Tire Carrier Swing Arm Grease

smallfry

smallfry

New member
What are you all using to grease the swing arm on your tire carrier?

I was cheap and just put some lithium grease on the pivot point that I had laying around but it's worn out and it's the swing arm doesn't move as freely now.
 
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smallfry said:
What are you all using to grease the swing arm on your tire carrier?

I was cheap and just put some lithium grease on the pivot point that I had laying around but it's worn out and it's the swing arm doesn't move as freely now.
Click to expand...

I would drill and tap then install a zerk fitting. Thats in my plan of things when i build mine.
 
TheDurk said:
On a pivot arm? I have 50-year old swivels (all with zeks) on my tractor that see 100 times the use on just steel. Add the zerk and steel on steel is fine.
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I was asking which type of hinge he had. The two most common Ive seen are the double shear type with bronze bushing.
https://www.comp4x4.com/Tire-Carrier-Hinge-Kit-Dual-Shear-Face-Mount.html

Or a hinge with a spindle like this

https://www.comp4x4.com/Tire-Carrier-Hinge-Kit-HEAVY-DUTY-1-3-4-Spindle.html

Most are good with just 3in1 oil on the type with bronze bushings and the type with the roller bearings usually have a zirk for adding grease.
 
TheDurk said:
On a pivot arm? I have 50-year old swivels (all with zeks) on my tractor that see 100 times the use on just steel. Add the zerk and steel on steel is fine.
Click to expand...

Yeah on our dumpsters at work (5-30 yrd large construction dumpsters) some of them are just a barrel hinge with a metal rod inside a metal sleeve. metal on metal pivot with a zerk installed to grease and help rotate the large steel door.
 
cj80cruiser said:
I was asking which type of hinge he had. The two most common Ive seen are the double shear type with bronze bushing.
https://www.comp4x4.com/Tire-Carrier-Hinge-Kit-Dual-Shear-Face-Mount.html

Or a hinge with a spindle like this

https://www.comp4x4.com/Tire-Carrier-Hinge-Kit-HEAVY-DUTY-1-3-4-Spindle.html

Most are good with just 3in1 oil on the type with bronze bushings and the type with the roller bearings usually have a zirk for adding grease.
Click to expand...

Well, obviously I have stuck my nose where it doesn't belong. But when I look at how they build tractors and just now I see how all these companies make these expensive tire mount hinges for the 4x4 crowd that seem to break all the time, I kind of shake my head. The bearings may feel nice but that kind of angular load can't be good for them. If John Deere or Case built one, I bet it would have a solid 1" pin in double-shear bracket (no stinkin' bolt), and the arm ending in a beefy fork that engaged the pin. No sleeve, no zerk, no fancy bronze bushings--just hit it with some used engine oil every now and then (beats 3-in-one for that application). Same way my 6' Meyer snow plow mounts to the tractor and going strong since 1966 and taking major angular abuse every winter as 4500 pounds of tractor slams 600 lbs of snowplow into unyielding snow piles.

In any case, I'm sure good old No.2 chassis is as good as you need if it's a greasable bearing.

Sorry, feel free to ignore my left-field comment. I'll go back to posting about stuff I actually know about. (I do know about grease--average tractor has maybe 20-30 zerks.)
 
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TheDurk said:
Well, obviously I have stuck my nose where it doesn't belong. But when I look at how they build tractors and just now I see how all these companies make these expensive tire mount hinges for the 4x4 crowd that seem to break all the time, I kind of shake my head. The bearings may feel nice but that kind of angular load can't be good for them. If John Deere or Case built one, I bet it would have a solid 1" pin in double-shear bracket (no stinkin' bolt), and the arm ending in a beefy fork that engaged the pin. No sleeve, no zerk, no fancy bronze bushings--just hit it with some used engine oil every now and then (beats 3-in-one for that application). Same way my 6' Meyer snow plow mounts to the tractor and going strong since 1966 and taking major angular abuse every winter as 4500 pounds of tractor slams 600 lbs of snowplow into unyielding snow piles.

In any case, I'm sure good old No.2 chassis is as good as you need if it's a greasable bearing.

Sorry, feel free to ignore my left-field comment. I'll go back to posting about stuff I actually know about. (I do know about grease--average tractor has maybe 20-30 zerks.)
Click to expand...

Those more expensive roller bearing type seem to be the typical style on expensive carriers but I definitely like the double shear 1" through bolt type myself.

The bronze bearing type are relatively cheap compared to the single shear roller bearing type.

I think the bolt design verses pin design is to help control any up and down wiggle which translates to a lot of annoying noise coming from the rear end. Also the latch needs to be under some tension to help with keeping squeaking to a minimum.
 
TheDurk said:
Well, obviously I have stuck my nose where it doesn't belong. But when I look at how they build tractors and just now I see how all these companies make these expensive tire mount hinges for the 4x4 crowd that seem to break all the time, I kind of shake my head. The bearings may feel nice but that kind of angular load can't be good for them. If John Deere or Case built one, I bet it would have a solid 1" pin in double-shear bracket (no stinkin' bolt), and the arm ending in a beefy fork that engaged the pin. No sleeve, no zerk, no fancy bronze bushings--just hit it with some used engine oil every now and then (beats 3-in-one for that application). Same way my 6' Meyer snow plow mounts to the tractor and going strong since 1966 and taking major angular abuse every winter as 4500 pounds of tractor slams 600 lbs of snowplow into unyielding snow piles.

In any case, I'm sure good old No.2 chassis is as good as you need if it's a greasable bearing.

Sorry, feel free to ignore my left-field comment. I'll go back to posting about stuff I actually know about. (I do know about grease--average tractor has maybe 20-30 zerks.)
Click to expand...

OK, so I know we're hijacking here, but I like the uncomfortable feel once in a while. Having built several swing out carriers on bearings, AND having one break off in the Costco parking lot, it's worth addressing.

I used to weld a trailer spindle to the bumper, which of course changed the temper of the steel, hence the breakage. Now we weld a sleeve in the bumper and pin the spindle, which is better, but I have 45lbs of water 40" from the pivot in addition to a 35" tire and the weight of the tire carrier itself. I can totally see the advantage of the double sheer, but I hate the way they operate. I think the concept of a double sheer is best, but not in a crude "tractor" manor. Can some one design it? I'm busy eating popcorn and responding to window failure threads.

:snacker:
 
cj80cruiser said:
3 in 1 oil is what I've been told to use. Motor oil would probably work too.
Click to expand...

x2. This is what i used to help get the bushings on in the beginning. Never had to grease it since. 3 years and still opens just as freely as the day i put it on.
 
IBallEngineer said:
OK, so I know we're hijacking here, but I like the uncomfortable feel once in a while. Having built several swing out carriers on bearings, AND having one break off in the Costco parking lot, it's worth addressing.

I used to weld a trailer spindle to the bumper, which of course changed the temper of the steel, hence the breakage. Now we weld a sleeve in the bumper and pin the spindle, which is better, but I have 45lbs of water 40" from the pivot in addition to a 35" tire and the weight of the tire carrier itself. I can totally see the advantage of the double sheer, but I hate the way they operate. I think the concept of a double sheer is best, but not in a crude "tractor" manor. Can some one design it? I'm busy eating popcorn and responding to window failure threads.

:snacker:
Click to expand...

calculate the moment about the pivot point and you will soon realize that double sheer is the way to go! i dono, let me see if my solid works is working... i might look into building up a double sheer.
 
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