Posts: 3488
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Bearing buddies (or equivalent) work to help equalize hub pressure, but water still can get in. I rip my hubs apart every fall as do many people, and more often than not, I have beads of water inside the hub. Every trip, I check the outside spring-loaded seal for movement (ample grease to push the spring out). Just adding grease to the zerk and making sure the hub is full does not guarantee water will not get in. With a quick decrease in temperature (especially in the early and late parts of the open water seasons) by dunking your trailer, water can get pulled in via the rear seal and along side the bearing buddy. This is exacerbated if the hubs are on too tight as well. Tight increases heat.
have to remember...that seal on the back of the hub is always turning as well, which is why a hub should always be checked and repacked after a season of open water use. Rust (or worse...ice) and pitting on the bearings in a hub is a bad thing... Roadside repairs due to water intrusion and/or improper maintenance are not fun...
Steve
Edited by VMS 3/20/2013 8:22 AM
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