How to remove Zirk fitting question
 

My Cub Cadet 127 has what I think is a 48" mower deck. See 3 photos attached.

The zirk fitting on the center pulley will not take grease. The little ball at the tip of the fitting presses in and out but still the fitting will not take grease. So I tried to unscrew the fitting but the fitting just spins like the threads are stripped.
One photo shows a wrench on the top nut of the pully shaft and a second wrench on the hex base of the zirk fitting

Does anybody know if these Zirk fittings are the kind that press rather than screw in and out?

Elsewhere, I have seen the unthreaded kind with barbs instead of threads. If this is a threaded fitting I do not want to try to just yank it out as if it were the press in kind.

FYI, It appears that the zirk fitting must first be removed before the top nut on the pulley shaft can be removed.

Thanks

I believe these are press in. I took my 50" apart, and they were press in.

Use a hat pin to hold the ball in & spray some pentrating oil,(use the plastic tube), into the fitting. You'll have to do this several times, the grease has hardened. Let it set a while & try to pump grease in again. I've watched our shop foreman do this and it works.
Good luck.
You might try unscrewing the nut. That may force the fitting out.

If that is a 45* zerk, it might be threaded in the shaft.
also I've seen where the 45* part is threaded in the zerk body, worth a closer look.

Long ago I replaced that exact grease fitting on that size/style of deck...it's pressed in. I have never found a factory threaded grease fitting on a Cub Cadet.

I'm not being arbitrary but if they are press in why do they put facets on the edges? That would tell the future mechanic that he needs a wrench to remove the fitting. That would infer threads to a thick headed person like me. If I was pressing in the Zerks I would have used a round base fitting to denote the press in quality. That probably explains why I could never remove the Zerk on my 44C center spindle.

Lots of kibitzing, but, no hints to the original posters question.

If that sucker will spin, grab on with a pair of Vice Grips and yank dentist style!!

If it is a taper fit, it should pop right out.

If it doesn't, go get your 6'6" neighbor to give it a try. - :bigthink:

OK I have a stupid question, can you just take the bolt out that the zerk is in and not even bother to remove the zerk?:bigthink:

Grab the correct size wrench and try to loosen it, if it just spins round and round with no outward movement then it must be a press in fitting. In the case it starts backing out then keep backing it out. Problem solved...:bigthink:

your hand pump grease gun only puts out about 6 to 700 PSI but the long handel grease guns can reach up to 10,000 PSI of preassure if it will not go using that much force I would suggest either appling a small amount of heat not hardly enough to scorch the paint or set it out in direct sunlight on a sunny day with a mirror reflecting sunlight at it then while it is still warm/hot attempt to grease it again if that fails only then would I attempt to remove the zert the ones on my 42" deck are basicly bolts with the center drilled out and a zert fitting installed in the head