New Ventrac Video RE greasing

[prs]

I noticed a new YouTube video from VT. The Ventrac employee shows or sorta shows (you really can not see if he really was successful or not) accessing the front Zerk of the drive shaft from the RIGHT side. More power to him, if he really did get it that way. I have success getting it from the LEFT side with the Zerk pointing left or slightly down from left. Ventrac supplies a lot of how to video, got to appreciate that.

prs

 

[murphy1244]

I noticed a new YouTube video from VT. The Ventrac employee shows or sorta shows (you really can not see if he really was successful or not) accessing the front Zerk of the drive shaft from the RIGHT side. More power to him, if he really did get it that way. I have success getting it from the LEFT side with the Zerk pointing left or slightly down from left. Ventrac supplies a lot of how to video, got to appreciate that.

prs

Learned a bit from that video. I did not know you can turn the shaft by turning the fan.

 

[prs]

I have done that to line up injector timing marks on my CUT, but it is a small 2 cylinder diesel. I just bump the starter on the Ventrac. There are two or three other new service videos on the Ventrac site too.

prs

 

[johara1]

I watched the Video about greasing and it was a total joke if you have 4500P. The core support is in the road and the hose has to go through it and you can not get enough room to get your fingers on the grease gun hose end to get on the zerk fitting. I see no recourse but to drill a hole in the side of the tractor to line up with the front fitting. Use a 10" piece of 1/8" pipe and attach a grease fitting on one and grease gun end on the other, so i can push it on from the out side...... jim

 

[TNMark1]

I saw the video a few days ago.... I've got a 4500Y diesel...

I FINALLY greased the front driveshaft U joint.... (before I watched the video).... I only figured out there was a grease fitting 2 Maintenance s ago... The rear one was no problem....

I can get it from the right through the side like on the video IF.... You set it all up before you drain the oil, leave the filter off an then you can get at the fitting with that extra room.... Also I can't grab the greasy end of the hose, so I hold it with pliers...

Out the oil filter back on and fill it with oil.... It took 4 pumps at 330 Hours use for first greasing....

The links underneath are a LOT easier to get at to grease if you turn the steering all the way to the right, then the grease fittings come right out in the open....

Mark

 

[johara1]

With a 4500 P is a different, i even un bolted the quick couplers and moved them aside. The bottom of the core suport completely blocks the front U joint and it is so close you can't push the grease gun on the zerk fitting. This is a V two cylinder and the oil filter is a non issue. .... The inline engines may have more room...... jim

 

[johara1]

It even has a drive shaft loop under the U joint and it lines up with the zerk fitting, Im going tomorrow and get some 1/8" pipe and see if that will work. They show the pics of one without the radiator and the core support. The video shows them getting at the fan blades, i can barely get my hand in there, it isn't in the open like the Video..... jim

 

[prs]

Johara1, today was a service day before winter bedtime (I use another tractor for snow). I tried to grease the front universal from the right. On my Z model and with my XL hands I had trouble even getting my finger on the zerk to clean it. My very long grease hose has reinforcing spring around each end and even with that to grab onto, I could not engage the fitting with enough force to couple. I spent about 45 minutes trying to be Harry Houdini, then I turned the zerk directly to the left and very easily greased the fitting from the left side. From the left, you can not see the zerk, but not to hard to feel your way to success. Maybe you can try that. I did turn the engine with the fan blades. Not so easy as the compression fought me. I could have loosened the three spark plugs, but did not want to bother with that.

I agree with TMMark about settng steering to right to get to the articulation zerks.

I offer a tip about finding and getting onto the zerks for the lift arm pivots. Raise the arms fully. EZ Peazy.

Rooster

 

[johara1]

Here again, it is not a 4500 P totally different than an inline........ The rest are easy..... jim

 

[johara1]

Up date, drilled a 1" hole and with a total length 12" of 1/8 pipe and grease gun end it goes right on the front zerk fitting on the drive shaft..... A piece of cake now, impossible for me before. The 4500P is totally impossible from the left ..... jim

 

[JackIL]

Here is another possibility that might work. It is an extended length LockNLube coupler.

LockNLube Grease Coupler XL | LockNLube

It is 2 inches longer than the standard LockNLube. I think the technique would be to insert it with the locking lever to the front or to the rear from either the right or left side.

 

[JackIL]

How about some photos showing where you located the hole and the extension you fabricated.

 

[johara1]

Here is another possibility that might work. It is an extended length LockNLube coupler.

LockNLube Grease Coupler XL | LockNLube

It is 2 inches longer than the standard LockNLube. I think the technique would be to insert it with the locking lever to the front or to the rear from either the right or left side.

Never work, no room to work it ........jim

 

[johara1]

How about some photos showing where you located the hole and the extension you fabricated.

I can't the best i can do is send pics over the phone, i ran equipment for 40 yrs. no wiz at the computer...... jim

 

[prs]

Jim, so long as Ya gotter dun and can gitter dun as needed. lol

Jack, I am nearly internet and picture taking ignorant too. Are you having trouble getting onto the rear universal shaft fitting. I agree that the longer lock'n lube would almost certainly be impossible from the right and maybe so at the left. The standard lock'n lube might work from the left. I can push my conventional coupler onto the Zerk from the left with my finger tips, but it is a weak grip even though I am blessed with strong hands. From the right side, I was able to thread the long hose into position to contact the Zerk, but there was not enough room to get my fingers onto the coupler in such a way to push it onto the fitting. Maybe a straight rigid grease pipe at the end of the flexible one would work, but not at all sure.

 

[johara1]

The rear one on the pump drive shaft is is easy straight up. The front one is accessible easily by drilling a 1" hole on the right side and making a extension from 1/8" pipe and a coupler and adding it on the end of the grease hose. i cannot jus feed it through the hole and with the other hand guide it on the front zerk fitting and grease it and pull it off,,, I'm now using a 8" extension on the hose. I need to look into a longer one to move the coupler outside the machine to eliminate the different diameters fishing it back under the core support....... jim

 

[johara1]

Dealer was aware of the issues of how hard it was to grease the front U joint on the 4500P and i told him how i did it with drilling the hole and it was passed on to the factory. We will see ...... lol. jim

 

[murphy1244]

Dealer was aware of the issues of how hard it was to grease the front U joint on the 4500P and i told him how i did it with drilling the hole and it was passed on to the factory. We will see ...... lol. jim

Good job maybe you will make it easier for someone else.

 

[johara1]

What the problem is, the different lengths of the engines. They move the radiator and the core support ends lined up with the drive shaft loop. The other issue is the width of the engine it is almost impossible to get your hand in to turn the fan to line things up. The back one you can put your foot in ..... lol. jim

 

[johara1]

One more thing by adding the piece 1/8" pipe to the end of the grease gun hose, it makes a lot easier to grease the hard to reach fittings..... jim