Lx2610 / LA535 loader grease extentions

[Jake_in_AK]

I have an Lx2610 fitted with the FEL- and use the loader arms as the primary attachment, bale spears, bucket, or snow plow primarily.
I am thinking about trying to find a product to extend the grease fittings from the loader arms/bucket pins to a central location, probably down by the connecting bar that prevents or mitigates uneven load on the arms.
Mostly, I want to make it easier to grease the loader, both in terms of reaching all the points, and in not having the zerks blocked by ice/snow/frozen dirt, as clearing them out to grease is a fairly common issue for me.

Has anyone else done something similar, or tried to, and what were the complications or issues?

Mostly, I am thinking that if I dont run the lines intelligently, it could be rather easy to cause them to snag and start breaking stuff, or not realise that a pin isn't getting grease if I am not paying attention should a line break. I think I can mitigate these issues, but would like to hear from anyone who did a similar project what their problems were.

Thanks!

 

[Winkles_9]

I do something similar here in our manufacturing plant. I custom make hydraulic hoses to length and install them into the grease fittings. It is rather expensive, as grease guns produce a lot of pressure and you need to make the hoses with a high enough PSI to handle the pressure. They do it on a lot on large equipment so I am sure there are companies out there making some sort of kit to extend the grease fittings.
Just for reference, a 1/4" hydraulic hose runs about $5.00 per foot, plus the fittings you will need crimped on. You could be looking at $50 or more per hose.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

You can do it with 3/16 or 1/4 copper or stainless tubing and compression fittings. Or kits are available that use plastic tubing - Google 'remote lubrication'. It's done on commercial/industrial equipment.
I'd rip it off the first time out (good thing Kubota recesses those zerks in the pins), but it might work for you.

 

[Jake_in_AK]

I had kinda assumed around 4 to 5 hundred for all 10 (I hope I'm not mentally missing one?) Zerk fittings on the loader- found one company that makes/sells 1/4 in hosing to length with what appears to be the correct fittings.
Got the idea from heavy equip- I run dozer at a local mine as my day job. Actually what I really wanted to do was set up a tiny 5 or 10 gallon auto lube system, like our d11s have, but got talked out of it right quick when I asked one of my mechanics how much one costs... I dont need to drop another 5k into this tractor... yet.

My biggest headache is the two bucket pins, they always get filled with ice and it is a real pain at -35 to thaw with a heat gun and scrape out with a screw driver just to unveil the zerk fitting- but if i do those i keep thinking i might as well get all the loader grease points lined up somewhere convenient.

I am more than a little concerned about wiping them out first day after I install though, my basic assumption is kubota doesn't have a kit because of good reasons, but I was really hoping somebody else had done it and knew how they tended to break- learn from someone else's expense ya know.

When/if I do get them done, I'll post up how it worked out and how much it cost... and how long before I swiped them right off the loader arms doing something silly.

 

[mcfarmall]

Seems to me that the benefits don't outweigh the costs but everyone is free to spend their money as they see fit.

 

[Orange1forme]

What about making some sort of cover that can be removed for greasing?
I did not find good photos of the loader grease zerks to see what the possibility is.

 

[D2Cat]

I'd be inclined to find something along the line of a plug. It would be inexpensive, less likely to be knocked out, and easily replaced.

On the digging boom of a Ditch Witch they had threaded openings at the fitting and a pipe plug was screwed in. Needed an allen wrench to remove, so a nail or pick of some kind was needed to remove dirt, but the fitting was always clean.

Black Silicone Rubber Drill Hole Plugs Push In Compression Stem Bung 9mm-19mm | eBay

Material: Silicone (Flexible, Food Grade). Features: corrosion resistance, acid and alkali resistance, high temperature resistance 250℃, low temperature resistance -40℃, UV resistance, aging resistance, long service life, high and low temperature resistance, etc.

www.ebay.com

 

[BAP]

Put on a Lincoln Quick Lube Lubrication System and you will never have to use a grease gun again. If automatically lubricates as you run the machine. They work great. Little pricey for homeowner use.