Bearing Protector Not Wanting to Fit Into Hub Bore

Updated 07/27/2024 | Published 07/05/2014

Question:

When I bought a 1.98 buddy bearing I measured it with my micrometer. The OD of the bearing is actually 1.986. I can not drive it into my trailer hub. I measured the factor buddy bearing that came on the actual trailer. It measures 1.980 exactly. My local marine dealer said I needed to drive the purchased buddy bearing into the hub and it needed to be larger than the hub so it will not come off when I pull the trailer. I tried again with a maul and still can not drive the 1.986 buddy bearing into the hub. Any suggestions?

asked by: Fred

Expert Reply:

Believe it or not, the outside diameter of the Bearing Buddy is designed to be a bit larger than the inside diameter of the hub bore.

Typically, a Bearing Buddy sized to fit a 1.98 hub bore will actually be about 1.986 in diameter, which means yours is about right. As long as the inside diameter of the hub bore is between 1.980 - 1.983, you should be able to drive that bearing into place using a scrap of wood between the bearing protector and the hammer.

I've installed a few of the bearing protectors over the years, and I will say that it's not always easy. You need to get the bearing protector perfectly lined up into place before you start driving it in. It can be tricky, but with a little patience, you should be able to get it into place.

expert reply by: Mike L

Geoff C.

6/7/2020

Hi there, I have a 2001 Coleman Fairlake VIN#4CE654H1427216423 and I am trying to determine if I have the correct size bearing buddy? I bought the 1.98" but I have had to replace it 3 times on the right hand side. Do you have any idea of why that is happening, and am I using the correct size for the drum? Thanks for your help

Chris R.

6/11/2020

If you measure a 1.98" diameter on your hub bore, the Bearing Buddy # BB1980A you mentioned is correct. Have you had any issues with the left side hub or is it only having to be replaced on the right side? I might inspect that particular hub to make sure the bearings are still in good shape. Also check out the spindle itself to make sure it isn't damaged in any way.

7/27/2024

After numerous attempts to put a set of buddy bearings on a trailer, I finally cut a piece of hard 1/2 “ plastic to pound against instead of a piece of wood. The wood was soft enough it kept the bearing going in on a slight angle. The plastic did the trick. I’ve added many of these over my past 50 years, I never ever had this much trouble installing them. They were name brand Curt. I would advise watching push back from the plastic, one wack wrong and you will have a purple thumb! Yes, it hurt!