Loader Zerk -- err is it full?

[Gale Hawkins]

Some brands seem to use the softer pins today so they wear out and NOT the insert bushing. Pins can be changed in the field but bushing inserts are a shop job.

 

[gwdixon]

The zerk is fine (pulled and tested), it's stopped up in the pin somewhere that I can't see from the outside.

When you pulled the Zerk was there dried and hardened grease under it? If it was fairly dry then a dose of WD40 in the hole and around the pin access point may help.

Heat will definitely help melt the grease so a torch is your friend. Remember that grease will burn so keep a fire extinguisher handy.

The suggestions about moving the FEL while trying to force in grease is an excellent first thing to try. Keep pumping grease until fresh grease pukes out all around the pin. Raise and lower the FEL to work it around and then grease it again.

If all else fails then a tear down is indicated. Those tall "sheep herder" jacks should hold the FEL components in place while the work is done.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Greasing every ten hours of use is starting to make a lot of sense. :B

Greasing when in different positions (mainly FEL bucket) is a good idea as well as working it through full range of motion afterwards.

I see no way ours will become plugged again while we own it.

 

[IslandTractor]

The zerk is fine (pulled and tested), it's stopped up in the pin somewhere that I can't see from the outside.

Understood but something is blocking the thick grease and it might help to flush with light oil under greater pressure than you could ever generate with a grease gun. The zerk cleaners also clean downstream as you can reload it and force more oil in to push the obstruction along.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The zerk is fine (pulled and tested), it's stopped up in the pin somewhere that I can't see from the outside.

Go ahead and replace the zerk based on my experience. I had one on the MH that would not take grease. I pulled it and it would pass grease. Reinstalled and it would NOT take grease.

I swapped it with one from a joint already greased and finished the job then replaced the one that was blocking grease later.

Had it not happened to me I would have called me a liar.

I still do not understand how that happened and there was NO downline blockage when I tried a known good zerk.

 

[Motractr]

I have removed the zerk, then used a straightened coat hanger wire to scrape out the dried grease. This has worked most of the time. If not, then heat. If not, remove the pin to free obstruction.

 

[crazyal]

I've had a few that I removed the zerk and used a small drill in my fingers to clean out as much of the old grease as I could while soaking the kerk in kerosine. I'll then swap a known good one and try to get kerosine into the hole to soak on the dried grease. I have even used a spare new grease gun hose and filled it with kerosine and then screwed it into the grease gun and started pumping it in. So far I've been lucky and have gotten each one. I have had one that was freed up after being plugged get plugged again but it was before I started using kerosine on them.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

See if you can find someone who will loan an air grease gun to you. Air grease guns hit harder with higher pressure than manual grease guns.

It's always possible that the grease channel was never drilled all the way through. You may be trying to force grease through solid steel.

 

[RadarTech]

See if you can find someone who will loan an air grease gun to you. Air grease guns hit harder with higher pressure than manual grease guns.

It's always possible that the grease channel was never drilled all the way through. You may be trying to force grease through solid steel.

Someone reccomended the special tool sold by northern tool to fix this..

I have one too..
BUT I think I got mine from harbor frieght...
It actually says to use a small hammer and tap it..

the bottom zerks on my bucket were stopped up and were so bad that I burst a hose on a grease gun....


I used 90 weight oil in the tool... and bingo....

then I pushed grease through it until I saw it come out...


I think it cost me $20 at HF...


J

 

[dstig1]

Thanks - I'll try a few of these things Fri when I get the tractor back out.

BTW, I have an air powered grease gun. It stalls within a pump or two on this fitting. Never stalled it out before....

Having never removed one of these pins before is it simply remove the retainting bolt and drive it out either direction, or is there one way to go or ???