bearing buddie install ?

i did the search thing for a thread on 'bearing buddies". is there a specific thread or an article on installing these? i have kitty hawk trailer, new in 06. when do you add these to your existing bearings? is there a telltale sign that you need them ?( besides a trail of smoke from your white hot rig, ha). My bearings and wheels appear ok, but i did a lot of weekend racing last year and expect the same amount this year. I would rather be proactive about it.

thanks

stick said:

i did the search thing for a thread on 'bearing buddies". is there a specific thread or an article on installing these? i have kitty hawk trailer, new in 06. when do you add these to your existing bearings? is there a telltale sign that you need them ?( besides a trail of smoke from your white hot rig, ha). My bearings and wheels appear ok, but i did a lot of weekend racing last year and expect the same amount this year. I would rather be proactive about it.

thanks

Click to expand...

If you are worried about it, install them now. I read that the bearing buddy will (at least to an extent) keep the bearings sealed from the lake/river/sea water when you back the trailer in on the ramp, and that is a proactive measure of prevention.

I personally dont use them, but nor do I typically use boat ramps either, preferring to park the trailer and carry the boat to the water. I just maintain my trailer bearings through more conventional means. The theory is that a boat trailer bearing is hot when you back it into the water and that condition sucks water and even debris into the bearings. I think to a degree that effect is somewhat exaggerated by those that are in the business of selling various apparatus for the purposes of counteracting same

In all honesty tho, if you are somewhat lax about repacking your bearings when you should, go for it. Otherwise I dont see that the bearing buddy (or it's competitors) are of significant value to a trailer that supports a boat that weighs less than a single adult...

stick said:

i did the search thing for a thread on 'bearing buddies". is there a specific thread or an article on installing these? i have kitty hawk trailer, new in 06. when do you add these to your existing bearings? is there a telltale sign that you need them ?( besides a trail of smoke from your white hot rig, ha). My bearings and wheels appear ok, but i did a lot of weekend racing last year and expect the same amount this year. I would rather be proactive about it.

thanks

Click to expand...

If the wheels turn smoothly and don't seem to have a lot of side-to-side slop, you are probably OK. That being said, probably a good idea to disassemble the hub and re-pack the bearings every couple of years. If the bearing and races don't look too worn, again your are probably OK.

pez said:

If you are worried about it, install them now. I read that the bearing buddy will (at least to an extent) keep the bearings sealed from the lake/river/sea water when you back the trailer in on the ramp, and that is a proactive measure of prevention.

I personally dont use them, but nor do I typically use boat ramps either, preferring to park the trailer and carry the boat to the water. I just maintain my trailer bearings through more conventional means. The theory is that a boat trailer bearing is hot when you back it into the water and that condition sucks water and even debris into the bearings. I think to a degree that effect is somewhat exaggerated by those that are in the business of selling various apparatus for the purposes of counteracting same

In all honesty tho, if you are somewhat lax about repacking your bearings when you should, go for it. Otherwise I dont see that the bearing buddy (or it's competitors) are of significant value to a trailer that supports a boat that weighs less than a single adult...

Click to expand...

I could only see that happening if the hubs were underfilled. The whole point of the bearing buddies is to keep pressure on the grease, which prevents anything from getting sucked in. However if you never put the trailer in the water, probably no need for bearing buddies.

I'm kind of with pez on this one. If your bearings are so hot as to draw in water, especially after you spend 15-20 minutes rigging, they need service anyway. You are better off doing some internet searching on trailer bearing repacking, etc so that you understand all the parts involved.
If the trailer never goes in the water, don't bother. Otherwise, do what makes you feel better. The install is pretty easy:
1.make sure you buy the right size
2. pry off dust cap
3. hammer bearing buddy on using a block of wood to protect face
4. fill with grease per instructions

Check your bearings after a trip, or at each gas fillup. Simple grab the outside of the hub, and feel for any heat buildup. Typically, the hub should be the same as the ambient air temp.

Any heat build-up will be obvious, and even with a little heat, you should be able to nurse it another few hundred miles. Or disassemble, clean, regrease and try it again.

Al

Yeah, the real need for bearing buddies comes on big boat trailers that also have brakes. The brakes (not the hubs themselves) cause the hubs to become warm or hot. Then immersing a hot hub into cool water causes rapid contraction of the hot air inside the hub cap space and thus the drawing in of water into the hub to equalize the pressure.

Since kitty hawk trailer hubs are *way* oversized for the job and run cool there's no real need for bearing buddies to keep the water outl.