Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/36447
BIG RIG BASICS JOHN BAXTER Lube Job Frequent, thorough greasing is vital to ensuring the reliability and long life of many expensive components ny successful owner-operator will tell you he’s saved money over the years by greasing his rig as frequently as possible. Greasing is an easy job that even an inexperi- enced mechanic can easily perform. It’s normally best to grease at least once between oil changes with the longer change intervals allowed today. A 1 Grab your owner’s manual and find out what kind of grease is recommended for your vehi- cle. Most manufacturers recom- mend NLGI (National Lubes and Grease Institute) No. 2. The num- bers refer to the thickness of the grease, 00 for semi-solid grease used in some wheel bearings, and 7 for grease that’s like a cake of soap. Make sure slack adjusters get the proper grease, which may be different. 3 2 Check the manual for a list of components that need grease. These typically include: steering components like universal joints, slip yokes, control arms, tie rods, and kingpins; driveshaft crosses and center bearings; automatic slack adjusters and the camshaft bushings nearby; spring shackle pins and, sometimes, spring hang- ers; and fifth wheel grease points and the fifth wheel plate that sup- ports the trailer. On trailers, the spring and suspension compo- nents need greasing, as well as the landing gear. 3 Starting at the front of your vehicle, grease every compo- nent that has a zerk fitting. Look- ing for zerks is one way to avoid missing anything. You can see a zerk in this illustration of a land- ing gear’s gearbox. The zerk is near the top, and is a small, BIG RIG BASICS TIP OWNER-OPERATOR EARL EVANS, OF CANFIELD, OHIO, CARRIES A GREASE GUN. He says, “By greasing every 2,500 miles, I’ve never replaced any greased component on any of my rigs.” He adds, “Grease a fitting until you can see fresh grease all around. If the old grease is still fresh and you can’t tell when the new grease comes out, just make sure to push out as much as you’ve pumped in.” 26 TRUCKERS NEWS AUGUST 2011 5 screw-in fitting with a point on the end with a small hole where the grease can pass into the component. 4 5 Purge dirty grease from the end of the grease gun by pumping the handle once or twice. Wipe each zerk fitting with a clean rag first. Do this to keep road grime from being forced into the com- ponent, which increases wear. Install the female fitting on the end of the grease gun onto the zerk by lining it up straight and then forcing it on. You’ll feel it snap into place. Slowly and gently pump the handle on the grease gun. You may need to pull it all the way out to start the pro- cess. Slowly pump grease into the fitting with the gun until fresh grease (the color of what’s in the cartridge) oozes out. In this case the technician is greasing a drive- shaft cross. These must be greased until fresh grease emerges from all four bearings. Earl Evans 6 Wipe off excess grease, then pull the grease gun off the zerk. Repeat for items such as: