Could be. I usually cruise at 70 or so.
> How did losing the Buddy trash the axle?
The outer race was exposed to a wet, dirty Interstate for long enough
to destroy the lubricant. The race chewed itself to pieces, the balls
went bye-bye, and the hub used the compressed remainder to gouge a
groove in the spindle about 1/3 through the diameter. She was smoking
and sparking by the time I noticed. This was the second BB that had
departed. A year earlier, I'd caught the first absence in time and
jury rigged a bearing cap with a plastic drinking glass and the
ever-useful duct tape.
After sleeping behind a gas station in the wilds of western North
Carolina, I tracked down a tow truck and trailer shop/barn and
replaced the whole axle with a 3500# model. No more Bearing Buddies
without a setscrew thereafter.
Regards,
Bill Combs
WWP 19 #439 (Aug 1987)
"Ursa Minor"
Fort Walton Beach FL
ttursine@gnt.net