I love the sound of wheel bearings in the morning.....

[Crocodile]

116508
Hello All,
I thought I heard a rumbling sound coming from my trailer.
We might win the odd battle but we will never win the war.
Local trailer repairer advised this DIY repairer to use cheap bearings and replace them more often (install Timkens for long trips). He even lent me his tube of Sikafkex to glue the metal part of the seal into place.
The alarming aspect to this is that I did a jack-up-and-listen only a couple of weeks ago and all was quiet.
Changing bearing at home has very little to recommend, I would hate to do it roadside.

[NAGG]

Tell your local trailer guy he is a "goose"

what is the difference in price of a set of cheap bearings Vs Timken ? ...... $10 (maybe)
How often does he expect you to change the cheap bearings ? ...... Then you have to add the cost of the grease - so add another $5-10 each time
What's your time worth ? ... or does he want you to come to him.

The reality is that for the average boater a set of Timkens could last years if a good quality grease & bearing buddies are used .

I do a lot of towing (10,000km a year minimum) & on some pretty crappy roads ..... and the only failure was due to throwing a bearing buddy and not noticing (night time)

For my way of thinking - prevention is always better ...... I do a complete rebuild before every major trip ( often 5000km round trip ) and once a year . ....... $70 for piece of mind
btw .... buy your Timkens when Supercheap have then on sale < $25 a set

Chris

[RayLamp]

Timken marine sets aren't really that expensive and I've never had a failure with them. Can't say the same for other bearings.

A trusted mechanic recommended Evinrude grease. Good gear that.

[tunaticer]

Faulty seal somewhere there, they are rust pits causing the noise.
FWIW it is usually far cheaper to buy the bearings from a bearing specialist like CBC or statewide bearings.
Supercheap is anything but cheap in my experience and forget buying from BCF and the like.

Bearings on my trailer are now about 8 years old and done maybe 40,000km.
I bolt my bearing buddies on these days to avoid throw offs along the corrugated roads.
3 x M3 socket head cap screws in stainless is all you need.

[Crunchy]

Timken aren't that good, NTN Japanese bearings are the goods.

[TheGurn]

Just rebuilt my 'big boat' trailer. Outer bearings looked like new but checked the inners anyway. Dodged a bullet there
They looked like they'd been packed with dried clay. Couldn't even rotate them by hand. Luckily this boat seldom gets used. Prompted me to check my other 'little boat' trailer which is 2 years old. Outer bearing fell apart in my hands. Both trailers have bearing buddies that I top up but methinks a more timely looksee is in order. Replaced with Toyo bearings. Are these the 'cheapies' I should've avoided?

[NAGG]

Timken aren't that good, NTN Japanese bearings are the goods.

Really ..... aren't that good ?

Gee - I don't know how many well qualified people I've spoken to over the last 25 years and they are always mentioned as a high quality readily available bearing .
Yes NTNs get a nod & SKFs get a mention..... but you have to track them down .

My own experiences with Timken would have me scratching my head as what could be better & why ....... I'm curious

Chris

[NAGG]

Grease ..... that's another topic - I've been using that red Nulon (Extreme performance) grease for the past few years ..... I'm pretty impressed with it - it seems to handle any water ingress much better than the BP marine or Shell Gadus that I had used over the years. Also found that it was good at high temps (40 deg +) It remained quite viscous .

Chris

[gazza2006au]

Bearings are bearings IMO its better whatever is available to you and at your preferred budget some will say u need the bee's knee's where others will say budget bearings have lasted them a decade, i however think the most important bit is to sufficiently grease and load the bearings with grease but also load the hub with grease as when your doing 110kph down the highway the grease acts like a self centrifuge and self feeds into the bearings automatically when needed by centrifugal force

all the times i have changed bearings only once have i loaded the bearing but not the hub because i broke down inside the M5 tunnel in Sydney the wheel came off done a tight line walk on a 15 meter drop luckily it rolled back onto the highway (50 meters out of tunnel) north bound, had to change the wheel hub and bearings had a brain fart moment in a desperate attempt of repairing the trailer i purchased a squeeze tube of grease from super cheap auto, this bearing is still running fine but i have my doubts

[NAGG]

Bearings are bearings IMO its better whatever is available to you and at your preferred budget some will say u need the bee's knee's where others will say budget bearings have lasted them a decade, i however think the most important bit is to sufficiently grease and load the bearings with grease but also load the hub with grease as when your doing 110kph down the highway the grease acts like a self centrifuge and self feeds into the bearings automatically when needed by centrifugal force

all the times i have changed bearings only once have i loaded the bearing but not the hub because i broke down inside the M5 tunnel in Sydney the wheel came off done a tight line walk on a 15 meter drop luckily it rolled back onto the highway (50 meters out of tunnel) north bound, had to change the wheel hub and bearings had a brain fart moment in a desperate attempt of repairing the trailer i purchased a squeeze tube of grease from super cheap auto, this bearing is still running fine but i have my doubts

Yep - good tip on loading up the hub ..... I only started doing it over the last few years (actually when I started using the Nulon) I literally use a tub for both wheels & buddies ..... then pump it up with a grease gun - ALWAYS USING THE SAME GREASE.

I carry in my car - a tool box that contains everything to rebuild 2 sets of bearings .... plus a spare hub - ::) gun / tub & cartridge of Nulon Pieces of wood , brass drift & poly boat roller in case I have to knock out the cups . ..... (the poly boat roller is used to knock them back in )

That's another thing .... regular rebuilds make it easier to knock out the cups

Chris

[Crunchy]

Really ..... aren't that good ?

Gee - I don't know how many well qualified people I've spoken to over the last 25 years and they are always mentioned as a high quality readily available bearing .
Yes NTNs get a nod & SKFs get a mention..... but you have to track them down .

My own experiences with Timken would have me scratching my head as what could be better & why ....... I'm curious

Chris

But then again you rate Mojiko so.....:-?

[NAGG]

But then again you rate Mojiko so.....:-?

;D My reference to “Team Mojiko” is sarcasm. ....me being facetious and a bit of a joke among friends .
For the record I do keep my sinkers in a mojiko tackle tray . :P

Chris

[Crunchy]

After 15 years of changing bearings I reackon the NTN are better than timken IMO, I have never changed an NTN bearing that actually needed it ::) but I have seen pitting on Timken races and the weight of the NTN bearings feels like better quality....CBC have NTN bearings so easy to get and Northside Marine used to supply NTN too but not sure if they still do, I guess it all depends on what you tow and how far but with 2.5MT of boat towing 500km's I like NTN in the hubs personally....

[gazza2006au]

You need to keep in mind how frequent u change bearings as each time u press in a new race its removing aluminium from the hub this is probably why the previous poster said the more he changes the bearings the easier they are to press in, you've gotta keep an eye on it so the outer race doesnt spin with the bearing and cause a much bigger problem with your rim i have not to date seen any destruction's but i often rebuild motocross bikes and this is a problem when doing the internal crankcase bearings spinning inside of the aluminium because of wear

[Noelm]

Most hubs will be steel, the only alloy ones I know of are those ones with the bearing bit all one piece with the rim, hate those big time.

[NAGG]

You need to keep in mind how frequent u change bearings as each time u press in a new race its removing aluminium from the hub this is probably why the previous poster said the more he changes the bearings the easier they are to press in, you've gotta keep an eye on it so the outer race doesnt spin with the bearing and cause a much bigger problem with your rim i have not to date seen any destruction's but i often rebuild motocross bikes and this is a problem when doing the internal crankcase bearings spinning inside of the aluminium because of wear

Galvanised steel hubs ..... by easier as in not rusted in (still a chore though)

Chris

[NAGG]

After 15 years of changing bearings I reackon the NTN are better than timken IMO, I have never changed an NTN bearing that actually needed it ::) but I have seen pitting on Timken races and the weight of the NTN bearings feels like better quality....CBC have NTN bearings so easy to get and Northside Marine used to supply NTN too but not sure if they still do, I guess it all depends on what you tow and how far but with 2.5MT of boat towing 500km's I like NTN in the hubs personally....

Fair call ...... but as I mentioned , I don't run my bearings to the death either - the way I see it 10,000 km in a year is probably akin to a life time for the average boater & so when my bearings get done they still look really good ..... certainly no pitting etc .


I'm sure what you are saying is right about the NTN ...... & maybe if I was having bearing failures or not replacing the bearings yearly - i'd probably hunt them down .

Chris

[Dignity]

Yep - good tip on loading up the hub ..... I only started doing it over the last few years (actually when I started using the Nulon) I literally use a tub for both wheels & buddies ..... then pump it up with a grease gun - ALWAYS USING THE SAME GREASE.

I carry in my car - a tool box that contains everything to rebuild 2 sets of bearings .... plus a spare hub - ::) gun / tub & cartridge of Nulon Pieces of wood , brass drift & poly boat roller in case I have to knock out the cups . ..... (the poly boat roller is used to knock them back in )

That's another thing .... regular rebuilds make it easier to knock out the cups

Chris

Ditto, although years ago I decided to keep a set of outers, ground them down until they were a loose fit in the hub then use them to knock the new ones back in. Hadn't thought of poly rollers, did you have to turn them down to size.

And what's with the sika flex idea, is it possible there is a reaction between the grease and sika, personally if the hub was in such poor condition requiring some sort of additional sealer I'd be replacing the hub.

[Short Fuse]

I used to use the old races to help seat the new ones when changing the bearings in my boat trailers. It was always a bit of a pain. About 3 years ago, Ray from Rays Canvas and Marine put me onto a product called Blue Point - Bearing Race and Seal Driver Master Set. Its a set of 9 tapered drivers that cover bearing races from 35mm through to 70mm diameter. From memory I paid around $80 for the set from Trade Tools at Caboolture.

They certainly make the job a lot easier and with 3 boat trailers of my own, plus a few friends trailers, they get a fairly regular use. Highly recommended.

cheers

Jeff

[NAGG]

Ditto, although years ago I decided to keep a set of outers, ground them down until they were a loose fit in the hub then use them to knock the new ones back in. Hadn't thought of poly rollers, did you have to turn them down to size.

And what's with the sika flex idea, is it possible there is a reaction between the grease and sika, personally if the hub was in such poor condition requiring some sort of additional sealer I'd be replacing the hub.

Yep turn one end down for the best fit ..... I have 1 for inner and outer.

chris

[baitable]

if i'm reading this right, you know you can cut a slot into your old outer races with a grinder and you instantly have a driver to knock the new races in??? its free....

[littlejim]

I used to go through wheel bearings at least once a year, always the bigger inside bearing, until I started packing the inner seal ribs with grease as well as the bearings.
Now get years out of the bearings.
Try to do do a repack of bearings and seals at least once a year, sometimes gets stretched a bit longer than that.

[Triple]

if i'm reading this right, you know you can cut a slot into your old outer races with a grinder and you instantly have a driver to knock the new races in??? its free....

Been using the same for many years too 👍 easy and free. Just wish I had a hydraulic bench press to push some of the stubborn new races in that the freezer and oven can't help with

[Triple]

And anyone use a hubodometer to actually monitor bearing distance not just time and dunkings?

[Funchy]

Ditto, although years ago I decided to keep a set of outers, ground them down until they were a loose fit in the hub then use them to knock the new ones back in. Hadn't thought of poly rollers, did you have to turn them down to size.

And what's with the sika flex idea, is it possible there is a reaction between the grease and sika, personally if the hub was in such poor condition requiring some sort of additional sealer I'd be replacing the hub.

Hopefully you've learnt a few new tricks so you can change mine quicker from now on? :thumbsup:

[Dignity]

if i'm reading this right, you know you can cut a slot into your old outer races with a grinder and you instantly have a driver to knock the new races in??? its free....

ill give that a go, grinding them back takes a bit of time, cutting would be quicker.

[Dignity]

Hopefully you've learnt a few new tricks so you can change mine quicker from now on? :thumbsup:

I probably need a new apprentice, the last one was hopeless

PS Funchy, don't use the races I ground down as replacements

[Dignity]

I used to use the old races to help seat the new ones when changing the bearings in my boat trailers. It was always a bit of a pain. About 3 years ago, Ray from Rays Canvas and Marine put me onto a product called Blue Point - Bearing Race and Seal Driver Master Set. Its a set of 9 tapered drivers that cover bearing races from 35mm through to 70mm diameter. From memory I paid around $80 for the set from Trade Tools at Caboolture.

They certainly make the job a lot easier and with 3 boat trailers of my own, plus a few friends trailers, they get a fairly regular use. Highly recommended.

cheers

Jeff

Jeff, when do I drop my trailer around so you can show me how it works. Going to see Al on Monday finally for my mods on the pod.

Cheers
Sam

Edit: Jeff, can these be used to remove the races as well as this is the most tedious part of the job.

[Short Fuse]

Sam. Still need to use a punch or other piece of flat rod to punch the old races out. The drivers are just for seating the new races and the rear seal in place. They have a large screw in handle that you can hold when hitting the new races in so you are not trying to hold an old race while hitting close to fingers while seating the new ones. No more bruised and bleeding fingers, or fingers pinched in the groove in the old set.

Let me know when you and Funchy need to do your bearings, happy to help out with the WH&S supervision while you use the set.

For those concerned about the price of purchasing them, I figure the money I have saved over the years by not using 95 or 98 octane fuel in my outboards has more than paid for them...........

Now I'm sure there is a bag of popcorn around here somewhere.

cheers

Jeff

[Dignity]

Sam. Still need to use a punch or other piece of flat rod to punch the old races out. The drivers are just for seating the new races and the rear seal in place. They have a large screw in handle that you can hold when hitting the new races in so you are not trying to hold an old race while hitting close to fingers while seating the new ones. No more bruised and bleeding fingers, or fingers pinched in the groove in the old set.

Let me know when you and Funchy need to do your bearings, happy to help out with the WH&S supervision while you use the set.

For those concerned about the price of purchasing them, I figure the money I have saved over the years by not using 95 or 98 octane fuel in my outboards has more than paid for them...........

Now I'm sure there is a bag of popcorn around here somewhere.

cheers

Jeff
Thanks Jeff, was wondering as doing a search for them on the good old internet I found one set that said it was also for removal of races, theirs had a similar profile but were deeper.

I think my last apprentice was the WH&S officer, but a bottle of Glenmorangie later I was sweet (Thanks Funchy, enjoy a tipple every now and then)

Sam

[Funchy]

I think my last apprentice was the WH&S officer, but a bottle of Glenmorangie later I was sweet (Thanks Funchy, enjoy a tipple every now and then)

Sam

I hope there's some left :)

[Dignity]

I hope there's some left :)
About one third of a bottle left, 😕

[Spaniard_King]

Doesn't matter what bearing you use if don't install it properly and you use sub standard seals

How many lips are your 2 piece marine seals????

%99 of seals are 1 lip if you look hard you can find the 2 piece seals.

I have been using chinese bearings in my 3t rig for the last 8 years, change every 2 years with no dramas

[ranmar850]

if i'm reading this right, you know you can cut a slot into your old outer races with a grinder and you instantly have a driver to knock the new races in??? its free....
Or just run them around on the bench grinder for a bit until they are a "fall-in" fit, it only takes a couple of minutes to do and then you have them for life.

I use whatever bearings I can get my hands on, and frankly, they all seem to last the same length of time. The important part is to KEEP THE BLOODY WATER OUT. And this comes back to seals, as Gary says above. I've bought kits with crap seals that instantly let the water into the inners. Someone else said they got a shock when they found their outers looked fine and their inners were stuffed? This is the most common way to find them, IMO. The outers are protected by the BB's and heaps of grease, but the seals let water into the inners. You have to grease the crap out of any boat trailer wheel bearings, to keep a little grease in the inner seals and help them work. I bought a set from Coventries year before last, and the seal had a huge gap between the lips and the cup, utterly useless. And to those, and they are on here, who say that you should not "over grease" bearings, and that normal seals are "just as good", frankly, you are talking out of your **rse.
Mine get a hammering, they are removed, washed and inspected every year, and generally repacked to go another year. I've gone three years, but, frankly, I'don;'t think it is worth the worry. After all, by the time you have removed and washed them, you may as well have tapped out the old races and put new ones in with new bearings--you've done most of the work already. When i see someone by the roadside with failed bearings, you just know what their maintenance regime has been like.

[Noelm]

Best bearings I ever had lasted years, and as far as I know, are still going, they had a stainless sleeve kind of thing on the axle where the seal runs, and had a proper lip seal fitted to the hub, never let water in, ever.

[Dignity]

I'm sill trying to figure out what the mechanic meant about using sika on the seals, surely he doesn't think it's going to help.

[Fed]

I'm sill trying to figure out what the mechanic meant about using sika on the seals, surely he doesn't think it's going to help.
He would be using sika on the mating parts that are an interference fit Dignity.

[NAGG]

So what is the general consensus...... spend a bit more on the bearings , good seals , good quality grease and lots of it.

How often should they be done ?

Yearly ?

For my Peace of mind , l stick with a yearly replacement or 5000km - which ever comes first

there may be a little conjecture here as you would think that how much you use the boat , how far you tow it would have to come into play. I could imagine that someone who uses their boat a few times a year down the local river might get away with it for a few years.

A sobering image for me is always that boat trailer you see sitting by the side of the road with a wheel off.

On another note ..... how often do you replace trailer tyres ?

chris

[ranmar850]

IMO, yearly would be overdoing it, especially at that mileage. However, if you don't keep the grease up, and you have poor inner seals, yes, you will need to do them annually.
I once had a shared boat with a mate, he used it a lot over summer, I was more of a winter user. He claimed to always grease up the bearing buddies, but I don't reckon he even owned a grease gun. I'd grab it in May getting ready for the annual run away, and the bearings were always shagged, rumbly, roller shapes showing clearly on the inner races, meaning water was getting in and sitting there.

[Lovey80]

IMO the answer is to stop using grease altogether. Go and get a set of Durahubs, some decent plastic inner seals and some locktight and be done with it. My off-road trailer build that I completed in 2011 (thread on here somewhere) i installed the Dura-Hubs I think it was Smithy that recommended them. I just replaced the bearings this year and they were like new. I've kept them as a spare set incase the worst happens. Run them on both my boat trailers now. Will never go back to grease for marine use now.

[NAGG]

IMO the answer is to stop using grease altogether. Go and get a set of Durahubs, some decent plastic inner seals and some locktight and be done with it. My off-road trailer build that I completed in 2011 (thread on here somewhere) i installed the Dura-Hubs I think it was Smithy that recommended them. I just replaced the bearings this year and they were like new. I've kept them as a spare set incase the worst happens. Run them on both my boat trailers now. Will never go back to grease for marine use now.

Durahubs are an interesting topic on their own ....... ever wondered why after all these years they are not mainstream - food for thought

Chris

[ranmar850]

Durahubs? Are they the oil-filled ones? if they are, good concept, but, lose one of those caps and you rapidly lose all your lubrication/ or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

[stevej]

Durahubs? Are they the oil-filled ones? if they are, good concept, but, lose one of those caps and you rapidly lose all your lubrication/ or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

they do come off, ive seen two caps that have fallen off.

at least if you lose a cao the grease stays in place kinda, i dont like bearings buddies just get under the trailer now and then look at the back of the seal and pop the front cap off.

guys who just keep topping their buddies up give you a dumb look when you ask where does it go to need topping up all the time

[Moonlighter]

Durahubs? Are they the oil-filled ones? if they are, good concept, but, lose one of those caps and you rapidly lose all your lubrication/ or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

Good friend of mine has them on his US built boat trailer, 7 years has never touched them or needed to. The caps never looked like moving in that time.

[NAGG]

I've never personally used Durahubs but around the boating fraternity I've been involved with ...... it's mixed . Some swear by them but I know more people who ditched them & went back to bearing buddies .
The concept is brilliant .... no doubt
where it comes unstuck is if the axle isn't perfect to start with ...... a scratch can be a leaking point - not a lot but needing top ups.
If the seal goes ..... it's all over red rover in minutes - you cant see it when you are driving (window or not)

At least with the bearing buddy a seal going is not going to be fatal ...... I've seen spit seals ooze grease but because it was known of it was nice coloured grease and the trip continued .
Back in the early days of my boat ownership ..... I'd go for several years with the inside of the hub covered in grease from being pushed out the back seal ...... but still no failures despite my lack of attention - eventually I had a failure driving into my driveway (phew) ....... I think that's when I had my epiphany and thought you really do need to maintain these a bit better than just pumping some grease in ::)

Chris

[catshark]

nothing wrong with timkens, some good quality high temp grease, and change over every 2 years unless you travel far and wide will see you have no dramas, but if i had a heavy boat over 3t then i would be inspecting every 6 months.

[Crocodile]

Hello All,
OP here.
The Sikaflex was to leakproof and to hold the stainless steel cup part of the back seal into the alloy hub.
The rubber part of the back seal is stationary on the trailer axle and the SS part is stationary on the alloy hub.
As the wheel rotates the movement is between the surfaces of the SS cup and the rubber.

[Dignity]

OP, never had a problem with the SS part of the seal but then I have no experience with alloy hubs.

[Fed]

never had a problem with the SS part of the seal
How would you know and it can't hurt to put a smear of sika around the outer SS shell, same goes for the axle where the rubber seal pushes onto & the dust caps or bearing buddies.
Aside from the seals themselves these are the only other places water can get in.

[Crunchy]

Thought I would check to see if it was my imagination or not but yes the NTN bearing I checked (Ford Inner) are 23% heavier than the Timken equivalent, rightly or wrongly I translate that to increased quality.

[552Evo]

Has anyone had experience with the dust covers that have a rubber diagram as part of the outer construction ?
I’ve only just seen these (after reading this thread and pondering my next boat trailer maintenance) so I just want to know if they are worth a try. My current setup is a dual axle trailer with buddies.
The theory is that the rubber diagram flexes to allow for temperature change and reduces water ingress past the bearing seal.
Trailer cool down time and hub maintenance are still the obvious preventative measures but if the idea works I might have less grease pushed past the inner seal and flung behind the wheels.



Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

[scubapro]

552evo
I think you are referring to Durahubs which have the cover you describe and you can run them with oil or a combo of grease and oil.
I have been running this system for years. Once properly installed I have never had a problem.
But I also carry a spare set of bearings greased ready to go just in case.

[scubapro]

Go to www.durahub.com.au

[Crunchy]

You mean Durahubs? If you already have bearing buddies and they are perfoming its not really worth going to Durahubs, unless money isn't an issue for you in which case they work well, under certain circumstances.

[tunaticer]

Most people think that more grease is better with bearing buddies, it is incorrect.
You deliver enough grease to move the spring piston about 1/2 way only.
By packing them full you can and will either pop the rear seal or the bearing buddy.
As you drive your grease expands with heat over pressurising the hub.

[552Evo]

You mean Durahubs? If you already have bearing buddies and they are perfoming its not really worth going to Durahubs, unless money isn't an issue for you in which case they work well, under certain circumstances.

Ahh I see what I’ve done, I didn’t really investigate the durahubs. I was looking at the couplemates today and didn’t realise they are the same thing ? Or they look the same but are under $15 a pair. There must be a reason for that ha ha.
My apologies,



Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

[552Evo]

Most people think that more grease is better with bearing buddies, it is incorrect.
You deliver enough grease to move the spring piston about 1/2 way only.
By packing them full you can and will either pop the rear seal or the bearing buddy.
As you drive your grease expands with heat over pressurising the hub.

Thanks tunaticer, I agree with you about the amount of grease, grease doesn’t evaporate. I just have to remember next time I take my motor in for the warranty service that I tell them don’t worry about the complimentary “trailer service”. That’s what I was eluding to in my first post, after I picked it up I had a new grease racing strip inside the mudguards.


Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

[swof63]

Ahh I see what I’ve done, I didn’t really investigate the durahubs. I was looking at the couplemates today and didn’t realise they are the same thing ? Or they look the same but are under $15 a pair. There must be a reason for that ha ha.
My apologies,



Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

No the Couplemate ones are different to durahubs. Couplemate as you originally said are like a fixed bearing cap ( not a bearing buddy) but as you said they have a rubber diaphragm that is just there to allow the heat buildup to not create over-pressure in the bearing and blow grease out the rear seal.
Have some in the car never got around to fitting them.

I just use good bearings (Nsk) and sika the rubber rear, stainless runner and bearing buddy ( for watertightness)
Ps. I Only use the US stainless bearing buddies with the overfill relief vents. Also tape the rubber caps on the bearing buddies. Been doing this for years get years out of a bearing set - even then I change them just because, the old ones look fine.



Sent from my iPhone using Ausfish mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91595)

[Lovey80]

Durahubs are an interesting topic on their own ....... ever wondered why after all these years they are not mainstream - food for thought

Chris

Had the same reservations but after trying them I won't go back to standard grease systems ever again.

[Lovey80]

Durahubs? Are they the oil-filled ones? if they are, good concept, but, lose one of those caps and you rapidly lose all your lubrication/ or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

Correct you could rapidly lose all of your lubrication. If they are fitted well they won't come off. I use Loctite when I install and use a rubber mallet to get them off. It would take a considerable impact to lose one.

[Lovey80]

they do come off, ive seen two caps that have fallen off.

at least if you lose a cao the grease stays in place kinda, i dont like bearings buddies just get under the trailer now and then look at the back of the seal and pop the front cap off.

guys who just keep topping their buddies up give you a dumb look when you ask where does it go to need topping up all the time

I would suggest that if they are falling off without an impact then either there was some considerable wear on the inside of the hub or they weren't installed correctly. If you are doing a long trip and are worried about that. Before you leave as you would normally when you check your bearings, just use a combination of grease and oil. One of the biggest advantages of the Durahubs is the clear window. If you get a little water inside you can see the white oil and you know you have water in them. Just rotate the wheel and drain the milky stuff out and top back up with clean oil. If it keeps happening you know you have a dodgy seal at the back. I had it happen with my dual axle and looking from the inside you'd swear the seal was clean and tight. The milky oil suggested otherwise. I fixed it by using a speedy sleeve for the seal to run on and it's been fine ever since.

Previously with bearing buddies, when water would get in I wouldn't know until it was too late.

[Lovey80]

I've never personally used Durahubs but around the boating fraternity I've been involved with ...... it's mixed . Some swear by them but I know more people who ditched them & went back to bearing buddies .
The concept is brilliant .... no doubt
where it comes unstuck is if the axle isn't perfect to start with ...... a scratch can be a leaking point - not a lot but needing top ups.
If the seal goes ..... it's all over red rover in minutes - you cant see it when you are driving (window or not)

At least with the bearing buddy a seal going is not going to be fatal ...... I've seen spit seals ooze grease but because it was known of it was nice coloured grease and the trip continued .
Back in the early days of my boat ownership ..... I'd go for several years with the inside of the hub covered in grease from being pushed out the back seal ...... but still no failures despite my lack of attention - eventually I had a failure driving into my driveway (phew) ....... I think that's when I had my epiphany and thought you really do need to maintain these a bit better than just pumping some grease in ::)

Chris

A speedy sleeve on the stub axle will fix this. Being highly skeptical at first i installed them on my single axle trailer just in case. 7 years later the bearings were like new.

[ranmar850]

Most people think that more grease is better with bearing buddies, it is incorrect.
You deliver enough grease to move the spring piston about 1/2 way only.
By packing them full you can and will either pop the rear seal or the bearing buddy.
As you drive your grease expands with heat over pressurising the hub.

You cannot "pop" a marine type seal, they are designed differently to a conventional seal. Although it will help to force the BB out, I agree. Yes, you certainly can over -pressurise conventional seals with overgreasing, but shouldn't be running these on a boat trailer anyway. The marine seals NEED grease in them to help keep the water out, lip design is quite different. I've seen people point to a disc covered in grease and say this is what you get when you overgrease, but that is taking it to extremes.

On another note, I quite like the idea of the durahub type setup, but just can't risk it with my useage. All my big trips have a minimum of 50km of horrendous corrugations at the end, heavily loaded. I'm talking the sort of corrugations that have some people down to a first gear crawl. I've lost a few BB's on these roads over the years, even though they are fitted up tight by dimpling them, and are checked every stop. Their extra weight just works against them on bad corrugations. I just fit ordinary caps for these trips, change them out when I get there. They would be fine around town, where I only go 1k to the ramp.