grease fitting

[Gold Nugget]

Zert fitting on the rear end?

Cant find it in the books, how often does it need attention and how much. I assume just 1-2 pumps of the grease gun. I can see that in its location, over greasing would be an issue.

EDIT: Found-It in the search, (install at the factory,greased at assembly) does not need to be greased for the life of the part.

Needed a bump for new trike owners....As Myself....

[Burnerboy]

My "thoughts" only here: I'm no expert, but my thoughts are if the grease zerks are there, then we must have to give it a shot of grease every so often...I usually jack up the rear of my Roadsmith in the beginning of every season and just pump in a few shots in each zerk (two that I can see)

Ronnie

[tfdeputydawg]

Not sure I play with a full deck but, why would $'s be spent and time wasted to put in a zerk if one never needed to add grease????

[hogcowboy]

Or at the very least a shot or two every 50K miles. But that may be why they say not needed for life. Very few ever see that many miles.

[Gold Nugget]

Not sure I play with a full deck but, why would $'s be spent and time wasted to put in a zerk if one never needed to add grease????

I totally agree,

But in today's times not much makes sense.

Its just a location and the rotation, That I see being over greased might be a problem. I want to make sure, If I grease or not. Ive seen water proof seals get pushed out by over greasing (to much pressure).

[DK Custom Products]

The service manual specifically states to NEVER put grease into the rear end via that zerk fitting. It is used by the factory, and is non-serviceable.

Kevin

[Mykneesbehurtin]

As Kevin said its greased from the factory and good for the life of the rear end.

[David792]

Agreed with the above posts. Long ago, we used to have to grease all those fittings. We pushed the grease in until clean grease was pushed past the seals. I drove a dump truck that must have had about 50 fittings that needed to be greased. These days most, if not all, bearings are sealed and never need grease. That factory installed fitting doesn't need grease. They should pull those fittings and cap them after they finish assembly.

[rhino 2]

Zert fitting on the rear end?

Cant find it in the books, how often does it need attention and how much. I assume just 1-2 pumps of the grease gun. I can see that in its location, over greasing would be an issue.

EDIT: Found-It in the search, (install at the factory,greased at assembly) does not need to be greased for the life of the part.

Needed a bump for new trike owners.

I know on my 2011 Tri-Glde there was a Zert on the head bearing tube and well hidden i might add....On latter models that was changed over to Factory greased..

[trikermutha]

I agree with not greasing. Its greased for life

[Gold Nugget]

THANK YOU!

Being old school, I want, "TO GREASE-it".........But common sense told me "NO" way!

[Gold Nugget]

Agreed with the above posts. Long ago, we used to have to grease all those fittings. We pushed the grease in until clean grease was pushed past the seals. I drove a dump truck that must have had about 50 fittings that needed to be greased. These days most, if not all, bearings are sealed and never need grease. That factory installed fitting doesn't need grease. They should pull those fittings and cap them after they finish assembly.

YA, 2- tubes. You "PUMPED TILL GREASE CAME OUT"! than hit it a couple more times..........

If grease didn't come out, it needed more...........

[hogcowboy]

I know there must be a reason they do it this way but it seems like a waste to drill a hole, tap it, and install a zerk fitting when a smaller hole with grease installed with a needle and then plugged would stop the confusion. In fact I think I would remove the zerk and put a small plug in if I had one just so I would accidentally hit it with more grease. I have a lot of farm equipment and a zerk means grease me. I'd sure like to know HDs logic behind this as there must be a reason but my way as I stated sure seems more logical.

[DK Custom Products]

I know there must be a reason they do it this way but it seems like a waste to drill a hole, tap it, and install a zerk fitting when a smaller hole with grease installed with a needle and then plugged would stop the confusion. In fact I think I would remove the zerk and put a small plug in if I had one just so I would accidentally hit it with more grease. I have a lot of farm equipment and a zerk means grease me. I'd sure like to know HDs logic behind this as there must be a reason but my way as I stated sure seems more logical.

I've had the same thoughts.

Only thing I can think of is if the rear end needed to be rebuilt, then the zerk is there for the one-time "fill-up" needed.

But anyone that has the skill, knowledge & tools to do a rebuild could certainly remove a plug, put a zerk in, do their thing, then replace the plug.

So it probably just comes down to cost savings.

Kevin

[Philip R]

I've had the same thoughts.

Only thing I can think of is if the rear end needed to be rebuilt, then the zerk is there for the one-time "fill-up" needed.

But anyone that has the skill, knowledge & tools to do a rebuild could certainly remove a plug, put a zerk in, do their thing, then replace the plug.

So it probably just comes down to cost savings.

Kevin

My thoughts is it is factory greased & maybe has a little pressure on it. Taking out the zert was another step they didn't want to spend money on. The zert makes a good bull plug.

[ultrafxr]

I'm a bit of a history buff and like to know the origins of things . . . and how they got their name. Pretty interesting about zerk fittings. Here is the intro to the bio of the inventor:

Oskar Zerkowitz emigrated to the United States and changed his name to "Oscar Ulysses Zerk". He was also known as "Oscar V. Zerk". He became a world-famous inventor and one of his most prominent creations was a grease fitting known as "the zerk". This was a lubrication system which became the basis for those used on nearly every car, truck, plane, and other mechanized vehicle. At the time of his death in 1968, it was estimated that 20 billion of these fittings had been manufactured.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

We should start a thread for things we don't understand that Harley does ...

The Zerk

This https://www.triketalk.com/forum/thre...-Parking-Brake

Gotta be lots more ...

[rhino 2]

We should start a thread for things we don't understand that Harley does ...

The Zerk

This https://www.triketalk.com/forum/thre...-Parking-Brake

Gotta be lots more ...

Nothing to understand.....One word......''Costs'', ..

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Nothing to understand.....One word......''Costs'', ..

Can't be cheaper to polish the brake spacer that just keep the paint on it.

[Gold Nugget]

My thoughts is it is factory greased & maybe has a little pressure on it. Taking out the zert was another step they didn't want to spend money on. The zert makes a good bull plug.

If it makes it water tight, by adding a small amount of inside pressure. that's where its possible to blow the seal by adding more. once it blow's by it being in a rotational place, it will come out.

.

EDIT: OK, I looked in the parts manual and is what I be leave is the case for the fitting is to grease, don't know how often, but in the "differential assembly" there is a plug along with the zerk 180deg apart.

I've seen this lots of times. SOOOOO, is what you did was "REMOVE THE PLUG" Than grease till it comes out the hole, than screw the plug back in. Just thinking this is the case.

This way you Can add fresh grease without hurting the seals.......