448 hoe lower pivot

[Cidertom]

Hi gang:
Lower pivot has become impossible to grease. I have removed the zerk and it is not the issue. Has anyone disassembled this pivot and can offer suggestions? I have been using JD grease, so hardening should not have been the issue, leaving me with a grease port / relief that has either twisted out of alignment or has had metal smeared across it.

I have tried unloading the weight using a jack, swinging full arc while pressurized, using a "super pressure" grease gun.

exploded view would help. I could buy the shop manual, but I don't know if that would help or not.

Thanks

 

[AKfish]

Hey Tom,

Well, that could be a real pain in the zerk...

So, I'm guessing that you've also tried to take the pressure off by lifting with the boom --- while aligned with the storage/travel pin hole (should take grease no matter where the boom is positioned;but it's worth a try)?

And you crawled down there with a small piece of wire and flashlight to look, poke into the hole (zerk out) to see what (metal, debris) could be blocking the grease?

I had to replace a couple of zerks on my old, 8A hoe (one on the bottom of the pivot, too) and I had to use a wire to dig the old grease and crud out of the hole. I sprayed it with some penetrating oil, too. That seemed to break down the hardened grease a bit and it came out easier.

Best of luck. Like to hear how you finally fix the problem, too.

AKfish

 

[JerryG]

Tom,
When I have problems with that Zerk, I push down on the ground with the bucket. It has always worked for me. But then again, yours may be machined different.

 

[kennyd]

exploded view would help.

Some are from the 48 BH because the pictures did not come up on JDParts for the 448. Should be similar though...


OOPPS, two are the same...

 

[tuolumne]

I have the same issue, so I'm anxious to here what works for you. It is not the zerks, they're clean. Usually I can hit it the next day and things work...or not...I've never been able to find the position that works short of randomness.

 

[hideaway44]

I also have a 448 and have had the same problem. I also found the suggestion that JerryG gave to also work for me. Give it a try.

 

[RobS]

The first time I serviced my used #7 I had a couple that wouldn't take grease, including the lower boom pivot. I tried everything, eventually had to push out the pivot pin and clean it. Wasn't nearly as hard as you might think, it was a 1" pin so I used a 1" hitch pin to push it out and the hitch pin held everything in place. Once cleaned up, I just pushed the pin back in, pushing the temporary hitch pin out. it's been fine ever since.

 

[Cidertom]

I had my days off rescinded, so it will be a few more days until I can get back to the hoe. Thanks for the help. I have tried the push down trick. It worked for a couple of times. Seems enough of us are having issues that someting is askew with the design. This is where I wish JD had a easier method to pass suggestions up stream.
I am looking for a solvent for the green urea grease. On the old fashioned oil based grease I would use a gun full of kerosene and flush the joint under pressure. I may wind up pulling the pin out but that seems more of a winters night job in the heated shop than a waste daylight job.

 

[AKfish]

Hey Tom,

Sorry to hear that your day's off got messed around... (Not bein' able to get back on your hoe project would rub the wrong way - I'd guess!)

Drivin' out the pin and either puttin' in a new one or cleanin' up the crud or corrosion does sound like a winter job -- but if you're gonna be workin' the hoe quite a bit this summer -- probably have to face it, now.

Bad location for the zerk and maybe the design folk's at AmeriEquip and JD could figure out a better lubrication and maintaince/replacement configuration (replaceable sleeve, etc).

I generally tried to keep the pins in the storage/travel holes whenever I figured I wouldn't be usin' the hoe alot (even when mounted on the tractor). It was better to put the weight of the boom and bucket, etc. to bear on those pins than the rest of the hoe - in my way of thinking -.

So, I found that by keeping the hoe in that alignment and then using the push down trick I could most generally get it to take grease (after I put in a new zerk, anyway). Most solvents should cut that grease --- paint thinner or toluene, acetone, etc. (Nasty stuff --- as a firefighter; you already know that...) I've had real good luck using electric parts cleaner or brake cleaner for stubborn grease in the past but really try to stick with penetrating sprays..

Let us know how you get things "straightened out".

AKfish