i am repacking the bearings on my trailer myself for the first time. I have got the hub off and packed the bearings. My question(s) are this: 1. do I put any grease on the spindle? 2. Once the hub is all back on and the bearing buddy is put on, how much grease should be put into the Bearing Buddy? Any and all help would be helpful for this rookie wrench-head. 
What are the big mistakes i need to avoid? Thanks.
Marty, this is what I’ve done in the past and it worked well for me.
First off I use marine grade grease.
Placing some grease on the spindel isn’t nessasary..although I always put some on anyway.
Once the bearings have been cleaned, repacked and assembled, start pumping grease into the bearing buddy. This should have sometype of indicator that lets you know when it’s full. This depends on the brand that you have. In anycase, don’t over fill your buddy’s as you’ll blow out your back side seal. Easy to tell as there will be grease sprayed all over the inside of the wheel once pulled down the road. Filling the bearing buddy with grease should get the grease to the spindle too.
Good Luck! 
You should put just a little bit of grease on the spindle, a light layer/film.
Bearing buddies keep water out by keeping pressure on the grease. The idea is basically that the entire hub is filled with grease and the buddy is putting pressure on the grease so that water can’t come in. You basically want to fill the hub with grease if you can. When you refill the bearing buddy, you want to pump it close to full, press in on the lid (the piece that surrounds the grease fitting, not sure of the technical name) with your fingers to push air out of the grease, and then fill it back up (again, almost full; don’t overfill it). Repeat that process until the lid is firm, usually once or twice. Pretty simple stuff!
Stuff to check for includes bad bearing races and a bad seal on the back cup. Oh, and don’t overtighten the nut. Tighten it until it’s snug and turn it back a notch, then insert the cotten pin.
My guess is that since you’re doing it yourself you already knew all this.
When I re-pack mine I normally slide the hub on the spindle with the inside bearing and seal in place then poke as much grease into the hub as I can get in and then put in the outside bearing. I also have bearing buddies on too, but only use them for caps. I don’t like the grease leakage on the backside of the wheel caused by the spring tension. But that’s just me. 
What is most important is that you actually “re-pack” the bearing. With a palm full of grease, “slap” the bearing into the palm to get the grease “inside”. Keep doing this until the bearing is full of grease. If you don’t want to “dirty up your hands”, got to an auto parts store and purchase a bearing packer for about $10 or $20.
Also, what John said about “seating” the bearing assembly. Crank down the nut tight (not over tight where you are “wrenching” on it). You have to make sure the bearings are seated. Once done, back off the nut (generally one “flat”) to get the cotter pin in place.
Spin the wheel. It should spin freely about 2 turns.
Quote:
If you don’t want to “dirty up your hands”, got to an auto parts store and purchase a bearing packer for about $10 or $20.
I now use “rubber” gloves – the kind you can find in hardware stores or the farm section of Fleet Farm. They fit fairly snug (these aren’t the kind that fall off your hands (house cleaning rubber gloves)) – you still have good finger dexterity with them, they are inexpensive, and when you’re done, just peel them off in to a trash can. A dozen or two will set you back $2-3.
UG
I would toss the bearing buddies in the trash and use regular dust caps. 
-J.
Quote:
I would toss the bearing buddies in the trash and use regular dust caps.
-J.
I agree 100%, throw those things as far as you can, and put on plain jane dust caps. The biggest reason wheel bearings fail is too much grease. This causes heat build up, and also ruins the seal. You would be suprised by how little grease it takes to keep bearings happy.
Ditto to Jon and The Grump
Bearing buddies are an absolute waste of money. All you need to do is a good job of packing the bearings, install a new seal, make sure the seal surface on the hub is clean, and install the dust cap tightly. More grease will NOT keep water from seeping in, that is the job of the seal. If everything is in good shape, any water that may seep in while launching your boat will be minimal, and the heat created by driving down the road will get rid of it.
The real key to trailer bearing preservation is to do the repacking in the fall, before you put the boat away for the winter. It takes more than a couple of weeks for the moisture to actually attach itself to the bearing or race, and cause rust pits. These are VERY HARD metals. If you have bearing problems related to water during the season, you either have garbage bearings, or you’re not using your boat enough!
How do I know all of this? More than 20 years in the automotive business has taught me plenty.
I agree bearing buddies give people a false sense of security. Those are the trailers you see on the side of the rode with the hub and wheel gone. If I had a $1.00 for everytime I heard from people at the shop tell me they don’t need to pack there bearings because they have “bearing buddies” I definately have more time to fish.
Just mt 2 cents
Now this is interesting?
If the bearings and that void in the wheel is filled with grease…there wouldn’t be any room for water. This is good right?
Why can they make bearings for cars/trucks that are maintenance free…but trailer bearings need to be repacked?
Jon, don’t you have an artical on how to repack bearings someplace? Got a link?
Quote:
Why can they make bearings for cars/trucks that are maintenance free…but trailer bearings need to be repacked?
On rear wheel drive vehicles the front bearings should get repacked every so often and the rear bearings are taken care by the rear axle fluid.
Trailer bearings are submersed and the seals are open to anthing that gets pelted at them if they don’t have brakes.
Bearing buddies aren’t all that bad, just don’t overfill them and you still need disassemble on an annual basis.
Interesting comments about too much grease and bearing buddies. Makes sense, I guess…
I haven’t had a failure yet, knock on wood!
Also, for what it’s worth I have heard a number of positive comments about the liqui-lube type systems.
I was going to get the durahub system at the sport show , but I didn’t have $110 on me at the time. Thanks to all who have given their input. Plan on getting to work on those bearings tonite or tomorrow. Wish me luck. Gotta get ready for the Sturgeon Excusion!!
If the bearings and that void in the wheel is filled with grease…there wouldn’t be any room for water. This is good right?
Why can they make bearings for cars/trucks that are maintenance free…but trailer bearings need to be repacked?
#1 Bearings in cars are not maintainence free. If they are a tapered roller bearing like on a boat trailer, they need re-packing at regular intervals. If they are a sealed unit like on the front of a front wheel drive car, the maintainence is replacing them at about 50,000-75,000 miles when they start making noise.
#2 Wheel bearings on cars aren’t regularly submerged completely under water. They also have much more protecting them from water infiltration. Brake parts, backing plates, etc.
#3 As stated in my first post. Filling the void with grease creates more friction, which causes excess heat to the axle and hub, which could lead to premature bearing failure.
The key to success is making sure the sealing surface is clean and using HIGH QUALITY bearings and seals, not the dime store variety. Saving a couple of bucks for cheap stuff will cost you plenty if your wheel locks up half way between home and Leech Lake.
Now I’ve got the bearings and races all off. Looking at the hub, there seems to be some nicks where the races will sit in the hub (those things were hard to get out!). I’m sure some of the nicks are from me. 
Now I’m wondering if I’m going to have to replace the hubs too!?
Marty,
Personally, I’d go buy a new set of races and the tool you use to tap them in with. A bearing/race kit should be under $20. Nicking the inside of the hub should not be a problem.
-J.
I took the old races out. I bought a pin(?) punch at Fleet Farm today. Will that work to tap the new races in? 
Get the race in place, if you don’t have a seal/race driver, place something flat on the race. Sometimes the 3-1/2″ side of a 2×4 will work. Hit with your hammer at the center point of the race, keeping the 2×4 level. This should keep the race from cocking in the bore. When the race is pushed in to where it is flush with the hub, set the old race on top of it. Make sure the wide lip of the race faces the inside of the hub. Hammer on the 2×4 again until the race bottoms out. Turn the hub over, put your punch against the lip of the old race and knock it out.
I think this is my last question, do I have to have a seal with a tension spring in it? Thanks again for everyones help!
Seals with springs are better than those without. You get a more positive seal all the way around.
One more thing. Make sure you take about a half dozen short trips and then re-check the adjustment before taking any long trips. Sometimes the races don’t get completely seated in place, and driving down the road can move things. 10 minutes to re-check things is time well spent.
Got everything in! Will take your advise the next few days and make some short trips. Thanks again! 
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
