12 Things You May Not Know About Greasing

[@tomjubell5749]

Excellent video. Just a couple thoughts. I am a forklift technician, that's not to say tractors are the same as forklifts, but.... Most likely the pivot points on the loader or backhoe have bushings, not bearings. What's the difference and why would I bring this up? Well, typically a bushing is fixed in place with a pin that travels through the pivot point. The shaft where you apply your grease is also fixed by an outer bolt going through a ear. The shaft will has a grease path through the center with a outlet hole at each of the bushings. When grease is applied it will come out on, whichever side of the bushing it happens to be on. So, if you always grease you loader in the same position, one side of you bushing get the majority of the grease while the other may starve. So how do you remedy this? Apply you grease in the loaders resting position, then change position of the bucket and loader arms and do it again. By changing position of the loader arms and bucket you also change the position of the outlet grease hole on the pivot shaft, thus changing where the grease hits the bushing.
Sorry for the long winded explanation.

[@LarryTait1]

I had a scary incident with the Zerk on a dry packed bearing. I had rotated the joint etc, and still the Zerk didn’t seem to take the grease. I could barely move the handle. I decided to wind off the Zerk. As it was near the end of its thread, the Zerk exploded into the sky! Standing there stunned, I heard the Zerk hit ground at least 5 seconds later! If my face had been in the line of fire I could have lost an eye.
The Zerk was fine and allowed significant pressure to build in the joint but there was no way out. Scared the crap out of me. I was wearing brown coveralls fortunately...😉

[@Bentwatertrail]

Excellent description. Made me smile a few times. Especially about the "slug". I over-greased an area on my excavator once. I use a red colored grease. Out in the lawn, the red slug fell off. My wife called the neighbor over to identify what she had found. The neighbor was sure it was a heart that had been ripped out of some poor animal.

[@richardbunch7014]

I bought a JD brush hog a few years ago and the dealer told me the gear box was full of gear oil. When I got it home, I got to looking at the plugs on the gear box and decided they had never been removed. I removed them just to be safe than sorry. I took a long zip tie and worked it all way to the bottom of the gear box and when I removed it, it just barely had a little oil on the tip of it. I’m glad I checked it! Y’all have a good-un!

[@toddfordahl4419]

Ditto for me on a rotary cutter I bought at Rural King. Bone dry.

[@integr8er66]

FYI, the fitting that snaps on it does not actually depress the ball as you said, the pressure from the grease gun does that job.

[@francopedro4910]

instablaster...

[@doncook4009]

Here down south the grease fitting is usually called an alemite! Best investment I ever made was a 20V Dewalt grease gun! Great informative videos, Thanks so much! Made me laugh when you made the "GREASE SOUNDS"!

[@64eski]

Great subject matter and very well done. Can’t beat the sound effects either. Thank you.

[@robertheinkel6225]

As a kid in the farm, each tractor had a grease gun mounted on a fender. No cabs back then. A good grease gun would shoot about 20 feet. Great for aiming at road signs as you drove down the road.
Even back then, some bearings has a seal of sorts. As you pumped the gun, you could feel when it got full, otherwise it would blow out the seals. Mostly found on PTO knuckles.

[@Gilikemail]

I used to dread greasing. But after getting the lock-n-lube you recommend, it's saved me from the biggest headache about it. Now I don't mind doing it at all. (I also have an air powered grease gun so there's no pumping.) Thanks for the very informative video (as always)

[@btj1844]

Your sound effects are much like mine Tractor Mike!! That's exactly what it sounds like, good job!

[@wsfd4321]

If you have a greasable joint that hasn't been greased in a LONG time and has been sitting for a LONG time, I have had to use a propane torch to heat the old grease to loosen it enough for the new to go in. I have also removed the zerk, position the resulting hole upward and flood the inside area with penetrating lube. Let it sit for a bit to soften that old grease and try it again. Yeah, using the machine will sometimes loosen that crap up, but sometimes that old grease sets up like concrete too.....sign of poor maintenance.

[@GeoffPSU]

I’d like to see a video on zerk replacement and sizes/types etc. I find that if a zerk is stuck, using a jewelers screwdriver or an awe and pushing on the ball sometimes loosens it enough to take the grease.

[@CamppattonFamilyCompound]

Most times when a Zerk won't take grease, dirt has gotten into the bearing/sleeve and it has "dry pack". Dry pack is grease dried out with dirt and it has packed into the channels of the bearing or sleeve and wont allow the new grease to enter the channels. Most times you can free it up by moving the attachment around a little. especially with the loader bucket assembly or backhoe. But it will need to be taken apart and cleaned to get all of the dirt out.

[@RngrDngr1]

Digging those sounds effects of the grease creeping out! The Lube Shuttle is an awesome addition to your tools and you will grease more often as it makes the job so much better. Buy yourself a good assortment of zerks for your tractor and have them ready so you can change them out quick when they do get grit down in them and won't take new grease. Mike is the Man!

[@swampwhiteoak1]

A pneumatic grease gun is wonderful for me. Go to Northern Tool and check out the Lincoln pneunatic grease gun. Or check out the Milwaukee M18 battery powered grease gun. both of these use standard grease cartridges so you can avoid those costly specialty tubes. For the best grease try red waterproof grease.

[@davidhosmer1424]

I worked in maintenance of a power station. Operations was generally responsible for routine grease maintenance. Your could always tell the hidden fitting that never got greased because when you got a work order and the zerk had a pile of new clean grease all over the place. A clear case of their CYA. Always enjoy the video take care

[@donaldhindle9735]

This is the best video I have ever seen. Perfect, in every way. Especially if you, like me, needed to learn these things.

[@denjhill]

Grew up calling them Alemite fittings. Still a valid identification. Also, sometimes when they won't take grease the mechanism requiring grease may need to be rotated. For example a loader arm may be in such a position that the pivot joint is closing off the Alemite/Zerk orifice. Rotate it a little bit and it usually opens up.

[@m16ty]

I've heard them called that also. Alemite is actually a trade name for a brand that makes grease fittings and greasing equipment.

[@jimpollard113]

I knew Oscar Zerk. He was an independent inventor with over 300 patents. His house (named "Dunmovin") was a fantastic place - it was like a museum.

[@jerryriggins566]

Love the sound effects!!!!

[@jeffreydevoti8528]

Bought an American made Plews grease gun new 30 years ago and it's a pleasure to use. Chy-na can't make something simple as a grease gun without it being junk.

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Great sound effects Mike. If someone had one bad hand, I would recommend a battery powered unit or pneumatic one. Mike be easier to squeeze than that pistol grip one. Especially if it was their non-dominate hand. I always use Marine grease that way I can use it on my boat and anything else. It is waterproof. Yes you mention the battery one at the end. Great deal.

[@keithnavarro2930]

Good video. Perhaps you could have mentiond that, if possible, slowly rotate or spin the bearing being greased. Also, you can buy dust covers to keep dirt and moisture off the fitting. These covers come in lots of colors, too, so you can use different colored caps for daily, weekly or monthly greasing. Nice sound effects, too.

[@fondy44]

Just found out the hard way that the deck wheels on my brand new finish mower lack any kind of wheel bearing. Nothing in there but a wheel, a bolt and a big, open cavity between the two that requires probably half a tube each from my baby grease gun (I’ll be upgrading soon).
Moral of the story is be generous with the grease because when it comes to preventing premature failure, greasing may not just be your LAST line of defense. It may very well be your ONLY line of defense.

[@davehoward2791]

I grease religiously every 10 hrs, every fitting on the tractor and backhoe, which I clean with brake parts cleaner before I do. PTO implements get greased every time they’re used. I’m a mechanic by profession and I know the importance of greasing. I use polyurea (Lucas Xtra HD or John Deere SD) which is overkill I know, but it isn’t that much more money (about a buck a tube) than lithium greases and gives a measure of additional protection in extreme circumstances. But in 50 years of servicing vehicles and ag equipment the one thing that has been a game changer for me has been the Lock ‘n Lube grease gun fitting. It has been a blessing, making what was a a droll, PITA chore something I no longer dread. I now actually look forward to greasing. Thanks for the excellent video Mike, keep them coming. 👍

[@davidfox363]

Great impersonation of grease coming. You're the Rich Little of tractors :)

[@johnevans6053]

Yah... I was trying to decide if I should subscribe. When he did that impersonation, that clenched it. I closed my eyes and was transported back to the last time I greased my tractor.

[@phpdreams]

One thing I didn't see mentioned in the video or the comments is to be careful if you're cleaning your tractor with a pressure washer. Try not to hit the zerks directly with the high-pressure stream. You could inadvertently inject a bit of water into a fitting. Granted it wouldn't be much, but any is more than desired. Also, if you're pressure washing, wipe off as much surface grease as you can first or you'll wind up wearing most of what gets blasted off....don't ask me how I know.

[@matthewsims359]

You are spot-on about the manufacturer’s using cheap zerks. I have a brand new tractor and 3 of the zerks will not take grease. As a kid, i loved driving tractors(40yrs later i still enjoy it). My dad made me grease it everytime i drove it. If i greased it yesterday, he would make me grease it today before i could drive it. He was also a firm believer in changing the fluids often. Lessons learned. Stay well and stay safe 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@brandonspeed3142]

In reference to your #6, how do you know when you're done? Most equipment that I've used says to grease until you see new grease coming out, meaning that you've flushed out the old, used grease.
Also, I just bought a dewalt 20v grease gun and put the lock n lube top on it. I use it almost daily and can go through 6+ tubes of grease on a single battery charge.
We also took delivery of a brand new tractor in February... Less than half of the zerks had ever been greased and I also found a few loose hydraulic line fittings that I had to tighten. Always check your equipment and grease grease grease

[@shandor2522]

Brandon Speed: Yes! If you're old enough to remember Tom McCahill's car maintenance books and articles, he said Audie Duesenberg told him "Keep 'em full of fresh oil & grease and they'll never wear out!"

[@scottcampbell7180]

I love your posts and while some are basic they still serve as good reminders. In this video there are two points I'd like to elaborate on. First there is only one bad kind of grease...that's the kind that stays in the tube! Secondly, because I'm frugal I have frequently removed a non-working Zerk fitting, carefully placed it in my vise, cleaned out the existing grease (and the obstruction), poked at the ball, then attached the gun and often times it works again. If not I have a kit with assorted sizes and configurations of fittings when one needs to be replaced and find that an absolute necessity.

[@kfulk1457]

Love the sound effects of the grease coming out. 😃😆👍🏼

[@Gunbudder]

5:32 THANK YOU! I did grow up around equipment that took grease, but i was never taught or allowed to grease the fittings for whatever reason. there are random holes in my knowledge of this kind of stuff, so it was driving me insane that i couldn't find a straight answer to this basic question about greasing!

[@mcpiddler1135]

I'm kinda late to this game but I will add that bearings such as roller bearings and bushings in loader arms and such take a different grease all together. In a perfect world, bushings get high moly grease and bearings get a synthetic such as Mobil SHC 100. The higher the speed of the bearing rotation, the more important this becomes. Just something I've learned over the last 65 years.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

The Coupler does not push the Ball back .. Grease pressure does.. and a spring pushes it back to close it . works like a check valve..

[@machine7767]

LockNLube grease gun couplers work like a champ. They lock onto zerks tight so the grease goes in not out. Lever allows easy removal so you don't have a tug a war getting the coupler off the zerk.

[@stickboy6772]

Dealer kept looking at me like I am an idiot because I stressed asking about the right grease, and got separate guns for each type. Low and behold, how many different greases and oils just for my small machine! Thank USAF PMI training, still comes in handy!!!

[@livexchill2210]

I'm starting a new job Tomorrow and this video saved my butt 😅 thank God for RUclips

[@Tom-ej8bb]

Had a zerk that wouldn't take grease. thought it might have been a blind hole? Not. Lost the middle spindle bearing! Never thought to change the zerk. Nice Job!!

[@mesanders1113]

One major benefit of greasable fittings Is also taking the time to inspect parts for wear. Preventive maintenance is more than just checking fluids and greasing fittings its inspecting everything for wear and tear.

[@piperjones9922]

the barber shop opened up here about a weak ago got an appointment on the third day now i don't have to hide from the dog catcher. good vid.

[@doghouse416]

I was the grease guy on the farm,..the only one who could get to some of those fittings up in and under stuff. Never minded it and caught most other potential repair problems while doing the job. So see it as a way to get close to your tractor/implement and try not to see it as a burden.

[@peacefieldfarm_mn]

Great Topic, Mike. Thanks for posting. I, too, love the sound effects! Cheers!

[@glennwerst]

Loved the sound effects! 😂

[@grattonland]

Love the sound effects for #7.

[@steelman86]

Great tips, but his animations and all of his sound effects were hilarious!!! 😃

[@JERRYMATT1]

JUST BOUGHT 110 ACRES AND BOUGHT BIG BOY TOYS AND THIS VIDEO WAS GREAT!

[@josephcantor481]

Gotta love those sound effects!

[@RCAFpolarexpress]

Good day Sir 😉👍Yes grease is very important for sure 😉👍but seal bearing are great 👍 Have a great synthetic grease is the best in cold and wet weather as warm and dry environment👍😉 Great subject Sir 👍👍👍

[@dougcamponovo8658]

Good sound affects along with the INFO

[@ashlandgunclub1000]

Grease pressure pushes the ball in the zerk in not the connector.
Always wipe off your zeros before greasing.
Best grease is the one you use, the best grease setting in the barn doesn’t work.
Always wipe off excess grease, it will attract dirt/grime.
We Americans tend to over grease ie: put too much in.

[@richarddelcheccolo7816]

Good work.

[@philipmcdougal9946]

I have read that when greasing a zerk fitting to give 3 or 4 pumps . If you keep pumping until you see grease coming out you may rupture the grease seal allowing contaminates to get into the bearings.

[@danallen578]

Lucas red and tacky #2. Best grease out there!!

[@johnflannery4815]

Great video, and sound effects !

[@allenduff1597]

Purchased a Lock n' lube grease gun for my dad for Father's Day. His gun that his dad passed down to him has bit the dust. Excited to give it to him and see him use it.

[@sofakinggood5829]

I just greased the new Holland. I found three weeks that had popped off. Ordered the $11 multipack on Amazon. I hope I can replace them easily. Jim from Leesburg Virginia.

[@bigearny6]

Here in the UK we like to call them grease nipples. I've never heard them call zerks ever!

[@jamesd2128]

Same here in Canada.

[@TheSonsOfSimon]

Great video. I have been greasing for a while, but I haven’t known all of this information!

[@gimpygardner3377]

Most of us tractor owners are weekend Warriors. And only use a few tubes of grease per year. So buy the good stuff, your baby is worth it.

[@markchoate9021]

Mike, how can you say that "grease" is not exciting. It is a thrilling subject to me! I know, I need to get a life...…… By the way, loved the impression of the sound of the grease going into the fitting. fabulous..... ha. Love the video.

[@chevyon37s]

YES YOU CAN OVER GREASE.
It depends on the bearing/ joint, joints and bearings that have seals if over greased will start damaging seals and you’re left with no seal to keep dirt/dust/debris and water out and pretty soon you have lapping compound for grease in there eating away your bearings. And most people will try to tell you it just needs even more grease to fill in the slop it’s created, which is only a band aid fix to keep running on damaged bearings. Also with trailer wheel bearings that have a fitting and it has trailer brakes. Too much grease pushes out of the gun bearing and makes its way on your trailer brakes, now you’re left with a trailer that won’t help you stop.

[@danwilliams4877]

Thanks mate, exactly what I needed to view. Appreciate the tips! Keep 'em coming.

[@sloppyjoe6243]

Mike, I'll put a quick plug for WD-40. If the zerk wont take grease. Squirt it with WD-40 and that will clean and clear the zerk to work properly. The zerk needs to be removed, squirted with WD-40, wiped down and put back on.

[@americanbluejacket209]

Great sound effects.

[@quizkitten9641]

Such a great piece of tractor knowledge. Maybe we'll make a trivia category about this?

[@banjopicker1215]

Mike can you do a video on how to replace zerk that won’t take grease? The shaft on my brush hog has one that won’t take grease.

[@robertjackson9601]

Three thumbs up on the grease sounds. Another great video Mike.

[@clarkansas6590]

Great information

[@johnthorpe1071]

Hi Mike, Love the Lube shuttle............. their quick lock........ not so much. Lock & Lube is much better. Thanks

[@TractorMike]

John, if you had the safeLOCK and felt it wouldn't lock on, watch this: ruclips.net/video/UeukXciUUWI/видео.html. The only problem we've had with safeLOCK is folks not getting it locked on properly. I had that problem when I first tested the product. Once it's locked on, it won't come off and it's a whole lot easier to squeeze than the heavy spring-type models.

[@johnthorpe1071]

@@TractorMike Thank you Mike, The safe lock worked fine on easy to access fittings but not ones that were not so easy like u joints L&L worked fine on all, maybe I should have let it "wear in". Great content and tutorial, (ruclips.net/video/UeukXciUUWI/видео.html) may give it another try someday, hate to just "pitch it" for the cost.

[@henryostman5740]

If the fitting won't take grease, check it out, I've have more than one zerk be located on a blind alley with noplace for the grease to go. Aholes at the mower factory didn't line up the bearing with the hole in the fitting, in one case they didn't even drill it out.

[@Ringele5574]

OK.... one thing other than what I saw in the comments about the grease gun fitting depressing the ball, is don't assume you have enough grease in a fitting just because you see grease seeping. Quit pumping once you see no water coming out and wipe off the excess. This channel seems to be oriented to advertising products. After watching a tire ballast video all I got was recommendations for Rim Guard. I wonder what I'll get now. A grease gun recommendation?

[@markproulx1472]

Another hugely helpful video. Thanks!

[@kirkbarley4999]

Mike, thanks for another great video

[@semco72057]

I have to grease up all of my equipment and get it ready before Winter so they will be ready for next Spring and Summer. Since I don't use my equipment much except for my mowers they don't need much greasing, but I try to keep them greased up.

[@cascaderetriever7618]

I put zerk caps on to help keep them cleaner. Cheap and easy

[@JFKEOD]

Great video! Thank you for the informative video.

[@mothman-jz8ug]

I have encountered Zerks that wouldn't take grease, and I have also run across some that the coupler on the gun just doesn't fit on properly. Grease squirts around them, or the coupler doesn't go on at all. The worst are the ones the coupler sticks on!

[@travisricks3436]

A Lock N Lube grease coupler will solve this problem.

[@grwolf272]

Great sound effects by the way!

[@nickgladman4577]

Your grease gun impression makes me think that your speaking Swahili! Ha! I love it.

[@rgd2598]

Sounds like his braces got locked together

[@JeepinMaxx]

Thanks for the video mike

[@eyemanm6045]

please show video on changing Zerks

[@TonyFreeman-LocoTonyF]

Great video!

[@homesteadincrazy7773]

need to know about how to remove power steering lines on a 3930 Ford Tractor (1979). Please help. Thanks.

[@allenhenry1113]

Hello from Sardis City, Alabama. Very informative clip. I have 1 fitting not taking grease. Ive replaced with a better new one but still will not take grease. What suggestions do you recommend for this issue?
You was 100%correct! There is always 1 that dosent work right.👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@thegunshow9112]

Thank you mike!

[@mikeadams2339]

Reminds me of Click and clack.they could identify a problem by the noise it made!

[@dirtdogb17]

Thanks Mike great sound effects . I learned some things from you TM

[@treylem3]

How does that sound go again Mike? Just joking. Thanks for all the great content 👍

[@christopherbrosz5003]

Use the grease that is specified in your Operator's Manual, not all grease is the same. Some greases are better for high loads and some are better for faster rotational speeds. Also do not mix greases, they can react with each other.

[@BobSmith-iu3hx]

Yes, you a right!

[@sidneyeaston6927]

To technical, Agricastrol for engines diesel and petrol including small Briggs and Stratton. Castrol gear oil for gear boxes and diffs. Castrol general purpose grease. We ran our cars on it as well.

[@tacratt6091]

In the hills of Kentucky we always called them Alemites! Coal miners! Lol

[@donniebargo964]

I like the fact that you're a new hauling guy me I've got a LS tractor and a couple of other brands of tractors to some of them with green paint I'm not going to say the brand but I'll be honest with you the little LS tractor I got is just much better all the way around in those others I guess it's for the Simplicity pays off it's simpler easier to maintain and I just do more work with it

[@AUoldphart]

Thanks Mike, good information. Are all Zerk fittings the same size? I purchased a new grease gun, the tips (came with two) are extremely hard to remove from all the Zerks on my tractor. I tried both tips with the same result. I have to pry them off or get a pair of pliers to get them off most of my tracotor Zerks.

[@craigbrogan2721]

Lock n Lube grease gun coupler is money well spent.

[@jphickory522]

The grease guns’s coupler (part that attaches to the zerk) can be adjusted to reduce the clamping force applied to the zerk fitting. You will likely have to rotate the outer component of your coupler clockwise (as viewed from the rear of the grease gun) to allow the coupler to detach itself with less effort

[@circlepfarm9729]

You can unscrew the end of the grease line fitting ( the one the end of the hose, not the zerk ) and it will loosen it up so it’s not so tight.

[@TheSonsOfSimon]

Try unscrewing the tip from the tip of the grease gun. My grease gun is the same way. It will “lock” on to the grease fitting, and once you unscrew it about 1/4 of the thread depth, it falls off of the fitting without any force.

[@sidneyeaston6927]

some tips work like hose fittings and can not be removed while there is any sort of internal pressure.

[@buckwheat7424]

a grease fitting hammer works by filling the hammer with grease, put it on the fitting and hit the end with a hammer and walla, it pushes the obstruction through and you're back to greasing. the particles that plug the fittings, are tiny in comparison to the applications i'm talking about, scrapers and dozers, but even the small stuff. if you have time to stop and find a zerk fitting if you don't have an abundance of them (which doesn't help me much as they'd all be lost by the first time i'd need one,) other wise do the hammer gun.

[@scottp5331]

It works a lot better if you put in some thin oil or transmission fluids on then hammer that way it'll push through there and lube it and then you can grease it.

[@stevebors9640]

Nice sound effects Mike!

[@jerrylittle8922]

Good grease still cheaper that parts and down time..

[@JMoe936]

I run into fittings everyday that have paint on them straight from manufacturer. I’ll poke them with a pick until the ball moves correctly or I’ll replace them. I promise I do my best to make a piece of equipment or implement ready lol

[@rickcoleman8903]

Alemite is another name who manufactures it I use to make these on a Kingsbury and a sharp and brown.

[@kurtsimmons1587]

Mike by chance have you changed a bearing lately? I don’t know but in automotive they are mostly sealed. My zero turn bearings are sealed so greasing them is pointless. You have to remove the bearings and remove the cover on the side that the grease will enter. It is sad because when you do different things and remove the cover from the bearing say your belt tensioner. There really isn’t any grease in them. They’ve made things to fail nowadays!

[@sfh422]

I bought a 1985 Kubota L225, the zerk fittings were all painted over. Had to replace 2 loader cylinders.

[@johnos4892]

The lube shuttle gun is great, get one if you don't have one.