SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Trailers => Topic started by: Huklebuk on April 02, 2008, 10:39:40 PM
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I was thinking of taking the wheels off the trailer and giving everything a once over. How hard is it to clean and repack the bearing buddies? I've never done it before and I have no experience with them. Tips would be helpful thanks.
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really easy...they are just big cups full of grease....just scoop it out and repack it.
removing them is easy too ....just hammer them with a rubber mallet back and forth on the sides so it walks itself loose.
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Do you take the wheel off and then remove them or do you or take them off first?
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they are attached to the hub and have nothing to do with the wheel itself....i would only remove the wheel if the wheel is in the way of hitting the bearing buddy
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I just went down this road also, I ended up buying new bearing buddies and seals, but I had no idea how old the ones I had were. I think the bearing buddies were about $25. But, just as Brad said to repack them, there really is not much to it.
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I have nothing against bearing buddies, however sometimes it gives people a false sense of security(esp. the inner bearing). If you are adding bearing buddies I would remove the hub and bearings (inner and outer), clean a repack with a new seal for the inner bearing. Here is how to check if a bearing or race is bad. With a clean bearing(no grease) put it into the corresponding race of the hub and spin it by hand. If it makes a growing noise then you need to replace the bearing/race in the hub. If they do not make noise and sound smooth then repack the bearing(s) (best with a packer tool) and re-assemble the hub onto the spindle with grease in the hub cavity as well. Then add your bearing buddy and pump up the bearing buddy accordingly. Oh and don't forget a new cotter pin.
T.J.
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Trailer already had them on it so I'm not adding them. Maybe true that they give people a false sense of security, but I'm of the opinion that if its not hurting its gotta help a little bit. Besides I'm still bitter about losing my old boat on the move out here when the trailer broke, I'm pretty sure the wheel siezed up, no bearing buddies, mighta saved it. Thanks for the good info.
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Besides I'm still bitter about losing my old boat on the move out here when the trailer broke, I'm pretty sure the wheel siezed up, no bearing buddies, mighta saved it. Thanks for the good info.
Tell the story!
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I have nothing against bearing buddies, however sometimes it gives people a false sense of security(esp. the inner bearing). If you are adding bearing buddies I would remove the hub and bearings (inner and outer), clean a repack with a new seal for the inner bearing. Here is how to check if a bearing or race is bad. With a clean bearing(no grease) put it into the corresponding race of the hub and spin it by hand. If it makes a growing noise then you need to replace the bearing/race in the hub. If they do not make noise and sound smooth then repack the bearing(s) (best with a packer tool) and re-assemble the hub onto the spindle with grease in the hub cavity as well. Then add your bearing buddy and pump up the bearing buddy accordingly. Oh and don't forget a new cotter pin.
T.J.
This is exactly what I did.
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Tell the story!
Gotta hear this one!
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http://www.socaljetboats.com/index.php?topic=3355.0
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Gotta hear this one!
Allright. So I was moving from brooklyn to 29 palms, had a 19 1/2 foot Stingray that I was towing with a penske truck. So it was fine for the first 400 or so miles. In Virginia, on the highway at about 8 at night, I glance in the side mirror and a shower of sparks is coming off the trailer. I didn't feel it jerk or anything, so I thought the fucking thing caught fire. So I pull over right away (conviently right next to an exit). Jump out and the damn wheel came off, not really sure what happened, I'm guessing it locked up. Couldn't see the axle as it was buried in mud on the side of the road. So I walk through the rain to the truck stop (mind you this is december and its pouring on a friday night). Call 2 different tow companies, they cant help me. Call this place called Angels towing, guy said he had a rollback and would come out to get me. So I unhook the boat and pull the truck up and wait. So John pulls up in his truck and I jump out. He starts loading the trailer, his daughter and I walk back down the road to see if we can find the tire. So I find the tire and I'm walking back with it. This is when I notice that my truck is not where I left it, it appears to be alot closer to the rollback. Upon further investigation, when I jumped out to meet him, I left the truck running and forgot to put it in park. It sat there for a few minutes and stalled which let it drift back into his truck. What a fabulous night this is turning out to be. :banghead: So we get back and jack up the jack up the trailer, and the axle is grinded down and cracked, perfect, needs a new axle. So I said the hell with it asked him if he just wanted to keep it, I didn't feel like dealing with the hassle of finding an axle. So he said sure and didn't charge me for the tow, they were even kind enough to give me a couple turkey sandwiches and offered me a place to sleep for the night. Nice people they turned out to be. So there you have it.
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Next time you have this kind of problem, call me ASAP. I'll bring a couple of turkey sandwiches, cold beer and a Motel Six gift card. Just let me know what axle it takes so I can tow the thing home with me. LMAO!!!
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Ummm. I am confused. You let the tow company keep the boat and the trailer. You state "so I let him keep it". I guess that would be the boat and the trailer...?
T.J.
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Yup. The boat wasn't worth all that much. It ran ok but needed work that I had planned to do when I got here. It wasn't worth the hassle of finding a new axle and putting it on. Keep in mind this was in the middle of Virginia, the nearest boat store wasn't even in the phone book, I had to look on the internet.
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Since it never came up... The way bearing buddies are designed to work is to keep pressure on the lubed area when they cool off (like when you take a hot wheel hub and put it in water i.e. a lake)then the spring pressure pushes in keeping the water from coming in, the proper way to check them is when they are cold just rock the inner piston back and forth, the piston should feel soft (grease) if not it is bottomed out, then add just enough grease to see the piston move then stop. If overgreased when they warm up you get that killer spin art look on your wheels, legs, boat etc...they should be pulled apart every season and checked, but I'm a realist, every couple of years is probably more than fine.
BTW I have been a boat mechanic all of my life...this question comes up about 20 times a year.LOL :D
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http://www.socaljetboats.com/index.php?topic=3355.0