replacing a broken grease zerk

[rimshot]

I noticed one of my backhoe outrigger arm pins is missing a complete grease zerk. Looking at the damage makes the events leading up to this episode obvious. It appears as though the right sized small stone became trapped as backhoe outrigger arm was lifted up and the stone very likely became wedged against and breaking zerk.

So my Kioti backhoe must be made in America and the zerks are straight and are 1/8 pipe thread. The top part (nipple) was broken but it left the threaded barrel screwed tightly in the threaded grease hole. So what do you think the easiest way to repair this. If I drill and rethread I suppose I would drill(11/32" bit) the old zerk right out and then rethread. That means driving pin just past the grease hole, then drilling and then TURNING a thread tap.

Or I suppose I could remove the remaining grease zerk with perhaps and ez out and simply acrew a new fitting in.

Anybody have a solution to this problem. The zerk is tapped into th side of the pin cylinder for this 1" pin so that means the tap can't bore completely through and clean up the threads. Anybody have a remedy for that?

rimshot

[whistlepig]

Grind the end of the tap off to make it shorter. Get your depth by tapping so that six threads on the tap still show above the metal on a tapered pipe thread.

[plowking]

I've got broken zerks out with ez-outs as well. Funny you mentioned the stablizer arms,my friend's deere 110 has broken them in same spot. I replaced the fittings on both stabilizers last time I greased it. I have grease fittings on my backhoe [M/F] that are exposed. I like the fitting on Kubotas and others that are in the end of the roll pin. plowking

[hawkeye08]

Years ago, when a small child, it happened a few times on farm equipment. In the toolbox was a 4 way hand tool. One side had the right size ez out, one had a tapered tap, one had a not so tapered tap and the last one had a socket the right size. Generally speaking, easy to get out (never rusted), easy to clean up threads and always in the equipment service toolbox...

I would see if I could drive an ez out in a bit, then get it out. I would avoid drilling if possible to avoid any chance of metal debris getting in to foul things up.

Good luck!

My dad always said if we couldn't fix it, then we had to take it to town and let the high price idiots charge us to figure it out. Always told us we could fix it if we tried.

[varmint]

Wow- I remember seeing those little 4-way tools- lots of mechanics had them. Back when everything got greased with oil changes... every 3000 miles or so. Thanks for the memories.

[Ford tractor]

I noticed one of my backhoe outrigger arm pins is missing a complete grease zerk. Looking at the damage makes the events leading up to this episode obvious. It appears as though the right sized small stone became trapped as backhoe outrigger arm was lifted up and the stone very likely became wedged against and breaking zerk.

So my Kioti backhoe must be made in America and the zerks are straight and are 1/8 pipe thread. The top part (nipple) was broken but it left the threaded barrel screwed tightly in the threaded grease hole. So what do you think the easiest way to repair this. If I drill and rethread I suppose I would drill(11/32" bit) the old zerk right out and then rethread. That means driving pin just past the grease hole, then drilling and then TURNING a thread tap.

Or I suppose I could remove the remaining grease zerk with perhaps and ez out and simply acrew a new fitting in.

Anybody have a solution to this problem. The zerk is tapped into th side of the pin cylinder for this 1" pin so that means the tap can't bore completely through and clean up the threads. Anybody have a remedy for that?

rimshot

Just back it out with an ez out. Heck, most zerks that have broken come out pretty easy.

[2458n]

There is a type of "easy out" that has four sides and is tapered. Just get the right size and pound it down with a hammer and back out with a small Cresent wrench. They are some type of hardend steel and have always worked for me on heavy equipment.

[rimshot]

Thanks for all the excellent tips. True-Valu hardware opens up down town for about 1/2 day. I shall see to getting an ez out. If the drill size is 11/32 as indicated on the 1/8" pipe tap package is correct then I suspect something just less than a 5/16" ez out will work just fine.

thanks again.

rim

[Scotty370]

I'm with 2458n. I've always had better luck with the "square" ez outs as opposed to the spiraled type. ~Scotty

[TGF]

I use tapered reverse spiral extractors to get out busted screws and the like, would probably work great on a zerk. I think they are called Hanson screw extractors.