Drilling and installing bucket pin grease fittings

[kthompson]

I am wondering about drilling my bucket pivot pin bushing and installing grease fittings in the dipper and not use a greaseable pin. This was a recommendation to consider by a machinist who knows the design fair. Also had a company who makes buckets and some pins hint on this option. I have to check to see if the bushings in the dipper have a gap between then or if they must be drilled also. Not sure how wise it would be to drill the bushing.

Any thoughts or suggestions.

 

[oosik]

Some of the bushings on my FEL & grapple have zerks at the midway point on the bushing. I was having a ***** of a time getting one to accept grease. I went through all the sweat and bother and pulled this bushing pin. It has a very shallow spiral channel cut into the pin. Obviously to direct grease clear across the entire pin surface.

 

[jaxs]

Greaseable pins with cross drilled holes should out preform bushing zerks but zerk preformance is effected by where it's located. As bushings and pins wear,a perfect fit is created where wear is greatest. Therefor if zerk is in that tight fitting area,there's no space for grease. To create space between pin and bushing,it is often neccessary to reposition loader while greasing. Greasing loaders is one of those situations where a stitch in time (making sure all fittings take grease) save's nine because a skipped fitting will be even harder to force grease into next time. Same is true when coupler and zerk don't hold ample pressure to clear clogged passage. Replacing pins and bushings will usually cause people to put more effort into greasing in the future.

 

[Seven Gables]

I think youæ±*e going to find a gap between your two bushings and I also believe youæ±*e going to find one cross drilled hole in your pin that fills this gap and then pushes out through both slotted bushings. So I believe by drilling and installing a zerk in the bottom center of your stick would replicate the grease path you have now . My machine has both cross drilled pins and this zerk in bottom center, take your pick. One other option i did find on eBay a complete 2 cross drilled pin and bushing set for your ec45 for under 200.00 including shipping, also from England.

 

[Seven Gables]

According to my Volvo parts book arm diagram their is a boss bushing between the outer two bushings. Looks like this boss is slotted to line up with the fitted zert if fitted. You may have to drill this if it's not pre drilled/ slotted.

 

[shaeff]

I'm late to the party, but if you do end up drilling on the machine side rather than using the greaseable pin, put a piece of round stock in the pin's hole when you drill it. This will prevent the "blow through" of the drill bit, leaving sharp millings still attached to the outer bore. I just did this a few months back, used a piece of stock the same size as my pin. When I drilled the (in my case) cylinder end to accept a grease fitting, it was a clean exit hole on the inside of the cylinder end because the bit didn't "punch through" as the metal was cut away.

Just food for thought for anyone attempting this.

 

[johara1]

Also you want the fitting to be in the middle so the the grease always pushes the dirt out. A grasable pin is the best choice on a small machine not hard to turn out a new pin and increase the diameter to take up any wear..... jim