"Ungreasable" front driveshaft zerk on 1023/1025 - problem solved!

[DanThaTractorMan]

In case this is helpful to someone...I spent a long time trying to figure out how to grease the front driveshaft joint on my JD 1023e...many YouTube videos etc. The positioning of the zerk is legendary in terms of its inaccessibility.

Having tried several angles, positions, and grease gun fittings, I finally stumbled on a grease gun combo and method that worked splendidly. Once I lined up the zerk, it took me about 5 minutes.

This was my method:

1. Ignore the access port that looks like it exists to actually help you grease the joint. This was designed by a mechanical engineer of some malevolence who apparently infiltrated the (normally awesome) Deere organization. Please note: if you are a DIY'er like me, attempting to grease the zerk through this hole may create a sense of defeated, existential despair in you and subtract valuable time from your friends and family. I can see why one Yt user took a hole saw to this port. It has that effect on people. (Note the spilled, wasted grease to the right in the attached picture from my unsuccessful, "so close" attempts.)

2. I purchased both the LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler XL and the LockNLube Narrow Needle Dispenser and installed these on my ordinary JD grease gun.

3. I found a line of sight to the zerk through the oblong opening in the belly plate behind the Circular Access Port from Purgatory that Causes Swearing.

4. The LockNLube Needle adaptor was surprisingly easy to center on the zerk and depress it. Once I felt it push into the zerk, I reached for the grease gun trigger...and soon the sound of grease splurging into the joint followed.

I hope this is helpful and saves you valuable time! No doubt the pros have better techniques - this is what worked for me.

 

[RjCorazza]

I'm not a Deere guy, but I have heard about that very grease zirk.
I'm sure your success will encourage other owners to not skip that one!
My zero turn has several inconvenient zirks that I have gotten good at greasing. Thanks for posting.

 

[ruffdog]

Easy with the right tools!

 

[LD1]

Better than a 2023 deere. Where they actually give you an access plate to remove, about 4" x 3" or so. But then hid under the plastic's for the dash/steering column

 

[Citydude]

We all have encountered a piece of equipment that makes you wonder what the engineer's thought process was in designing a service issue into a build.

One would think the technicians putting the machine together would send up a red flag concerning the problem. Maybe the technicians did, maybe not.

Kubota builds the hydraulic system designed to be ripped off by the first tree limb encountered. Behind the right front tire that always flips limbs up and the hard line off. Lol

 

[RjCorazza]

We all have encountered a piece of equipment that makes you wonder what the engineer's thought process was in designing a service issue into a build.

One would think the technicians putting the machine together would send up a red flag concerning the problem. Maybe the technicians did, maybe not.

Kubota builds the hydraulic system designed to be ripped off by the first tree limb encountered. Behind the right front tire that always flips limbs up and the hard line off. Lol

I had the same hydraulic hose exposure problem on my L4060. I now have a nice 1/4" plate around the 3rd function hoses.
The zirks I was complaining about on my ZD mowers aren't really too bad from an engineering standpoint, and they get much easier with a plan and using the right tools.

 

[Citydude]

I had the same hydraulic hose exposure problem on my L4060. I now have a nice 1/4" plate around the 3rd function hoses.
The zirks I was complaining about on my ZD mowers aren't really too bad from an engineering standpoint, and they get much easier with a plan and using the right tools.

I did the same on my L4060. Built a skid plate that protects the 3rd function and the hyd and HST filters.

 

[dodge man]

I have a JD 2025r and do it through the same slot and use the hole as a viewing port. I have a Dewalt electric gun and has a spring near the tip that gives it a little extra stiffness. I learned you can also loosen the tip, it’s adjustable, on how easy it slips on a zerk. It still can be a *****.

 

[Username Taken]

In case this is helpful to someone...I spent a long time trying to figure out how to grease the front driveshaft joint on my JD 1023e...many YouTube videos etc. The positioning of the zerk is legendary in terms of its inaccessibility.

Having tried several angles, positions, and grease gun fittings, I finally stumbled on a grease gun combo and method that worked splendidly. Once I lined up the zerk, it took me about 5 minutes.

This was my method:

1. Ignore the access port that looks like it exists to actually help you grease the joint. This was designed by a mechanical engineer of some malevolence who apparently infiltrated the (normally awesome) Deere organization. Please note: if you are a DIY'er like me, attempting to grease the zerk through this hole may create a sense of defeated, existential despair in you and subtract valuable time from your friends and family. I can see why one Yt user took a hole saw to this port. It has that effect on people. (Note the spilled, wasted grease to the right in the attached picture from my unsuccessful, "so close" attempts.)

2. I purchased both the LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler XL and the LockNLube Narrow Needle Dispenser and installed these on my ordinary JD grease gun.

3. I found a line of sight to the zerk through the oblong opening in the belly plate behind the Circular Access Port from Purgatory that Causes Swearing.

4. The LockNLube Needle adaptor was surprisingly easy to center on the zerk and depress it. Once I felt it push into the zerk, I reached for the grease gun trigger...and soon the sound of grease splurging into the joint followed.

I hope this is helpful and saves you valuable time! No doubt the pros have better techniques - this is what worked for me.

Had a 2305 bought used. Zerk on mid PTO I didn't even know existed was impossible to access, so the U-Joint went down -- Hard. Took the yoke with it.

No problem, says I. Just get a new yoke and have it welded onto the driveshaft at a driveline shop. It's done all the time.....

Not a chance. Mr Greene boogers designed the splines on the yoke to be different than every other spline on the Planet Earth. proprietary, it's called

And the only place to get one is from greenbooger himself. And you gotta buy the whole driveshaft -- For $800!!

I paid $120 for a perfectly balanced aluminum driveshaft (up to 200MPH) from Ford Performance complete with both U-Joints a few years earlier. But greenbooger wants $800 for a steel POS that looked like it's worth about $30. Tops.

Not only that, but to get to it requires that you take half the tractor apart. I kid you not. I'm talking hours and hours and hours. Greenbooger wanted $1,200 labor and $800 for the part and after all that -- You still can't get to the zerk!!!

On a 2305 that, IMHO, was a classic piece of junk in the first place.

Excuse me, I'm gonna go hug my Kioti

 

[beenthere]

Excuse me, I'm gonna go hug my Kioti

Good, and take your sour grapes with.

 

[ovrszd]

Had a 2305 bought used. Zerk on mid PTO I didn't even know existed was impossible to access, so the U-Joint went down -- Hard. Took the yoke with it.

No problem, says I. Just get a new yoke and have it welded onto the driveshaft at a driveline shop. It's done all the time.....

Not a chance. Mr Greene boogers designed the splines on the yoke to be different than every other spline on the Planet Earth. proprietary, it's called

And the only place to get one is from greenbooger himself. And you gotta buy the whole driveshaft -- For $800!!

I paid $120 for a perfectly balanced aluminum driveshaft (up to 200MPH) from Ford Performance complete with both U-Joints a few years earlier. But greenbooger wants $800 for a steel POS that looked like it's worth about $30. Tops.

Not only that, but to get to it requires that you take half the tractor apart. I kid you not. I'm talking hours and hours and hours. Greenbooger wanted $1,200 labor and $800 for the part and after all that -- You still can't get to the zerk!!!

On a 2305 that, IMHO, was a classic piece of junk in the first place.

Excuse me, I'm gonna go hug my Kioti

I posted a thread here on TBN a few years ago about how to repair that shaft and how to make it greaseable. Here's a link if anyone owning the 2210/2305 is interested.

JD2210 upper driveshaft service/grease

I was at my dealership last week and a customer was in there getting his JD2210 fixed after the engine to transmission driveshaft failed from lack of grease. It also broke the front case on the transaxle as it beat itself to death at engine speed after breaking. My tractor has 400 hours on it...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[Username Taken]

I posted a thread here on TBN a few years ago about how to repair that shaft and how to make it greaseable. Here's a link if anyone owning the 2210/2305 is interested.

JD2210 upper driveshaft service/grease

I was at my dealership last week and a customer was in there getting his JD2210 fixed after the engine to transmission driveshaft failed from lack of grease. It also broke the front case on the transaxle as it beat itself to death at engine speed after breaking. My tractor has 400 hours on it...

www.tractorbynet.com

Thanks for the link. Hope it can save somebody else the trouble I went through.

Too late for most of us, though

 

[KennyG]

I don't think the 2320 has the same bottom access. I had been able, with effort, to grease it through the side access plate or from the back with the floorboard removed. A needle tip worked better. I finally got tired of the effort and replaced the u-joints with Moog 410s which have end cap zerks.

 

[DanThaTractorMan]

Better than a 2023 deere. Where they actually give you an access plate to remove, about 4" x 3" or so. But then hid under the plastic's for the dash/steering column

Yikes! :0 I have a friend who has a 2023 and just had neck surgery, so I offered to help him if he needs it...sounds like I could be busy if we're close to the greasing interval!

 

[LD1]

Yikes! :0 I have a friend who has a 2023 and just had neck surgery, so I offered to help him if he needs it...sounds like I could be busy if we're close to the greasing interval!

I think that zerk is supposed to be hit ever 50hrs.
If it never gets greased, the driveshaft will only last ~600hrs....
Had to change the driveshaft on the neighbors.

I guess there were alot of them repaired under warranty.....something about the owners manual in the maintenance section didnt say anything at all about greasing that fitting. And they reprinted a bunch of manuals or something....not too sure. I remember reading a bit about it when I was researching the job.

Once the lower part of the dash is off, not really sure what to call that part? Not the actual dash, but the plastic that houses key switch, park brake release, etc....once its off the access port is easy to get to.

Do yourself a favor (and I did for the neighbor with her consent), cut out the plastic in the area that blocks the access port. Then dont have to remove anything

 

[jdmeth]

In case this is helpful to someone...I spent a long time trying to figure out how to grease the front driveshaft joint on my JD 1023e...many YouTube videos etc. The positioning of the zerk is legendary in terms of its inaccessibility.

Having tried several angles, positions, and grease gun fittings, I finally stumbled on a grease gun combo and method that worked splendidly. Once I lined up the zerk, it took me about 5 minutes.

This was my method:

1. Ignore the access port that looks like it exists to actually help you grease the joint. This was designed by a mechanical engineer of some malevolence who apparently infiltrated the (normally awesome) Deere organization. Please note: if you are a DIY'er like me, attempting to grease the zerk through this hole may create a sense of defeated, existential despair in you and subtract valuable time from your friends and family. I can see why one Yt user took a hole saw to this port. It has that effect on people. (Note the spilled, wasted grease to the right in the attached picture from my unsuccessful, "so close" attempts.)

2. I purchased both the LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler XL and the LockNLube Narrow Needle Dispenser and installed these on my ordinary JD grease gun.

3. I found a line of sight to the zerk through the oblong opening in the belly plate behind the Circular Access Port from Purgatory that Causes Swearing.

4. The LockNLube Needle adaptor was surprisingly easy to center on the zerk and depress it. Once I felt it push into the zerk, I reached for the grease gun trigger...and soon the sound of grease splurging into the joint followed.

I hope this is helpful and saves you valuable time! No doubt the pros have better techniques - this is what worked for me.

My 1023e does not have 50 hrs on it yet but soon will. I will save this for when I try to grease it. I do have a hole saw and am not afraid to use it.

 

[ovrszd]

My 1023e does not have 50 hrs on it yet but soon will. I will save this for when I try to grease it. I do have a hole saw and am not afraid to use it.

I bought rectangular rubber plugs from JD. Explained in the video.

 

[dodge man]

Every 50 hours is the correct interval listed in my 2019 model year 2025r. There are people that make the hole bigger.