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  1. Trailer Bearings Races Seals Caps
  2. Bearing Buddy
  3. Caps
  4. Bearing Protector Grease Cap
  5. 1.98 Inch
Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors - Model 1980A w/ Auto Check - Chrome Plated (Pair)

Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors - Model 1980A w/ Auto Check - Chrome Plated (Pair)

Item # BB1980A
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Trailer Bearings Races Seals Caps
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Trailer Bearings Races Seals Caps BB1980A - Bearing Protector Grease Cap - Bearing Buddy
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Bearing Buddy trailer bearings races seals caps for your 2013 Forest River R-Pod Travel Trailer are available from etrailer.com. Installation instructions and reviews for your Forest River trailer bearings races seals caps. Expert service, and great trailer bearings races seals caps prices. etrailer.com carries a complete line of Bearing Buddy products. Order your Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors - Model 1980A w/ Auto Check - Chrome Plated (Pair) part number BB1980A online at etrailer.com or call 1-800-940-8924 for expert service.
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Bearing Buddy Trailer Bearings Races Seals Caps - BB1980A

  • Caps
  • Bearing Protector Grease Cap
  • 1.98 Inch
  • Bearing Buddy

Provide your trailer bearings with premium protection - replace your existing grease caps with Bearing Buddies. They provide an easy way to control the grease volume in your axle hub and have blue indicator rings to visually monitor levels.


Features:

  • Replaces the grease cap in the axle hub
  • Prevents wheel-bearing failure
    • Keeps water and dirt out of hubs and bearings
    • Allows boat trailer wheels to be completely submerged
    • Stops corrosion and pitting on bearings
  • Provides easily accessible grease fitting
    • Makes adding grease to the bearings quick and simple
  • Maintains slight, controlled pressure (3 psi) with spring-loaded piston, preventing water from entering hub
  • Allows visual monitoring of grease levels with blue indicator ring
    • Ring sits flush with top of cylinder when full
    • If ring is below top, add grease to move piston outward 1/8"
  • Prevents overfilling and rear seal damage with automatic pressure-relief feature
    • Grease seeps around piston edges and into barrel when full
  • Constructed of stainless steel internal parts and triple-chrome-plated steel barrel
    • Ensures longer-lasting fit than plastic or aluminum products
  • Includes rubber covers
  • Installs easily
  • Made in the USA


Specs:

  • Fits 1.980" hub bore
    • Works with outer bearing models L-44643, L-44649 and L-44640
    • Works with outer bearing cup (race) model L44610
      • Commonly found on 2,000-lb, 2,500-lb and 3,500-lb Dexter axles
  • Lifetime warranty


Bearing Buddy installed diagram

Bearing Buddy Operation

Replace your existing grease cap with a Bearing Buddy to ensure a safe, easy way to monitor and control the level of grease in your axle hub. To adjust the amount of grease in the hub, use a grease gun to add more through the appropriate fitting. Adding grease moves the Bearing Buddy spring-loaded piston outward 1/8".

The O-ring inside the barrel of the Bearing Buddy maintains a seal from the outside. The interior of the Bearing Buddy is pressurized, preventing water from entering the barrel and diluting the grease.

An automatic pressure-relief feature is built into the Bearing Buddy. When the device is full, grease will seep around the edges of the piston and into the barrel. This prevents overfilling that can damage the inner seal.

The blue indicator ring allows you to visually monitor the amount of grease in your hub. The ring should sit flush with the top of the cylinder. If the ring is below the top of the cylinder, add grease until the piston moves 1/8" outward.



42200 Bearing Buddy Model 1980A w/ Auto Check - Chrome Plated (Pair)



Customer Satisfaction Score:


Customer Reviews

Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors - Model 1980A w/ Auto Check - Chrome Plated (Pair) - BB1980A

Average Customer Rating:  4.9 out of 5 stars   (374 Customer Reviews)

Provide your trailer bearings with premium protection - replace your existing grease caps with Bearing Buddies. They provide an easy way to control the grease volume in your axle hub and have blue indicator rings to visually monitor levels.

by:

Ashley is the best.

Excellent product.
Works as advertised. Helps keep water out of boat trailer bearings. Read instructions on how to fill with grease, and you won’t blow out the back oil seal.



by:

Installed on a 2018 Carry-on 5x8 with 2k axle. I didn't have to remove the wheel at all. I simply popped the hubs off and inserted the bearing buddy's as per instruction and greased. Entire time for both wheels was less that 10 minutes.



by:

The item I most wanted, the Bearing Buddy was not delivered. I received only the grease gun and 3 wine glasses....now I'm running out of time to install the Bearings before a 3000+ Mile trip...



by:

Great product...have 3 trailers, 2 have no grease fitting on the spindle..the bearing buddy is the way to go to keep bearings greased, and I`ve never had water penetrate these type of caps...



by:

I will replace all of my bearings with this!



by:

I recently upgraded my 43 year old small boat trailer with parts from ETRAILER. New hubs, bearings, Bearing Buddy's, wheels and tires. Natalie L spent quite a bit of time on the phone with me to figure out what I needed and when it arrived everything was perfect. This is the first time I have replaced the hubs and wheels in 43 years. Timely service, great prices and I could not be more pleased.



by:

I installed these without too much difficulty - the etrailer instruction video for bearing protectors was extremely helpful. I haven't used the trailer much yet but expect these to work well.



by:

I could not be happier,

What a
diiference to have not just good brakes, but great brakes. Plus, the install was so easy, all the hardware was a perfect fit, instructions were right on the money (btw, I'm a retired engineer from a nuclear plant and I wrote procedures, so I'm picky) Anyway, towed the boat 1,000 miles and what a reassuring feeling to know that the equipment is in good working order and does the job when called upon.

I'm attaching a couple of pictures so you can see what I did.

Thanks again, I will be using etrailer in the future anytime I need something, feel free to pass on my comments



by:

Bearing Buddies been working wonders for decades!
Everyone knows that unless they been living in a cave:)



by:

When I called etrailer for supplies I spoke with Dana. She was most helpful in securing the correct bearings and races for my small trailer. She helped through the entire process and had my order shipped the same day. I am very satisfied with the order and the speed it was delivered. I am sure you will be happy with any order placed with etrailer, Chuck B.



by:

Installed with ease and seem to be doing what they are intended for well.

Thanks eTrailer!

Megcabra

11/8/2019

All has been great!



by:

Buddy bearings make keep grease in the hubs so much easier. No need to take them off to apply grease, just shoot some marine grease into the zerk fittings and put the soft cap back on and your good to go. Easy to install!



by:

Very snug fit with the new etrailer blue dot hubs , went on nicely, abit of hitting with a dead blow hammer but nothing to excessive, they do not feel like they will be lost going to the ramp, possibly the galvanized hubs help with the good fit, just got to head out to the ramp to see, feeling confident.



by:

First rate service and product knowledge.
Many
thanks

William

10/30/2023

Great



by:

I fitted these to my Northern Tool 4x8 folding trailer, so I don't have to worry about repacking the bearing anymore. They are excellent quality, and I highly recommend them.



by:

I was struggling to find the correct hub kit for my boat trailer because etrailer has a large inventory of products. I decided to call and the salesperson Mellissa found the correct part in minutes and had it shipped to my house in less than 24 hours. It’s is nice to know that etrailer still believes in great customer service and the human element of customer service.



by:

Bearing Buddies, the only way to fly on a boat trailer. No substitutes.



by:

Works great, no issues. Another happy c amper!



by:

Easy and fast as always!! Thank you!



by:

Attached are two photos of Bearing Buddy protectors on my Time Out tent camper.



by:

super customer service! I lost a red eye bearing cover when I hit a boulder in the road. I had recently installed a complete 2 axle disc brake kit with coupler for my boat trailer that I ordered from etrailer. Mike S. found the right size from my original order and shipped out new Bearing Buddies in no time flat! I highly recommend etrailer to everyone I know.

P.s.

8/20/2015

no complaints



by:

Look, there are various bearing buddy knock offs out there that might be "good enough". These are the real deal and they have added a nice little feature - these blue ring indicators. The indicator ring lets you know when you might need to add more grease - and might also keep you from going overboard. I think it is more common for people to try to push too much grease into the hub especially with bearing buddy protectors installed.
Great insurance for a boat trailer especially.

Davmac

4/23/2014

The bearing buddies still look great one year later. As fishing season starts again in mn I look forward to being able to check at a glance to see whether I need to add grease.



by:

I didn’t realize that there were a pair in a package. But the tech is great.



by:

I installed bearing buddies on a boat trailer that sees both fresh water and salt water. In the past, despite loading the bearings up on grease, it wasn't uncommon to replace them every couple of years. We are at the year one mark with the bearing buddies and no issues. Also, the bearing buddies also show you how much grease is in the wheel hub; our hubs only needed a small amount of grease to top them off the beginning of this season.



by:

Delivered a month earlier than expected. They were installed on the trailer 10 minutes later. You guys are the best


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Show More Reviews

See what our Experts say about this Bearing Buddy Trailer Bearings Races Seals Caps

  • Parts Needed When Adding Brakes to a 3,500 Lbs. Axle
    With a 3,500 pound axle you'll need brake flanges with a 4-bolt pattern like # 4-35. Your trailer may already have these and if so that's good. The brake flange needs to be welded to the end of the axle to support the brake assemblies. It will need to be welded perfectly straight for your brakes to function properly so the work should be performed by a certified trailer shop. For brake assemblies, I recommend # AKEBRK-35-SA Left and Right Side Brake Kit. This kit will include 2-10 inch...
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  • How to Determine the Correct Bearing Buddy Kit for a Boat Trailer
    You will need to remove the wheel find out the outer bearing number. Once you have the bearing number, I can find if we have a Bearing Buddy available for it. The Bearing Buddy pages also have listings on them for what bearings they fit. The reason you have to go to such lengths to find out what Bearing Buddy Kit you need is that there are so many different variations in bearing/spindle/seal combinations that the only way to be sure you have the right part is to check the equipment you...
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  • What Is The Advantage To Installing Bearing Buddies?
    Bearing Buddies give you a similar option to your EZ Lube axles, but they take it one step further to provide a better seal to keep water out. They move the grease hub out further to better protect your hub and bearings and then add the rubber cap that goes over the assembly so you can have the hubs completely submerged without any issues. This partially accomplished by maintaining a slight controls pressure of 3 psi with spring-loaded piston that prevents water from entering hub. Unfortunately,...
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  • Recommended Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors For Dexter 3,500 Lb Trailer Hub Assembly
    The Bearing Buddies that work with the Trailer Hub Assembly, part # 8-248-50UC1 are part # BB1980A-SS for stainless steel and part # BB1980A for chrome plated. These fit a hub bore that measures 1.98 inches inside diameter. These come with 2 Bearing Buddies in a package. These are a great way to keep water out and making sure you have enough grease in the hub.
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  • Correct Bearing Buddy for the Trailer Idler Hub Assembly Part # AKIHUB-440-2-2K
    Yes, the correct Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors for the Trailer Idler Hub Assembly part # AKIHUB-440-2-2K is part # BB1980A-SS for stainless steel or part # BB1980A for chrome plated.
    view full answer...
  • Bearing Kit and Bearing Buddys Needed with Inner and Outer Bearings L44649
    The best (and currently only) bearing kit that comes with the bearings # L44649 and race # L44610 is listed on our site as part # BK1-150. This kit has been reviewed by a wide variety of customers for different applications and it has almost a complete 5 star review so I will let the customers speak for how well the kit works. For Bearing Buddys you need either part # BB1980A which is chrome plated or part # BB1980A-SS which is an upgraded part with a stainless steel construction. I have...
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  • Replacement Bearing Kit Recommendation for Dexter 3,500 lb Hub and Bearing Buddy
    For a bearing kit for a 3,500 lb Dexter axle we have the part # BK2-100 which comes with bearing numbers L44649 and L68149 and a grease seal 10-19 with inner diameter of 1.719 inch like what you need. The seal fits on the opposite side of the hub as the grease cap and that is why the seal and Bearing Buddy dimensions don't match. The Bearing Buddy you would need is the part # BB1980A.
    view full answer...
  • Bearing Kit to Replace Timken 07100 Bearings on a Boat Trailer
    Your Timken 07100 bearings have the same dimensions as bearing # L44643. They both have a 1 inch inner diameter and fit a BT8 spindle. The correct bearing kit is part # BK1-100. The Bearing Buddy protector to fit is part # BB1980A-SS in stainless steel or # BB1980A in chrome.
    view full answer...
  • Bearing Buddy Recommendation for Fitting Hub with Bore of 1.98 Inch
    Since your hub bore measures 1.98 inches the correct Bearing Buddy is the part # BB1980A that you referenced. The best hub grease is the "Red" grease like the Lubrimatic LMX part # L11390 which is the most durable and is compatible with basically all hub greases.
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  • Replacement Hub Assembly For 2003 EZLoader 3-EZB 12-14 Boat Trailer
    I recommend the Galvanized Dexter Trailer Idler Hub # 8-259-50. With this you will need 2 Trailer Hub Bearings # L44649 and a Grease Seal # 34823 per hub. The races are already installed on the hub and you can reuse your Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors # BB1980A unless they are damaged and in need of replacement. A new Cotter Pin # 165649 and Lug Nuts # CE11051 are also available individually if they also need replaced. Currently we do not have these parts available as a complete greased...
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    Image 1 for
  • Is it Advisable to Replace Both Boat Trailer Hubs on Venture Single-Axle Boat Trailer
    Primarily for safety reasons, we always recommend replacing both sides of trailer axle components, whether brake assemblies, bearings, races, hubs or all of the above. This will ensure even performance. It will also provide a similar future working lifespan for both sides of the axle, which will avoid the potential need to have to soon repeat the dis-assembly/repair process. Venture offers both single- and tandem-axle boat trailers. Based on your description I presume you have a single-axle...
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    Image 1 for
  • Full Hub Assembly with Bearings Already Installed for Boat Trailer with L44649 Bearings
    It sounds like your boat trailer uses L44649 inner/outer bearings. I have an excellent recommendation that uses these bearings and is pre-greased and comes in a case. Take a look at CE Smith hub assembly # CE13311. It is packed and ready to go! It will work with wheels up to 14 inches and it has the 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern with 1/2 inch studs. For Bearing Buddies that will fit this hub you will need a 1.98 set, # BB1980A.
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  • Which Bearing Buddy Fits CE Smith Multi Sport Plus Boat and Kayak Trailer w/ Bunks # CE48870
    The dust cap of the CE Smith Multi Sport Plus Boat and Kayak Trailer w/ Bunks # CE48870 would be just as waterproof as a Bearing Buddy since they both install press-in to install. That said, the correct Bearing Buddy for this trailer would be the part # BB1980A.
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  • Which Model Bearing Buddy Will Fit Dexter Trailer Hub # 84545BX
    Yes, you can use the Bearing Buddy 1.98 models with hub assembly # 84545BX. You can use # BB1980A-SS for stainless steel or # BB1980A, for a model with Auto Check. Both are compatible with outer bearing L44649 which is what hub # 84545BX uses.
    view full answer...
  • Which Bearing Buddy and Grease for 1700 Lbs Carry-on Utility Trailer
    Although bearing buddies are primarily meant for boat or PWC trailers, you can certainly use them on a utility trailer. To choose the correct diameter Bearing Buddy use a precise measuring tool like a dial caliper and measure the inner diameter on the hub where the grease cap sits. You will want to match that measurement as closely as possible to the measurement on the Bearing Buddy product pages. I have attached a link to all of our bearing protectors for you to reference. The alternative...
    view full answer...
  • Using Bearing Buddies on 10K Axle With Oil Bath Hubs
    Although they're most frequently used on boat trailers, you can use a Bearing Buddy on just about any trailer. You'll want to make sure to install a double lip grease seal, and be careful not to overfill hub. Even with a double lip seal, many folks tend to overfill their hubs and end up blowing out the seal (myself included.) I did some research, and found that the hub bore of the typical 10K axle is around 3.5 to 4.3 inches in diameter, which is larger than any of the Bearing Buddies...
    view full answer...
  • Grease Bearing Conversion Kit for Trailer with 4,000 lb Axles
    Based off of the info given, your 4,000 lb axles should use the same bearings and seals as a 3,500 lb axle so here are the parts you'll be needing: - Hub Bearing Kit for Lippert, Dexter, and AL-KO Axles - 3,500 lb with #84 Spindle # BK2-100 - Bearing Buddy Chrome # BB1980A or Stainless Steel # BB1980A-SS These Bearing Buddy caps fit a hub bore that have a 1.98" which is pretty standard for a 3,500 lb axle hub. If you measure something different please let me know and I'll be happy to...
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  • Is a Wheel Cap Recommended to Run Over a Bearing Buddy
    The grease seal that comes with the Dexter Trailer Hubs and Drums # 84546UC3-EZ that you referenced is a double lip seal so you would be fine in that regard. Running a wheel center cap over a Bearing Buddy wouldn't be ideal as that would make the easy to use Bearing Buddy much more difficult since you would have to remove the rim. I would recommend not trying to fit one over it.
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  • Bearing Buddies for 1.98 Inch Hub Bore and Grease Seal for 1.25 Inch Grease Seal
    Size is the determining factor so it is very critical regarding the correct Bearing Buddies and grease seal. That said, the dimensions you gave are in line with common measurements. Measuring precisely to the thousandths of an inch can be difficult so the following parts, based on the measurements you gave, are most likely what you need. Bearing Buddies: - Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors - Model 1980A-SS with Auto Check - Stainless Steel (Pair) # BB1980A-SS or Chrome Plated (Pair) # BB1980A Grease...
    view full answer...
  • Which Replacement Bearings and Which Bearing Buddy Do I Need for Race Part # L44610
    I referenced the number for the race you gave me, part # L44610, is the replacement Race for Bearings, part # L44643, and part # L44649. The race number that you provided, part # L44610, allowed me to match up which bearings use this race. The bearing you will need is part # L44649, which has an ID of 1.063. This ID matches the measurement you gave me, and is the bearing used with Race, part # L44610. The Bearing Buddy that will fit your trailer is the Bearing Buddy Bearing Protectors,...
    view full answer...
  • If Grease is Gritty in Bearing Buddy Should Bearing Buddy Be Replaced
    If there is possible metal shavings or dirt inside the Bearing Buddy the best recommendation I can make is to replace what you have so that you don't end up missing something small while cleaning that would end up damaging the bearings. It's basically a cheap insurance policy. For a replacement you would want the part # BB1980A.
    view full answer...
  • How to Determine Correct Size Bearing Buddy for Trailer Hub
    There is a way to measure your hub's outer bore to determine if there is a Bearing Buddy bearing protector to fit. Use a precision digital caliper to measure the hub's outer bore. The you can use the linked page that displays all Bearing Buddy parts to select a matching size if one is available. We don't have a way to look up what you'd need based on the bearing number you listed.
    view full answer...
  • How to Avoid Over-Filling Hubs with Grease
    The most common cause for wheel bearing grease to leak onto drum brake components is accidental over-filling. Once grease gets onto the brake pads it is neither easy nor a terribly good idea to clean the grease off them. They really should be replaced if they become fouled with bearing grease. The best ways to prevent over-filling your hubs are to use caution when pumping grease into a spindle zerk fitting, such as the one on spindle # TRU37FR if this is what spindle you have. Pump too...
    view full answer...
  • Bearing Buddies for Trailer with Inner Bearing L68149 and Outer Bearing L44649
    Are you sure the outer bearing is not L44649? If it is then you can use # BB1980A-SS or # BB1980A. With an inner bearing of L68149 the matching outer bearing is most likely L44649.
    view full answer...


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