Bearing Buddies or Oil Bath Hubs?

[Sundancer]

We've trailered for the last 20 years on two EZ Loader trailers equipped with Bearing Buddies. We've never had a problem and trailer almost every weekend during boating season. Our new triple axle trailer has traditional hubs and I know they won't last very long. Should I replace them with Bearing Buddies or should I go with the Oil Bath type when I repack them this winter? If I go with the oil bath type, how strong is the clear end cap and is it prone to breaking? I like the fact that I can look at them and SEE the oil inside.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dave M.]

My trailer has them on it, and I have had it for three years. No problems with the hubs have shown up so far. If you get them, maybe you would want to keep the sun off of them in the summer. It is nice to look in there and see clear oil.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Note that both types of lubrication are technically grease, but for clarity lets call bearing lube stuff that is liquid at room temp 'oil'.

Both types have advantages depending on usage. 'Oil' lube for trailer axles has been used by the majority of the trucking industry for decades on semi-trailers. The advantages are that it provides better cooling than grease. Major shortcoming is that if the trailer sits for long periods of time the seals tend to dry out on the top and lube will leak out quickly the next time the trailer is moved.

Grease (the thick stuff) does not provide quite as good lubrication, but in low mileage (<< 100,000 mile per year), or harsh, situations is a better choice. Mainly because seal life tends to be longer and once the there is a seal failure, lube leakout is a longer and messier process than oil. Messier by the way in the trucking industry is a good thing because it draws attention to a small problem before it becomes a large problem.

In my experience long haul trailers tend to have fewer axle failures over vehicle lifetime when oil bath lube is employed. Trailers that sit such as shrt term rental, railroad trailers, or steamship-line container chassis do better with grease.

On boat trailers either is just as good from a lube standpoint. Mainly because most people are not going to put 17,000 pounds on each axle and run at 70 mph eight hours at a time.

In the past on my previous trailer boats I preferred bearing buddies with waterproof grease, but that's just my preference. If I lived in Arizona and was hauling a 12,000 pound 320 on a tri-axe, I'd probably go with oil.......

Henry

 

[penbroke]

If ya ding a curb at the ramp and knock the cap off the hub or have a seal failure with an oil bath hub all the oil will drain out leaving you with no lubrication. Knocking off a bearing buddy will leave you a bit messy but not stranded on a Sunday night.


Frank

 

[Dave M.]

From what Henry says, it sounds like the seal would fail on the way out, not while you are at the ramp. And it would be an issue for the first trip of the season only, if I understand correctly.

Also on mine, the hub does not extend out as far as the outer edge of the tire rim. It would be pretty hard to get the hub to hit something. It is up off the ground the wheel radius, and inset.

That said, I am not prepared to add lube to mine on the highway if I needed to. Sounds like something I should look into.

 

[Sundancer]

Looking at other sites, information from some trailer manufacturers and other research pushes me back toward the Bearing Buddies. The main reason is if there is a failure, it's not an eminent failure with a Bearing Buddy. I think the oil bath is cleaner, easier, nicer and you can SEE the oil, but when it fails you're done. I think I'll go with what's worked for me all these years. The trailer is heavier and it will sit from November through March, so that's a strike against the oil bath as well. Maybe in the southern climates where you can use your boat once a month, it would be OK. Sitting for 5 months sounds like it will dry out the seal. Beyond that, it seems like a wash? Oh, that's a bad pun!

 

[Sundancer]

That said, I am not prepared to add lube to mine on the highway if I needed to. Sounds like something I should look into.

Are the oil bath just a plastic site tube stuck on the hub? What does a spare cost and are they cheaper than bearing buddies? Do they have a hole where you can pour in additional lube?? Just wondering!

I agree, I think you would find out on that first trip to the ramp in the Spring, but I've also read about some condensation issues. I don't think that would be a problem on this side of the mountains. We're pretty dry over here.

 

[RiverRat]

Just remember with the bearing buddies you still have to (or should) repack your bearings anually. They are not a substitute for this.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Seal failures don't necessarily happen the instant a long term parked trailer is moved. Sorry if it came out that way. Long periods of storage cause the seal to dry out and when being moved after storage, the seal is subjected to more wearing and over time that leads to premature failure of the seal. So seal failure is not automatic after a winter storage.

The thing about a seal failure with oil bath is that it can happen on the road, or in your driveway. If you happen to park your boat in a spot where an oil spot may not be seen, you can quickly find yourself up the proverbial creek. Moral of the story you have to be diligent about doing a pre-trip inspection every time you move the trailer. Additionally adding oil at that point to 'fill it up' is only temporary. Once the oil leaks out, the seals are done. Get them fixed ASAP.


Grease will take a lot more time to leak out, and will only do so went it is in a more liquid state (i.e. when trailer is moving, or has recently been moving). In that case grease will get slung all over the inside of the trailer fender and your boat.

I'm not familiar with the hub set up (oil bath) for boat trailers. On semi trailers there are a couple of styles, one is all plastic (lexan) with a rubber plug in the center, the other is basically a metal tube with a plastic end, also with a rubber plug in the center. The idea is to fill the hub up to the bottom of the fill hole. I would imagine that a boat trailer axle would need a means of fill up as well because it would have to be assembled dry.

Henry

 

[Dave M.]

Henry, thanks for the good information!

Sundancer, here is a photo of one of mine. It has a fill hole in the side of the hub, not on the end. You can see the plug in the photo. I thought I had some documentation that came with the trailer that described how to service these, but I did not find that just now when I went through the paperwork in the boat. It is not mentioned in the trailer manual.

 

[Morpheus]

Henry, thanks for the good information!

Sundancer, here is a photo of one of mine. It has a fill hole in the side of the hub, not on the end. You can see the plug in the photo. I thought I had some documentation that came with the trailer that described how to service these, but I did not find that just now when I went through the paperwork in the boat. It is not mentioned in the trailer manual.

WOW You got a manual with your trailer? I didn't get anything :smt009

Reading all of this I feel I'm negleting my trailer and I have no clue how to do any of these maint items you guys are talking about :huh:

 

[MLauman]

The possibility of seal failure (and subsequent consequences) have steered me away from the oil-bath technology.

There is a third option that is worthy of consideration - the spindles with the built-in grease handling. I installed these when I replaced my brakes about 5 years ago. They are as easy to use as bearing buddies but better, IMO because the new grease is pumped in from the rear - forcing old grease (and moisture) out the front. This eliminates the need to repack bearings since that's what you essentially do every time you pump new grease in.

 

[Sundancer]

Morpheus:

It's not hard you just have to dig in and do it! There is a lot of information here to point you in the right direction and a search on the web will get you started.

To repack the bearings with bearing buddies, block the trailer wheels, jack up the wheel you are working on, remove the tire(Optional step, you can just leave it attached to the hub), pull the cap or bearing buddie off(using a wood block and hammer gently tapping alternate sides)and then remove the cotter pin that holds the axle nut on. Spin the nut off, remove the hub and you should get access to both sets of bearings. Pull the bearings off and inspect the seals or just replace them if they are questionable. Grease the bearings using the hand rub method or a special tool designed for the task, then reinsert the bearings while adding as much grease in the hubs as you can possibly get (if you're not covered in grease at this point, you've not done it properly!). Then replace the hub and tighten up the axle nut. Here's the tricky part. The axle nut is usually tightened and then backed out according to the manufacturer. The key is to make it loose enough to turn freely with only a limited amount of play. That's where the manual comes in handy. When you've determined that spot, insert a new cotter pin, install your bearing buddies, pump some more grease until the bearing buddy espands just a smidge and then start the next hub. After you've finished, keep a close eye on them, because you will probably have to add more grease as it heats up and settles into the nooks and crannies. A local tire dealer Charges about $100 bucks to do a double axle trailer.

The recommendation is to repack once a year. I usually do it every other year and I've had good success with that, but it depends on your usage, heat, weight, tire size, distance, etc,. I have a larger heavier boat on a triple axle trailer this year, so I'll be doing it every year. Depending on the brake type, this is also a good time to adjust the brakes!

It's just messy, but not really a hard job to do. By the time I make an appointment, hitch up, drive over, unhitch, then when it's done drive over, hitch up, drive back and park the boat and unhitch, I can have it done in my own yard!

 

[Morpheus]

Morpheus:

It's not hard you just have to dig in and do it! There is a lot of information here to point you in the right direction and a search on the web will get you started.

To repack the bearings with bearing buddies, block the trailer wheels, jack up the wheel you are working on, remove the tire(Optional step, you can just leave it attached to the hub), pull the cap or bearing buddie off(using a wood block and hammer gently tapping alternate sides)and then remove the cotter pin that holds the axle nut on. Spin the nut off, remove the hub and you should get access to both sets of bearings. Pull the bearings off and inspect the seals or just replace them if they are questionable. Grease the bearings using the hand rub method or a special tool designed for the task, then reinsert the bearings while adding as much grease in the hubs as you can possibly get (if you're not covered in grease at this point, you've not done it properly!). Then replace the hub and tighten up the axle nut. Here's the tricky part. The axle nut is usually tightened and then backed out according to the manufacturer. The key is to make it loose enough to turn freely with only a limited amount of play. That's where the manual comes in handy. When you've determined that spot, insert a new cotter pin, install your bearing buddies, pump some more grease until the bearing buddy espands just a smidge and then start the next hub. After you've finished, keep a close eye on them, because you will probably have to add more grease as it heats up and settles into the nooks and crannies. A local tire dealer Charges about $100 bucks to do a double axle trailer.

The recommendation is to repack once a year. I usually do it every other year and I've had good success with that, but it depends on your usage, heat, weight, tire size, distance, etc,. I have a larger heavier boat on a triple axle trailer this year, so I'll be doing it every year. Depending on the brake type, this is also a good time to adjust the brakes!

It's just messy, but not really a hard job to do. By the time I make an appointment, hitch up, drive over, unhitch, then when it's done drive over, hitch up, drive back and park the boat and unhitch, I can have it done in my own yard!

Thanks for the info, I did watch a video someone posted here on a guy repacking the bearings it did look easy/messy. Someone should start teaching classes on this kind of thing and also DIY boat maint. A local Tech school offers classes on General Car Engine Maint.

 

[Dave M.]

Here is the thread that has the video link, and also some photos I posted of repacking a bearing. As Sundancer says, you just need to get in a do it. Here is a link to a nice looking packer.

 

[Dave M.]

WOW You got a manual with your trailer? I didn't get anything :smt009

Reading all of this I feel I'm negleting my trailer and I have no clue how to do any of these maint items you guys are talking about :huh:

If you have surge brakes, you may want to go back and look at this post that I made some time ago describing how to grease the brake controller, and problems I had with mine.

 

[Morpheus]

If you have surge brakes, you may want to go back and look at this post that I made some time ago describing how to grease the brake controller, and problems I had with mine.

Thanks, I do have surge breaks.

Funny thing is I asked MM about service to the trailer when I brought the boat in for service and they told me they do not service trailers. This surprised me how can you sell me something you won't service? I called Magic Tilt and they told me the dealer has to service it where you bought it. :wow:

Oh how I love MM Service Department HAHA. Just another reason why I'd like to learn all this myself.

 

[midway]

Also if you have disc brakes you should check the specs on the axle nut torque, you do not want disc brake rotors to wobble, premature pad wear, on most disc brake hubs the spindle nuts are torqued to preload the bearings and hold the rotors steady when rolling down the road. Shoes on drum brakes have springs to pull the shoes away from the drum when you release the brake, disc brakes do not, the pads are riding almost touching the rotors at all times so the rotor must run true.

 

[Sundancer]

Morpheus,

Any tire place can do your bearings and it will be much easier than dealing with Marine Max! Just schedule an appointment and drop it off. I think it's less than $100 or so for a twin axle trailer. A friend of mine used a local place (Les Schwab Tires) and they charged $89 plus tax for both axles. I'd replace the seals since they are extremely cheap while you are at it. Less than $5 or $10 a seal I believe?

 

[Nehalennia]

Sundancer. Oil bath over here(west side of the mountains) and in Saltwater are all but obsolete.
Bearing Buddies or that style is the way to go. I need to buy a trailer for the 260DA and in my shopping all I've heard is stay away from the oil bath style.
I'm going to buy a King Trailer "the Saltwater trailer" and it's not the bearing buddy brand but same style. They're called Super lube style by Tie down.
http://www.tiedown.com/ahubs.html