uh oh...the tractor ate my grease gun

tillerkiller · Nov 2, 2004

If you look on the grease gun end you will usually see that the fitting is actually two seprate parts that are screwed together in the middle. If you unscrew it a little then it won't put a death grip on your zerks. I doubt that you can unscrew it with it stuck on a zerk but maybe you can unscrew the zerk and the gun together, then loosen the grease fitting on the end of the gun so that the zerk will pop out. I have been where you are and it is no fun /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

tillerkiller · Nov 2, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I doubt that you can unscrew it with it stuck on a zerk )</font>

Note that you _can_ unscrew the two parts of the fitting while it is on a zerk, I assumed that you can't get to the two halves because of where it is stuck. If you can get to the two halves then this is your solution.

MarshallTractor · Nov 2, 2004

Thanks TK. Had no idea the end of that grease gun barrel worked that way. I wish the instructions were better. But, this is how we learn things. At least I have you guys.

btolle · Nov 2, 2004

I think I can visualize the situation since I have some grease fittings like that on my Kubota loader.

If you can't pull it off by hand you might try clamping a pair of vise grips on the metal pipe of the grease gun as close to the loader as you can. Then you can use a large screwdriver for leverage between the loader and the vise grips to get a stronger pull on the grease gun.

The other suggestion is if you have any room to "wobble" the grease gun around you might try that while pulling on it. Changing the angle a little often helps to pull the grease gun off the zerk fitting when it is stuck.

Bill Tolle

Deerlope · Nov 2, 2004

The end of most grease guns are adjustable as to how much tension or how tightly they grip the fitting. Sometimes it is possible to do a couple of 360's with the gun and that will releive the tension.

BGL990 · Nov 3, 2004

The same thing happened to me the first time I greased my loader. For the upper pivot pins on my loader (JD 430) you need to put the grease gun through a hole in the upright mast to get at the zerk. The zerk itself is attached to the loader arm and therefore moves when you raise or lower the loader. After carefully lining up the zerk with the hole and greasing it, I couldn't get the gun off. Just GENTLY and SLOWLY raise or lower the loader a tiny bit until the end of the grease gun is at an angle on the zerk. Should pop off easier. Of course you need to be careful not to move things too much and bend the gun or rip the zerk off.

Thinking about it, it isn't easy to pull my grease gun straight off any of the zerks, but without having to go through the hole for the others, it is just sort of instinctive to angle the gun over and twist it off without really thinking about it. Took me a couple minutes to realize this the first time.
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tracdoc · Nov 4, 2004

Just amazing what I have learned on this Forum. I too, just got a new grease gun, and have been wrestling with it to get it off the zerks. Now I know what to do.

Thanks folks...