I've got a new-to-me 2003 310SG - love it. The other day I was getting at some service items. I went through all the grease nipples on the machine and ended up with two that would not accept grease because the hole on the bushing was out of alignment from the grease nipple hole. I tried sending a cobalt drill bit down the hole once the pin was removed without luck, lol. I'd rather not due the massive amount of work to disassemble, press out the bushing, and so on, but are there any other options? Would a carbide die grinding bit chew through that bushing if carefully done at the grease point? Everything is really tight on this machine and I want to keep it that way. One bushing can be easily dealt with manually popping the pin out but the other is at the base of the backhoe arm cylinder.
I would probably take one of my carbide burrs and carefully go through the zerk hole and clean it as best i could, till it accepts grease.
OK, I shall give it a try when these -25C temps let up.
I thought there would be a groove in the bushing not a hole ?
Most bush setup I've seen have 3 items, 2 bushes and a centre section bush with a larger ID. That centre section has never been made of the same material as the outer bushes. I'm not familiar with your machine but how far is the hole in the bush out of alignment? Is it close enough to enlarge the hole where the nipple is, tap new thread then use a larger nipple? Another possibility is to drill a hole in the centre of the pin and another hole from the outside and meet the centre hole, fit a nipple in the end and grease that way.
Which ones have turned ? If the bushings turned, it would be best to remove them now before they start turning (spinning) and damage the bore they are in. Otherwise you may be looking at a line boring repair for new bushings that won't turn. They shouldn't be too difficult to remove if they are loose enough to turn due to a lack of grease.
Bushings on my Cat backhoe have a groove around the middle to accept grease and 4 holes where the grease comes out to lube the pin. The holes don't need to line up. I would look at replacement bushings to see how they're designed. You might have dried grease preventing grease getting in even though the zerk is clean.
I am fighting hardened grease at the moment on our ASV RC50 (torsion bar pivot shaft on track frame was never greased), removing zerks reveals a hardened grease that is "stretchy" it is very similar to rubber. Using a dental pick to remove/ heat etc, but not a hope. Entire 8" grease 'channel' is plugged solid. Need to pull track frames off to clean.
Thanks for all of the replies and ideas. Looking at the replacement bushing, it appears that there is a groove on the back side of the bushing, so I would imagine neither bushing have spun - they are just clogged. I will have to investigate what grease-busting products are out there to try and power through whatever is in there, lol. Nothing is sloppy or loose and all the grease-points have grease, so I know the previous owner kept up on it. Perhaps with summer temps, that will help too. Here's a picture.
I have used the above with a good success rate. Worth a try and a good tool to have for the price point.
If similar to the pictured bushing it shouldn't matter of it spun. Might have been installed new in that position. I don't know if, but many are made with grease grooves out & in. It isn't fun, but may prove necessary to remove the pin to free up a plug. Joints greased regularly don't get plugged.
agreed guys.
I have one of the "grease buster" drive tools. It works, but it takes some time and some heat helps.
I have seen good results by screwing a port-a-power hose in the grease zerk hole and applying heat, and pressure at the same time.
I've never tried the port a power. I'll put that in my bag of tricks. Thanks Tinkerer.
Taking the zerk out and putting penetrating oil in the hole and then putting the zerk fitting back in can help. I think some people have put penetraring oil in a grease gun too.
If the bush has moved it will be because the bore has stretched oversize. It won't stop moving unless the bore is welded up and line bored.
There's no evidence that it moved. Based on everyones feedback, I think it's just plugged. So, first I will yank the pin, apply heat and penetrant plus a version of the 'grease busting' tools. Make sense to have this on hand as there is lots of equipment on site. Thanks again for all of the feedback! Very much appreciated.
These are a stock item, they go to 40 ksi. https://www.enerpac.com/en-us/manual-pumps/USPumpsManualHighPressure
Make absolutely sure it is well supported when you pull the pin. It'll try to flop sideways if not well blocked. Might be a ton there.
Grease after a while can get rock hard. You need heat to get things moving again. The fact you're in a cold climate doesn't help either. A torpedo heater pointed on it can do wonders.
So can a Mapp gas Torch. Or my favorite, an induction heater.
If all you need a port-a-power pump for is to free up grease passages you don't need to buy a top of line pump like an Enerpac. I'm sure a place like Harbour Freight or a farm supply store would have something suitable for a fraction of the cost.
I'd take the zerk out, dig as much of the old greese as you can out. Soak with wd for a few days then try porta power. When I had to use a porta power I kept it under pressure and moved the joint with the machine, took a few tries but eventually got it flowing.
Personally have had very limited success in getting hardened grease cleared out of a grease groove in a bushing. Being that I am hourly and its not my machine its usually cheaper for the customer for me to just replace the bushing if its easy access.
I've owned a number of old worn out hoes. It seems I get them tightened up, then sell them. Old ones have neglect. First ever I bought was JD 410. It looked too nice, should have been a red flag. It worked great first hour, then no hydraulic power at all. Had one MAJOR leak, hard to find, hard to get at to fix, a 90 degree hydraulic fitting way up under, behind everything was cracked. That was an unpleasant week. Otherwise, little bushing, pin wear, but a number of joints hadn't taken grease in years. I concluded the backhoe valve was defective new, never resolved. It was passed from one owner to another. At least two threw a hydraulic pump at it when it didn't need a pump. By the time I resolved the valve problem, I had bought another hoe. I've tried all the cures, mostly I end up knocking the pin out to clear the channels from both ends. Pins holding heavy implements are not to be underestimated. A two ton part will kill you.