Greasing springs

opus · May 03, 2011, 07:25:09 AM

All I have is a generic air compressor, good enough? I can only do it about 5 days at a time, but it might be worth a shot.

opus · May 03, 2011, 08:19:58 AM

Just talked to the shop that maintained this thing. He said it is typical of Blue Bird. They dont have a grease groove in the bushings. They have seen it a lot. Pull the bushings and grind grooves in them. His spring guy is going to call me with more info.

bevans6 · May 03, 2011, 08:56:46 AM

This is the sort of thing that a spring shop deals with all the time. Maybe there is a local truck suspension shop that could change the bushings for you. They tend to have the really big ornery tools needed to do this sort of thing easily...

Brian

opus · May 03, 2011, 02:17:27 PM

Yeah there is one 120 miles away. $102 an hour....yippee!

Barn Owl · May 03, 2011, 04:21:08 PM

If you are not putting very many miles on it I would just run it and inspect it once a year. With the few miles a conversion gets you would be a long time wearing it out, possibly never. To squeeze the most money out of the equipment where I work they have adopted a "run to failure" on noncritical parts. I must admit it works rather well. Even if you run it lets say 10k miles, that is time and capital you can use elsewhere where there is more of an immediate need.

opus · May 03, 2011, 04:27:40 PM

Thats where I am at. I just dont want to break a spring. I have half a notion to run it till something wears, then grease it.

The mechanic in me knows this is wrong, and I have trouble over riding that opinion. LOL!. It will cost me a few bucks to get this done because it is not going to be an easy job at all. Let alone if everything was out in the open. Rears springs with a rear engine and a fuel tank and air tanks, etc. I am not even sure where they would start. I bet we do less than 10,000 a year.

robertglines1 · May 03, 2011, 04:36:12 PM

That is some tuff steel there but if ya feel tuff drill thru the spring from the center of the end of the loop of the spring leaf and thread a grease zert in- drill deep enough to reach the center pin. have done it no easy job but doable.

opus · May 03, 2011, 04:38:20 PM

Was thinking that but that sure would be a tough job. I am probably fretting for nothing. How many things have you seen that hadnt got grease in many years and they were just fine. LOL!

opus · May 04, 2011, 05:05:33 PM

Attacked the 2 front ones I couldnt get, today. Ended up making a puller for the pins, heated up the brackets a little and pulled them out. The pin has one hole in it, and no groove or anything. There was a little plug in it, with nowhere to go. We ground a groove in both pins. 1000 mile trip this weekend, then we will make an attempt at the rears. I pressure pumped some MMO in one of the rears. See if it does anything along the trip.

opus · July 07, 2011, 06:47:23 PM

Almost 100 today and finally got grease in all 6 rear zerks. We tried to pull the pins, no luck. Again, we hooked up the porta-power into the zerk hole in the bushing. 10 tons worth of pressure using MMO. Must have been the ambient heat. We had one side up on a bottle jack and got them to break lose. We still had to work at it and heat a couple with a propane torch.

We greased them well, to say the least. Drop the bus back on the ground and tried to grease them, no deal. Guess we will have to jack it up everytime I grease it, oh boy. Poor design on the pin, but they are tight and a lot of work to replace so, jacking it will have to do.

I am thrilled we got this done!

robertglines1 · July 07, 2011, 07:04:10 PM

Hope you used a good grease

nice when a plan comes together

opus · July 07, 2011, 07:05:01 PM

Uh-huh, I used good grease.

Chopper Scott · July 07, 2011, 08:40:47 PM

I don't know if this applies but I basically do stuff like this for a living. I have found that heating stuff red hot and quickly cooling it in water loosens up the rust that has seezed up the part. It may not work in your instance but just offering an idea.

opus · July 07, 2011, 08:41:39 PM

There was no rust. Just dust and grease and a poorly designed grease pin.

Chopper Scott · July 07, 2011, 08:57:08 PM

I should have worded that better.... old grease!

Just glad you got some grease in it. I've been around some new type machinery that wouldn't take grease unless it was folded out or folded in. Just be glad you only have to deal with it once a year at best!!