If you have good seals and properly packed bearings with quality grease there is no need for these.
Never understood the bearing buddy concept as it only pushes grease to the outer bearing.
But each to their own. I just ensure quality seals and grease is used an never had a problem. Even on all the boat trailers I have had.

I couldn't agree more

[archer63]

Have them on my boat trailer which are really good...but see absolutely no need for them on a normal CT.

Cheers
Rob

[speewa158]

Have them on my boat trailer which are really good...but see absolutely no need for them on a normal CT.

Cheers
Rob

Capt Nemo  might find them handy for prolonged creek crossings & the like       

[archer63]

Capt Nemo  might find them handy for prolonged creek crossings & the like       

Yes...good point.

Just thinking with my boat hat on and thinking salt is more corrosive.

Cheers
Rob

[speewa158]

Spot on , Buddies will push fresh grease through the bearings & the waste will be squarted out on to ant near by surface . l have seen it work , & you pump a sH1T load of grease from  the boat trailer .

[Diesel Power]

My BIL put them on his tandem highway trailer and grease blew out the back of the hubs. Im pretty sure that you need Marine seals with Bearing Buddies as the standard lip seal doesn't cope.
Regards.

[speewa158]

My BIL put them on his tandem highway trailer and grease blew out the back of the hubs. Im pretty sure that you need Marine seals with Bearing Buddies as the standard lip seal doesn't cope.
Regards.

O(r just keep the grease up to them 

[Joff]

I had em on bout trailer years ago. They seemed to keep the salty water out but they were messy and I wouldn't have em on a camper unless I planned to back it into the sea regularly.

[jetcrew]

My BIL put them on his tandem highway trailer and grease blew out the back of the hubs. Im pretty sure that you need Marine seals with Bearing Buddies as the standard lip seal doesn't cope.
Regards.

DP is on the money.. the rear seal must be as described..also use loctite to attach the buddies to the hub, also buy the genuine ones ..the ones at supercrap are just that and have seen many a boat trailer with no buddies left on them as they came off.

I gave up on them years ago only to learn the way one of my axles was turned did not support the marine seal hence why I kept having issues.

I would not recommend on camper as depending on your hub/wheel combo it may be prone to getting ripped off. 

My mate runs them on his boat trailer and loves them ..

jet

[speewa158]

I had em on bout trailer years ago. They seemed to keep the salty water out but they were messy and I wouldn't have em on a camper unless I planned to back it into the sea regularly.

On You Capt Nemo 

[GeoffA]

Can't see them staying put over corrugations.......

Quality bearings and grease, std dust caps, and marine seals are all that's needed.

 

[Aaron Schubert]

Yeah, no point on a camper trailer. Boat trailers are worth installing them on, but you need to loctite or centre punch them so they can't come loose on the corrugations.

Aaron

[ronmac]

Can't see them staying put over corrugations.......

Quality bearings and grease, std dust caps, and marine seals are all that's needed.

 

x2, If you have grease blowing out the back of the hub and onto the boat then the rear seal is not installed properly or is blown out. cheers Ron.

[deepop]

Ok, different opinion.

They were on my camper when I bought it (6, 7 years ago?).   I've since changed the bearings and put the buddies back on.   I don't have grease coming out at all (maybe I haven't put enough in after re-install?).   I have only pressed them back on with a block of timber and a hammer.   They have been on all through all my trips including Fraser Island, Lake Eyre trip and different Simmo trip.   No fear of them coming off.   

Might have stopped sand getting in over these trips?

Having said that I probably wouldn't bother unless the trailer was being dunked in salt water regularly.   I think the standard set up would work just fine.

[Green rv]

i just took a set off a caravan
the grease was pushing through and ended up all over the shoes and magnets
the workshop mechanic calls them no brakes buddy
i would also not recommend them on drum brakes anyway

 
Adam