Zerk Tightness

[Captain Dirty]

Most of the Zerks on my FEL and backhoe are in recesses. The recesses in close contact with the ground such as the bucket linkage on the BH or the stabilizer pads get packed with a dirt/grease mix. When lubing I will take an approx. 1/4" diameter stick or twig to remove the mix. On two occasions I have backed the zerk out so it fell out of the recess.

Should the zerks be that loose? Is it lack of attention during assembly? Do they loosen over time?

After the second occurrence, I put an 11 mm socket on the zerks and found about 80% required a full turn or more to get "that feels about right" tight. Is there an approximate torque value, or is TFAR fine?

Advice to all: Check your zerks. Losing an original makes finding the appropriate replacement more difficult.

 

[fried1765]

Most of the Zerks on my FEL and backhoe are in recesses. The recesses in close contact with the ground such as the bucket linkage on the BH or the stabilizer pads get packed with a dirt/grease mix. When lubing I will take an approx. 1/4" diameter stick or twig to remove the mix. On two occasions I have backed the zerk out so it fell out of the recess.

Should the zerks be that loose? Is it lack of attention during assembly? Do they loosen over time?

After the second occurrence, I put an 11 mm socket on the zerks and found about 80% required a full turn or more to get "that feels about right" tight. Is there an approximate torque value, or is TFAR fine?

Advice to all: Check your zerks. Losing an original makes finding the appropriate replacement more difficult.

Thanks!
I will be checking my L48 BH and FEL zerks tomorrow (also here in Eastern, MA.)!

 

[spitter]

Most zerks only have 1 or 2 threads holding them in when I replace mine I always clean out as much grease as possible and put on a drop of locktite.:drink:

 

[Wagtail]

The grease nipples (zerks) will, of course, loosen over time due to the vibration of the diesel engine.

Just add 'snugging' them to your annual check of wheel lug torque, checking the tightness of all bolts/nuts and spray lubricating everything that moves but doesn't have its own zerk.

 

[fried1765]

Most of the Zerks on my FEL and backhoe are in recesses. The recesses in close contact with the ground such as the bucket linkage on the BH or the stabilizer pads get packed with a dirt/grease mix. When lubing I will take an approx. 1/4" diameter stick or twig to remove the mix. On two occasions I have backed the zerk out so it fell out of the recess.

Should the zerks be that loose? Is it lack of attention during assembly? Do they loosen over time?

After the second occurrence, I put an 11 mm socket on the zerks and found about 80% required a full turn or more to get "that feels about right" tight. Is there an approximate torque value, or is TFAR fine?

Advice to all: Check your zerks. Losing an original makes finding the appropriate replacement more difficult.

I could not readily find this thread, and just responded to a.... "how often do you check your zerks".... thread posted back in 2014.
Found the exact same loose zerk issue on my 250 hour Kubota L48 TLB.
Thank you for the heads up !
ALL the recessed zerks, on both the loader and the hoe, were at least somewhat loose, but ONLY those that were the recessed type.
I seriously doubt that vibration has anything to do with this issue, since ONLY the recessed zerks seem to be a problem.