Trade tricks/Hacks to get grease points to work properly.

[super55]

Several grease points on my FEL on my tractors have some pretty stubborn grease points. They will take grease but a lot of times only lubricate one side of the bushings. Anyone have any tricks to get them to work properly again?

Sometimes I get the old grease to break free but heating it with a torch for a bit but even that a lot of times only has marginal results.

 

[Tx Jim]

You could acquire & use a grease zerk cleaning tool.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

After greasing, rotate the FEL to a higher or lower position, same with the bucket and re-grease, this should get grease to other areas of the pins.

 

[dlctcg]

Make sure the tension is of the pins when greasing... If you have a second person, have them move the pin joints via the FEL controls very slowly while you grease the fittings.

Worse case you may have disassemble the pins & clean them up really good & then reassemble...

 

[dodge man]

I see that on my tractor, on mine it’s not clogged and after I use it a while grease comes out the other side eventually.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I have seen this a few times on various equipment. I have taken them off and cleaned them.

Good ideas here so far, I'll be watching to see what I can take away too. Gonna get a zerk cleaning tool...

 

[ericm979]

Sometimes it helps to position the thing whose pivot you're lubing in a different position. So the load is on a different side of the bushing.

The zerk cleaning tool looks useful, but it fixes a different problem than grease not getting to one side of the bushing.

 

[super55]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm definitely going to get one of those cleaning tools.

Any particular fluid that works best for breaking down 20 year old grease. Thinking something like acetone or lacquer thinner might work good at weakening rock hard grease.

 

[Topzide]

Just fill grease fitting cleaning tool with some lightweight oil, then place it on fitting and hammer home! It's the pressure that loosens everything up.

 

[chim]

I never had a zerk that wouldn't take grease. As mentioned, you could try shooting the grease in with weight on / off the arms, etc.