Hard time with some zerks.

[Rail Dawg]

I'm having a hard time greasing some zerks on a new L3800. The tie-rod ones especially. I'm using a Lincoln manual grease gun and I tighten it correctly onto the zerk but when I pump a lot of grease comes out through the fitting and not into the zerk.

If I push real hard on the fitting and pump hard it finally "breaks through" the zerk and gets grease in.

Does anyone else have this problem? Should I simply replace the zerks?

Thanks.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Sounds like you just need to replace the coupler on the grease gun.

 

[ritschner]

Ditto on the coupler. Most auto parts stores carry them.

 

[oldballs]

There are several posts on the Kubota zerks. I don't know why but these Kubota zerks have been problematic to a number of us that have greased other cars/trucks and equipment for years. After trying several couplers in my possession, I finally settled on one that works okay. You know that the coupler has jaws that can adjust around the zerk head to hold tight. It's a pain to twist on and off for each zerk but works. As the fittings get more used the greasing works better. Mike

 

[Rail Dawg]

There are several posts on the Kubota zerks. I don't know why but these Kubota zerks have been problematic to a number of us that have greased other cars/trucks and equipment for years. After trying several couplers in my possession, I finally settled on one that works okay. You know that the coupler has jaws that can adjust around the zerk head to hold tight. It's a pain to twist on and off for each zerk but works. As the fittings get more used the greasing works better. Mike

I put the coupler in a vise to make it so it would turn. I then lock that coupler onto the zerk as tight as I can by twsiting yet it still won't pump the grease unless I mash really hard down on the coupler.

I'm listening to you guys... sounds like I should go ahead and replace the coupler and see if that's the culprit. No one suspects it's the Kubota zerks that should be replaced?

Thanks as always.

 

[Bluegill2]

I don't think it's the zerks. When everything is new, there's no room for grease and it takes a lot of pressure to get any in there.

 

[oldballs]

I don't think it's the zerks. When everything is new, there's no room for grease and it takes a lot of pressure to get any in there.

I'm with Bluegill on this. Not being an engineer, I suspect that the tolerance on these new parts is so close that only a little wear and tear will let that grease go in easily....not unless you have some high pressure commercial grease gun. When I asked my dealer about one joint on the MMM, that I couldn't get greased at all, he said to bring it into the shop. On that particular joint, I took it apart and sanded it with emery paper until it could take some with a lot of grunt. There was no grease slot in the middle of that joint. Maybe there should have been.

 

[oldballs]

And speaking of GREASE....I've never had so dam*** many messed up, greasey work clothes in all my life.:laughing: BTW...you can remove a zerk and see that it works okay...and BTW these zerks are metric in case you need some extras.

 

[RoyJackson]

And speaking of GREASE....I've never had so dam*** many messed up, greasey work clothes in all my life.:laughing:

Yeah, you'll get used to that.
Keep a good supply of rags around and carry one when you're greasing. It's a natural inclination to wipe your hands if they get grease on them...and if you don't have a rag handy, you'll use your clothes.

 

[BeezFun]

Probably not applicable to tie rod, but sometimes if an implement is in a bad position it won't take grease because the pin is fully loaded against the inside surface where the grease hole comes through. I find putting my FEL in float for example makes it easier to grease things than if I have it raised up in the air.