Anyone know any secrets for keeping bearing buddies on?

adm1476

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I have a triaxel trailer for my boat and it keeps throwing bearing buddies off while I am towing it. Is there a secret to keeping them on??
 

Scott Danforth

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Make sure you have the correct size. You should need a hammer to install them
 

CatTwentyTwo

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I had one on a tandem axle trailer that kept falling off. I ended up drilling and tapping the hub for a small set screw. Kind of a shade tree fix but it never popped off again.
 

jimmbo

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Most people just raise some metal on the part that fits in the hub. A few little dings with a punch around the circumference usually does it
 

Starcraft5834

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I have a triaxel trailer for my boat and it keeps throwing bearing buddies off while I am towing it. Is there a secret to keeping them on??


yes, install new axles with easy lube type system. not meant to be a smart a** here... buddies will keep wobbling off, that's what they do...
 

bruceb58

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I was losing them when I had cheap TieDown hubs. When I switched to my Kodiak brakes, the problem stopped.
 

Scott Danforth

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I have only ever lost one.... turned out was a cheap hub with incorrect pilot bore. replaced questionable hub with a quality one and evertything is good to go. there are about 13 different bearing buddies for the hub bores out there.

you know they fit well when you need a dead-blow hammer and lots of patience to tap them off
 

dingbat

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Make sure your cotter pins are tight to the axle nut.They will walk a BB right out of the hub if you don't .I've diagnosed the problem more than a couple of times.
 

gm280

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A proper fit is all that is needed. And since they make them in so many small increments diameters, you have to make sure you have the correct size. Dimpling them works also. Anything you can do to make the metal, either on the BB itself or the hub, splay out will make them fit tightly. Same concept to nerling any metal item for a tighter fit.
 

Sprig

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The diameter of your hubs is off. The manufacturer screwed up when they made those hubs or they had poor quality control. You will never get bearing buddies to fit as they should with the hubs you have. You need new quality hubs. In 30+ years of towing boat trailers with bearing buddies I've never had one come off. It is also possible you have the wrong size bearing buddies.
 

dingbat

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The diameter of your hubs is off. The manufacturer screwed up when they made those hubs or they had poor quality control. You will never get bearing buddies to fit as they should with the hubs you have. You need new quality hubs.

The problem with that theory is bearing has a much tighter bore tolerance than the bearing buddy. The bearings require a bore of 1.9801" to 1.9815" for proper installation. The bearing buddy by contrast is 1.986 with no tolerance given. That's 0.006" larger than the bearing bore which is huge. If the condition is as you suggest, the bearing would just spin in the housing. You've got bigger problem than a loose bearing buddy....
 

Sprig

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The bearing rides on the race. If the race fit tight the bearings and hub system should work fine. Doesn't mean that the hub diameter is correct, thus the bearing buddy may come off. The outside part of the hub may be incorrectly bored/cast.
 

Watermann

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Only time I had this issue was when using a knock offs and not the actual brand name bearing buddy.
 

dingbat

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Doesn't mean that the hub diameter is correct, thus the bearing buddy may come off. The outside part of the hub may be incorrectly bored/cast.

Hubs are CNC bored to exacting tolerances. As an ex-machinist, I find that scenario to be highly unlikely.

If they're machining / inspecting to 6 sigma quality plan which is pretty standard procedure these days, the odds of you getting hit by lightening in the next 12 months is 3 time greater than you find that one out of tolerance hub. ;)
 

bruceb58

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TieDown hubs, they were coming off....more than just one hub....Kodiac hubs..never come off. Same exact Bearing Buddy part numbers. To me, that tells me it's the hub.
 

jimmbo

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Well one way to keep the BBs from falling off is to discard them and replace the hubs with Oil Bath hubs, problems solved.... ROFLMAO!!!
 

naturelover

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Ive run them on my 8" wheeled 4x8 utility trailer for years and never had one come off. Not sure they would even if I wanted to take them off, had to take a block of wood and a 4lb engineers hammer to drive them on...

Did blow out my grease seals however, guess filled them with too much grease.
 
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