Bearing Buddies

[RockHound]

Has anyone ever used Bearing Buddies as an alternative to repacking bearings?  It seems too good to be true that you can just put these things on, grease them with a grease gun, and not have to take off the wheels and go through all that mess and time.

[tlhdoc]

Has anyone ever used Bearing Buddies as an alternative to repacking bearings? It seems too good to be true that you can just put these things on, grease them with a grease gun, and not have to take off the wheels and go through all that mess and time.

You are right.  It is too good to be true.  Even with bearing buddies you should repack the wheel bearings at least once a year.  They are not a replacement for the annual maintenance on the bearings.

[wavery]

You are right.  It is too good to be true.  Even with bearing buddies you should repack the wheel bearings at least once a year.  They are not a replacement for the annual maintenance on the bearings.

I agree. Regular maintenance is required because "Bearing-Buddies" or no other contraption will clean out the dirt and residue that causes bearing failure in many cases. The biggest part of servicing the bearings regularly is to clean out all the residue and inspect the races for "Hot spots", cracks or scaring.

Bearing-Buddies are really designed for boat trailers. The idea is that after you take the boat out of the water, you can force some grease into the bearing to displace any water that may have entered. This will help reduce, if not eliminate the possibility of corrosion (especially with sea water).