Lube Buddies-Pro's and Cons

[Ranger3/75]

Thinking of putting or having "Lube Buddies",put on my pup.Does anyone have these,or experience with these?Are they hard to install yourself?Seems like it would be easier to keep axle lubed this way.Comments would be appreciated!
 
Thank you for your assistance,Jim

[flyfisherman]

Thinking of putting or having "Lube Buddies",put on my pup.Does anyone have these,or experience with these?Are they hard to install yourself?Seems like it would be easier to keep axle lubed this way.Comments would be appreciated!
 
Thank you for your assistance,Jim

The Bearing Buddy ~

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/why.html

Was designed more for the boat trailer where the wheels are being submerged into water, whereas Dexter's "E-Z Lube" axle bearing is more for the overland type trailers such as popups. One can simply install the Bearing Buddy in a present axle hub but the E-Z lube  would require a completely new axle.

I have the Bearing Buddy on my boat trailer and they do a fine job of keeping water out of the hub. However,  on the little Starcraft, just have the straight axle with nothing but my annual maintenance. Do wish, however, that it had the E-Z Lube axle for those long hauls during the hot months of the year where I could just give it a little shot enroute (or even maybe during the middle of the camping season).



Fly

[wavery]

IMHO these systems are a waste of $ on a camping trailer of any kind. As Fly stated, they are great on boat trailers.

The grease that is in your axle hubs is plenty to lubricate your bearings as long as your seals are not leaking. If your seals are losing grease, it is essential that the seals be replaced whether you have one of these systems or not.

Having one of these systems does not lessen the need for periodic maintenance. In fact, the false security that these systems may give an owner could be more harmful than good IMHO.

The biggest enemy that your trailer has is sitting in one spot without moving. This increases the chance of bearing damage from corrosion and pressure on one small part of the bearing over extended time periods. No lubricating system will change that. If you want to increase your bearing life, just go out and move your trailer (even just 1 foot) once a week or so..

The more often that you tow your trailer, the less likely you will have bearing issues and the longer you can go between bearing service. Bearing Buddies will not change that either.

GO CAMPING!!!!!!!

[spicyville1]

Very good ponts Wavery has made. Another thing to consider is that using the Buddy Bearings on a pup-up or travel trailer is not recommended by any manufacturer. In fact they say not to install them as they have been known to cause too much grease to build up in the hub thus causing grease fires. Plus they do not lubricate the inner bearing very well at all. Servicing the bearings once or twice a season and moving the camper often will be sufficient. Most manufacturers suggest repacking the bearings every 2k miles. Just food for thought. I have followed the 2k rule as often as I can. Sometimes repacking the bearings 2-3 times a year. My pup-up is a 96 model with dual axles and I have yet to replace the original bearings but I have replaced the seals every other year or so.

[paul_b30]

Thinking of putting or having "Lube Buddies",put on my pup.Does anyone have these,or experience with these?Are they hard to install yourself?Seems like it would be easier to keep axle lubed this way.Comments would be appreciated!
 
Thank you for your assistance,Jim

I agree Bearing Buddies are a waste. The biggest problem with them is also over greasing and breaking the seal. You could probably go a couple of years before repacking bearings unless you are doing serious mileage like a cross country trip. Bad bearings will usually make some kind of noise and will have excessive play in the wheel. Best thing to do is to periodically check for play and make sure the wheel nuts are always properly torqued. By the way I was also told that they were mostly only used on boat trailers by my mechanic.
Paul.