How often do YOU grease your rotary cutter u-joints?

[Industrial Toys]

Just whenever. As long as you do it once in a while.

I have no use for sheilds. I never go near spinning equipment.

 

[crashz]

Yikes!

I grease the loader each day that I use it (by use, I mean more than an occasional lift or 5 min of use). The rest of the tractor gets fully greased every full day of use. But reading here, I was under the impression that over-greasing U joints was bad. So I have been greasing the U joints maybe 2 time per season. In terms of hours, that is probably 20-30 hours between greasing.

As the OP mentioned, these things are a pain to grease with the shields on. I leave them on, but have to remove the shaft to grease the joints. I usually grease the slip joint too. Clean and Fluid film everything afterward.

Looks like I should be greasing even more often...

 

[Industrial Toys]

I mean, if you are professionally running equipment, then yes regular intervals are important. For light use, it's not that important. It's things that NEVER get grease and are totally neglected, abused and dry, that fail.

And, there are things which I almost never grease, like the telescoping zerk on a PTO shaft. It's a bad deployment of grease if you ask me. I would sooner take the thing apart once in a while, clean it and wipe a coating of grease on the shaft by hand. Or caster wheel spindles. Same thing. I would prefer to clean and lube them manually once in a while.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Every major use they get greased.

 

[mred2]

Spring time, try to go thru and grease and check oil on everything. And then, before each major use before I attach it. I don't think I have a shield that has lasted over half a year before falling apart. I don't engage the pto with anyone around the tractor.

 

[5030]

At least every 10 hours on the pto u joints.
Daily isn't a bad idea, we have an unknown number of pto u joints and i can't think of a single pto shaft that doesn't get greased daily if used.

Same here but the sliding halves, every year.

 

[YLee Kioti]

my eight acres take about 10 hours now.

So every ten hours or so.
It seems these U-joints do not have the automotive cups that seal real well.
When I apply grease it will take a few pumps before they ooze through the cups.....Hm...wonder where'd it go......???...lol.....

 

[5030]

my eight acres take about 10 hours now.

So every ten hours or so.
It seems these U-joints do not have the automotive cups that seal real well.
When I apply grease it will take a few pumps before they ooze through the cups.....Hm...wonder where'd it go......???...lol.....

Look at the inside of your PTO shields, it's there in globs.:laughing:

 

[YLee Kioti]

Look at the inside of your PTO shields, it's there in globs.:laughing:

A little bit not much.
Small flat tip screwdriver release tabs, pull them back.
use shop towels in the U-joint area and wipe up afterwards. So just the little that slings out.
However, the older I get may be the lazier I'll get....lol...

 

[RalphVa]

Every once in a while. Easiest is when taking it off or putting it on when you can bend the Ujoints about 90 degrees.

Think once they've been greased, they'll stay greased for a long time as everything's pretty much sealed up in there. Main thing is to get some grease on fairly new ones in case they weren't greased well when built.

Ralph