Trucks & Trailers - I $@(&*#$ing HATE removing Bearing Buddies

Just venting, I've read all the other threads on removing these things.

I've done it in the past on my prior trailer, currently rebuilding my new "used" dual axle trailer, finished up the right side, wasn't so bad, move onto the left, but now, BOTH of these BB are screwing me over. 1.5 hrs and neither if off yet.

Destroyed one rubber mallet, almost destroyed the second, I've hammered wood until it's split. This is ridiculous. I know these things serve a purpose but this is just #@#@#ting ridiculous

They'll move back and forth easily with a whack, but they just won't walk out.

I'm just pissed that I didn't start with the left to begin with or I would have just trashed these POS things and gone to posi-lube or just dust caps, or just anything else that doesn't involve this ridiculous removal process. Now, if I just loose it and go straight at them with a hammer, I #@#@##ing have to pay this company to buy two new ones or I have to redo the right side with whatever I switch to.

the make a giant socket looking tool with a little tap from a real hammer will come right off. or just knock the shit out of it and send it flying.

yeah, tmrw I will go to home depot and look for a piece of pipe. I just really wanted to finish up these brakes tonight.

Go to Harbor Freight and buy a BIG pair of Channellock style pliers.

I'm not a big guy...but with the pair I have I can always walk one off the end of the hub.....

Gotta be careful hammering out buddy bearings. Hubs are relatively soft steel and B/B are hard steel. If you keep knocking them back and forth, you will wallow-out the end of the hub and your B/B will fall out while traveling down the road.

If you don't have any other way to grease the hub, then you are stuck with B/B. You might want to think about replacing your hubs with the type that has a grease fitting in the rear. Then you can throw those B/B in the garbage and replace them with dust caps.

Wallowing out the hub isn't the worst thing in the world. With the tire still mounted and off the ground I give it a spin while tapping the bearing buddy with a hammer. The spinning motion on the tire assures the bearing buddy will walk out and you don't waste your time because your using a real hammer thats going to get the job done. Quit treating it like your going to hurt something and beat that thing out of there!

extra careful is always good but I have always removed them by beating the hell out of them with a framing type hammer. I have never had a problem but I might have just been lucky 6 or 7 times.

Mission accomplished. That sucked. I new that the ultimate best tool that most always solves problems is to just go online, vent, curse a little, relax, and then resume the task with even more force not caring about what happens to the darn things. I did raise the tire and just start hammering away as I SLOWLY spun the tire. I'd read to hit it from one side, rotate/switch to the other side but that just wasn't working. I found that hammering it while rotating it like 30deg increments worked better.

Still trashed my second rubber mallet, switched back to real hammer and wood, and split that board too. I don't think anybody removed these bearings in the 6 years since this trailer was made.

And what did I find? I "think" my front left inner bearing (the one closest to centerline) is maybe shot. I haven't pried off the seal yet but the inner race seems to slop around. Maybe a victim of all the hammering? I took temps on last trip and both front hubs were in the 100s.

Fortunately, I am replacing with new hubs and bearings, so not worried about any damage to the old hub.

Mission accomplished. That sucked.

Fortunately, I am replacing with new hubs and bearings, so not worried about any damage to the old hub.

Well, are you gonna replace the old hubs with the type that has a grease fitting in the rear? If you don't have spindles with a grease fitting, then they are the next best thing. Throw those b/b away and buy the dust caps with the removable rubber plug.

Fill the hub with grease until it's about to drop out of the front of the hub, then install the dust cap.

Well, are you gonna replace the old hubs with the type that has a grease fitting in the rear? If you don't have spindles with a grease fitting, then they are the next best thing. Throw those b/b away and buy the dust caps with the removable rubber plug.

Fill the hub with grease until it's about to drop out of the front of the hub, then install the dust cap.

Unfortunately no. I'd already bought the replacement parts and they don't have that. I didn't realize there were disc brake hubs with a rear grease fitting.

i have never had any issues removing them with this method... get a large pair of chanel locks, grab the lip at the top, smack the top jaw of the pliers as you pull out on the bb. then roll tire 1/2 way around and repeat
when you grab the lip/edge of the bb the pliers will be parallel with the axle.

Mission accomplished. That sucked. I new that the ultimate best tool that most always solves problems is to just go online, vent, curse a little, relax, and then resume the task with even more force not caring about what happens to the darn things. I did raise the tire and just start hammering away as I SLOWLY spun the tire. I'd read to hit it from one side, rotate/switch to the other side but that just wasn't working. I found that hammering it while rotating it like 30deg increments worked better.

Still trashed my second rubber mallet, switched back to real hammer and wood, and split that board too. I don't think anybody removed these bearings in the 6 years since this trailer was made.

And what did I find? I "think" my front left inner bearing (the one closest to centerline) is maybe shot. I haven't pried off the seal yet but the inner race seems to slop around. Maybe a victim of all the hammering? I took temps on last trip and both front hubs were in the 100s.

Fortunately, I am replacing with new hubs and bearings, so not worried about any damage to the old hub.



:thumbsup:

It's one of those times when the phrase "when all else fails, get a bigger hammer" applies.

There are some things that I just will not do anymore and trailer maintenance is one of them. I have 2 boat trailers and 1 utility trailer and all 3 go to our local trailer shop once a year. He handles all of the maintenance and repairs for reasonable price and I don't have to mess with them.

Big monkey wrench works every time for me...