I hate grease zerks

canoetrpr · Feb 4, 2008

I find that the grease nipples on my L3400 Kubota's loader to be a real pain to get grease into from time to time. I've resorted to using a needle attachment on my grease gun for most of the zerks.

Last night when using it on a particularly stubborn nipple, on one of the loader pins that holds the bucket on, I broke the grease zerk off the pin. This is the second one I have broken - same loader pin!

Anyone else struggle with their grease zerks like this? How do you deal with it without cussing?

bjcsc · Feb 4, 2008

Why are they breaking? Is it because they're hard to get to? Do you have the end of your gun set for the right tension?

cityfarma · Feb 4, 2008

bjcsc said:
Why are they breaking? Is it because they're hard to get to? Do you have the end of your gun set for the right tension?

I did not know that they were adjustable

. Please enlighten me on how. I also have a problem on some nipples where it is difficult to remove the gun after greasing.

Cityfarma

rustyanchor · Feb 4, 2008

The tip that plugs onto the zerk nipple on my grease guns will unscrew and loosen, so it does not grip the zerk as tightly. I guess there are larger zerks out there and the gun will work on them as well.
I discovered this by accident and went huh, would you look at that.

Mark

wushaw · Feb 4, 2008

I broke one fitting when my loader was new, since then I haven't had a problem with them taking grease or getting the grease gun off the fitting.

I use a straight manual gun with the solid pipe, I find that the grease gun with the solid pipe is easier to get on and off the fittings.

ericinmich · Feb 4, 2008

I broke a zerk on a hard to reach snowmobile suspension. Really made me mad and I was talking to a friend about it. He asked me if I had the end too of the gun too tight...

So I learned the hard way that by twisting the end of the grease gun fitting thing, you can make it easier or harder to put the gun on the zerk... and thus break off less of them!

horse7 · Feb 4, 2008

You can also buy little plastic caps for the zerks if environmental exposure is considered a problem (in this case, it doesn't sound like the problem though).

canoetrpr · Feb 4, 2008

Hmm. There may be a heck of a lot more about grease zerks and grease guns than I ever imagined.

I have a flexible hose on my gun. I have two types of fittings for the end of the hose. One is a regular type of fitting that is cylindrical and fits over the grease zerk. The other is a needle fitting - basically a long needle with a small hole at its tip that the grease come out through.

The cylindrical fitting is annoying for two reasons. One is that it is often hard to take off the grease zerk. Sounds like I am missing some way to adjust it - to loosen/tighten to make it fit individual zerks and to come off easy? Please elaborate so that I understand correctly.

There are 4 pins that connect my loader to the bucket. I find that the cylindrical fitting is too big for me to fit over the zerks in those pins. The pin s are a cylindrical piece of steel - probably 3/4" in diameter. The grease zerks are on the outside of each pin. The end that has the zerk is concave so that the zerk is sort of embedded into the pin.

As a result I tend to use the needle fitting for almost all of the loader zerks.

I'm guessing that I broke this zerk because for whatever reason its hard to get the grease in there and I probably pushed down on the zerk too hard or hit it on an angle with the needle fitting of the grease gun.

I'll play around with my grease fittings to see what I can find. Perhaps I will find a smaller size cylindrical one that will fit over the zerks in the pins without having me resort to using the needle fitting.

I think that using a solid pipe might also help - will get one and try it out.

ancientlake · Feb 4, 2008

No grease gun I've ever used (Lincoln, etc.) had an adjustable fitting on the tip to control the "snugness". Sounds appealing. What makes/models have that?

mjncad · Feb 5, 2008

I can't stand Zerk fittings; but I know they are a necessary evil with machinery. I use a flex-hose on my Lincoln 12V gun, and I have the best luck removing the hose by pulling it off the Zerk in a similar fashion to using a claw hammer to remove a nail. However; there are about four fittings on my JD 420 loader where the access port is small and I have to wiggle them off in a straight line pull with the Zerk center-line.

Some of my fittings are so awkward to get to, that a flex-hose is the only option.

RickB · Feb 5, 2008

ancientlake said:
No grease gun I've ever used (Lincoln, etc.) had an adjustable fitting on the tip to control the "snugness". Sounds appealing. What makes/models have that?

I'm betting against that. Most couplers I've seen are adjustable, whether the user is aware or not. The outer 'barrel' of the coupler is made up of two pieces. One attaches to the hose/pipe leading back to the gun. The other is a sleeve that holds the coupler jaws and screws onto the base. Loosening the sleeve from the base also loosens the jaws. Better couplers have a hex formed into the base to use to tighten the coupler onto the hose, and knurlings to manually set the jaw tension. Often, the two halves are screwed tightly together and never adjusted or loosened by the user.

Patches · Feb 5, 2008

A lot of less expensive couplers are not adjustable. Go to NAPA or your favorite automotive parts house and ask for an adjustable grease coupler

davitk · Feb 5, 2008

I bought a Lincoln grease gun and while assembling it, tightend the "loose" head with a wrench thinking I was doing good (nothing in the instructions about an adjustment). Had to use a big pliers to grip the head and pull it off the zerk. Upon complaining to a friend he says "you do know the head is adjustable, don't you"

Now I do!!

Ford850 · Feb 5, 2008

I learned the same thing about the adjustable heads. Wow what a difference it makes once you loosen them up. I read the tips here last year but figured ured none of mine were adjustable. I checked and sure enough they ALL were. I had tightned them all when I bought them over the years I guess, thinking they were too loose. They work similar to a drill chuck, if that helps you understand it better.

ancientlake · Feb 5, 2008

You learn something everyday. Will check it out. Thank you.

awlchu · Feb 5, 2008

A trick I learned (by the hard way of course) is to install a 1/2in worm screw type of hose clamp on the end of the head. It gives you alittle more torque to tighten and loosen the head on/off the zerk fitting.

Designers need to put a course knurl on the head for greasy fingers etc.

Northland · Feb 5, 2008

I learned something new again today on TBN.

I have broken the two zerks at the bottom base where the FEL cylinders attach to the bucket. I am stopping by the Kubota dealer this afternoon to pick up some spares.

Zephrant · Mar 2, 2009

OK, that explains it. I had a very hard time getting my new grease gun off of the zerk on the new sander- was afraid I'd break something.

I've got to scurry home and check it out now, thanks!

The question I was searching for, was does anyone know what size the threads are on JD 210 loader zerks? One of mine is way plugged, and I was searching for confirmation before I tapped the hole out again.

pat32rf · Mar 2, 2009

Sometimes heating the zerk up with a torch will soften the hard grease enough to start it flowing. i normally pull the zerk and clean out some of the hard crap with a pointy punch, then pump grease thru the zerk to clear it before I stick it back in.
I will also pull the pins on the loader/hoe and take a small grinder to cut small grease channels in them so the grease has a chance to spread out when the zerk does work.