Bearing Buddies or Keep Super-Lube caps?

badrano

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I have a load-rite with the super-lube spindles. I remember reading a post, but can't find it, about converting super-lube spindles to use bearing buddies.

Is it as simple as removing the grease fitting? Or should I just stick with the super-lube?
 

robert graham

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My 20 year old trailer has the super-lube spindles with the zerk fitting in the center of each one....the system works very well and I just pump grease in forcing the old contaminated grease out.... I think it's as good or better than bearing buddies, but both work well...
 

dingbat

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What problem are you trying to resolve?

Load-Rite trailer as well. The OEM Super lube system has served me well.
 

badrano

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What problem are you trying to resolve?

Load-Rite trailer as well. The OEM Super lube system has served me well.

I bought a brake kit and it comes with bearing buddies. Just being curious on everyone's thoughts.
 

Lou C

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Agreed, bearing buddies are for a conventional axle with no super or spindle lube system, the latter 2 are superior to bearing buddies. I have an axle built by Champion Trailers back in 2004 with the spindle lube system and still have the original bearings in it, changed the seals a few times over 15 years. With good seals, this system works great, in fact, I wish I had it on my rear drive cars back in the 70s, vs manual repacking with that smelly fibrous yellow grease we had to deal with!
 

The Force power

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Bearing-buddies are garbage! it will only grease one bearing, the grease never makes it to the other bearing.
Stick with what you have; way better

I have actually taken regular hubs & tapped-in grease nipple (in center of hub) so I can grease both bearings and have a healthy supply inside the hub.
 

bruceb58

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Bearing Buddies are great at what they do...keep a positive pressure in the hub. What they don't do is grease any of the bearings and they aren't designed to do that. You hand pack.

I have two boat trailers, one with bearing buddys and one with EZ lube. The bearings in the ez lube trailer are the ones I have had the most problems with because they don't pressurize the hub.

On my travel trailer, I have the EZ lube "feature" but I never use it. Too many stories of the rear seal leaking and the brakes end up full of grease. Again, I hand pack only.

What most people do wrong is never inspect their bearings. You should be pulling them every year or every other year and inspecting them. I also have replaced every bearing on the trailers I own with US made Timken bearings...no chinese bearings.
 
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bruceb58

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I have actually taken regular hubs & tapped-in grease nipple (in center of hub) so I can grease both bearings and have a healthy supply inside the hub.
so..where does the grease go that is supposedly reaching the rear bearing? Out the seal I suppose!

Why not do it right the first time and hand pack?
 

ahicks

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so..where does the grease go that is supposedly reaching the rear bearing? Out the seal I suppose!

Why not do it right the first time and hand pack?

A zillion trouble free miles on the super lube spindles without issue here... even with 10" wheels run at X-way speeds.

I was a service manager at a large RV dealer when Dexter first introduced this system (late 70's, early '80's I think). They sent a factory representative up to our place in the Detroit Metro area to introduce it to us and answer all the typical questions. The guy did a great job and I've been a believer in the system since then.

To answer the first question, the grease travels from the zerk fitting, through the center of the spindle, and exits through a hole located between the inside seal and the inside bearing. It fills that cavity (assuming the seal is still there), then continues through the inside bearing where it's deposited in the area between the inner and outer bearings. When that space fills, grease is then forced out through the outer bearing where you can see it.

The directions do call for the wheel to be turned slowly through this process, so the grease is distributed evenly as the grease flows through each bearing. While not impossible to blow out the back seal, I'm assuming the use of a hand grease gun has much less chance of doing that. I've never managed to do that, but if there is an issue, it's easily seen by the fact the inside of that wheel and tire will be covered in grease.

To answer the second question, because it's not necessary. It's much easier to use the process designed and endorsed by the axle manf. That said, I believe a good maintenance plan WILL have you removing, cleaning and inspecting the bearings on occasion. -Al
 

The Force power

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so..where does the grease go that is supposedly reaching the rear bearing? Out the seal I suppose!

Why not do it right the first time and hand pack?

that's right! first time hand pack after that with my set-up it forces the grease to both bearings and yes..it will reach the seal.
keep pumping grease & you will blow the seal out

you think a hub stays "pressurized" due to a bearing buddy?? the only thing that may be pressurized is the hubcap till it bleeds into the hub & eventually through the seal

Again these bearing buddies only grease the outside bearing, nobody keeps pushing grease/rotating wheel to force the grease through the first bearing followed by filling entire hub and then finally the second bearing till it reaches the seal.

by that time you have put so much pressure on it, that will blow that garbage buddy right off the hub

bearingbuddy = comfort to a fool
 
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bruceb58

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Bearing buddys have a spring that starts compressing once the hub is full. Once you see the cylinder stop moving, you stop pumping.

The people that have issues are the ones that keep pumping after that.
 

bruceb58

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To answer the first question, the grease travels from the zerk fitting, through the center of the spindle, and exits through a hole located between the inside seal and the inside bearing.
I was responding to the guy who drilled a hole in the center of his hub to put a zerk in! LOL
 

bruceb58

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To answer the second question, because it's not necessary. It's much easier to use the process designed and endorsed by the axle manf. That said, I believe a good maintenance plan WILL have you removing, cleaning and inspecting the bearings on occasion. -Al
The axle manufactuere, Dexter in this case, recommends removing the hubs every 12,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first, to inspect brakes and bearings. Then you can handpack instead of using the lazy man's "feature"

BTW, this photo, posted in an RV blog, shows what can happen using the EZ lube "feature".

20180401_121459.jpg
 

The Force power

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Bearing buddys have a spring that starts compressing once the hub is full. Once you see the cylinder stop moving, you stop pumping.

The people that have issues are the ones that keep pumping after that.
FBPC1980604.jpg
The only thing that is temporary pressurized is the area between the cap & bearing
 

The Force power

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What they don't do is grease any of the bearings and they aren't designed to do that. You hand pack.

What most people do wrong is never inspect their bearings. You should be pulling them every year or every other year and inspecting them.
You know exactly what to do & not do, we're almost saying the same thing & I'm NOT saying you're wrong.

The reason I'm against them is; it give a false impression to most in-experienced people that giving a couple of pumps into the grease-nipple & their bearings are greased.

I wanted to give my opinion to the guy that original asked; what to go with?
 

bruceb58

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The only thing that is temporary pressurized is the area between the cap & bearing
LOL...so absolutely wrong! If that was the case, even the EZ lube feature wouldn't work.

If people think that putting a couple pumps into a bearing buddy greases their bearing, they don't understand what they do. Kinda like you who thinks it greases the outer bearing.
 
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The Force power

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[QUOTEIf people think that putting a couple pumps into a bearing buddy greases their bearing, they don't understand what they do. QUOTE]

I agree with you
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Kinda like you who thinks it greases the outer bearing.

Dude, you're contradicting yourself. First you say it keeps the hub pressurized & then your saying the grease is not making it's way to & thru the outer bearing.

You can most likely teach me a million things about boats & outboards and such, but I've worked for decades on wheel-bearings (oil & grease) / gear-boxes / Transfer-cases /Fan shaft- housings / Jackshaft-housings. All equipped with bearings.

Having said this; I propose we put this to rest.:rip:
 
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