Backhoe Can't Reach Grease Zerk - Hose Installed Wrong?

[exohomestead]

Checking over my used GC2310 continues...

Bringing the back hoe up to speed, my only remaining grease problem is in the middle knuckle of the backhoe, where the far end of the arm lift piston is hidden down between the arms. I can almost fit my flexible hose grease nipple down there, but there is a hydraulic line in the way. Well, not actually the hose, but the metal at the end of the tube (so it doesn't move at all). Click on the picture below to see an up close photo.



Does your 2375 back hoe look the same? Or maybe this was a replacement hose that someone put in wrong. Can you attach a picture of your arrangement if there is room to hook a grease gun to the zerk? The only solution I see is to pull the entire shaft while holding the weight of the bucket, grease the rod and put it back. But that kind of defeats the purpose a grease zerk! I must be missing something. In the long run, when I replace hoses, I'd like to route them in a way that allows maintenance.

Any help or ideas appreciated!

 

[CurlyDave]

I have a little zerk kit I got from Harbor Freight, well actually two kits, one English and one metric.

Anyway, there are zerks in both kits where the grease nipple is at a 45 degree angle to the threaded part, and also zerks with the nipple at a 90 degree angle. Just put one of these in with the nipple pointed in the right direction.

 

[newbury]

Or try a Lincoln 5883. Or google "grease gun right angle coupler"

 

[ray66v]

Moving the backhoe to the right position, exposes all the grease fittings with enough room, to be greased with a standard grease gun.

You just have to try different positions until you find it.

A different position can also help sometimes, when they don't want to take grease.

 

[Gary Fowler]

From the photo, it looks like you may have to remove the hose in order to put on a 90 degree grease zerk. Once installed though, the 90 or maybe even a 45 degree zerk will fix the problem. I guess I have to think, How did the original owner grease that zerk? Can if be freed up by moving the back hoe as Ray66V mentioned?

 

[irvingj]

On mine, the offending hydraulic line appears to be rotated somewhat from the position of same on yours-- result, I can access the grease fitting..well, not easily, but it can be done. It does look like your hydraulic line(s) could be positioned better.

 

[exohomestead]

Gary,

My suspicion is that the zerk was not greased after the hydraulic line was replaced :-(

Ray66v,

All the different arm positions were tried. Unfortunately all the metal and hoses that are block it do not move relative to each other so the space limits stay the same no matter where the arms are positioned.

Irvingj,

Thanks for the pictures. Yes, yours has room mine does not. I think the hydraulic metal part of my hose was put on aiming toward the zerk in my case and slightly off to the side for yours. Yours is better. I'll have to see about rotating my fitting a bit, but that will require me to drop the pivot pins and drop the actuator piston because the hydraulic line goes directly into the piston on the back side.

If you follow your hose to the metal connector part (that does not block access to your zerk), is there a 45 or 30 degree metal fitting before the hose goes into the piston threads? Or does your hose go into the piston threads with only straight metal connectors? I'm going to try to mimic your setup.

 

[irvingj]

I'll take a look tomorrow and try to get some better pics.

 

[JWR]

I think CurlyDave is on the right track. If a 90 degree zerk can't clear the hydraulic hose then probably a 45 degree or other angled one will. You could even put a 2 or 3 inch long threaded pipe extension to the zerk hole that moves the zerk up away from the hose a bit. Many mower decks have those kinds of grease point extensions. I'd never go to all that elaborate effort of the other solutions. For one thing, that shaft has such little motion on it that a grease fitting is kind of a 30 year luxury thing in the first place. Heck, drill and tap a new hole and put a new zerk out front would be easier than many things being discussed. BY THE WAY there is a "Lock and Lube" tip sold for grease guns that clamps on to the grease fitting and won't come off or let grease go sideways out of it. If you can get on the fitting at all with a grease gun tip those things are worth their weight in gold.

 

[irvingj]

Sorry, been busy all day and we had ice all over everything until 11AM this morning

Yes, there does appear to be a 45 on the point of attachment of that hydraulic line, and it's rotated slightly away from the grease fitting area. I think this pic shows it: