# Replacing Wheels/Tires with Bearing Buddies?



## nguye569 (Jun 22, 2015)

Hi, I don't know much about how bearing buddies are attached, but do they have any impact on me removing the wheels on the trailer? This is my first boat that I just picked up and the tires need to be replaced.

Thanks


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Jun 22, 2015)

No. The wheels and tires will come off as normal.


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## lugoismad (Jun 23, 2015)

No impact at all. The Bearing Buddies just replace the existing dust caps on your axles.


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## nguye569 (Jun 23, 2015)

Thanks for the response, now, do I just buy new wheel/tire combo or get tires mounted on current wheels (it doesn't seem like I save any money with the latter option).


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## Johnny (Jun 23, 2015)

There is no way anyone here can give you any kind of educated (and safe) answer
to your question about tires and rims ..... Take what you have to a tire shop
for your own safety and piece of mind that your wheels and tires are mounted
and balanced correctly. 
If your rims are rusty or dented, they may not hold air for very long.
A trailer wheel blowing off at 60 miles per hour is not a very safe scenario. 

as for the Bearing Buddies, in _MY_ world, because I just did one of my trailers
last month (I have 5), I would put in new seals and new bearings first, then,
install your BBs. Purchase a grease gun with at least a 18" flexible hose. Fill with MARINE GREASE.
(the salesman at the auto parts store will show you how to load the grease gun).
pack your bearings, put in the back bearing, fill the hub cavity as best you can with grease.
put in the outer bearing. Install the bearing buddy and pump your gun s-l-o-w-l-y until
grease comes out of the little vent hole. news paper under your project will keep grease off
the ground.
If the BBs are really snug, use a wood block and gently tap with a hammer to get them seated.

any questions - - - go to YouTube - - - many good videos on how to do it.


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## nguye569 (Jun 23, 2015)

Barefoot_Johnny said:


> There is no way anyone here can give you any kind of educated (and safe) answer
> to your question about tires and rims ..... Take what you have to a tire shop
> for your own safety and piece of mind that your wheels and tires are mounted
> and balanced correctly.
> ...



Thanks for the info, my wheels are still good with no rust. I just don't see the benefit of buying new tires and paying a shop to mount them when I can buy pre-mounted wheels for a similar price?


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## Johnny (Jun 23, 2015)

your boat - your money = your call


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## SumDumGuy (Jun 24, 2015)

For me I would buy the pre-mounts.
I have no problem running them in the area I am at right now, maybe 10 miles from the lake. However, if I was going to be towing any distance or at a high speed I would definitely look into a "proper" trailer tire/wheel.


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## jethro (Jun 26, 2015)

There is almost no reason to buy rubber and have it mounted to your rims because it saves no money. At least that has been my experience.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Jun 27, 2015)

I buy the tires and hand mount them on the wheels myself.


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## boguesounder (Jun 27, 2015)

The place I buy my car tires from did a set for me quick and free one day. It probably helped that I had recently bought car tires from them and showed up whooped from trying to hand mount them myself. Buying premount is not a bad route, and will leave you with two spares if needed


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## Insanity (Jun 27, 2015)

jethro said:


> There is almost no reason to buy rubber and have it mounted to your rims because it saves no money. At least that has been my experience.



X2. 
You really need to check your bearings if you don't no when the last time was they where. 
I'm guessing from your post that you already have bearing buddies installed on your trailer. If so to remove them just tap them from side to side while you have the wheel off. And they will slowly back out. As said use a wood block to reinstall. The hardest part is getting them started in straight / square.


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## lugoismad (Jun 28, 2015)

New wheels AND tires were $35 a piece at Menards for my trailer.

New tires were $26 a piece + $7 mounting charge, and that was the cheapest I could find them, at some mom and pop shop that had a no-credit card policy, so I would have had to go to an ATM, etc etc.

For $2 more I got a new set of wheels, rust free, with new rubber, and Menards wouldn't have given me any lip about it if I had to take them back. And they didn't care how I paid.


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