Whats the odds of losing both bearing buddies with in the first 10 days of the season with the longest drive being 35 miles one way?
Im wondering if someone got sticky fingers at the boat ramp on Leech opening day……
did you happen to remove and reinstall them recently?
I’ve had mine fall off a couple times. I finally made a wire cage and attached it with a hose clamp around the hub to keep them on.
Greasy fingers.o)
Reason #32 not to have them 
did you happen to remove and reinstall them recently?
Yes I have but they were firmly seated all the way in and installed correctly.
I have experienced that even though they felt seated correctly when reusing them,
they seem to get lost like you and I had happen.
After installing new ones they did not get lost.
I’ve lost one on my duck boat. Did you lose the whole thing or just the dust cover? I have lost the dust cover quite a few times, I now put a worm drive clamp over the cover after install.
a couple things could have happened. If the trailer is a little older, the hub could have corroded a little and caused some excess play. Or another possibility would be that the hub ran dry and began to cause excess heat and warped the hub enough to allow it to fall out. if it’s a new hub, I do not have an answer for you.
I have never had one fall off. My guess is they were taken.
I have lost them before, right after I had them off and thought I had them seated. I think if they are not squarely seated and there is some run out as the tire spins, they are prone to disappear. A 20 ounce soda bottle cut in half and carefully forced over the hub happens to fit my trailer perfectly and stays on well enough to keep the crap out of the bearings over a 90 mile drive home! Twice.
haven’t heard of them just falling off, but you never know.
I have only ever lost reinstalled ones.
I don’t think I would be comfortable with using worm drive clamps.
I am thinking that would throw the wheel out of balance and
might lead to premature bearing failures.
I’ve lost one before, but both going missing at the same time. I think somebody grabbed them. Anything’s possible, but the chances of both going missing at the same time are pretty dang slim in my book.
But you do have to take care when reinstalling them such that they are on straight. As with Eyekatcher I’ve only lost them after reinstalling and obviously, I didn’t get one on straight. I wasn’t surprised, I was in a hurry and didn’t get out the big hammer and oak board I usually use to tap them into place and sure as heck, I lost that one.
Grouse
I don’t think I would be comfortable with using worm drive clamps.
I am thinking that would throw the wheel out of balance and
might lead to premature bearing failures.
It’s been probably 15 years since I did it and not a single problem. There is very little centripetal force that close to the center with something as lightweight as a hose clamp.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>eyekatcher wrote:</div>
did you happen to remove and reinstall them recently?Yes I have but they were firmly seated all the way in and installed correctly.
I have had mine for 12 years and never lost one, I take them off about 5-6 times a year.
When you push them back on be sure to press just off center on the face to release any air trapped or they may work off..
FYI..NEVER step on your bearing buddy/cap to get in your boat ..it may also loosen the bearing buddy/caps !
To clarify both the actual bearing buddies and the plastic “bra’s” covers are missing. 
My Dad had the same thing happen only reason we could come up with is they were to full of grease when put together, I was following him when it happened thank the good fella upstairs it didn’t hit my new truck and boat. They came off as soon as we hit highway speed on 35.
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