Legacy Elite II Grease Fittings

[HDRider]

[HDRider]

I have watched the video Multiple times

 

 

[HDRider]

I have three zerks that will not take grease.

 

I understand why.  Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can get them to take grease.

 

I am not expecting any real revelation, but you folks amaze me all the time.

[topgun2]

I'm sorry but I do not currently have the time to look for the rather long discussions about zerks not taking grease that we have had previously here on the Forum.  Nor have I recently looked at the video.  But, many of the zerk issues can be resolved by taking the load off the  the suspension or making sure that the little ball in the end of the zerk is not stuck shut.  If it is a zerk "ball" problem then the solution is to free that ball by tapping (gently) with something like a "nail set" or replacing the zerk (these are not expensive and are available at NAPA and most other automotive stores and/or Tractor Supply and the like.

Hope this helps!

Bill

[HDRider]

6 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

I'm sorry but I do not currently have the time to look for the rather long discussions about zerks not taking grease that we have had previously here on the Forum. 

Don't le me put you out.  Searching prior posts with a key word zerk is a bit overwhelming. I got 187 pages.

6 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

taking the load off the  the suspension

That is a an idea.

6 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

making sure that the little ball in the end of the zerk is not stuck shut

I did try that.

6 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

replacing the zerk

I have a lot of equipment with zerks.  Easy to take out and clean.  I don't think the Oliver zerks come out.  Normally I just take a socket and screw them out.  There is no nut-like shape to the Oliver zerks.

[SNY SD UP]

there is also reference to the "little yellow Zerk Covers/caps" that has a collar that will fit around the zerks, and the cap which will cover the bearing where the grease is introduced.

"we may have broken some leaf springs to and from Alaska & TUK, but we had the cleanest Zerk fittings on the ALCAN..."

 

B~Out

[Boudicca908]

1 hour ago, HDRider said:

I understand why.  Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can get them to take grease.

I had a lot of difficulty in the past -- but resolved my issue. You say you know why, but didn't explain the root cause in your post, so I don't know if my issue was the same... 

My best solution was to use this: Tandem Trailer Tire Changing Ramp -- it takes the pressure off the tire that is being obstinate. Works like a charm! I hope this helps you. 

ADDED INFO:  I bought some spare zerks as one of mine was messed up. They do come out, but I think it took a tool (I had a very nice guy help me in southern Colorado do that; I provided the spare zerk and he replaced it because I didn't have the strength or the right tool at the time.)  

MORE ADDED INFO: I always keep my zerks covered with those yellow grease fitting caps, and I believe they are a plus. Grease Fitting Caps

Edited Sunday at 05:28 PM by Boudicca908

[HDRider]

Taking pressure off the wheels did it.

 

Easy peasy after that.

 

I ordered some zerk caps too.  I don't think the zerk was clogged.  

[2008RN]

When I took my Zirk’s out, I had to hold the wet nut bolt with a wrench, and then use vice grips on the Zirk head to loosen it up. The hex heads on the desserts just stripped out with me needless to say I had to replace all of the Zirk’s.

[Zodd]

@Boudicca908 The trailer-aid has worked well for you to get the off tire off the ground? I had heard reports that, given the Oliver suspension and axle spacing, lifting the other wheel off the ground was questionable. 

[Boudicca908]

2 hours ago, Zodd said:

The trailer-aid has worked well for you to get the off tire off the ground?

I have not used it to try to change the tires, but yes, I used it once to release the weight on the set of zerks that were not accepting grease, and it worked well. Taking pressure off that tire was recommended to me by other Oliver owners and by the service department, and I haven't read anything that suggested a concern about it. Do you mean that it's hard to actually get the wheel off the ground, or that doing so would cause a problem with the other elements of the trailer? 

[jd1923]

18 minutes ago, Boudicca908 said:

I have not used it to try to change the tires…

On our OEM suspension, with the weak 1750 LB Dexter springs, the axles would droop, so such devices would not work.

So, why carry one? Just use the Oliver stabilizer jacks to change tires and for other service! 😎

[Boudicca908]

4 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

So, why carry one? J

I know this has been a debate on the forum and I'm not going to get into it (about using the Stabilizer Jacks to jack the Oliver). 

But to answer your question, I will carry the tire ramp so I can grease my own zerks! It's so easy. Since I travel for months at a time, I track my mileage and care for those zerks all summer. 

[Zodd]

1 hour ago, Boudicca908 said:

Do you mean that it's hard to actually get the wheel off the ground, or that doing so would cause a problem with the other elements of the trailer? 

Not that it would cause a problem, but just that it would not get all the way off the ground. 

[Boudicca908]

32 minutes ago, Zodd said:

Not that it would cause a problem, but just that it would not get all the way off the ground. 

Unfortunately, I can't vouch whether it did or not, but I will check my photos and see if I can find anything. If I can, I will post back here. 

[Hokieman]

8 hours ago, Zodd said:

@Boudicca908 The trailer-aid has worked well for you to get the off tire off the ground? I had heard reports that, given the Oliver suspension and axle spacing, lifting the other wheel off the ground was questionable

See this  thread where several have tried these type ramps and they worked, and for others they did not.  In that thread, the topic was about changing a tire.  Either way,  I think one of these ramps would take enough weight off one wheel to allow grease to enter the uncooperative  wet bolt.
 

 https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3630-jack-points/

Edited 15 hours ago by Hokieman
Changed content

[jd1923]

8 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

I know this has been a debate on the forum...

The best jack, the quickest and safest jack, is our built-in Barker VIP 3000. 😎

When upgrading axles, I would not support the hull in any other way. I'm not using jacks on wheels or bottle jacks on a trailer that can move. I added a jack stand underneath before I got under it. If the jacks can do this, they can be used for any maintenance. I had it sitting like this for 4 days by the time I got the old parts out and new axles and leaf springs installed.

 

 

Edited 13 hours ago by jd1923

[Boudicca908]

11 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I had it sitting like this for 4 days

On level concrete, I see. Thanks for the photos -- that makes an impression!

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

On level concrete, I see. Thanks for the photos -- that makes an impression!

Actually, the angle to which I took the photo just makes it look level. Not much level ground up here, including our driveway!

The wet-bolts were very difficult to line up when mounting the leaf springs due to the sloped driveway. There is NO WAY I would have used other jacks and jack stands (even if it was level ground). But with our driveway sloping down back to front and right to left, with wind always coming over our ridge, the built-in jack stands are the only safe way to lift the hull.

Trust these jacks, rated to 3,000 LBS each, bolted to the frame (given OTT did not forget to finish the weld as was found in our hull). These jacks and their mounts can be inspected in the basement.

The ONLY reason OTT does not advise using the built-in jacks is liability indemnification (since there is no science behind their change in procedure through the years). If the Oliver Owner get's in an accident using aftermarket equipment, OTT cannot be liable. Q: What's best for you? A: Using the built-in jacks. Q: What's best for OTT? A: When customers create product damage or bodily harm it's not created by their product, or anything they installed. Use a 3rd-party jack stand on the "Jack Point" and your hull comes crashing down to the ground, causing damage to the hull? OTT can claim no liability, but operator error.

On older hulls the “jack points” as shown are the jacks! The hulls and jacks haven't changed, just the legal position has changed.

From the 2016 manual below (two screen-prints). It's the proper way to change a tire, or lift the wheels for any maintenance task! 😎

Edited 25 minutes ago by jd1923