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Took pressure off the outrigger. One Zerk opened. One didn't .

emmett518

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Mar 24, 2021
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Slowly moving through greasing all of the joints on the hoe. Had a problem with one outrigger, but people suggested I take pressure off before trying again.

I did that, and one took grease. The other did not.

The hydraulic cylinder moves on the pin. The pin moves. Very light rust. If I take the Zerk off, I can pump grease through the zerk

Removed the Zerk, and flushed the joint out with penetrating fluid. Same with the cylinder to pin area.

Any ideas?
 

NH575E

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North, FL
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On occasion I have had to pound the pins out and clean them on the stabilizers. They get subjected to more dirt than any other joint on the machine.
 

cuttin edge

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Yeah, the pin gets plugged with crap, and it's usually inside against the bushing. Sometimes some brake cleaner, or rust cleaner in the hole where you take the nipple out will soften it up.
 

skyking1

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washington
I always try the hand twisted drill bit to carve out anything that's just right after the fitting. If there's any room in there for concrete to form it will if there's no greasing going on.
 

JL Sargent

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Jul 15, 2018
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I've had good luck removing the zerk and removing as much grease as possible. Then spraying WD40 in the hole to help loosen up the hardened grease. Reinstall zerk and hit it with the gun again.
Also, some heat would help. If you have a torpedo type heater, that can do wonders.
 

emmett518

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I have a heat gun. I could warm up the pin to see if that melts the crud.
 

emmett518

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Mar 24, 2021
Messages
811
Location
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I've had good luck removing the zerk and removing as much grease as possible. Then spraying WD40 in the hole to help loosen up the hardened grease. Reinstall zerk and hit it with the gun again.
Also, some heat would help. If you have a torpedo type heater, that can do wonders.

I tried pulling the Zerk, cleaning the crud out of the hole, and then soaking the hole, pin and area with penetrating fluid. So far, no dice.
 

skata

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midwest
If you don't have that impact tool, remove the zerk and fill the hole with penetrating fluid. Install zerk, then try squeezing grease in hard.
 

aighead

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Apr 25, 2019
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Dayton, OH
I recently tried that impact tool (Grease Joint Rejuvenator) on my stabilizer zerks without any luck, though I have had it work on other zerks. My next attempt will be to remove the zerks and put some heat on it.
 

skata

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Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
1,541
Location
midwest
I recently tried that impact tool (Grease Joint Rejuvenator) on my stabilizer zerks without any luck, though I have had it work on other zerks. My next attempt will be to remove the zerks and put some heat on it.
Is it possible the bushing turned and the holes aren't lining up? You could run a drill bit thru the zerk hole to maybe open it up.
 

shopguy

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Jul 2, 2011
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504
Location
Alabama
I recently tried that impact tool (Grease Joint Rejuvenator) on my stabilizer zerks without any luck, though I have had it work on other zerks. My next attempt will be to remove the zerks and put some heat on it.
Leave the zerks in let them work like a check valve the heat will soften the dry grease and build lots of pressure ,just don’t be in front of the zerk in case she turns into a relief valve.lol
 

old-iron-habit

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Those work great. Best on real stubborn ones is to force diesel fuel into the bushing with the tool. The diesel will soften the hard grease and soon regular grease will start going in. Just today, a few of us Antique Cat Machinerys Owners Clubs, Minnesota Chapter members got the dead axles to take juice on a 1934 RD4 that had been sitting outside for 55 years. First we removed the Zerks, then drilled out the hard grease thru the casting to the brass bushing, then pounded diesel into it with a similar tool. Even the Zerks had grease so hard in them that a 18 volt Milwaukee grease gun struggled and sent a grease pellet across the shop like a air rifle when the zerks were out. A month from now at our next work/play date we expect grease to go in like it should.
 
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