Zerk/grease gun 101

[dragoneggs]

Okay I start this thread mostly for the newbies like me that are maintaining their BX's. Breaking off my first Zerk fitting provided the impetus. Today I replaced the Zerk after drilling out the remainder stepping from a 1/8in, 5/32in, then 3/16in drills first and then using an easy out to remove. The other repair/mod was to swap out the straight barrel on my gun and replace with a 12" whip hose. Two reasons for this... first I figured it would reduce the risk of breaking off other Zerks due to tight jaws and prying too hard... but better yet, I can now access all of my Zerks on the FEL. I couldn't do it before unless I first positioned the bucket just right. Here are pics of the gun mod and the easy out for reference. The Zerk fittings are 1/4-28 threads. Hope this helps out someone!

 

[Wagtail]

Mate, did you know that the 'tight jaws' of the tip are adjustable? Some/most of them were originally put on (to paraphrase another TBN Member) by a factory trained 800lb. gorilla; but they can be loosened. It's why there's a wee bit of knurling at the tip.

 

[dragoneggs]

Mate, did you know that the 'tight jaws' of the tip are adjustable? Some/most of them were originally put on (to paraphrase another TBN Member) by a factory trained 800lb. gorilla; but they can be loosened. It's why there's a wee bit of knurling at the tip.

Okay Wagtail! Exactly why I posted this thread. Yes I heard that you could 'unscrew' it to loosen it or also put a screwdriver in it. I tried both with no success today. Then I read your post and tried again to break it free! Waa laa!!! It did unscrew and problem solved. The guys at Kubota didn't know, the guys at Napa didn't know. Thank you for telling me again!

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I hate the pump grease guns. Have 2 air operated ones which have the flexable hose. Bought last one from Harbour Freight but haven't tried it out yet.

 

[Ken45101]

Good thread.

Also, after breaking a zerk, replacements vary in diameter and thread pitch (and metric/SAE). Best to buy a set with all sizes until you figure out what you actually need. I've heard that some machines use both metric and SAE, so much for consistency

 

[Wagtail]

Thank you for telling me again!

No worries, Mate. The first time I 'adjusted' a grease-gun tip it took two pairs of vicegrips to manage it, then, as you said, "Waa laa!!!"

Of course, then I couldn't help myself and unscrewed it all the way to see how it worked... SPRIONG! It took me 10 minutes to find where the wee internal spring went. :laughing:

 

[Ace3]

I hate the pump grease guns. Have 2 air operated ones which have the flexable hose. Bought last one from Harbour Freight but haven't tried it out yet.

I picked an air operated one up from Tractor Supply for $20. It works great!

 

[mmorisoli]

By the way Lucas Oil has a nice pistol grip grease gun with a flexible tip. The thing I like is the light weight. It is made from aluminum and is just enough lighter that I can use it with one hand freeing up my other hand to connect and disconnect. Makes for a faster job.

Also, people do know the importance of whipping off each fitting before you start greasing right? You do not want to inject a bunch of dirt along with fresh grease.

 

[k0ua]

No worries, Mate. The first time I 'adjusted' a grease-gun tip it took two pairs of vicegrips to manage it, then, as you said, "Waa laa!!!"

Of course, then I couldn't help myself and unscrewed it all the way to see how it worked... SPRIONG! It took me 10 minutes to find where the wee internal spring went. :laughing:

Aint that fun..hunting around on the floor for a little greasy spring.

 

[dragoneggs]

No worries, Mate. The first time I 'adjusted' a grease-gun tip it took two pairs of vicegrips to manage it, then, as you said, "Waa laa!!!"

Of course, then I couldn't help myself and unscrewed it all the way to see how it worked... SPRIONG! It took me 10 minutes to find where the wee internal spring went. :laughing:

Ahh ha... I resisted that temptation. I was unscrewing and testing the jaw fit until it was too loose and then realized, let's NOT unscrew it further and take it apart so it will work for me next time! :thumbsup:

 

[k0ua]

Ahh ha... I resisted that temptation. I was unscrewing and testing the jaw fit until it was too loose and then realized, let's NOT unscrew it further and take it apart so it will work for me next time! :thumbsup:

You might enjoy this thread, especially after it gets going good, The pure joy, of some of the guys learning about the grease gun tip, was "enlightening"

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/203295-grease-gun-screwdriver.html


James K0UA

 

[dragoneggs]

You might enjoy this thread, especially after it gets going good, The pure joy, of some of the guys learning about the grease gun tip, was "enlightening"

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/203295-grease-gun-screwdriver.html


James K0UA

Well I guess reading through this previous thread makes me feel a little less stupider. What I have learned so far... there are at least two gorillas assembling the tips, one is 800lb and the other is 900lb. Not sure which one assembled mine. What I haven't learned so far... is what the screwdriver does for you with respect to the grease gun. I am hoping that is covered in lesson #2, screwdriver 101.

 

[murphy1244]

Well I guess reading through this previous thread makes me feel a little less stupider. What I have learned so far... there are at least two gorillas assembling the tips, one is 800lb and the other is 900lb. Not sure which one assembled mine. What I haven't learned so far... is what the screwdriver does for you with respect to the grease gun. I am hoping that is covered in lesson #2, screwdriver 101.

Its the same ape that puts on the hydraulic filters at Kioti.

 

[k0ua]

Its the same ape that puts on the hydraulic filters at Kioti.

Nah, the one that works for Kioti, is the dad of the little one that works in the grease gun factory

James K0UA

 

[oosik]

I had no idea the tip was adjustable. Glad I read this post first. I was finally able to "spank the gorilla" and get the bloody tip loose and fully expecting the little spring to go zoing. The grease I use contained the spring so a search was unnecessary. Thanks for the info.

 

[hawkeye08]

I keep hinting that I would like an air operated grease gun, but I am really holding out for reasonable priced battery operated (that uses one of the batteries I already have, such as Ryobi or DeWalt).. Greasing the equipment was one of the jobs I had growing up on the farm. We used a couple of cartridges per day during field work. We learned how much each zerk took and were careful not to over grease (we were poor and it made a mess).

 

[ENC]

What do you do when the grease come out around the tip and zero area instead of flowing through the zero to the area that needs greased?

 

[oosik]

ENC -
I have the "plugged up" zerk now and then. It is most often the tiny ball bearing in the zerk tip that is plugged. I use the hard plastic handle of a screw driver and rub this handle on the zerk tip. Usually this will loosen the ball bearing and the zerk will accept grease. Difficult situations - I unscrew the zerk and soak it in solvent for a couple hours and this has always freed up the tip.

 

[k0ua]

What do you do when the grease come out around the tip and zero area instead of flowing through the zero to the area that needs greased?

Push the tip onto the Zerk more firmly, and hold with one hand. Make sure the tip is straight on the Zerk, and not cocked to one side. If that doesn't work and it is hard to pump, perhaps the Zerk or the grease channel is stopped up with dirt/hardened grease. Disassemble and clean and test the Zerk when you get it out. to see if it passes grease, then inspect the grease channel/path.

James K0UA

 

[Ken45101]

What do you do when the grease come out around the tip and zero area instead of flowing through the zero to the area that needs greased?

Most of the time, it means that I don't have the gun properly seated on the zerk. It could also be a plugged zerk as oosik described.

Don't forget to clean the zerk before you try greasing it.