posting ettiquete question?

[snyper316]

Dont tell Carbon One but I was so excited about actually owning a MK1 with a working second gear that I just HAD to spin up his old bike and see what she'ld do in second.. Creeped real close to 80 before grabbin third = MAN that felt good .. Suckers will spin up if ya let em!!

Speaking of spinning em up,, any of you lop eared varmints ever spin up an R1? Never owned one (still on my bucket list) but rode a buddies,, told me to pin it in 1st gear and hang on - tap it out to the rev limiter and check my speed = 103 IN FIRST GEAR :guitarist 2:

Hum who is this crazy lop eared varmint haven't seen him for a second. Seems he be out there lurking in the shadows.

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

[ragtop69gs]

@videoarizona

 

Since no one else has asked, I will. What is the secret to a long trailer bearing life as stated by the Bearing Buddy lady?

Edited November 24, 2016 by ragtop69gs

[Oldseadog]

@videoarizona

 

Since no one else has asked, I will. What is the secret to a long trailer bearing life as stated by the Bearing Buddy lady?

 

X2!

[Yammer Dan]

@videoarizona

 

Since no one else has asked, I will. What is the secret to a long trailer bearing life as stated by the Bearing Buddy lady?

 

 

LADY??

[ragtop69gs]

LADY??

Ask the warden, she'll explain.

 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[videoarizona]

@videoarizona

 

Since no one else has asked, I will. What is the secret to a long trailer bearing life as stated by the Bearing Buddy lady?

 

When I get some time after this weekend, I'll try and find my original post on the TS forum. If not, I'll do my best to remember all that she said to me. The discussion came when I was confused about the different types of "bearing buddies" on the market so I called the original company direct and asked them. We got into an hour long discussion on the phone about bearings, trailers, salt water, grease and bearing tension within the hub. Very interesting...and quite simple , really.

david

[KIC]

I once rode my 1st gen so fast the earth's rotation reversed....... But only for a short period.

 

 

I remember when you did that...I loved being 19 again and able to go back and ask that cute blonde out after all...then you slowed down before she could answer.... I only needed 2 more minutes.... next go faster and LONGER... now back to the reality of life and old age...

[KIC]

110 MPH in 3rd Gear!! Redline?? I'm colorblind. Mine passes that redline at least once every time I get it out.

 

Hence the numerous broken body parts... and I'm not talking about the bike(s)......

[snyper316]

Hence the numerous broken body parts... and I'm not talking about the bike(s)......

Your supposed to hold on.

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

[mraf]

I once rode my 1st gen so fast the earth's rotation reversed....... But only for a short period.

So If I'd have kept going on the Kaw the earths rotation would have reversed? I could have slung that Kaw into low earth obit. NOW YOU TELL ME!

[slowrollwv]

Shoot all this talk about how fast a first gen will go. I have seen 120 on my RSV and didn't leave the driveway. Just looked down at the speedo.:duck:

[WildBill1]

I also had one of those Kaw time machines 500 triple with expansion chambers. The only bike I ever red-lined in high gear looked down at the speedo bouncing on a 140. Got to the point I just couldn't see fast enough too ride it. Was it ever fun playing with all those Hondas and Harley's.

[Yammer Dan]

Broken Bones?? I gave up counting at about 70.....

[videoarizona]

@videoarizona

 

Since no one else has asked, I will. What is the secret to a long trailer bearing life as stated by the Bearing Buddy lady?

 

 

Bearings and boats. Or....how not to worry about your trailer bearings.

 

 

I couldn't find the original post so I'm sitting down to re-write it here...

A number of years ago, I ended up speaking with a lady from the

company that makes Bearing Buddies. I was talking to her because I

was very concerned about my trailer bearings. I had heard many

horror stories from "experts" on the Trailer Sailor Forum and didn't

want to have any of those things happen to me in the wilds of the

Arizona Desert.

 

 

Starting at the beginning:

 

 

My boat is a 23' sailboat made by Coastal Recreation in 1974. The

Aquarius 23 is a very well designed boat, (Peter Barrett) handling just

about any weather I care to be in and has held up extremely well

considering it's age. It's 4200 pounds total average weight on two 3500

pound axles.

 

 

The trailer is an original Trail-Rite dual axle trailer, made and built

specifically for my hull number. Yep...the original trailer. I had new

bearings put in in 2004 when I bought the boat as that was the one

place where I knew I could get into trouble on the road. I also had to

have the frame rail bent back into shape and an additional frame rail on

each side welded on top of old one as the original owner used to run

the boat into the beaches of Mexico and launch anywhere. The trailer

had taken a beating...

 

 

So back to the phone call with BB's lady expert. Basically the

conversation boiled down to a simple thought: She asked me "How

often do you replace your car bearings? Rarely ever, right? So why do

all these people burn out boat bearings?"

 

That got me to thinking....

 

 

She then told me the simplest way to get good bearing life:

 

 

1: Take the wheels apart. Look closely at the bearing races and the

axle. If everything looks good on the axle end, buy new bearings of

good quality (Like Timco or any good USA made bearing) and have

the inner bearing race pressed properly with a new, good brand seal.

 

 

2: Then hand pack the bearings with a good water proof type grease.

The blue/green stuff at auto parts stores is best. Yes, handpack.

Nothing like being able to get the grease in every nook and cranny of

the bearings.

 

 

3: Fill the cavity between the inner and outer race with grease. Place

the inner bearing in and snug down the axle nut tightly. This seats the bearing in the race properly.

Release the tension on the axle nut and re-tighten. Tighten only enough to get

"most" of the movement out of the wheel. Grab the tire at 3 o'clock

and 9 o'clock and see if the wheel moves from side to side. You want

just a touch of movement. Do the same at 12 and 6 o'clock. If too loose,

tighten 1/4 turn and try again. Do NOT take out all the movement in the

wheel. When you think you have it right, snug up axle nut just enough

to get the cotter key through the nut. BUT make sure the wheel can be moved just a touch.

Done with that.

"You see," she said, "the number 1 killer of boat bearings is they end up being to tight.

Tight means heat, heat means bearing death."

 

 

4: Now fill the inner cavity of the bearing buddie (BB) with same

grease...making sure the BB plate and spring are clean and the plate

moves against the spring pressure freely when you push with finger.

Put the BB on the axle and tap it in. Now add grease to the BB until the plate pushes out about 1/2

way. This is the proper "pre-load" for the BB...giving you about 3 lbs of

positive pressure in the hub. This is what really keeps out the water

and dirt!

 

 

5: Go for a drive. Go for at least 30 minutes at highway speeds to burp

out any air in the bearing cavity...then pull over and stop. Pull over

slowly, if you have brakes, so they don't heat up the axle. Check your

temps. Bearings should be cool to touch. One side may be warmer

than other if road is crowned as that side will have more weight on it.

The BB's and hubs should not be warmer than the ambient air.

 

 

Also...look at the BB plate and note it's position. If it's moved inwards

a touch...you are good. Any more than that, you need a shot of grease

to bring it back out. Then go home.

 

 

6: Now here is the kicker. Every year, you should jack up the trailer

and check each bearing for roughness or noise. You can do this with

the wheels on or not...your choice. BUT...whatever you do...DO NOT

TOUCH the BB or the bearings at all if they feel good. If they feel/sound

noisy, then replace the bearings in the axle....but if you bought good

ones, chances are you will go years without having to do anything

more than taking off the BB's and cleaning them then putting new

grease in to replace what you took off to clean the BB and fill the cavity

up again. Go for a test ride, check temps and the pressure plate and

forget about them for another year.

 

 

7: Now on each and every trip, when I stop, I check the hub temps with

my hand. A simple walk around...touching the hubs and looking at the

tie downs, the mast, the motor, etc.. It's normal for me to do this.

 

Bottom line: Same bearings on the boat since 2004. Different BB's as

some have fallen off on the road, others had become so grungie I felt

it was smart to replace them. My bearings still run cool...even towing

at 65 mph across the Arizona desert toward California at 115 degrees

outside.

 

 

In November, just a few weeks ago, we went out to the lake for the first

time in two years. Before that it was two years again before the boat

had seen the water. And one of those years, 2013, I towed her from Arizona

to New Hampshire where she sat for a year through the New England

Winter...buried in 4 feet of snow then towed back to Arizona. All

without any problems on the bearings. I simply checked for noise and

roughness, added grease if needed and drove off...

 

 

As I mentioned at the beginning...this is really simple. But it amazes

me how many people still have troubles with their bearings.

 

Now if you don't run BB's on your trailer, fine. Then you should pop off

the cap each season and check for dirt. A little water may drain out

and that's ok...since the waterproof grease will stick to the bearing

surfaces and water will not. So if it gets in, it will do no harm. If the

bearings do get really dirty, then yes, pop them off, clean them, grease

them up by hand and put them on with the proper tightness...which is

really loose! As long as they are clean and not scored...the bearings

should last a very long time!

 

 

Remember at the beginning of this conversation I was asked by the

BB lady how often I changed my car bearings? Now you know why she

asked. With good bearings, properly installed..there is no reason why

the bearings shouldn't last for years. With minimum maintenance.

 

 

Now you know.

 

[ragtop69gs]

Bearings and boats. Or....how not to worry about your trailer bearings.

 

 

I couldn't find the original post so I'm sitting down to re-write it here...

A number of years ago, I ended up speaking with a lady from the

company that makes Bearing Buddies. I was talking to her because I

was very concerned about my trailer bearings. I had heard many

horror stories from "experts" on the Trailer Sailor Forum and didn't

want to have any of those things happen to me in the wilds of the

Arizona Desert.

 

 

Starting at the beginning:

 

 

My boat is a 23' sailboat made by Coastal Recreation in 1974. The

Aquarius 23 is a very well designed boat, (Peter Barrett) handling just

about any weather I care to be in and has held up extremely well

considering it's age. It's 4200 pounds total average weight on two 3500

pound axles.

 

 

The trailer is an original Trail-Rite dual axle trailer, made and built

specifically for my hull number. Yep...the original trailer. I had new

bearings put in in 2004 when I bought the boat as that was the one

place where I knew I could get into trouble on the road. I also had to

have the frame rail bent back into shape and an additional frame rail on

each side welded on top of old one as the original owner used to run

the boat into the beaches of Mexico and launch anywhere. The trailer

had taken a beating...

 

 

So back to the phone call with BB's lady expert. Basically the

conversation boiled down to a simple thought: She asked me "How

often do you replace your car bearings? Rarely ever, right? So why do

all these people burn out boat bearings?"

 

That got me to thinking....

 

 

She then told me the simplest way to get good bearing life:

 

 

1: Take the wheels apart. Look closely at the bearing races and the

axle. If everything looks good on the axle end, buy new bearings of

good quality (Like Timco or any good USA made bearing) and have

the inner bearing race pressed properly with a new, good brand seal.

 

 

2: Then hand pack the bearings with a good water proof type grease.

The blue/green stuff at auto parts stores is best. Yes, handpack.

Nothing like being able to get the grease in every nook and cranny of

the bearings.

 

 

3: Fill the cavity between the inner and outer race with grease. Place

the inner bearing in and snug down the axle nut tightly. This seats the bearing in the race properly.

Release the tension on the axle nut and re-tighten. Tighten only enough to get

"most" of the movement out of the wheel. Grab the tire at 3 o'clock

and 9 o'clock and see if the wheel moves from side to side. You want

just a touch of movement. Do the same at 12 and 6 o'clock. If too loose,

tighten 1/4 turn and try again. Do NOT take out all the movement in the

wheel. When you think you have it right, snug up axle nut just enough

to get the cotter key through the nut. BUT make sure the wheel can be moved just a touch.

Done with that.

"You see," she said, "the number 1 killer of boat bearings is they end up being to tight.

Tight means heat, heat means bearing death."

 

 

4: Now fill the inner cavity of the bearing buddie (BB) with same

grease...making sure the BB plate and spring are clean and the plate

moves against the spring pressure freely when you push with finger.

Put the BB on the axle and tap it in. Now add grease to the BB until the plate pushes out about 1/2

way. This is the proper "pre-load" for the BB...giving you about 3 lbs of

positive pressure in the hub. This is what really keeps out the water

and dirt!

 

 

5: Go for a drive. Go for at least 30 minutes at highway speeds to burp

out any air in the bearing cavity...then pull over and stop. Pull over

slowly, if you have brakes, so they don't heat up the axle. Check your

temps. Bearings should be cool to touch. One side may be warmer

than other if road is crowned as that side will have more weight on it.

The BB's and hubs should not be warmer than the ambient air.

 

 

Also...look at the BB plate and note it's position. If it's moved inwards

a touch...you are good. Any more than that, you need a shot of grease

to bring it back out. Then go home.

 

 

6: Now here is the kicker. Every year, you should jack up the trailer

and check each bearing for roughness or noise. You can do this with

the wheels on or not...your choice. BUT...whatever you do...DO NOT

TOUCH the BB or the bearings at all if they feel good. If they feel/sound

noisy, then replace the bearings in the axle....but if you bought good

ones, chances are you will go years without having to do anything

more than taking off the BB's and cleaning them then putting new

grease in to replace what you took off to clean the BB and fill the cavity

up again. Go for a test ride, check temps and the pressure plate and

forget about them for another year.

 

 

7: Now on each and every trip, when I stop, I check the hub temps with

my hand. A simple walk around...touching the hubs and looking at the

tie downs, the mast, the motor, etc.. It's normal for me to do this.

 

Bottom line: Same bearings on the boat since 2004. Different BB's as

some have fallen off on the road, others had become so grungie I felt

it was smart to replace them. My bearings still run cool...even towing

at 65 mph across the Arizona desert toward California at 115 degrees

outside.

 

 

In November, just a few weeks ago, we went out to the lake for the first

time in two years. Before that it was two years again before the boat

had seen the water. And one of those years, 2013, I towed her from Arizona

to New Hampshire where she sat for a year through the New England

Winter...buried in 4 feet of snow then towed back to Arizona. All

without any problems on the bearings. I simply checked for noise and

roughness, added grease if needed and drove off...

 

 

As I mentioned at the beginning...this is really simple. But it amazes

me how many people still have troubles with their bearings.

 

Now if you don't run BB's on your trailer, fine. Then you should pop off

the cap each season and check for dirt. A little water may drain out

and that's ok...since the waterproof grease will stick to the bearing

surfaces and water will not. So if it gets in, it will do no harm. If the

bearings do get really dirty, then yes, pop them off, clean them, grease

them up by hand and put them on with the proper tightness...which is

really loose! As long as they are clean and not scored...the bearings

should last a very long time!

 

 

Remember at the beginning of this conversation I was asked by the

BB lady how often I changed my car bearings? Now you know why she

asked. With good bearings, properly installed..there is no reason why

the bearings shouldn't last for years. With minimum maintenance.

 

 

Now you know.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=107864

Thanks for re-writing that post. Pretty much how I've always taken care of my trailer bearings, my trailers, boat and utility have dexter ez-lube spindles that keep the cavity filled and work good. I've never had a bearing failure while on the road.

 

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