60" MMM Grease Zerks

Anonymous Poster · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

I hope you enjoyed your meal---Im the meat manager for the university....Glenn

Anonymous Poster · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

I loved eating at the Tavern...but it was rare; like when the 'rents came to visit! But a couple of my fraternity brothers worked there and did "very well" for their efforts. Nice place!

TresCrows · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

DaveL, please don't think I am being argumentative /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif, even if I am /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif but first I am pretty sure mine says to grease each use and secondly I think the "too much grease" thing is an urban legend. Yep, I cannot find any research other than "that is what grandpa said" type support for this notion. I grease wheel bearings on jet aircraft that land at 150 MPH, we put grease in them tite. Course it all flings out just as the grease will in our mower decks. I suppose if the bearing areas was virtually airtight and you managed somehow to completely fill it with grease 110% something bad could happen--what exactly I am not sure--could they even rotate in such a condition? For someone who mows only an hour per use, they could probably, using common sense, grease at say a 4 hour interval or such and/or after washing.
Sorry, just don't believe such things but I am sure someone will send me to a website that prooves different or some obscure text. The problem with the internet is it is like "Urban Legend" personified. I see these FAQs all the times put together--by who /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif What do they know and who the heck are they anyway. The internet is soooo valuable for turning opinion into fact /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. I could be wrong but I doubt it.
Oh, good point about the "check", we argue about that ever since I took up this mechanic stuff with other "mechanics". The FAA, if these were aircraft, would define "check" as--grease the sucker. In other words, seeing the grease ooz out of the bearing when you grease it is the "check" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, then it has been "checked". Yeah, I know these are tractors not stupid airplanes but principles are principles. I am going to "check" mine with my grease gun. J

Anonymous Poster · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

Trescrows, I understand your point, and if the bearing can fling out excess grease I see no problem. Again, as I mentioned before, IF there is nowhere for it to go it will pack the bearing cavity solid. If the grease has nowhere to go, what happens??? It not compressible by volume (you can compress and reduce the volume of gasses, but not liquids).
The grease gun starts pressurizing the bearing cavity. I guessed that the original poster was greasing to the point that he was packing the bearing cavity and pressurizing it, and that was why he was experiencing problems getting more grease in. If he then starts strongarming the grease gun something has to give (10,000 psi is a lot of pressure). If a shaft seal is in place to seal the bearing from the outside environment, it will blow it out. If its an outer shield on a bearing it will pop the shield off if it can't get past the shield fast enough. If he gets real rambuctious, he can break off the rerk fitting. Overgreasing is not an urban legend. I have seen cases of bearing failure caused by over greasing bearings. You can overheat a high speed bearing by running them packed solid with grease.
Don't worry about being arguementative. I have respect for your opinion, and if we don't agree, thats fine too /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. If everybody agreed on everything, it would be a dull world /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.
DaveL

MikePA · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

 I hope you enjoyed your meal---Im the meat manager for the university....Glenn 
The Tavern Restaurant buys it's meat from the university? I didn't know that.

I had the yellowfin tuna. It was excellent. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

There were about 20 of us. Great service. Except we wanted to buy a Tavern Restaurant golf shirt. Seems only the servers get them. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Chief · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

I grease my mmm every 2nd or 3rd use. I think it is cheap insurance. As far as removing the mmm to grease it??????? I would try a set of those driveway ramps for your car and drive the tractor up on those and grease it from underneith. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Anonymous Poster · Jun 18, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

I agree with most things that's been said here. I know for a fact that you can over grease a bearing but probably not on a mower. I don't know what bearings they use on them so not sure if it's even a sealed bearing or if separate seals are used. Even if it's a sealed bearing the grease will still slip by the seals and do no damage unless you put more volume in than can freely pass by the seal lips then you could blow them out. My major concern with overgreasing them is that if the seal in comprimized the dust and dirt will migrate back into the bearing causing failure.

On another note, my mower has labels that say grease every eight hours of operation.

TresCrows · Jun 19, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

How does one grease a sealed bearing? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif. The MMM does not appear to have sealed bearings and the fresh grease just pushes the dirt and gunk and water out that collects under the caps. Usually requiring high pressure to get the grease in is because the zerk is bad or the designer left no channel for the grease (BX Hydro pedal for example). If y'all want to rationalize not greasing the bearings, fine, we all learn the hardway and my head is so hard it usually takes several applications of a ball peen hammer to get my attention. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
The sublties of the English language are what allows Presidents to discuss for months at great expense the definition of "is". The thought of the President being held in contempt for "check" is infinite. Sir, Pres Bush, you read the manual? Yes sir I did. Well what did it say Mr Presidnet? Well it said to check my grease. So, sir, how did you check it? Well, I looked at it and scratched my arse and then I mowed all 600 acres. So Mr President you mowed 600 acres with your Kubota (the president, being smart surely owns a Kubota /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif) and never greased your MMM? The court has no choice but to recommend that your right to operate tractors is revoked--Empeached. Tractors don't kill tractors, people do. J

Chief · Jun 19, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

TresCrows, ALL valid and I believe correct EXCEPT for one minor mistaken bit of info. ............ GW is a hard core dyed in the wool JOHN DEERE man. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Now I just have to get him to loose the Ford Power Stroke F-350 and get a real diesel truck. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Just kiddin' /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Anonymous Poster · Jun 19, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

Nice rant Tres, are you calm now?

TresCrows · Jun 19, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

"............ GW is a hard core dyed in the wool JOHN DEERE man."

Hey them be fight'n words. Everyone knows the Pres is a Kubota man /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Yeah, that Ford thing is bad. We gotta get hold of his PR people. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The Pres needs the reliability of a Toyota /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif.
You think the Hatfields and McCoys, alleged to have made peace, could be coerced into another century of feuding over Kubota vs JD /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Oh well, 4 acres to go and time to switch to the hog--see ya.
J

Anonymous Poster · Jun 19, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

A short while ago, Mr. Kubota spoke! Here is what Kubota has to say about greasing their mower decks:

"Hello Mr. Engwer. Thank you for contacting Kubota. I suggest that you
grease them after each ten hours of actual use. Apply grease until you see
excess grease slightly weeping from the spindle shaft seals. This should
ensure a long and reliable life for your mower."

TresCrows · Jun 20, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

Works for me, I think I will stick with the suggestion per manual, check per daily useage. I think 10 hours though seems a reasonable figure and would agree that should be sufficient for most use and a long life. So, 10 hours it shall be and then no one has to guess what check might mean /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, at 10 hours, grease it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. J

NY_Yankees_Fan · Jun 20, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

Given how much rain we have here in the Northeast and how much grass likes rain, thats about every 2 days /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

normde2001 · Jun 20, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

I suspect when they say "check the grease", they assume you are going to "check" it with your grease gun to see if it will hold any more before it oozes out. I have heard all my (considerable) life that you grease til you can see it starting to ooze out. If it does not, you best find out why.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 20, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

Most bearings used in this type application are only sealed on one side so you can force grease into them from the open side. Sorry I didn't make this more clear.

TresCrows · Jun 20, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

"I suspect when they say "check the grease", they assume you are going to "check" it with your grease gun to see if it will hold any more before it oozes out. "

Yes Norm, that is my interpretation of "check" also /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. J

Anonymous Poster · Jun 20, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

I think Kubota was pretty clear in their Email to me. They said to grease the fittings every 10 hours of operation.

I wonder why they didn't make it that clear in the operations guide.

John

Anonymous Poster · Jun 21, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

Trescrows,
This is a quote from the 1st post on this thread. ( In addition, has anyone experienced the same HARD pumping of grease into the zerks? Only 37 hours on the tractor, and about 15-20 on the deck, and already the zerks are hard to grease? This is for the universals on the drive shaft, as well as the spindle zerks. How many pumps of grease and how often? 
)
1. I responded as I did due to the fact that he was having to force grease in. It didn't seem rational that ALL of the fittings were blocked after 15-20 hours of use, i.e. my reasoning in cautioning him not to go nuts on them. And aparently the gun was working ok. So if they weren't blocked, what was the problem??? Can you answer that???????????

My assumption, based on his post was that he was really overdoing the lube.

2. I never advocated not greasing, as you seem to have interpretted from my posts. Again, I was responding based on information from the original poster, who seemed to be having a problem. 10 hrs. is fine by me also, as well as a little grease past the seals, but "daily use" could mean a heck of a lot less than that depending on how its interpretted. The book was pretty vague on this point. Again, my guess was that he was really overdoing it.
Thanks to the poster who took the time to e-mail Kubota and shared their response with us.

3. I never intended to get into a pi**ing contest over this. Just trying to help a guy out. Thats what this board is for.
DaveL

TresCrows · Jun 21, 2003

Re: 60\" MMM Grease Zerks

DaveL, if you notice my last few posts on this thread really have not been directed at you but at the gentleman who got a letter from Kubota (thanks for the clarification) and then another from Nomade about his thought on what check meant--THEY WERE NOT DIRECTED AT YOU. I think we are just discusing this--you seem to be getting angry for some reason. There is no need to. I think a lot of your opinion, I just dissagree this time but I WAS NOT TALKING TO YOU. I apologise for making you angry and for my infinite stubborness /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif J.