My trailer has bearing buddies (or what ever they are called) and I want to repack my bearings. The trailer came with them on there so I am curious about getting them off before I did into them. Do those things just screw off. I assume once you get the bearing buddies off, it is just straight forward, similar to a car....take out a cotter pin, unscrew it and slide the hub off or is it more involved?? Thanks in advance...

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  Shawn
  www.[censored]

[This message has been edited by shawn (edited 04-14-2003).]

The buddies come off just like a cap, I
generally take a hammer and with the wheel
raised and turning tap the buddy lightly all the way around until it comes loose. A
large pair of channel locks will also wiggle
it off but too much pressure can dent the
case so it no longer works properly. My Dad
used to carry a grease gun in the boat he
would fill em before he left for the lake
and before he left the lake for home, never
had any bearing trouble, but had the greasiest boat bottom around. I think he
overdid it a little. It is agood idea
to remove them clean and check and repack
the bearings once in a while even with the
buddies if the seals leak a little you will
sooner or later get some water in them.
JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION, OF COURSE.

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Catch you later
Dennis (slabshad)

Just finished doing the same thing for the first time and learned a few things...

Use a rubber mallet to tap the BBs off from the side in a circular motion until they wiggle off.

When you refill the BB, put just enough grease in the zert fitting to put pressure against the cap/spring. Too much will damage the inside seal.

Put some lock-tite on the BB edge when you put it back on to give you a tight fit. I lost two caps before I figured this one out.

When you complete the job and head down the road, stop periodically to feel the hub for heat build-up. The hub should be no more than air temp if all is well. If not, make sure the bearings are not too tight and that you have enough grease. After 50+ miles, you're probably safe to assume there's no problems.

Later.

If you do a search on bearings you will find several other threads on this subject that are quite helpful. I did this and only found one issue. How do I get the hub off on the rear wheels (dual trailer)when the brakes are in the way?

I have BB's on my trailer and am wondering how you know when to add grease? I'm afraid of adding too much and blowing rear seals out. Is this possible?

If you don't have a rubber mallet, wrap a towel around it and tap it with a regular hammer, then unbend and pull the cotter key and take the keeper nut off, then everything should just pull off, hub and all.

Steve, with Bearing Buddies just pull the rubber/plastic bra off and see if the grease fitting is more than halfway in. If it is, just squirt about 5-6 pumps of grease in until you see the spring compress a little. Do not compress the spring all the way out to the edge of the buddy bearing...that is way too much. Should ride about 3/4 the way compressed toward the end of the bearing buddy....

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[This message has been edited by redfin (edited 04-15-2003).]

Redfin,
Thanks. All is good with my BB's.