The #1 Most Important Tractor Maintenance Practice

If I had to pick the top tractor and equipment maintenance practice that would prevent a lot of breakdowns, it would be regular greasing. Folks who are new to tractors and attachments may not realize that there are multiple zerks on a tractor that need to get a shot of grease on a regular basis. Today we talk about the basics of greasing a tractor.

First, what is grease? Basically, it's an oil with a thickener, and it's designed to slowly weep out of wear areas under pressure, providing lubrication for critical components. Our cars don't have many bearings that need regular grease, tractors, bush hogs, and any implements or attachments with moving parts, do. Failure to grease any equipment can lead to rapid wear and premature failures that won't be covered under warranty. Nobody wants that.

How does a grease gun work? It applies grease through what is called a "zerk" (I've heard them called "zurts" and seen it spelled multiple ways) which is a fitting with a ball in the end of it. When the coupler, at the end of the grease gun, is pushed on the zerk, it pushed that ball back and allows grease to flow around it. When it is removed, the pressure of the grease pushes it back. The grease stays in the cavity until that part of the tractor gets used and then it does the job of lubricating everything inside.

Once the coupler is on the zerk, start applying grease by pushing the handle of the gun. On some tractors with cheap zerks, you need to keep the coupler exactly lined up or grease will flow out everywhere outside of the zerk and not go where it's supposed to. That's why I use the safeLOCK locking coupler, available here: https://asktractormike.com/product/lu.... With one of these, once locked on, the grease has to go where it's supposed to.

If you've purchased a new tractor, assume that none of the grease zerks have been serviced. That's because, in the dealership world, tractor prep is not generally done by the top technician, in fact, it could have been done by a poorly-trained high school kid in the busy season. So, double check your dealer's work.

The owner's manual is invaluable to help locate all of the grease zerks, and it will tell the number of hours you can go between greasing. Follow it, and your equipment will last longer.

LINKS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT...
The Tractor Fun Store: https://asktractormike.com/products-f...
Support the Tractor Mike Channel:   / tractormike  
Visit the Tractor Mike website: http://asktractormike.com/
Visit Facebook Page:   / ask-tractor-mike-312112962245304  

Copyright 2021 Tractor Mike LLC