CK front axle pivot grease

[jake98]

My front axle pivot won't take grease. Zerk is clear. Maybe too tight adjustment?

 

[zzvyb6]

How about jacking it up to unload the pivot. This might increase clearance for the grease channel. If that's not enough, drive out the pin and clean it out.

 

[jake98]

I wonder if anybody knows of a diagram of what's in the pivot. I backed the adjuster out, but need to know if there are bearings or what in there before I pull the mount apart. Or actually if I even should..

 

[VictorW]

On my CK30, I used the fel to take the load off and it took grease. I wouldn't think you need to take it apart unless it has gone years of no greasing and it's corroded or rusted. I have no idea of what's inside. I would imagine a bushing instead of a bearing.

 

[Patches]

I wouldn't. My 3054's front pivot is a bear to get grease into also. I lift the front axle with the loader and work the axle up/down;give it a shot of grease, work the axle;give it a shot. I thought about doing what you're thinking about, but changed my mind. I'm not sure whether your axle is set up like the 3054, which has a bushing between the carrier bracket and the axle housing support (stub)? I started removing mine, thought better of it and had a bear of a time getting back in place :ashamed:

 

[MichiganIron]

The front axle pivots on a press fit bushing inside the support casting. There is a grease race in the bushing to distribute the grease, but it takes a firm talking to.

Taking the load off the front axle helps, along with rocking the axle while greasing. We usually lift the front of the tractor when we grease these.

Good news is, you haven't worn a lot of play in your pivot bushing.

You should re-set the tension on the adjustment bolt you backed out. You want about 12lbs of resistance on the front axle rocker.

 

[jake98]

They have some bolts on the mount that don't like to come out easy. I loosened two and it felt like I was going to break them off. I tightened them back up and left it alone before I broke something.
I lifted, rocked the axle, no grease goin in there today.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[dfkrug]

They have some bolts on the mount that don't like to come out easy. I loosened two
and it felt like I was going to break them off. I tightened them back up and left it alone before I broke something.
I lifted, rocked the axle, no grease goin in there today.

I did a search and found this old thread.

Anyone take apart their front axle pivot? Pix?

My CK30 is just over 700h and 12.5y old. I was greasing my zerks, and could only
get my rear pivot zerk to take grease. Not the front. My axle, when suspended
does not pivot easily. If I stand on the wheel, it moves.

I wonder how many others of these tractors have resistive axle pivots.....

 

[Peter 315]

You can try this tool before you take it apart it might free it up. grease fitting cleaner

 

[VictorW]

My axle, when suspended
does not pivot easily. If I stand on the wheel, it moves.
.....

It shouldn't rotate easily if adjusted correctly but you shouldn't have to stand on it. I move mine with my hand with the tractor front lifted for greasing. The rear zerk always takes grease easier than the front zerk. My CK30hst is the same age and hours. Usually grease everything Spring and Fall and after a big job. So far so good and never seen one apart. Maybe check the zerk fitting first if you haven't already and hope that's the problem.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Aren't these supposed to get greased every 50 hours?

In any case, try removing and cleaning out the zerk fitting (use a fine pick) and see if that lets the grease go in. The threads on these fittings are not common (BSP as I recall) and hard to find locally except at a Kioti dealer.

 

[xcgreene]

Aren't these supposed to get greased every 50 hours?

In any case, try removing and cleaning out the zerk fitting (use a fine pick) and see if that lets the grease go in. The threads on these fittings are not common (BSP as I recall) and hard to find locally except at a Kioti dealer.

thread size is 1/8 28 BSPT

 

[dfkrug]

thread size is 1/8 28 BSPT

Of course, I checked the zerk first. It does indeed have 28 tpi, but it seems to be parallel,
not tapered, so 1/8-28 BSP, type G. I have not dealt with that thread before. My zerk collection
has no such fine-thread units.

The zerk has marks on the nipple from my grease gun (Lincoln 14.4V) getting maxed out. These
are high quality zerks and I have never broken one on my Kioti. I have broken many of them on
my Bulgarian backhoe, so replacing them is something I am used to doing. Anyway, it flows
grease very well.

I have also replaced the axle pivot on a couple of ex-rental Deeres, and it was not easy. The CK30's
pivot looks to be beefier.

 

[oosik]

My pivot has a grease zerk both front and rear. The rear zerk, at times, has been a PITA - as far as accepting grease. I unloaded the front axle by rotating the bucket and, by golly, that rear zerk took grease just fine.

 

[dfkrug]

Of course, I checked the zerk first. It does indeed have 28 tpi, but it seems to be parallel,
not tapered, so 1/8-28 BSP, type G. I have not dealt with that thread before. My zerk collection
has no such fine-thread units.

I take that back: there seems to be a slight taper to the zerk threads, and it is brass.

Regardless, I drove the tractor over to my workshop the other day to get to the bottom of this.
I lifted the front end up with the loader, and the axle now pivots easily! No wobble, either.

So, now I go to test if the front zerk will take grease. It takes a couple pumps from the gun,
then stops. No more grease. So I reach over (without removing the grease gun) and the axle
is now hard to pivot again. I have to stand on the wheel to make it move, just like before. So
I push it up and down several times to see if the internal grease pressure changes, and I
can see no apparent change to the resistance of the pivot.

So then I pull off the grease gun, and I can actually see grease, under pressure, slowly squirting out
around the zerk's threads. I had not tightened the zerk back up very well, apparently, after removing
it for inspection previously.

As the pressure dropped, the axle got easy to pivot again.

So, pressurizing the front pivot grease fitting causes the front axle pivot to be resistive. Anybody ever
see that before?

 

[xcgreene]

I take that back: there seems to be a slight taper to the zerk threads, and it is brass.

Regardless, I drove the tractor over to my workshop the other day to get to the bottom of this.
I lifted the front end up with the loader, and the axle now pivots easily! No wobble, either.

So, now I go to test if the front zerk will take grease. It takes a couple pumps from the gun,
then stops. No more grease. So I reach over (without removing the grease gun) and the axle
is now hard to pivot again. I have to stand on the wheel to make it move, just like before. So
I push it up and down several times to see if the internal grease pressure changes, and I
can see no apparent change to the resistance of the pivot.

So then I pull off the grease gun, and I can actually see grease, under pressure, slowly squirting out
around the zerk's threads. I had not tightened the zerk back up very well, apparently, after removing
it for inspection previously.

As the pressure dropped, the axle got easy to pivot again.

So, pressurizing the front pivot grease fitting causes the front axle pivot to be resistive. Anybody ever
see that before?

When you grease the front pivot, the grease fills up the small space between the axle pivot pin and the housing in which the pin pivots inside of. There is also a lip and dust seal that keeps the grease in and dust out of the pivot. That lip seal is preventing the grease from coming out, as it should. So when you pressure up that zerk, and the void is full of grease already, and the grease cannot escape, the pressure pushes the axle rearward, into the rear pivot pin, causing the axle to be stiff. Eventually that lip seal will wear enough to allow grease to push out more easily.

 

[NetbyTractor]

Old thread, ...but I'll see if anyone is still listening. I heard my NX again today, and replaced zerks that weren't cooperating. The rear carrier for the front axle was one of these. Anyway, after zerk replacement, I put at least 30 pumps of grease in and don't see it escaping anywhere. Where is it going? Is it just going somewhere that I can't see? I can't imagine that it wouldn't be full after that many pumps.

 

[dfkrug]

I put at least 30 pumps of grease in and don't see it escaping anywhere. Where is it going? Is it just going somewhere that I can't see? I can't imagine that it wouldn't be full after that many pumps.

I have never opened up a front axle pivot on any Kioti, tho I should probably open mine. Other brands sometimes have a big cavity in there, and that is where the grease goes. My first Kubota was like that. My JDs did not, IIRC.

 

[Threepoint]

Old thread, ...but I'll see if anyone is still listening. I heard my NX again today, and replaced zerks that weren't cooperating. The rear carrier for the front axle was one of these. Anyway, after zerk replacement, I put at least 30 pumps of grease in and don't see it escaping anywhere. Where is it going? Is it just going somewhere that I can't see? I can't imagine that it wouldn't be full after that many pumps.

Agree, that sure doesn't sound right. Are you certain your grease gun is actually delivering? I have several, and grabbed one the other day to grease a PTO shaft knuckle on a friend's manure spreader. After ten or so pumps I realized I'd picked up one with a spent cartridge. :ashamed:

 

[Oldoak]

I have never opened up a front axle pivot on any Kioti, tho I should probably open mine. Other brands sometimes have a big cavity in there, and that is where the grease goes. My first Kubota was like that. My JDs did not, IIRC.

Yep, my Kubota is like that. There is actually a plug to be removed before lubricating the front axle pivot joint. Per manual, remove the plug and pump in grease until it starts to come out of the hole. Then reinstall the plug.

I can till you, although it had some grease in it from the factory, That cavity wasn't "filled" like the owner's manual called for. It took many pumps from the grease gun before I saw grease coming out the unplugged side port.