# Grease zerk pulled out of auger shaft while lubing.



## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

Hello all. I am a little frustrated. I attempted to lube the auger shaft with a grease gun with red & tacky grease with lithium. It seemed the grease gun failed after seeing a little grease push out of the shear bolt hole, with the shear bolt removed to spin and spread the lube around the drive shaft. I tried the other side and no grease seemed to be coming out. I then pulled the grease gun coupler off, and the zerk came with it. 



















I have a hard time telling if the threads of the auger are stripped, but you can see the zerk threads are done for. Any suggestions on what to do about this issue?

Thanks for any replies!
:crying:


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

It appears that zerk was one of the pressed in fittings. You can tell by the rounded circumference, where a wrench would have had access and what appears to be the press lines for a one way press on grab instead of actual threads. Many Craftsman and other brands have/had press in zerk fittings.

You could try tapping for a thread in zerk, but the reason they used the press in ones was most likely due to the lack of material in the auger shaft gauge of metal. I would probably just pull the shear bolt/pin a couple times in the season, and maybe once off season, and lube the ends and shear holes with a nice spray lube, spin it, and call it a day.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Kind of looks like it's tapered which would most likely mean it's threaded.


Also looks like vise grips were used to tighten it at one point..



That is probably something like a 1/4"x28 threaded fitting so I'd find another at an auto parts store or tractor supply and get some high strength thread locker and clean the hole of grease with some brake cleaner or such and use some of the thread locker and definitely do not over tighten while you install it as the threads might be pretty well knackered in the hole!! Hopefully it's not too cold out as the threadlocker needs a day to cure at a minimum when it's not winter.


The threadlocker should fill up any busted thread spaces and once cured it's like a strong plastic and should hold the grease fitting in place.


good luck.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I agree 100% with oneacer, no threads, possibly pressed in because of not enough material for the threads, use a spray oil lube, tilt the machine, let it run to and down the shaft, call it a day, live with it. Another thing you can do, Mig weld a spot on it.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

It's a press fit zerk.


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

pressed in zerk,big giveaway is there is no hex it's just round.
as to installing a new one, first see if the hole can be threaded 1/4 x 28 if so go to it. than sometimes one can check to see what metric size works 

for a little info on zerks https://greaseextensionhoses.com/grease-fitting-thread-identification/


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## MrSnowBlow (Apr 2, 2017)

Can't say I like the idea of a pressed in fitting. What are you suppose to do when the fitting malfunctions (which they do)? A bit more complicated of a repair (whatever that may be) than simply threading out defective and threading in the new.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Ariens current models use a press-in zerk for the auger. I use a grease gun fitting for mine that has a head just about the size of the ball in the zerk so it does not put any pressure on the zerk. The grease gun fitting is made for cup type zerks and 4WD double cardan universal joints.

My old 2004 or so Craftsman built by Husqvarna had the same press-in zerks and my regular grease gun fitting tore out the zerk. It re-installed ok and after that I used the small tip grease fitting and no more trouble.


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## 71Dragtruck (Oct 27, 2019)

MrSnowBlow said:


> Can't say I like the idea of a pressed in fitting. What are you suppose to do when the fitting malfunctions (which they do)? A bit more complicated of a repair (whatever that may be) than simply threading out defective and threading in the new.


You just take a small deep socket that fits over the ball of the fitting but not over the shoulder, place it in the hole and tap it in with a hammer, easy peazy, put a dab of red Loctite on it first too if so inclined. 

But I agree, I also don't like them and prefer threaded ones.


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## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

@notabiker



notabiker said:


> Kind of looks like it's tapered which would most likely mean it's threaded.
> 
> Also looks like vise grips were used to tighten it at one point..


Actually the grease gun coupling had a very firm fit when it pulled off the auger. I had a heck of a time getting it out of that coupling, that was where those marks came from. 

Thanks for the input.


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## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

@oneacer



oneacer said:


> It appears that zerk was one of the pressed in fittings. You can tell by the rounded circumference, where a wrench would have had access and what appears to be the press lines for a one way press on grab instead of actual threads. Many Craftsman and other brands have/had press in zerk fittings.


I believe you are right! I took a close look under a magnifying glass, and rotated the zerk, concentric rings, not spiral threads.....!

Great info!


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## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

@Town



Town said:


> Ariens current models use a press-in zerk for the auger. I use a grease gun fitting for mine that has a head just about the size of the ball in the zerk so it does not put any pressure on the zerk. The grease gun fitting is made for cup type zerks and 4WD double cardan universal joints.
> 
> My old 2004 or so Craftsman built by Husqvarna had the same press-in zerks and my regular grease gun fitting tore out the zerk. It re-installed ok and after that I used the small tip grease fitting and no more trouble.


Ok, you mention a small tip grease fitting, but the other is still there. 

Is there a grease gun coupling that fits the original size zerk? ( I will say it was tight removing the coupler from the other auger as well)

How/where do I obtain a small tip grease fitting?


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

https://locknlube.com/products/locknlube-grease-coupler
Anyone ever try out this one?


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

It's only $29.95, maybe I will search for something more expensive, lol. Hey but if it works.........


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## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

@Zavie

Nice find!


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## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

@ Grunt



Grunt said:


> It's a press fit zerk.


Nice name by the way.

Do you know if the zerks are made of a softer metal than say the auger shaft? So the cheaper zerk is damaged in lieu of the expensive auger.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Sgthawker said:


> @Town
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The one I use is in the attachment. It is generally available in any auto store. I think it is referred to as a needle nose, mine is the fairly long one for deep access fittings, but it comes in various lengths. You can see the taper where it fits into the grease zerk opening. Don't be confused by the needle nose type that resembles a hyperdermic needle with a sharp edge to penetrate rubber bladders to inject grease.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Town said:


> Ariens current models use a press-in zerk for the auger. I use a grease gun fitting for mine that has a head just about the size of the ball in the zerk so it does not put any pressure on the zerk. The grease gun fitting is made for cup type zerks and 4WD double cardan universal joints.
> 
> My old 2004 or so Craftsman built by Husqvarna had the same press-in zerks and my regular grease gun fitting tore out the zerk. It re-installed ok and after that I used the small tip grease fitting and no more trouble.





Something like this?


https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...eedlepoint-coupler-quick-connect?cm_vc=-10005


Just push the tip against the check valve on the grease fitting and hold it tight while pumping in grease.. You need a pistol grip grease gun or you're going to have to use your knees to hold the gun as you have to hold constant pressure against the fitting for these to work.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

@notabiker yes that is the long version. If you have a lever gun with the metal discharge tube the needle nose will also work since it does not flex so can be held in position on the zerk while pumping the grease. Just an option.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Town said:


> @*notabiker* yes that is the long version. If you have a lever gun with the metal discharge tube the needle nose will also work since it does not flex so can be held in position on the zerk while pumping the grease. Just an option.



Suppose it will.., never thought of that because a grease gun with a hard tube isn't nearly as useful as one with a whip hose. Never owned a lever grease gun either because it's not as handy as the pistol grip versions. Work had lever ones and I found them a pita when crawling around and under heavy equipment, especially if the chuck needs to be held in a certain position to get grease to go into the fitting. And if I need more pressure I'll put a 20v battery in my dewalt grease gun and use that instead.


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

Zavie said:


> https://locknlube.com/products/locknlube-grease-coupler
> Anyone ever try out this one?


Yep, been using LocknLube for at least 3 year now. It's expensive but essential since I also grease a lot of farm implements. Mate it with a Milwaukee M12 battery powered grease gun and you'll never look back.


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