Grease

[dj1701]

Hi everyone,

Kind of confused on what kind of grease would be best to use on my tractors.


I have a JD 4320 which I grease the loader and snowblower. The tractor does not seem to have any zerk fittings on it.
I also have a Kubota 2680, which I grease the mower deck.

Whats everyone's opinion on the best kind/type/brand of grease for my applications?

Thanks
Dave

 

[Deleted member 216442]

Hi everyone,

Kind of confused on what kind of grease would be best to use on my tractors.


I have a JD 4320 which I grease the loader and snowblower. The tractor does not seem to have any zerk fittings on it.
I also have a Kubota 2680, which I grease the mower deck.

Whats everyone's opinion on the best kind/type/brand of grease for my applications?

Thanks
Dave

I have used grease which contains a few percent moly (molybdenum disulfide) for 24 years on my JD 1070 and its various implements including FEL, brush hog, 72" belly mower, backhoe, etc.. I have a regular routine of greasing the belly mower (spindles and wheels and caster pivots) and tie rod ends every other use minimum which is 8 hours maximum run time between grease jobs. I do the pedal pivots once a year. I have not had to replace any bearings, bushings, or pivots in 24 years except one pin on the backhoe. The backhoe is generally used only during winter when it is put on the tractor, but there was a year it was on all summer and used to dig about 1000' of sewer installations at 3 houses. The one backhoe pin replaced didn't have adequate lube from poor factory design placement of one grease fitting so I modified it when fixing it and drilled some holes and added some zerks. The backhoe and FEL zerks are often found damaged and have to be replaced. I keep a tray of assorted ones on hand for that reason as I run into them when greasing. The JD has about 2300 hours on it, and it takes about 4 hours/week to mow lawns and I brush hog 12 acres once or twice a year. I have also done brush hogging on other people's land. The 1070 has numerous grease fittings on the pedal shafts, front axle pivot, tie rod ends, 3 pt. ends, drag links, etc. so I'd go under your JD and look carefully or find an owner's manual. I buy the grease wherever it is convenient and cheap; most often TSC, in cardboard boxes of about 10 or 12 tubes, and use a hand grease gun. I added a long flex tube end to it to make it easier to reach some of the fittings. It is important to wipe the fittings off to remove dirt before pumping grease into them. Also, I have to hold with one hand the grease gun delivery end perpendicular so grease goes into the fitting, while pumping with the other hand. This is another reason the long flexible delivery tube was added so I can lay the grease gun on the ground or deck and pump it with one hand. Grease is cheap compared to parts. I use work clothes that w get greasy. Replacing the grease tube cartridge is a messy job best done right next to a rag and garbage can. The inconvenience of the routine has been worth it in parts saving.

 

[seville009]

I use the heavy duty red grease on everything year ‘round.

Check your tractor manual for grease zerk locations. Sometimes they can be hard to spot.

 

[buck12]

You will get lots of opinions on types of grease. In my opinion the most important thing is to grease often. I use the cheap Walmart stuff. I use it on everything tractors, implements, lawn mowers, and vehicles. I have not yet had to replace a component that can be greased so I guess it works.

 

[jgedmond]

I use the heavy duty red grease on everything year ‘round.

Check your tractor manual for grease zerk locations. Sometimes they can be hard to spot.

Ditto on red grease and looking harder. Unless they are sealed and permanently lubricated, there may be zerks on the steering rod ends, front axle / front wheel pivot points, brake rod pivots, etc.

 

[ruffdog]

I try to unload certain joints while greasing so the grease goes where the wear normally is. Joints like king pins, front axle pivot, FEL cylinders.....

 

[jgedmond]

I try to unload certain joints while greasing so the grease goes where the wear normally is. Joints like king pins, front axle pivot, FEL cylinders.....

Good point ruffdog! The front axle pivot zerk on my Mahindra 3616 will not take grease unless I lift the front end.

 

[goeduck]

^^ I always seem to forget that one.

I use Lucas Red Tacky

 

[Wagtail]

I've used JD's 'green' (moly?) grease in a JD grease-gun since I bought my tractor(s).

Mind you, as I pretty much needed to build up my tractor maintenance tools from scratch, I initially fitted out my workshop from my JD Dealership's parts/repair department.

 

[oosik]

I use a black, sticky moly grease. I get it at either the Kubota dealer or NAPA. I have one zerk that WILL NOT accept grease until I've rotated the joint. The new DeWalt rechargeable grease gun does help. No matter how hard I try - I still get greasy after a "lube up" session.

BTW - the new DeWalt grease gun has a smaller tip. I no longer need the Lock 'N Lube tip. It was, truthfully, somewhat of a PITA.