The pivots for the Case P-500 / NH 2080’s packer/closing arm have a bad tendency to pack full of dirt and stop moving, often requiring yearly removal and cleaning. Several producers have installed grease fittings to prevent this (see photo): “It seems to be working fine to grease it once really well at the end of season to push any of the dirt out. Then we’ll grease it again before the next season to re-lubricate it. During the season, we don’t have problems if the joints start out loose. It’s the setting [in the off-season] that allows the dirt to set up like a rock.”
If you have trouble getting the dust-packed closing pivots apart, here’s a good tool /method.
