Support leg lubrication question

[i8boots]

I bought a rear support leg for my 101A2 and it arrived rusty. Being picky I tore it apart to remove all the rust (wire wheel combined with chemical treatment) and realized that there is no lubrication at all. I have a strong feeling that the function and longevity and could be enhanced by lubricating.

All said, I know nothing about lubrication types or drawbacks and am leaning toward a nice thick coat of grease of some type to keep water out.

Anyone help me?


Pics for fun:

 

[drivebymashing]

I vote for antiseeze. Im not saying thats right but thats what i would try.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Either or. 6 of 1 half dozen another.

 

[juanprado]

yes to anti seize or wheel bearing/chassis grease but both of mine have a grease zerk fitting

 

[i8boots]

yes to anti seize or wheel bearing/chassis grease but both of mine have a grease zerk fitting

Is that what the silver button is for? It didn't look like an inlet of any type.

 

[HMMWV Nut]

Is that what the silver button is for? It didn't look like an inlet of any type.

The silver fitting just below the tee is the grease fitting

 

[i8boots]

Okay, that makes sense, but how does it work? Thanks to youtube I now kind of understand.

 

[tommys2patrick]

did you figure out it needs a grease gun with either a fixed tube end or hose and you push it onto the grease "zerk" on your support leg right? a bit of grease oozes out the various fittings once you start pumping the handle of the grease gun. eventually it starts oozing out of the landing leg joints as well. thats when you stop and clean up the excess ooze on everything including your grease gun.

 

[tommys2patrick]

also a waterproof grease axle/bearing will probably be a bit cheaper than trying to load your grease gun with anti seize grease. you can buy tubes of it at the auto parts store that will just slide into your grease gun if you unscrew the end of it. I'll bet the guys at NAPA will show you how to load/use a grease gun if you have never done it before.

 

[i8boots]

also a waterproof grease axle/bearing will probably be a bit cheaper than trying to load your grease gun with anti seize grease. you can buy tubes of it at the auto parts store that will just slide into your grease gun if you unscrew the end of it. I'll bet the guys at NAPA will show you how to load/use a grease gun if you have never done it before.

I took off the nipple and it was coated in rust all over on the inside. Seriously, this thing was bone dry. I tried to move the bearing at the top and it appears to be seized. Should I easily be able to find a new replacement for it?

 

[tommys2patrick]

I would be surprised if there is a bearing in it. As infrequently as this was designed to "pivot" it might not even have a bushing. Zerks are easily replaced and inexpensive. Remember this is not a high speed axle it is just a pivot. so even a little rust would not doom the part to failure because of it. I would expend more time and effort in caring for the wheel bearings or even the parking brake system. Some of these type of trailers were "undercoated" with a used oil concoction as a rust preventative measure. Often times they spent many many years parked somewhere waiting for a few months or weeks of actual use. A lot of this sort of rust comes from condensation during weather cycles. Air will get in and over time the grease will move away and metal will rust. There are a substantial amount of hidden corners in the trailer that mask rust. eventually you will see it streaking out around supports and side rails. I can certainly appreciate attention to small details as I suffer from the same dilemma.

 

[i8boots]

I plan to attend to the rest of the trailer with this amount of scrutiny. I barely use it and I love it and plan to keep it for a long time. I'm also completely new to this type of maintenance and am learning as I go. I will be checking the bearings and axle next, once this leg is repainted, lubed and attached.

 

[tommys2patrick]

I recently acquired an M101 and even though the paint is rough it has many years of life left. I, as well, am slowly going thru it and doing long needed maint. I think mine was modified by someone over its life. When I acquired it the last duty station it had was with the Colorado Forest Service.It is lacking the brace you are currently working on. I have seen them for sale relatively inexpensive. Like yours, they were probably in a surplus warehouse somewhere for 40 years and a bit rusty. Does it look like your trailer had a brace mounted at one time and was removed over the course of its life?Thanks for starting the thread.

 

[i8boots]

I recently acquired an M101 and even though the paint is rough it has many years of life left. I, as well, am slowly going thru it and doing long needed maint. I think mine was modified by someone over its life. When I acquired it the last duty station it had was with the Colorado Forest Service.It is lacking the brace you are currently working on. I have seen them for sale relatively inexpensive. Like yours, they were probably in a surplus warehouse somewhere for 40 years and a bit rusty. Does it look like your trailer had a brace mounted at one time and was removed over the course of its life?Thanks for starting the thread.

I had to drill all the holes myself, so unless someone went through the effort to weld them over and repaint, my trailer was unmodified. Be careful who you buy from on eBay. I had to buy two before I got the right part. The first seller was selling m105 stabilizers (unless 101a3 has a bigger frame channel).

 

[tommys2patrick]

I have an M105a2 and saw the difference in the two support legs on that popular auction site. At first I thought it must use the same support leg. After reading some manuals on the M101 I could see what the correct one looked like. Another interesting thing I learned was what the real purpose is for the pivoting A-frame draw bar. I know many people have used it to convert the trailer to a "dump" type. However, it appears the military used it to save space shipping multiple trailers in say the cargo hold of a ship, train, truck or airplane.

 

[i8boots]

This is funny. I'm at work and decided to buy a new grease gun nipple for the support leg. The only resource I could find about the 101 leg was... this thread! First time I googled something and my own content showed up.

Anyhow, is it a standard fitting size? I don't think I can justify spending $15 on an 100 piece assortment when all I need is one. Does anyone here know?

 

[tommys2patrick]

I would imagine you could buy just one from an auto parts store or maybe a blister pack with a couple in it. Why not give NAPA or your favorite auto part supplier a call and ask a few questions.

 

[tommys2patrick]

By the way, in my experience it is rare that a grease zirk gets rusty. it is more common that it gets smashed and does not work anymore. Have you tried just squirting grease in it before you go to all the trouble of replacing it?

 

[i8boots]

By the way, in my experience it is rare that a grease zirk gets rusty. it is more common that it gets smashed and does not work anymore. Have you tried just squirting grease in it before you go to all the trouble of replacing it?

I took a socket wrench to it and removed it. There was rust all over on the inside near the spring and there was an obvious sphere on the tip that didn't budge under pressure. Remiving the nipple also freed a part from inside the support leg that needed rust treatment so it was totally worth it. I'm serious when I say there was no grease anywhere in this support leg.

 

[tommys2patrick]

Good thing you were as thorough as you were. Whats next on your list? Or is that a separate thread you started?