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Zerks Won't Take Grease

LDK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
219
Location
UK
In cold winter temperatures up in the Andes the only thing that would pump satisfactorily in an autolube system was an NLGI #000 ........
Nige,
Where abouts in the Andes where you?
 

BPMfore

Active Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2011
Messages
29
Location
Upstate NY
kshansen, I'm south east of Syracuse,1/2 half way between Binghamton and Syracuse. The measureable snow stops in Fabius, everything else is wind blown.
 

kevin37b

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Messages
145
Location
illinois
Occupation
Operator #841
The problem is the clearance between the end of the zerk , and the pin . A well designed machine will have a nice relief machined in the pin to make this happen ? Grease it everyday and it will take grease everyday .
 

mikebramel

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2012
Messages
1,612
Location
milwaukee
The oil in the hand pump is a great trick. One of the best tips I've learned on here. Thanks. Works almost every time
 

RonG

Charter Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2003
Messages
1,833
Location
Meriden ct
Occupation
heavy equipment operator
The oil in the hand pump is a great trick. One of the best tips I've learned on here. Thanks. Works almost every time
I have found in this long life of mine that it is human nature to look for too much problems so something simple could never work,right?
When you work as an operator for a company with more than one operator you often get assigned to a machine that somebody else has run the day before or a few days before and the machine has not gotten greased properly for a while and you get a chance to use this squirt can fairly often to know that it works and can recommend to somebody else.Glad that you could benefit from it.Ron G
 

Willie B

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
4,060
Location
Mount Tabor VT
Occupation
Electrician
My John Deere 410 bought 15 years ago had little wear, no weld repairs, and no functional hydraulics after 20 minutes warm up. It stands to reason it hadn't been greased. Several fittings wouldn't take grease. I found no alternative but to take the pin out and scrape the grease channel. A fleet machine, I think it arrived with bad backhoe valve, They nursed it along for years before selling it. I think it may never have worked well. A fresh valve made it almost good as new.
 

RonG

Charter Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2003
Messages
1,833
Location
Meriden ct
Occupation
heavy equipment operator
So , while the machine runs the zerks warm up ?
After you run it for a while the pins will often take grease,say at lunch time if you drench them with oil first thing on your shift.Ron G
 

dozerman400

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2013
Messages
136
Location
schaumburg, il
Occupation
Heavy equipment operator
Yup. -25*F this morning. The most efficient is greasing while stuff warms up. I let my toys warm up at least 15 min in the summer and 30min+ if it's cold. My operators will get fired if they do any less. They get paid to warm up and lube my machines. I use Shell grease and the heavy stuff in the summer and thin in the winter. Check the fluids, start the machine, lube, have a cup of coffee then go to work. I've never had an engine or any other major component fail by doing that. Maybe some because of hours but never because of a cold or hot seize.

I like your thinking.
 

alco

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Messages
1,289
Location
here
I personally like to grease at the end of the day. I ran a lube truck for a few years, and I don't believe the machine gets any better greasing if it's done cold. As an added bonus, when you grease at the end of the day, you can look the machine over really well, and line up any parts or repairs needed for the next morning, instead of finding an issue first thing in the morning, and losing all of the time to go get parts and such before starting work. When you work out in the bush, you don't just run in because you found something that needs attention without losing a ton of time.
 

kshansen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
11,160
Location
Central New York, USA
Occupation
Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
I personally like to grease at the end of the day. I ran a lube truck for a few years, and I don't believe the machine gets any better greasing if it's done cold. As an added bonus, when you grease at the end of the day, you can look the machine over really well, and line up any parts or repairs needed for the next morning, instead of finding an issue first thing in the morning, and losing all of the time to go get parts and such before starting work. When you work out in the bush, you don't just run in because you found something that needs attention without losing a ton of time.

I'll second that, not in the bush here but always nice to find something before the machine is out in the middle of a mud hole! Also if working in slop in colder weather like to grease at the end of shift to flush things out before the slop freezes over night.
 

Username

Active Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
44
Location
SW WA
I tried the rejuvenators, a couple of different brands with anything from brake fluid to power punch; then I got the Alemite 1056 grease gun, they claim it makes up to 10,000psi and it has pushed grease into zerks that rejuvenators wouldn't touch, no bs.
 

DPete

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
1,677
Location
Central Ca.
I personally like to grease at the end of the day. I ran a lube truck for a few years, and I don't believe the machine gets any better greasing if it's done cold. As an added bonus, when you grease at the end of the day, you can look the machine over really well, and line up any parts or repairs needed for the next morning, instead of finding an issue first thing in the morning, and losing all of the time to go get parts and such before starting work. When you work out in the bush, you don't just run in because you found something that needs attention without losing a ton of time.
Good post, this is how we roll.
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
13
Location
Texas
Instead of a porta power would a grease gun work? I have a nice Milwaukee cordless. Can you put oil in it instead of grease?
 
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