Remove spindle lube for bearing buddies?

I posted a while back about my difficulty finding parts for my spindle lube system on my trailer. I like the spindle lube idea, but I still can't find a suitable replacement for the old nut lock pins. Would there be any potential problems with pulling the grease fitting out of the end of the spindle and using bearing buddies instead?

Re: Remove spindle lube for bearing buddies?

Why?<br /><br />Parts are readily available at any auto parts store, its just an axle nut and retainer. The bearings are no different than any other hub and can be had anywhere any other bearings are available.<br /><br />Look, bearing protectors by any company are an aftermarket joke that at best do very little and in most cases cause more problems than they ever solve. Spindle lube systems, by contrast, actually offer a sane way to fully load hubs so that water intrusion is a thing of the past. In short the spindle lube systems are far superior to any bearing buddy no matter who the maker is. If anything the sane way to go is to see how far you can toss the bearing buddys and convert to a spindle lube system, going the other way around is simply a mistake.<br /><br />Thom

Re: Remove spindle lube for bearing buddies?

Thom, thanks for the reply. My spindle lube setup is different than most these days. I have a pin that goes through the spindle to lock a castle nut in place. I cannot find a replacement for this drive pin that fits tightly enough in the hole. Because of that, the grease comes out around the pin instead of going back to the bearings. I don't think much grease makes it all the way back. I have tried cotter pins, roll pins, ans several types of round stock. The manufacturer has since abandoned this desing for the more common flat sided washer to hold the nut in place. Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Re: Remove spindle lube for bearing buddies?

Wow! I've never seen them like that. The ones I've seen have the grease hole off center so that a standard cotter pin can be used without disrupting the flow of grease. Well, here's what I'd do if I were you. I'd grind a flat on the axle up on the threads and use a standard 1" tab lock washer (Champion Trailer's sells them for $1.29 each) and then I'd plug the existing holes where the grease is leaking out.<br /><br />That sounds like a really odd one that you have there but I still would not go to bearing buddys no matter what. I really dislike those things myself, having had so very much bad luck with them and understanding how frequently they are misused and result in blown grease seals (and resulting on-road bearing failure). Of course the expensive fix (will cost you about $150) would be to simply replace the axle.<br /><br />Thom