Why I should never be allowed to do anything....

[GeauxLSU]

... especially if I have little to no experience with it. Can't recall the last time I used a grease gun. Attempted to grease the tractor today for the first time (bought it on auction with under 20 hours and it now has 30 hours on it). Bought a gun and on the FIRST fitting it wouldn't come off. Called a friend with much more tractor and mechanical experience than I'll ever have and asked if there was something I was doing wrong. He immediately said "It's a new gun isn't it?"
Me - "Yep".
Him - "They do that until they break in. It'll just take some force."

Well, you see the results. Not the threads at the top. Completely BROKE inside the gun. Any great ideas how to get it off now?
It took a LOT of force to break it (obviously) and it swivels and turns easily so not sure how I'm going to get it off of there now...

 

[DmansPadge]

Is the tip adjustable? Most grease guns I've used you could adjust the tip of it by turning it.... righty tighty, lefty loosey!

 

[Casco1]

You may have trouble with a greasegun but you take a great photo.

I would try visegrips at the base of the shaft and use it like a lever to pull straight up.

 

[jbrumberg]

Try both suggestions. Jay

 

[GeauxLSU]

I'm not sure that I can get a wrench around the nuts now since I know it doesn't look it, but they are pretty recessed down in there. It took a LOT of force to break it (obviously) so I'm not sure if I just put a vise grip on it that I'll then be able to get enough leverage on it to loosen it.
To break it involved multiple efforts inlcuding in no particular order a 2x4 a mallet, a hammer, me lifting up with my shoulder on the 2 x 4 etc...

I will give it a whirl though...... Have no choice now.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

You may have trouble with a greasegun but you take a great photo.

LOL! I wish I'd have said that!

 

[DrainPondDesign]

A crow-foot wrench may get to the nut.

Its like the head of an open end wrench with a socket wrench square hole next to it so you can put it on a socket extension bar to get down in there.

Sears & others have them.

I suppose that as long as you don't strip the grease fitting threads in the loader the worse that you have to do is replace the grease fitting & get a new gun.

Good luck.

 

[skipmarcy]

You should be able to get a pair of 90 degree needlenose pliers in there and pop it straight up - if you cock it at all, be sure it's just slightly. If you keep a straight pull on it, there's very little chance of snapping it off down in that hole, I doub't you're ready for that !! Some grease fittings are ever so slightly bigger and will hang like yours - the one on my tailwheel on my cutter has been like that for years, and only that one. Some guns do have an adjustable tip for jaw pressure like already mentioned, and they will wear-in some with alot of use, not just with occassional use.

 

[Glowplug]

That just doesn't make a whole lotta sense. The grease guns I've got are adjustable as mentioned earlier. You turn the connector on the tip clockwise and it makes it fit smaller grease fittings; counterclockwise fits larger. It may be that yours was the appropriate size when place on there but then somehow the tip rotated clockwise locking it in place. If you could get your fingers down in there and turn the tip counterclockwise it may just come right off. I agree, whatever you do don't strip the threads on the fitting. I have broken fittings before but all I had to do was get some vise grips and unscrew the broken one and screw in another. I don't know what I would do if I actually stripped the threads. Good luck!

On the bright side though looks like you got a good application of grease there!

 

[Jstpssng]

Don't be so hard on yourself; the only way I know of to keep from doing anything wrong is by doing nothing.


BORING!!!

Besides, the best way to learn is from your mistakes...
I expect to pass "genius" status any day now!!!

 

[texbaylea]

GeauxLSU
I don't think you have room to get the necessary tools in there. Do this: take the loader off but before you disconnect the hydraulic hoses move the joystick as if you were lowering the loader. That will tuck the uprights under and open up the angle and give some more room to work. Put a pair of small vise grips on the barrel of the chuck and a wrench on the hex nut and loosen. That will release the chuck.

An auto supply store will have a replacement pipe or better yet a flex hose and a screw extractor should get the remaining piece inside the gun out.

Vernon

 

[Soundguy]

An easy out, lefty drill bit, or even a flat blade screw driver driven into the grease gun/OD of the broke threads should get it out pretty easilly.

As for the tube on the zerk.. How about 2 big flatblade screwdriver or other similar prying devices ( miny crowbars for opening small crates? ), and app ly equal force on each side and pope it straight out... al the while hoping that kubota didn't go cheap on those loader zerks and use 'drive' zerks...

Soundguy

... especially if I have little to no experience with it. Can't recall the last time I used a grease gun. Attempted to grease the tractor today for the first time (bought it on auction with under 20 hours and it now has 30 hours on it). Bought a gun and on the FIRST fitting it wouldn't come off. Called a friend with much more tractor and mechanical experience than I'll ever have and asked if there was something I was doing wrong. He immediately said "It's a new gun isn't it?"
Me - "Yep".
Him - "They do that until they break in. It'll just take some force."

Well, you see the results. Not the threads at the top. Completely BROKE inside the gun. Any great ideas how to get it off now?
It took a LOT of force to break it (obviously) and it swivels and turns easily so not sure how I'm going to get it off of there now...

 

[texasjohn]

I have had such problems in removing grease fittings, too. Pull straight up..hard.

one time, I DID break a zerk... I removed the remainder with a small EZ-OUT... it came easily... threads.... replacement was found at local old line auto parts house.. I took both parts in... there are many different kinds of zerks.... found the exact replacement... they charged me nothing and said come back some time and get something worth writing a ticket for...

Good l uck...

 

[lopezian]

(bought it on auction with under 20 hours and it now has 30 hours on it).

As others have said, great pic.

Can you tell us a little about your auction experience? Did you know what you were going to bid on before you went? Did you get to inspect beforehand? Some have posted stories here that are not so positive on the auction experience, and I think they were badmouthing Ritchie in some of them. I'm wondering what your experience was like.

 

[schmism]

i find that if i roll the tip hard to the side while pulling i can use the ball head of the zerk to pop the tip off. (dont knowhow else to explain it)

but i perfer a rubber lead on my greese gun so i have more flexablity in getting into tight locations and getting the tip back off the zerk

 

[JerryG]

Take a 10" or 12" channel locks. Clamp them on the tube level with the top of the upright. Then pry down against the upright. You should be able to just pop it off that way.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Take a 10" or 12" channel locks. Clamp them on the tube level with the top of the upright. Then pry down against the upright. You should be able to just pop it off that way.

What he said.....

 

[RedRocker]

What they said, but I'd use vise grips.

 

[kwolfe]

Pull straight up..hard.
...

If that doesn't work, pull harder . You got it on, should be able to pull it off. May want to stand on a stool to get some leverage. Good luck.

 

[mbrule]

What JerryG, FarminwithJunk, and RedRocker said (how does one post a quote?), but use Vice Grips level with loader frame, place rag on loader frame to avoid scratching it, and hit the hadle of the Vice Grips with a hammer, should pop it off.

Matt