Bearing Buddy

[Kidder522]

Hello Eveyone,

Just wanting to get some information from you on Bearing Buddy's. I was just talking with a shop here and he indicated to me that he does not recommend using Bearing Buddy's as the excess grease will go into the breaks and create problems. He indicated I should service the bearing every year. Opinions?

Thanks.

[kaneboats]

If you don't overfill they work fine and the part about the brakes is nonsense. But, if you overfill the grease can go anywhere, including into the brakes. If you service your bearings every year you don't need the buddies. I will say that in years of using buddies (and never overfilling) I never lost a bearing and I would only service every 5 years or so.

[moombadaze]

Only if you overfill the bearing buddie will it blowout the rear seal and get grease on the brakes.

[evoimport6]

I thought bearing buddies were supposed to be filled till they leaked out the actual seal. Is this over filling?

[kaneboats]

Yup, that's over-filling. Blowing out the rear seal is a mistake.

[evoimport6]

I mean spill out the front. Not the backside.

[DOCDRS]

How can you over fill a bearing buddy? There is a vent hole......

[evoimport6]

How can you over fill a bearing buddy? There is a vent hole......

That is what I was saying. I went to there site and they pretty much say that if you use a pressurized grease gun that it will fill it to fast and mess it up.
I also talked to an engineer at Shelby industries (a local trailer part manufacturer) and he said the same thing.

[rdlangston13]

has anyone taken the little vault thing off the trailer hub and put a bearing buddy on to replace it?

[DOCDRS]

That is what I was saying. I went to there site and they pretty much say that if you use a pressurized grease gun that it will fill it to fast and mess it up.
I also talked to an engineer at Shelby industries (a local trailer part manufacturer) and he said the same thing.

so use a handheld grease gun

[DOCDRS]

has anyone taken the little vault thing off the trailer hub and put a bearing buddy on to replace it?

Why would you want to do this???? Its the upgraded bearing buddy replacement

[zabooda]

Bearing Buddies are the best thing since sliced bread as I used to pack bearings though not every year and the seals were crap so you end up running around looking for parts. The bearing buddies are set when they are "floating" in the hub so that the center part can be rocked any direction. There is a weep hole but you should never have to get to that point and I may put a shot from the gun in each year. I always wonder where that shot went to each year as the buddies stay spotless. If the grease is getting on the brakes then the rear seal is shot and the buddies don't do any good at that point. If stuff can come out (grease) then stuff can go in (water).

[rdlangston13]

when i hard to replace my right front trailer brake the guy who changed it just packed the new bearings with regular red grease. said it would not make a difference because the "hybrid" grease is petroleum based and it will mix and work fine...

any thoughts???

[evoimport6]

I just drove from Louisville ky to grand lake Oklahoma, and just installed the buddy bearings for this trip. I had no problems what so ever. Who ever told anyone that they not good for a trailer is wrong.