Excessive Grease

[angleratwill]

Question? I Went on a road trip with the boat about 500 miles around trip and put the boat in the water three or four times and when I got home I noticed I had grease all over my rims and tires of the trailer . Nothing coming out the back of the hub. Just out the front of the grease buddies. Have I over greased these hubs and toasted the seals in the grease buddies, or is that a sign of a bigger problem or is it just letting out the excess grease. Help.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Excessive Grease

Happens to grease buddies weep hole in them slings excess out. Trouble is when bearings packed full of grease they act like a grease pump, keeps water out of bearings though.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Excessive Grease

Do you have the rubber caps on them? Get those and at least it won't end up on the rim. Pretty much normal though.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Excessive Grease

Bearing Buddies should not sling grease. Yes -- you can over grease them and you apparently have! Beariing Buddies should be greased ONLY until the disc begiins to move -- not until it is fully extended to the outer limits of the housing.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Excessive Grease

Bearing Buddies should not sling grease. Yes -- you can over grease them and you apparently have! Beariing Buddies should be greased ONLY until the disc begiins to move -- not until it is fully extended to the outer limits of the housing.

Yep, that limits the mess, and the bras keep it off the tires.

Put BB on my trailer after replacing fried wheel bearings 3 years ago. Just checked the bearings. Smooth as a baby's behind and tight.

I find that most grease seal surfaces on trailer axels will not hold BB's slight pressure. BB puts out a seal repair kit that puts a SS sleeve over the seal surface, sealed to the spindle with an O-ring and the cone of the inside bearing. Now the inside of the tire is clean also.

After the initial period of burping the air out, they need a shot of grease about twice a year.

BTW, when I put my trailer in, the wheels are totally submerged.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Excessive Grease

If I had my choice would use oiled wheel bearings, would be a better choice for trailered boat, but instead they make wheel bearings grease monkey approved. Checking into some hybrid bearings that could take the sock otherwise would be ceramic bearings for rust protection.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Excessive Grease

If I had my choice would use oiled wheel bearings, would be a better choice for trailered boat, but instead they make wheel bearings grease monkey approved. Checking into some hybrid bearings that could take the sock otherwise would be ceramic bearings for rust protection.

There have been numerous reports of oil bath bearings not doing so well in a marine environment. They can't deal with the quick temperature changes when you take warm bearings and dunk the entire hub into cold water. Bearing buddies, at least in theory, have a near perfect solution for that with the spring loaded design.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Excessive Grease

First thing I'd want to do is keep a close eye on the hub temp. A bad or too tight bearing can cause excessive heat, as can a dragging brake. Excessive heat can cause grease to thin and ooze. Also make sure you're using the right grease - I like the Walmart cartridge that says 'Marine' on it.

For you guys that regularly give your Bearing Buddies a shot of grease - where did the grease go that was in there? More about that here:
http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/07/bearing-buddies.html

 

[angleratwill]

Re: Excessive Grease

Thanks for all the info sure helps alot. Happy boating everyone.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Excessive Grease

First thing I'd want to do is keep a close eye on the hub temp. A bad or too tight bearing can cause excessive heat, as can a dragging brake. Excessive heat can cause grease to thin and ooze. Also make sure you're using the right grease - I like the Walmart cartridge that says 'Marine' on it.

For you guys that regularly give your Bearing Buddies a shot of grease - where did the grease go that was in there? More about that here:
http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2011/07/bearing-buddies.html

A little loose with the facts, but he has his opinion.

For instance, when a bearing is running, and especially if there are brakes involved, it heats up some. Grease has a relatively high coefficient of expansion, and air expands as it's heated also.

When you suddenly dip that warm hub into cold water, things contract. What fills the void?

I suspect the dab of grease I wipe out of the 'mate under the bra is the dab I put in 6 months earlier.