Texas Fall/Winter thread!

[bindian]

DRIVE TYPE GREASE FITTINGS, PRESS-IN GREASE FITTINGS, PRESS-IN ZERK FITTINGS, DRIVABLE GREASE FITTINGS

Yep.........the 1/4 inch ones are what we use. As you can see the "90" degree one is not quite 90 degrees and is a pain to hammer in straight if not room for a good hammer blow and punch.
It says they are for low and medium pressure............but any quality hand pump gun can build up pressure if the fitting is locked on good.
hugs, Brandi

 

[NativeSon]

We had a great luncheon at the Longhorn today. Tossed salad, giant Russet baked potato with butter, bacon, onion and sour cream topping, a small steak, and delicious honey wheat bread.

50 years ago today, I was so nervous I couldn't get my necktie tied correctly without help from my best man
So I am sitting here smiling thinking of other meanings of your statement

Congrats Ron, you are a lucky man.

Charlie

 

[Bird]

Then you gotta get a hammer and a bronze or brass punch to hammer in a new one or a socket just a little smaller than the fitting's shoulder.

The socket is what I always used. And I never seemed to have a pressed in zerk on hand, so a very slight modification of the threads on the bench grinder made a pressed in fitting of what had been a screw in fitting.

 

[pacerron]

Thank you ... I just sent and email asking to price me 100 of them.

I really prefer the tap type, ( not tap in with a hammer ) but drill and make a few threads with a thread tap.

I'm old fashioned, I guess, but for the amount of machinery manufacturing you do, would the increase cost really save you that much production time?
Would it harm your reputation with customers when they loose, gum up or break off a zerk and find no threads for a replacement?
With farm machinery dirt, seeds and dust can be a real serious clog factor, plus many folks are not too particular about wiping off the fitting before greasing or after if the nozzle slips and they pump grease all over the outside, or if the ball is stuck.

Many implements, PTO shafts in particular, have holes in a guard, making it hard to get to a zerk and even harder to find it, much less replace it.

As far as angles, I have equipment with straight, 45 deg, and full 90 degree angles and keep replacements for all, as well as a few different thread sizes. Of course straight ones are preferred for changing but I have changed a lot to 45 degree to make it easier to get the nozzle on, where needed.

A hand gun can exert far more pressure than an air gun to blow out a fitting. I prefer a hand gun so I can feel what is going on
as far as resistance of the grease going into the fitting. A lot of the "so called" missed fittings are really from the use of air gun greasers that are more interested in ticking off a work sheet than protecting a shaft, bearing, or bushing..

From a customer standpoint I would much prefer a threaded zerk with the extra money spent on some of those plastic. bright colored, snap on covers. They don't last forever, but are easily replaced if the customer wants too.
From a customer standpoint, I look for things that make my job of maintaining easier.
Some of the stupid zerk locations are chosen as a convenience in the high speed manufacturing process, not as a sensible location for maintenance after the equipment is field ready.

I'm sure you may hear opposite opinions and justifications from many. I think Allis Chalmers used pound in fittings many years ago..

 

[Western]

The point Brandi made, I was thinking last night. Hydraulic pressure is incredibly strong and I could see "pumping out a zerk". May even be easier if the surrounding metal is exposed to hot/cold and expands /retracts???

Sounds like someone is taking a fine "American made" farm product and turning it into a cost/time saving H Freight product!:stirthepot::rotfl:

 

[texasjohn]

Brandi, I think you would be fun to have around...just for what you know and the things you carry in your pockets...always impresses me:cool2::tractor::dog::wave::blacksmith::wrench::airplane::wonderwoman:

Boeing uses tap in fittings all over the plane. If a fitting misses a few greasing(s) and old the grease gets hard inside.......................the pressure from trying to pump grease in................blows the fitting out. Worst place they blow out is the landing gears. When I grease landing gears................I carry a pair of dykes to pull the zert out of the gun fitting. Then you gotta get a hammer and a bronze or brass punch to hammer in a new one or a socket just a little smaller than the fitting's shoulder. Usually the new one blows out also. Pain in the butt when it is a 90 degree fitting and there is no room to hammer it in. One does get inventive.

Give me Douglass Aircraft threaded zerts any day.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jinman]

Western; It got down to 13 with the last cold spell, and yes, some of the peach trees already had blooms, or at least buds.

Perhaps that freeze just provided some natural thinning. I surely hope so for all of us peach lovers. A good peach harvest is near and dear to my heart. . . and stomach.:licking:

I moved a big rock and tilled up my neighbor's selected garden spot yesterday. I'll go back and till one last time after they pick and thin down the softball sized stones. I think they picked a good spot for a nice small garden.

 

[jinman]

Thanks, Dennis and all. It gets weird sometimes when we answer each others questions before they are asked.:laughing:

Congrats Ron and Mrs. Ron. Heck!My wife knows what I'm about to say 3/4 of the time. She's either really good or I'm just simple minded and predictable.

 

[farmgirl19]

I love fresh, Parker County peaches. Last year, the late freezes had prices elevated from previous years. Maybe we have had our last freeze now, and there will be a decent crop this year!

The cold front blew in earlier than predicted here. The north wind is brisk, but I made my journey into town for a couple of items early. Maybe things will warm enough tomorrow for me to how in the garden, and maybe even begin setting up another flower bed!

 

[jinman]

Patricia and I flew out of Houston to NYC Tuesday morning. Missed all the bad weather but, had a bit more than 3/4" in the rain gauge when I got to ranch this afternoon. Woo Hoo!

Maybe more rain this weekend!

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Nice ohotos, Rick. It seems you got a nice quick trip without all the bad weather

 

[bindian]

If I was making something new that needs grease fittings, I would be drilling and tapping threads, then taking it all apart and cleaning out any metal filings left from drilling and tapping. Of course, it wouldn't be mass production for sale, just my use.

If you are selling a product, what do you want customers to do when they don't grease often enough and when they do grease hard, impacted grease........................who do they complain to when they pop out fittings? Boeing just tells the operater their maintenance programs needs more QC.

But you can not do that to individual customers. Wrought N Harv (sp) tells builders never to use weld on hinges with grease fittings, as the owner will never grease it.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Brandi, I think you would be fun to have around...just for what you know and the things you carry in your pockets...always impresses me:cool2::tractor::dog::wave::blacksmith::wrench::airplane::wonderwoman:

In my pockets? Do you mean this pair of Snap On dykes in my back pocket?:confused3:
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Ron,
Congrats to you and your "better half".
hugs, Brandi

 

[pacerron]

Ron,
Congrats to you and your "better half".
hugs, Brandi

Brandi,
Thanks. Carol and I each consider the other to be the better half, at least when we want something

 

[pacerron]

Two days above freezing temperatures and mother nature is telling us it is time to get to work.

The garlic is just some old grocery store stuff that wasn't looking too good last fall, so we planted it in the onion patch.
The bees are very busy coating their legs from the bird seed.

 

[sldva00]

Here is the scoop: (An electrician was "helping me" and now has disappeared :laughing
Synopsis:

200a service main for house. ran 3, 1/0 al to shop, 120' underground for 125a sub-panel (2 hot, 1 N). Waiting on my 125a breaker to put in house main.

I have a 200a panel (for the shop) which has the crossover connection between the neutral bus bar and the equipment ground bus bar. I have 2 8' ground rods.

Since I didn't run 4 wire (I was told since it was separated outbuilding, to run the 3 wires) Not sure if I just leave the crossover and connect all the circuits to the equipment ground? and where to I connect my ground rods? to the shop frame, equipment bus bar, or just to the panel box?

All metal building, set on concrete, so no ground through frame.

Not sure if you already installed sub panel, but the neutral bar needs to be isolated from ground. Do not connect the crossover connection between the two. I installed a smaller 100A panel 100ft from main by running THHN/THWN #2 wire (4) in schedule 80 conduit from main panel buried 18". The two live feeds connecting to sub panel with breaker, neutral connecting to neutral only (not bonding neutral to ground at sub panel), and ground to ground plus connecting to separate grounding rods at barn with #6 wire.

 

[Bird]

Congratulations, Ron. You and your wife are about a year and nearly 2 months ahead of us.

 

[NativeSon]

Congrats Ron and Mrs. Ron. Heck!My wife knows what I'm about to say 3/4 of the time. She's either really good or I'm just simple minded and predictable.

Jim- I think that's for all of us as we keep advancing in years. Every once in a while I like to do something off the chart in front of her. She'll look at me and say "You're scaring me......". You got to keep those "Trophy Wives" on their toes.

Charlie

 

[Western]

Not sure if you already installed sub panel, but the neutral bar needs to be isolated from ground. Do not connect the crossover connection between the two. I installed a smaller 100A panel 100ft from main by running THHN/THWN #2 wire (4) in schedule 80 conduit from main panel buried 18". The two live feeds connecting to sub panel with breaker, neutral connecting to neutral only (not bonding neutral to ground at sub panel), and ground to ground plus connecting to separate grounding rods at barn with #6 wire.

That contradicts what I have been told by 2 electricians?, but I have heard it both ways. Supposedly it has to do with a 3 drop, or 4 drop service and whether the buildings are attached or super close together. Also depending on the electrician and if he is recommending the new NEC code, or the previous one.

I am trying to get one out (electrician., to look it over, which is all I need since no permitting is involved, precisely since I have had recommendations all over the board??

 

[lostcreekranch]

Nice ohotos, Rick. It seems you got a nice quick trip without all the bad weather

Jim; Patricia had meetings with Bank of New York and for once I went along as the "guest". It was cold but, still better weather than Texas this week. We had time to do some tourist things. Visited the 911 Memorial, Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island, went to see Jersey Boys on Broadway, etc. Pics are the Freedom Tower (WT1) and pool in footprint of South Tower.