prs
Platinum Member
I greased the Ventrac and checked everything out. I tried to figure out a way to access the drive shaft zerks from the right, but although Houdini might have success, my mitts are too large to fit in that way. But, from the left it is not difficult. I used the start motor to "bump" the shaft around so that the rear zerk was straight up; easy peasy. The front one was hidden by the bottom of the radiator, but we know it is aligned with the rear one, so I bumped the shaft around again to get them pointing straight down. Then from the left side the grease hose dives down and back up to the front zerk, not easy in regard to getting to hose end onto the zerk, but doable.
Continuing. I had a couple of stubborn zerk fittings on the rear rollers of the contour mower, but they did take the grease. So I proceeded to get all the zerks on the power unit. All was well until that very last one, the front lift cylinder fitting. That zerk refused to accept lube. I removed the fitting and grease pumped through it like prunes through a goose. I used a fine coping saw blade to clean the threaded hole for the zerk, it was clean. I put the zerk back in, but then backed it out a half turn in case it had been bottomed out on the pin. No flow. I lifted the implement a bit, no flow. I put some mild down pressure on it, no flow. Put back in float and tightened the zerk correctly, summoned my best Superman strength and all my weight on the gun lever and then slowly/reluctantly it started taking lube. I plan on removing the pin and cleaning out whatever the obstruction might be
I suspect I may have encountered a situation where my patchwork quilt collection of NGLI-2 lubes found that elusive incompatibility some folks talk about. All of my Ventrac equipment came lubed with some translucent red grease; maybe Lucas, maybe Mobile. I had guns with partial fillings of Green Stuff, Lucas Red and Tacky, and Valvoline Durablend. One time or another I have used them all. Today, the gun had the Lucas Red and Tacky. I have given up on Mobile because it loses its liquid portion due to separation in storage. So, I need to decide on one product and stick with it.
prs
Continuing. I had a couple of stubborn zerk fittings on the rear rollers of the contour mower, but they did take the grease. So I proceeded to get all the zerks on the power unit. All was well until that very last one, the front lift cylinder fitting. That zerk refused to accept lube. I removed the fitting and grease pumped through it like prunes through a goose. I used a fine coping saw blade to clean the threaded hole for the zerk, it was clean. I put the zerk back in, but then backed it out a half turn in case it had been bottomed out on the pin. No flow. I lifted the implement a bit, no flow. I put some mild down pressure on it, no flow. Put back in float and tightened the zerk correctly, summoned my best Superman strength and all my weight on the gun lever and then slowly/reluctantly it started taking lube. I plan on removing the pin and cleaning out whatever the obstruction might be
I suspect I may have encountered a situation where my patchwork quilt collection of NGLI-2 lubes found that elusive incompatibility some folks talk about. All of my Ventrac equipment came lubed with some translucent red grease; maybe Lucas, maybe Mobile. I had guns with partial fillings of Green Stuff, Lucas Red and Tacky, and Valvoline Durablend. One time or another I have used them all. Today, the gun had the Lucas Red and Tacky. I have given up on Mobile because it loses its liquid portion due to separation in storage. So, I need to decide on one product and stick with it.
prs
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