GREASE... every 10 HOURS?

[wvpolekat]

So, would I be considered **** retentive if I was contemplating pulling all the pins from my loader and cleaning them and the bushings and giving them some fresh grease? Doesn't look to be that much work.

 

[TripleR]

So, would I be considered **** retentive if I was contemplating pulling all the pins from my loader and cleaning them and the bushings and giving them some fresh grease? Doesn't look to be that much work.

I don't think it is ever a bad idea to do something to help you know your machine better; don't think is necessary, but sure can't hurt anything.

 

[newbury]

I don't think it is ever a bad idea to do something to help you know your machine better; don't think is necessary, but sure can't hurt anything.

I don't know, drop a piece, lose a small part, lot's of potential "whoops".

 

[Grateful11]

So, would I be considered **** retentive if I was contemplating pulling all the pins from my loader and cleaning them and the bushings and giving them some fresh grease? Doesn't look to be that much work.

You might want spin them over 180 degrees if they're showing any wear.

 

[sld]

I don't know, drop a piece, lose a small part, lot's of potential "whoops".

Guys like you should just take it too a dealer and not get your hands dirty.

 

[kcender]

I grease my FEL and backhoe about every 10 hours.One pump per joint is usually enough.I don't see the need to keep pumping the gun if all you are doing is squeezing it out around the joints.I pay special attention to the linkage fittings on the bucket and hoe as these are the areas that see the most movement and strain.They are also the parts that are in the dirt and grit.I grease these every time I use them and sometimes twice a day if I am using them a lot.

 

[American Pit Bull]

I said on post #6... I feel that just driving a gravel road or bumpy field will wear down the pins... I'll still stand by that... Take a couple hundred pounds, put it a few feet out front and bounce it around for 10 (clock) hours ...maybe my land is just not as smooth as what you guys are driving on. :confused3::confused2:

People can dream up all the anecdotes that they want, in order to rationalize their actions, but it doesn't lend truth to the situation...

Sure, linkage pins can wear from "just driving up and down bumpy roads"... But you would have to drive up and down that road every day for 20+ years with never greasing the pin for it to wear/deform to a point of having an effect on the function.

Even if the pins were made from the mildest iron available (rather than hardened steel), then we would have to drive up and down that road for 5 years every day, rather than 20+, with out greasing.

The weight of the bota buckets are tiny when compared to large equipment. The same large equipment takes a beating that our Kubotas couldn't dream of; without resulting in failures that are caused by merely driving the equipment on rough terrain .

But more importantly: Greasing prevents frictional type wear to the linkage pin. You are worried about the shearing action, that will cause deformation, when you speak of driving up and down bumpy roads/fields... No amount of grease, fresh or old, will keep a pin from damage due to shearing forces... The hardening process during manufacturing is your only means of defense against that type of damage.




To this I will add a caveat: My statements are made due to my knowledge when dealing with strengths of materials in my engineering field and my current professional experience when dealing with the daily maintenance of ~$7,000,000 worth of Caterpillar equipment in an industrial setting.

 

[Grateful11]

Don't take offense but a professional calling steel pins "iron", sorry it's not the
same thing. I've been machining metal from mild to exotic for nearly 30 years
and the only time I hear the word Iron is when dealing with Cast Iron, Ductile
Iron, Nodular Iron, Meehanite, etc.

 

[American Pit Bull]

Don't take offense but a professional calling steel pins "iron", sorry it's not the
same thing. I've been machining metal from mild to exotic for nearly 30 years
and the only time I hear the word Iron is when dealing with Cast Iron, Ductile
Iron, Nodular Iron, Meehanite, etc.

No, it is far from the same thing... Thus, why it was used as a poorly engineered example that would cut the service life dramatically.
Notice the statement that followed in parentheses that illustrates the recognition of the difference in material.

Even if the pins were made from the mildest iron available (rather than hardened steel)...

 

[Grateful11]

No, it is far from the same thing... Thus, why it was used as a poorly engineered example that would cut the service life dramatically.
Notice the statement that followed in parentheses that illustrates the recognition of the difference in material.

I definitely agree that riding around doing nothing would take an extremely
long time to cause any wear. Our IH 574 has a FEL and it's about 35 years
old and this farm was a Dairy until 2003 so it saw a lot of loader use especially
handling manure. It's always been well maintained and there is very little
slop in any of the pins of the loader.