Batwing/BW12, sticky hinges on wings

[Overtaxed]

My new to me mower (man, do I love it!) has "sticky wing" syndrome. It's a single action cylinder on the wings and often I need to get off the machine to pull them down. I did some reading, everyone says "it's the PTO shaft" that gets bound up. So I lubed it, and then today, I pulled it entirely off the wing to see if that was the problem. It's not, the PTO shaft moves nice and easy and wing is "sticky" even without the shaft attached. So, it's in the hinges. Pulled out the can of spray lube and shot it everywhere I could, made the situation a lot better, but still not "perfect". It's like a long piano hinge with about a 1/2in rod on each wing and I'm thinking, how can I get grease in there. There are about 10 segments on each side, so, initial though was to drill and tap each of them for a zerk. Why not, machine has about 100 lube points already, what's another 20, right? Well, problem is, that won't work, if I put the zerks where I can get to them, they will break when I lower the machine. Sooo..

A few options. I can figure out how to pull that rod out entirely (which will drop the wing) clean it up, grease everything up and put it back in there. That's probably a good first step anyway, but that's gonna be a lot of work, and I don't want to do that often. Then I started thinking, what about just drilling a hole in each hinge section (like I was going to put in zerk) but not put the zerk in. Just leave a small (1/4" maybe) hole in the middle of each hinge, and then put a soft tip on a grease gun, jam it in there and hope for the best? Or some other idea that I haven't thought of? Heat up the hinge and spray it, letting the heat pull the oil in?

Anyone got any ideas? Seems like this would be a VERY common problem with this configuration, that big rod without a way to grease it is just asking to get "sticky". Kind of stupid that Woods (and everyone else, as far as I can tell) doesn't put some way to grease that hinge. Ton of force on it, it moves constantly when you're running and its open to the elements, just asking for rust.

 

[jcummins]

I periodically pour used motor oil on the hinges, helps but not a fix.

Be VERY careful. Neighboor had that problem on a 15fter. Manually pulled in down, and it caught him. Thankfully I was headed his way for an unrelated matter and found him covered in blood. I got his wife to bring their truck up, loaded him up, and off to ER. They said..... He was fixing to bleed out had it taken much longer.

 

[Overtaxed]

I usually try to push it down standing on the middle section for just that reason, the sucker is heavy. It doesn't come down quick MOST OF THE TIME, but sometimes.. It just kind of falls over, especially if I leave the lever engaged to lower the deck.

You just pour it over the hinges or you put it in a squirt bottle and shoot it in somewhere?

 

[RBA50]

You could try "Flush" style grease fittings. They don't stick out, but do require thick enough material for the thread, probably about 3/16"-1/4". You can find them at McMaster Carr. You will also need a needle style adapter for your grease gun.

 

[Overtaxed]

You could try "Flush" style grease fittings. They don't stick out, but do require thick enough material for the thread, probably about 3/16"-1/4". You can find them at McMaster Carr. You will also need a needle style adapter for your grease gun.

Well, first shot at this, decided not to drill (yet). Got a pump for WD40 and another for way oil and finally a needle injector for my grease gun. Kind of went at it in that order, shot in WD40, let it sit, put more in, moved the wings, repeat, repeat. Then started putting way oil in and then moving the wings, then a little more WD40.. Repeat, repeat. Finally, finished it all off with a grease gun with a needle injector, I can't get much in there that way, but I'm hoping as it moves around, some will find it way into the joint, especially with all the WD40 acting as a solvent to loosen up the grease.

You know, I'm kind of remembering as a kid, liquids move towards (or away, I can't remember) heat, right? So maybe if I torch on it a bit I can get it to suck in deeper?

It's working, the wings are much looser now, so maybe this is "good enough". They will fall if I'm on the flat and drive around a bit, and I can easily pull them down if I get off the tractor and yank on them. Maybe running it around will help, that joint it constantly getting worked back and forth when you mow because it's also how the decks articulate. Oh well, we'll see, but for now, I'm calling it done. I'll do it a few more times this season and see how I do, unless, of course, it gets real sticky again, in which case it's time for the drill.

Why on earth wouldn't they put a grease point, even just a hole, into these hinges? It seems like an obvious (like, ridiculously obvious) place to have an issue/seize up, especially when you realize this is an open joint, when it gets wet, it just goes right into that joint. Think that might rust up? Nah, never happen, right? Woods put zerks on zerks for this mower, the number of grease points it ridiculous, I'm just really surprised that there's a grease zerk on the threads for the wheel adjustment (both sides of it, actually), something you almost never use and never sees regular movement in any use of this machine, and not on the hinges, the the joints that are used continually when you're mowing or moving the decks. Very strange.

 

[leonz]

It will be faster if you purchase more bar stock and then lube up the pins with never sieze once or twice
a season and in that way you will drive out the pins for a certain distance then lube them up and then hammer the original pin back in to place with a brass hammer.

The problem with Piano hinges is that the even heavy grease will push out of the nearest opening if you drill out a hole for a grease fitting.
You could drive a lot of grease in the bore of the hinge with the second piece of bar stock as well and then drive the original back on place and clean up what oozes out as you work.

 

[Seven Gables]

What I've done on a long piano hinge is to use a small V shaped point grease end that threads on the standard grease gun hose, not a needle tip. Drill a small hole in the center of each hinge you want to grease, make sure the hole you drill is just smaller than the V tips so the angled V seals when inserted. Hold the V tip snug in the hole and grease, the grease will come right out each end of your hinge. You will be surprised how well this V tip and hole will hold pressure and force grease thru. B

 

[Overtaxed]

What I've done on a long piano hinge is to use a small V shaped point grease end that threads on the standard grease gun hose, not a needle tip. Drill a small hole in the center of each hinge you want to grease, make sure the hole you drill is just smaller than the V tips so the angled V seals when inserted. Hold the V tip snug in the hole and grease, the grease will come right out each end of your hinge. You will be surprised how well this V tip and hole will hold pressure and force grease thru. B

You have a link or picture of the tip your using? I'm not sure I've ever seen one like that. So you just drill a hole in each hinge and then press fit this v tip in there and shoot it in? That's kind of what I'm thinking, but, if there's a good tip for this, that would make it easier, for sure.

It will be faster if you purchase more bar stock and then lube up the pins with never sieze once or twice

Well, that was already on the list. Just drive the pin out some, lubricating it while it moves and then I'd get the entire thing with just a few inches of movement. Your bar stock idea is even better. However, driving these out is no small task. You need to pull the wheels off the wings (they are in the way) and even then, the angle you have to work in is a nightmare. I have an air hammer and a SDS hammer; I'm sure I could get it moving, but man, that's a job I really want to avoid. I agree it's probably the best way to do it, just pull that sucker out of there, put a new one in with plenty of grease/never seize and then clean up the one I just drove out, repeat on the next wing. I could do that with just one more hinge pin and they're not crazy expensive, so that was "on the list" of things to consider. But when I saw how much I'd need to take apart to do this... That's when I started thinking, "gotta be an easier way"!

 

[leonz]

The only other option I can think of for you is to purchase a small can of turbine oil or Gulf Mining Lube
and create a well around a portion of the hinge for the full length of one hinge using a bunch of heavy rags
to keep the oil in place each time to let it soak into the weldments and the pin overnight or if you have time to
lube it and let it set.

It will be a bit messy to clean up but the rags will hold it in place for the most part.

I don't know if it would be worth your time and effort to weld 1/4" angle iron on either side of the hinge with a full bead
of weld or solder and just pour 5 weight on the hinge and let it soak in to the hinges. all you would need to do is use a
lot of rags to dam up each end of the weldment.

The oil will attract more dust and chaff and you will end up with more chaff build up on the mower.

 

[1010]

As you remove the old round stock can you slide the new in right behind it from the other end? So everything stays put. The other is put cylinder stops on the wings so they can't raise up quite all the way. And lower when using.
The stops can be removed overnight and off season..