"Hub in a tub"

[stevej]

As I said each their own

it’s a significant addition over a plain steel cap, these also have to be replaced if put on and off a few times
especially if not centered properly or combined with poorly machined cheap hubs

some use Loxctite or peen the hub a bit to make the buddy grip a bit better

now I know you live a argument over anything but that cap you lost would be a one in a million event


anyway batteries are in charge and hopefully fishing tomorrow, watch the karma gods give me trailer grief after this post

[NAGG]

As I said each their own

it’s a significant addition over a plain steel cap, these also have to be replaced if put on and off a few times
especially if not centered properly or combined with poorly machined cheap hubs

some use Loxctite or peen the hub a bit to make the buddy grip a bit better

now I know you live a argument over anything but that cap you lost would be a one in a million event


anyway batteries are in charge and hopefully fishing tomorrow, watch the karma gods give me trailer grief after this post

Actually

It's not about an argument - it's about my own experiences of 30 years of boat ownership & having probably nudged close to 100,000Ks of towing my boats as far north as Cairns from Sydney (many trips to NQ) over those shitty inland highways ..... I kinda think that I've learnt a thing or two along the way ie what works & what doesn't . Trust me if the cap was the best solution - I would be using them . I carry them & I've used them - I've also experienced having them not fit snugly because of the difference in expansion & shrinkage to a cast steel hub .

chris

[Mopheus]

Fit 60mm hubs with screw-on caps and you won't have to worry about Bearing Buddies or knock-on dust caps

[Dignity]

Yes I've heard this approach Greg ..... but all you have done is created a bearing buddy with a slushy mix .

I've been running the same set of bearings now for 3 1/2 years with actual "Bearing Buddies" - my boat has been towed for about 15,000kms in that time ( Inc Syd-Lucinda & Syd-Airlie )
- They key being - loctite on the BBs & only giving the wheels a couple of squirts of grease every now & then .
Next weekend I'll do the bearings in preparation for the upcoming Whitsundays trip as I dont want to push my luck ...... but at this stage these is no sign of the need to do anything.
My biggest concern with BBs is losing them on crap roads or having them stolen

Chris

I now run self amalgamating tape around them so they don't pop off, have to cut it off but small price to pay and won't get stolen either. Bonus is even more waterproof.

[NAGG]

I now run self amalgamating tape around them so they don't pop off, have to cut it off but small price to pay and won't get stolen either. Bonus is even more waterproof.

Yep did the same thing in recent years - before that used cloth Gaffa tape .
The silicon amalgamating tape is great as it takes the higher temperatures ... that you get when towing through central NSW & Qld in the height of summer. Just dont use the clear one .... gets real sticky

Chris

[Greg P]

Old Diesel Fitter's trick - Just use 515 after you get a centre punch and run a few indents on the outside of the bearing buddy. They wont come out then.

[Lovey80]

If you do any real towing - they are the worst thing going ...... oil drains out quite easily & you have nothing (lubrication) .

sure if you have little drives to the local boat ramp ..... fine

Chris

The only time I've had oil leak out was when I had the trailer sitting for about 6 months without use. The inner seal was dry at the top and cracked.Travelling from the Sun Coast to Fraser (about 10 trips) and one trip to Baffle Creek I've had no issues. There's still an option to use a comination of half grease and half oil that I use on the off road trailer.It ends up being a more viscous grease and I keep topping the hubs up with oil until the buddy is a little over half way.

[Lovey80]

That’s why you run a mixture of grease and oil in durahubs (pack the bearings with grease as you would normally) . I use them exclusively now for nearly 10 years and they are without doubt a better solution than bearing buddies which are a point less addition. Trick with durahubs is to use the right speedy sleeve on the axle’s oil seal running area. No leaks, no fuss and when I inspect the bearings every six months they are looking new

My off-road trailer has the larger cruiser bearings. I went durahub from new. After 5 years they were still in perfect condition and have them as a spare set. It must be time for the third set now we are approaching the 10 year mark.

[Dignity]

With all this talk of Durahubs I thought I'd look them up. Their website appears to be fir selling their product only, they sell extreme packs which one would think covers all the bases but wait, you then need to purchase quality seals. Trying to read their site is actually painful for lack of real information, or am I missing something.

[Lovey80]

With all this talk of Durahubs I thought I'd look them up. Their website appears to be fir selling their product only, they sell extreme packs which one would think covers all the bases but wait, you then need to purchase quality seals. Trying to read their site is actually painful for lack of real information, or am I missing something.

I just bought their kits from them and then bought the rear seals separately at the local bearing place. I wanted the extra peace of mind of the speedy sleeves so got them at the same time. I've had both the metal backed seals which do the same job but get a little rusty without some cold gal on them (I just taped up the plastic inner part and sprayed them). Now I try always to get the rubber coated ones because my hubs always get drowned in water. Like these ones.

https://www.durahub.com.au/product/dichtomatik-12194tc/