John Deere STX38 Axle Pivot grease problem

[richard c]

I have a 23 yr old John Deere YELLOW DECK STX 38 lawn tractor and have been unable to get grease into the axle pivot grease fitting. I changed the fitting and when doing so, noticed that while putting a probe in the fitting hole that there was no space between the steel tube to which the fitting is attached and the shaft that slides inside. Following the change in the grease fitting, I still can't get grease to flow into the axle pivot assembly it just squishes out. All other fittings on the tractor work just fine in distributing grease from the grease gun.

Is it possible that the limited space between the steel tube and the shaft in the axle pivot assembly prevents the grease from flowing?

Am I doing something wrong? Is the any procedure that I should follow?

 

[joecdeere]

On my backhoe, when I have one that won't take grease, usually it is because the grease has hardened inside the joint. I take a propane torch and with the flame low begin to heat around the area until you see the grease begin to soften,then you can pump fresh grease in while everything is warm.

 

[Patches]

I would "guess" there is a bushing in that tube that has rotated slightly, moving the grease channel of the bushing out of alignment with the zerk. You might try removing the zerk and attempt to re-align the channel using a small probe(scratch-all) with the zerk opening; the issue here being, which way to rotate the bushing?

 

[Baby Grand]

Have you tried taking the weight off of the pivot by putting a jack under the front frame? On some of my equipment I've found that the grease hole winds up getting covered by the shaft, or vice-versa on pin mounted Zerks. Unloading the joint is the only way I've found to get these Zerks to accept the grease.

Another impediment to grease getting into the joint is if the joint is really well sealed. With some effort, you can get grease into these Zerks, but it just oozes or squirts back out of the Zerk when you removes the grease gun nozzle. Some bearing compartments have what looks like a set screw or grub screw that must be removed to "vent" the compartment, which allows the new grease to get in and any trapped air or some of the old grease to get out.

-Jim