don't wait to long

[ziggy]

i did.....


went out to the lake yesterday. felt the wheel brgs. nice and cool. today...... grrrrrrrrrrr.

going out to the lake today, had me a farmer pull out from a side road. soon as he pulled out. he flashed his lights. i went about my way. 20 miles to the lake. thought he was fiddlein with the dash. or maybe a warning. didn't know witch....

so, i get to the lake. hop out and do my launch prep. hum. sure smells like somethings burning. ol lady agrees.... what's on fire she says... after a bit i find the trailer starboard wheel brgs.s to hot to touch. wheel included, yesterday it was cool..

long story short. i melted my inner wheel brg. i waited to long. i greased it thru the brg. buddy regular. but to no avail. the brg. lasted from fall 06 to today. a tire store job in rapid city. prior to takeing it on the road home from purchase.


a friend saved my day. same friend that got me off the beach the other day. sean. anyways. ended up back in lincoln, (20 miles, 1 way). got me new inner and outer brgs.(sean was at the parts counter with a parts book in hand with numbers for my ez loader traier) + inner seal. sean provided a hammer and punch, and break kleen, and rags, and, and, and..... he saved my day again. went back out to the lake with new inner and outer brgs. + inner seal. all greased up and ready to install. made short work at the ramp.

sean says, i was just doing pm in a strange place.... what a friend....

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: don't wait to long

lucky you didnt ruin the axle too. or have the race weld its self to the axle and have to be cut off

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: don't wait to long

we keep saying every spring, before the first launch. now you know why.

 

[Rowroy]

Re: don't wait to long

I bet many of you guys already know this trick, but if you have access to a welder, you can weld a continuous bead around the inside of the outer race. As the weld cools, it will contract, letting the race simply fall out.

This little trick will work for almost any type of conical/beveled outer race (motorcycle wheel bearing, gearbox bearing, forktruck wheel bearing, etc . . . )

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: don't wait to long

not suppose to wait that long, to have to do that.

 

[Irv964]

Re: don't wait to long

So does this mean bearing buddies are no good? If not then why install them?
I just installed some on my utility trailer figuring that my days of repacking bearings by hand was done?..........Irv964

 

[Pascal]

repacking is not obsolete yet!!!

repacking is not obsolete yet!!!

So does this mean bearing buddies are no good? If not then why install them?
I just installed some on my utility trailer figuring that my days of repacking bearings by hand was done?..........Irv964

My thinking on the subject of bearing buddies is that they are there to help keep water out of the hub due to temperature/vacuum issues that develope when launching the boat at the end of a trip to the lake and the water cools the hub allowing the H20 to be forced into the hub. They extend the peace of mind for the owner BETWEEN the times when the hand packing needs to be done. There comes a time when it is necessary to remove the hubs and check them for contamination. Bearing buddies don't replace the necessary bearing maintenance operation of packing and inspecting them.

Just my opinion.......

 

[djvan]

Re: don't wait to long

I always repack by hand (bearing packer) even with buddies installed.

DougV>

 

[CATransplant]

Re: don't wait to long

I repack at the beginning of the season every year. I also feel the hubs whenever I stop. Usually, that's at the lake and then back at home, since my run is rarely over about 45 minutes.

So far, I've never had a bearing failure.

 

[HappierWet]

Re: don't wait to long

I bet many of you guys already know this trick, but if you have access to a welder, you can weld a continuous bead around the inside of the outer race. As the weld cools, it will contract, letting the race simply fall out.

This little trick will work for almost any type of conical/beveled outer race (motorcycle wheel bearing, gearbox bearing, forktruck wheel bearing, etc . . . )

That's a cool trick.. hope I never need it!

 

[ziggy]

Re: don't wait to long

well, finished up my pm at home today (much more convenient than the boat ramp). the other brg. was a little blue so was replaced too.

jaxnjill. yep, i'm lucky i didn't ruin more.... no doubt about it.

td. i know, i deserve an i told ya so.....

rowboy, hope i never need to use your trick either. good tip though. in my case, i don't have access to a welder.

irv, there's no way that the brg. buddie will allow ya to insert new grease to the inner brg. perhaps for the reason stated by pascal.

djvan. yep those work dandy.

catransplant. well, on my pwc i had for years. i repacked once a year (never had a problem either doing it that way). thought i'd go to two. since i got it in fall. i guess i went three even . real bad idea. i'm back to doin it once a year. i also check my hubs to temp after a drive. i'd gone out sat. (22 miles). and they were cool. this happened the next day. apparently w/o warning.....

all turned out well. sure coulda been much worse. hope someone else learns from my mistake... it could have been much worse for me than the way it turned out for my own negligence. worse yet. i knew better......

 

[Irv964]

Re: don't wait to long

I just looked this up and seen what it says right on the front page "Eliminates Bearing Repacking"
Also, at the bottom of the page under "frequently" asked questions, there is blurb about checking them every 5 yrs?
I also check my wheels/hubs/tires after arriving at the cottage(about 125km's) and so far so good, they are never hot, just barely warm.
I guess it boils down to ones own comfort level on how often the bearings should be repacked? After reading some of your posts I think I will check them out every few years to see how things look in there, if all is good everytime then I will continue to have faith in the bearing buddies?.......Irv964
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/