Are the Zerk Fittings on the Tie Rods (L3800) PRESSED In or do they SCREW in?

Amos1 · Jul 9, 2017

I broke one off and have been trying to use an "Easy-Out" to remove it, but it's not budging?

(I greased that fitting and then broke it off trying to get the grease gun off the nipple - Doh!)

If I don't get it off today, I'm think about covering the hole with silicone or JB Weld to keep out the dirt...

"Nothing is ever easy" and "Momma said there'd be days like this"

sandman2234 · Jul 9, 2017

There is almost as much mystery in zerk fittings as there is in replacing a tube of grease in a greasegun and getting it to work after you install the new tube!
I spend 2 hours trying to replace two zerks on my Bush Hog 3008, and they still are not replaced. Like you, I greased one and then broke the fitting. Upon inspection, I found another already broken on the other tail-wheel. Bush Hog doesn't list them by size or if they screw in, a question I really am going to have to ask Bush Hog. The zerks available were of the screw in variety, and while it "appears" to have threads in the holes, there is no guarantee that they aren't the press in type and that is ridges that I see instead of threads. Because the tail-wheels are a weldable steel, I may find a nut that a zerk will screw into and weld that nut to the spindle housing, and just continue in my ignorant bliss of never learning to replace a zerk!
Good luck getting them replaced!
David from jax

oosik · Jul 9, 2017

So I guess if its not a screw in zerk - you drill it out and, somehow, "drive" in a new one. I've snapped off my share of zerks but have always been able to screw the bottom part out. A couple times I had to tap on the easy out to get it to catch but then I just screwed it out with a small Crescent wrench.

BX23S-1 · Jul 9, 2017

Drill out the old zerk, run a tap in the hole, go to the next size up threaded zerk.

sandyc · Jul 9, 2017

I'm guessing the zeros are threaded on.

TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark · Jul 9, 2017

PaPow said:
Drill out the old zerk, run a tap in the hole, go to the next size up threaded zerk.

That should work. Just be careful about:

Going too far in and damaging something. (A depth stop would be a good thing here.)
Shavings. Metal shavings in a fitting doesn't sound good. Maybe flush with some kind of solvent?

BX23S-1 · Jul 9, 2017

TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark said:
That should work. Just be careful about:

Going too far in and damaging something. (A depth stop would be a good thing here.)

Shavings. Metal shavings in a fitting doesn't sound good. Maybe flush with some kind of solvent?

For sure...experience highly required

JWR · Jul 10, 2017

I have never seen a press-fit Zerk. Just my ignorance there. Drill out & rethread sounds like the right idea and use something to limit the depth you drill like PaPow said. I have found there are about 15 kinds of zerks which is 13 too many. English threads, metric threads, sizes that look like they fit but will not screw in, etc. Best bet is take out one of the others in similar positions on the same machine out and then go match threads with it using nuts to screw on it by hand. Several co's sell assortments of zerks with 5 or 6 sizes.

By the way, I really love those "LockNLube" grease gun couplers. The are spring loaded, open to go over the zerk, then close tight on it. Never break another zerk with the grease gun. Stops leakage/oozing around the zerk when pumping grease, etc. Not cheap but worth every penny. Saves so much time and grief and cussing.