Grease fittings won't take grease

rmorey · May 3, 2013

You can try heating the area with a torch to melt the grease plug, or move the boom slightly while you grease the zerk, sometimes that works.

rnbrn21 · May 3, 2013

Well the problem is solved. Yesterday I filled the grease reservoir with brake cleaner and today when I went to clean it out the brake cleaner was gone. I sprayed some more in there it was obvious that it had done it's job and the blockage was clear. I put the grease fitting back in and greased it up. After having brake cleaner in there I will grease it everyday for the next few days but I think I'm good to go. Sure was better then taking it all apart.

MarkV · May 4, 2013

Glad you got it fixed. Next time try penetrating oil rather than brake cleaner. Sometimes the grease will flow with the penetrating oil and clear the clog. This is the system my Bobcat mechanic showed me.

MarkV

Ken45101 · May 4, 2013

"grease reservoir"?? In the grease gun? In the grease fitting? I'm not clear.

repete · May 4, 2013

I have never had an issue of a fitting not taking grease unless I have neglected to grease it frequently enough and the hole gets plugged from the inside due to rust or old hard packed grease in the fitting. I usually find fittings that will not take grease on "clean" non grease covered joints. I believe after time you only have two types of joints, one that is worn (but clean) from lack of grease and the other being one that is greasy.

rnbrn21 · May 4, 2013

Ken45101 said:
"grease reservoir"?? In the grease gun? In the grease fitting? I'm not clear.

The pivot pin that the BH rides on(there are two, top and bottom) has the grease fitting in the end of it. The center of the pin is hollow with a hole in the side at the mid way point along the length of the pin. When you quirt grease into the fitting the center of the pin(what I call the reservoir) fills with grease then goes out the hole in the side of the pin to spread grease around the outside of the pivot pin. In my case the hole in the side of the pin was plugged up with crud and wouldn't allow the grease out of the "reservoir". I've only had the tractor since February and I'm pretty sure that the previous owner didn't keep up on the greasing and that's why it dried up and got plugged. The previous owner must have known about the problem but didn't know how to fix it because he gave be a bag full of grease fittings with a bunch of other stuff when I bought the tractor.

oosik · Dec 30, 2020

I bought the grapple and had it installed on my Kubota M6040, SIX years ago. Ever since - there is one zerk that will not take grease. I have to start the tractor - lift the FEL - rotate the bearing shaft that is serviced by this zerk. Then it takes grease easily.

Something to do with the grease channel that has been cut into the bearing shaft at this location. The first time - - I fought this like a wild man taking on a grizzly bear.

I'm just glad it's only ONE out of the thirty or so on the grapple, fel, tractor, 3-point & rear blade.

Good news - you figured it out and got it working.

SDT · Dec 30, 2020

oosik said:
I bought the grapple and had it installed on my Kubota M6040, SIX years ago. Ever since - there is one zerk that will not take grease. I have to start the tractor - lift the FEL - rotate the bearing shaft that is serviced by this zerk. Then it takes grease easily.

Something to do with the grease channel that has been cut into the bearing shaft at this location. The first time - - I fought this like a wild man taking on a grizzly bear.

I'm just glad it's only ONE out of the thirty or so on the grapple, fel, tractor, 3-point & rear blade.

Good news - you figured it out and got it working.

I bought a grapple a few years ago and it had a single zerk that would not take grease.

After trying all of the usual methods to grease it, I removed the zerk to install a new one only to find that the hole into which the zerk had been threaded had not been drilled completely through.

The grapple had been greased at the factory and again by the dealer before delivery, so obviously neither manufacturer nor dealer cared that one fitting would not take.

SDT

repete · Dec 30, 2020

repete said:
I have never had an issue of a fitting not taking grease unless I have neglected to grease it frequently enough and the hole gets plugged from the inside due to rust or old hard packed grease in the fitting. I usually find fittings that will not take grease on "clean" non grease covered joints. I believe after time you only have two types of joints, one that is worn (but clean) from lack of grease and the other being one that is greasy.

Yup. Best way to get a fitting to not take grease is to not grease it. My tractor has grease on it but never a frozen zerk. I frequently help others who have to forcefully (heat and beat) a joint to remove and clean pins that are grease free but clean except for some light visible rust......

repete · Dec 30, 2020

A word of caution about using heat to remove a frozen pin. A couple weeks ago I was trying to get the pin out of a friends loader joint that had frozen and was applying head with an oxy-acetylene torch. I had not removed the zerk fitting. I heated it to a point that the pressure inside the pin blew the spring and ball and accumulated super hot grease through the zerk fitting. I had my hand in line with the zerk fitting and the little ball and spring embedded in my hand and I dug them out. My arm was coated with super hot grease as well as I had a tee short on.

I now have a tad more respect for that procedure...