First Maintenance

[Old_Paint]

Got about 10 hours on the clock, so went and bought a new grease gun (air operated) and a case of Hi-Temp Moly EP grease.

Just out of curiosity, with an FEL, and normal tractor lubing, any one give me some general idea how long a 14 oz cartridge will last, and also, some idea about how much to put in each FEL joint, etc. Just pump till I see it ooze then clean off the excess? I remember greasing things around the farm, and normally, there always seemed to be (or I was told) a certain number of shots to put in each zerk.

Just looking for suggestions, because it's probably been at least 20 years since I've greased anything other than a Husqvarna riding mower. Been driving company cars most of my career, and fleet companies frown on folks doing DIY service. Most new cars don't even have zerk fittings on them anyway.

Comments?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

1st be SURE to clean ANY paint off the Zerks !!! then clean off any dirt/grease/gunk. hmm ?, # of squirts ? a few...enough to see the old grease move out of the joint.
As for how long a tube will last....depends on actual use of the equipment. Usually add grease based on hours of use,that's loader hours NOT driving around cutting grass.... though if you get into the habit, every 10-15 to check/grease the whole tractor ain't a bad habit to get into...

 

[aaluck]

Just pump till I see it ooze then clean off the excess?

That's it. I don't wipe it off but thats perfectly fine as well.

As to how long it will last is really dependent on how often and how much you grease. I probably over grease so mine doesn't last as long as someone that maybe doesn't.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Kubota recommends greasing the loader fittings every 10 hours. I usually do it more often as the pins and bushings are steel on steel.

 

[Sammy3700]

I agree grease is cheaper than new pins and bushings and whole lot easier to install!!!

 

[Tornado]

As sidecar touches on, the objective with greasing the loader every 10 hours is to keep those pins lubricated, because it is metal on metal when the loader moves. Without grease, you start to wear the metal down, so you want to keep it greased well enough that it stays lubricated and reduces this metal on metal wear. Every 10 hours on the tractors hour meter though I have found isnt a good judge, because I may grease, then go the next 10 hours of tractor time without hardly using the FEL at all - maybe its all PTO or 3pt. implement work instead. I tend to just keep an eye on my FEL grease locations and you can tell when you need to touch them up with more grease. Keep it nice and gooey and lubed up. You want to pump grease in until you JUST start to see it ooze out from the sides. This tells you that the pin has been fully covered. Adding anymore than this is just wasting grease and will cause a mess eventually. Make sure zerks are super clean before injecting grease, as any dirt on the zerk will be forced into the zerk along with the grease. Dirt acts like sand paper between moving metal parts, so not good.

I just replaced my first tube of grease in my grease gun. I got my tractor in May 2019 (L2501) and it lasted until like October 2020. 70Hours were on the tractor. Maybe this will give you some indication of how long it will last. It lasts a good while, depending how much tractor use you have. Also note there are areas under the tractor that also need greased on occasion, its not just the FEL. Your owners manual will show all these locations so go over it well. Because of how long the grease lasts, I researched and went with a high quality grease thats like $15 a tube. It will last me roughly a year everytime I expect so its not a big deal. I also am greasing a lawn mower as well with it.

 

[GeoHorn]

Tornado, I see your point...and I once felt the same way... that the schedule addressed actual FEL USEAGE of 10 hours.

I’ve since decided that is not correct. Every time we use our tractors...if the FEL is mounted...those pins/bushings all still receive shock, wear, and operation. (I’ll bet you raise and lower your FEL several times each time you take it out for work. I know I do.) It may not have anything but the bucket or forks on it...but that’s a lot of weight and it still loads the pins/bushings and I raise it to get it out of the barn and adjust it during operating and lower it when I’m finished. Even a single “shot” of grease is helpful to drive out moisture and dirt... so I give each zerk 2-3 shots every ten hours.

In the two years since I bought a full case of grease-cartridges (which gives me a start-point for judging) I’ve only used 2 and now about midway thru #3 cartridge of the Moly I use on the FEL. (180 hrs operations).

 

[Tornado]

Tornado, I see your point...and I once felt the same way... that the schedule addressed actual FEL USEAGE of 10 hours.

I’ve since decided that is not correct. Every time we use our tractors...if the FEL is mounted...those pins/bushings all still receive shock, wear, and operation. (I’ll bet you raise and lower your FEL several times each time you take it out for work. I know I do.) It may not have anything but the bucket or forks on it...but that’s a lot of weight and it still loads the pins/bushings and I raise it to get it out of the barn and adjust it during operating and lower it when I’m finished. Even a single “shot” of grease is helpful to drive out moisture and dirt... so I give each zerk 2-3 shots every ten hours.

In the two years since I bought a full case of grease-cartridges (which gives me a start-point for judging) I’ve only used 2 and now about midway thru #3 cartridge of the Moly I use on the FEL. (180 hrs operations).

I hear you Geohorn, and don't disagree. This is why I tend to just look at the pins and make a call based on that. When there is no weight on the pins you can move them at some of the grease points, and kinda see how lubricated they look. The grease I use is dark green in color so its easy to spot as well. I do notice however that Ive I dont use the FEL, that greasing every 10 hours on the hour meter feels a little excessive in my case, as I can see the pins all still very well lubricated. Either way, the whole objective is to keep them suckers nice and lubricated, no matter what the hour meter shows, one should always make a point to keep an eye on these grease points very often and keep them properly lubricated.

 

[nbryan]

I find 2 or 3 pumps of grease at each grease point on my LA534 loader is enough to push out some old grease on both ends of the pins. A pump or 2 more at the longer pins at the bucket. I use Lucas Oil X-TRA Heavy Duty grease. Seems very good at staying put, pumps nice in the cold, doesn't dry out, no drooping in the heat. I bought a 10-pack off Amazon, saved $2 a tube that way. Lucas X-Tra HD is a bit pricey.

 

[85Hokie]

DO AS I say and not as I do about the grease .............lord knows I hit the pneumatic trigger ONE toooo many times!!!!!

If greased regularly - maybe two trigger pulls will do it - I probably have wasted more grease than has been used under pressure. I use Amsoil and Lucas red and tacky - both do well, and both are a royal PITA to clean when I get happy with the gun!!!!

AS for how long ........ depends on waste - I have a FEL / HOE and 3 - 60" decks to grease a summer and I will use 2 tubes..... again 1/3 is wasted as it oozes out!

 

[leveraddict]

Remember Its 10 hours of loader work not 10 hours on the clock! No need to over do it!

 

[Bmyers]

I waste a lot of grease. Yet, my tractor is a big investment, if I waste a little grease so be it. Typically my FEL will get greased about every other Saturday which leads to about 6-8 hours of use.

Love my dad, but don't be like him and grease once a year rather you need it or not. Since his tractor is parked next to mine now, it gets more grease than he knows about.

 

[Old_Paint]

I hit each FEL zerk with 3 shots. I saw 5 was way too much on the first pin. The SSQD latches took 4 before I saw the new grease ooze out. As most have pointed out, tacky high pressure grease leaves a mess. I knew this going into the task, though. I just didn't bring enough rags and had to go get more. I found out I'm still as good at smearing grease all over myself as I ever was. If only it lubricated my joints as well as it does the tractor. But I DO like the pneumatic gun. I've got a puny little 2 gallon compressor from HF, but it worked wonderfully for this application. I could hit about 5-6 shots before it would run again. My hose probably leaks nearly as much air as I was actually using.

The stuff I got wasn't any big name brand, but I figure if I'm keeping it all lubed, the grease is sacrificial, and doesn't necessarily need to be stupid expensive. The only reason I'd like to wipe it off is to minimize the amount of grit/dust it collects. I guess that's what my pressure washer will be good at. When I do wash it, obviously, I'll grease after to force the water out of the joints. Of all of it, I think the two zerks on the boom cylinders were the hardest to see, but not necessarily to reach with the grease gun. I raised the bucket to about waist height, and didn't have to bend over for anything except the boom cylinders. I'm sort of one-armed at the moment, so need all the help I can get. I've had both rotator cuffs repaired since June, and I don't bend as good as I used to right now. Gettin' old ain't for sissies.

I called myself looking under the tractor for more lube points, and didn't see any. Those are the ones I'm most concerned about. No matter what work you're doing, those parts get used because they're part of the tractor frame/driveline. It makes perfect sense that there would be some on the pedal linkages (HST rocker and brake pedals) so I'll check the OM and have a closer look today. Unfortunately, we're in permanent cold soggy ground mode in Alabama (typical winter time), so I'm going to have to get something to lay on under there.

I played around with it for a little while after greasing it, just to reward myself for trying to be a good owner. I think I'll stick with the 10 hour trigger, because that FEL still rattles around with the rest of the tractor even when doing something else. Can't have too much grease, because it just oozes out and falls off (in warmer weather). At $6 a tube which will last who knows long, that's pretty cheap preventative medicine.

 

[mikester]

Grease every fuel up - for me thats about every 10 hours. Start buying tubes of grease by the case.

The length of time a tube lasts is dependent on how much grease ends up on the ground.

Remember, you can't over grease but you can under grease.

 

[johnjk]

Low usage on my B3200 this past year, maybe 15hrs on it but she got greased 3x. I pump till I see it coming out and move on. Most of my FEL work will happen this fall/winter with moving rounds and snow The B1700 mmm gets greased every other mow since I bought her with 800+hrs on the clock. Had a bearing in the deck fail 2nd week of mowing and when I did the full fluid changes this fall, I found that what was paid for was not done or done incorrectly. As for how long the tube lasts? No idea but I have a couple backup tubes on the shelf if I run out. As with others, I'd rather clean up grease off the garage floor and tractor than replace pins and parts.

 

[Old_Paint]

Yeah, already went with the axiom of buying by the case. First purchase.

Beat the hell out of it yesterday for a while moving some logs and doing a little scraping for a neighbor. Clocked about 3 hours on it. He insisted on paying me, so I got paid to have fun.

Fuel and lube seems like a good cycle, but I'm thinking I'm gonna get a lot more than 10 hours out of a tank of fuel. Only used about 3 gallons in the first 7 hours or so. Think I'll stick with 10 hours, regardless of what I used it for. Definitely agree that cleaning up a bit of grease is a lot better than breaking a pin.

Now I need a little pump to eliminate lifting that fuel can. Not easy to do when healing up from rotator cuff surgery (on both shoulders).

 

[Bmyers]

Yeah, already went with the axiom of buying by the case. First purchase.

Beat the hell out of it yesterday for a while moving some logs and doing a little scraping for a neighbor. Clocked about 3 hours on it. He insisted on paying me, so I got paid to have fun.

Fuel and lube seems like a good cycle, but I'm thinking I'm gonna get a lot more than 10 hours out of a tank of fuel. Only used about 3 gallons in the first 7 hours or so. Think I'll stick with 10 hours, regardless of what I used it for. Definitely agree that cleaning up a bit of grease is a lot better than breaking a pin.

Now I need a little pump to eliminate lifting that fuel can. Not easy to do when healing up from rotator cuff surgery (on both shoulders).

AmazonSmile: TERA PUMP Portable Power Water/Fuel Transfer Battery Pump with Auto-Stop - 2.4 GPM: Automotive

I bought the battery fuel transfer pump for my dad. He can sit the can on the hood of the tractor and then let the pump do the rest of the work.

Plus, when we had a leak develop in the MF275, we used the pump to remove the fuel back into cans.