Thoughts on AutoLube Systems

Hey guys, just curious to hear what your experiences have been with Automatic Lubrication Systems (Lincoln, Graco, Groenenveld, etc...). Full disclosure, I work for an automatic lubrication system OEM, but I'm curious to hear some thoughts. Typically, it's like 5-10k for a system on a 500k machine. Seems like a no-brainer.

Why doesn't everyone use them?

Hi Adam.

I have just recently retired from a long ( way too long ) career as a logging mechanic on the westcoast.

We tired Autolube systems years ago and they were so problematic that they were hated for all the damage that came from them.

Logging is a hard trade on any machine, we put machines in places and do things to them that normal people shake their heads over.

A branch would come up and clean a line off.
A branch would hit one of the steel lines and damage, pinch off or even remove it.

The older systems would fail and not let the operator know so we ended up with lots of build up and bore jobs.

Loggers are a fairly frugal bunch by nature.
Heck, when I retired I was still looking after machines that were built in the 80's.
We also have long memories, and when you have this fantastic option that will make sure that your machines are grease on a regular basis, and they fail.
Well, we remember.

I know the new systems are better, I worked with them in mining.
But the people that I know around my part of the world would rather pay the operator to grease his machine daily. It is the easiest way.
There are still places that will have to be hand greased anyways, operator needs to look at his machine daily, may as well do all of this in one shot.
When you install an auto grease, I find the operators will get a little complacent about greasing, not to mention the down time when a line gets ripped off.

It always seems one line will get plugged and know one will know till it starts showing wear if it's an owner operator they would probably notice pretty quick but most owner operators wont spring 10 grand when a grease gun is 30 bucks and it's easy to grease and check everything that way

Thank you for your reply. Believe it or not, I don't have much experience in the logging market. I'm guessing it's just bigger out west. I've only been with Graco for 3 years, but yeah, I can say that the pumps have gotten much better/reliable/rugged and provide a lot more feedback. We can usually hit all of the points on a machine - I have had some customers spec OUT the swing gear on excavators because of the seal involved.

Regarding the lines being ripped off - yeah, we've (the big brains in engineering) done a lot of research regarding that, and found that we minimize it a good bit with proper installation and if anything is really exposed (like on the stick or boom) we include guarding in our kits. Of course it hasn't solved everything...I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the operators seem to have contests for most inventive way to damage the machine.

Anyway, thanks bud. I appreciate the response.

We had a late 1960's New Idea corn picker that had an early " Auto Lube " set up .

Grease gun was mounted up by the operator & plumed in to a series of lines to the fittings .

It looked good on paper …. Problem was the grease went like water to the easiest path . Some got it and others never did .

Pretty hard to beet a hand gun .

Autolube is one thing, but grease distribution is another. Simply put, all lines going to various points can't share the same supply. Like TD stated, pumped grease like water will follow the path of least resistance so you have to come up with distribution valves that insure grease actually gets pumped to each point which naturally starts adding up in purchase/install dollars of the autolube system. As pointed out, grease guns are cheap for an individual whereas larger outfits have a lube truck. In both those cases it's a human hitting every point. If a point is fouled it's noted at reported, something an autolube system can't do. And in my experience, especially with rental fleet machines fitted with autolube reservoirs the biggest problem is re-fill. Job sites are dirty and dusty, which both stick to grease real good, invariably those contaminants end up in the autolube reservoir. Lincoln has a typical zerk fitting supposedly to connect a grease pump to it to refill the reservoir. Yeah, right, I ain't got all day to fill that tub so the lid comes off. And rental customers will cover that opening where the lid come off with grease, which, hello more dirt and grime. Yes, they are handy, even beneficial with proper use, and down right necessary for a hydraulic breaker, but put an idiot behind the wheel or the sticks, which there's no short supply of.

What's really funny is in 1969 Grandad was worried about the " Auto lube " system on the corn picker while Neil Armstrong was headed to the moon .


What would Neil say today ……..? " Grab a grease gun & hit every fitting before the mission "

I wager he would say that TD

Even on machines in a factory... We had many instances of grease pumped on the floor when a line broke or fitting failed with auto lube systems. These machines ran 24/7 and a central point was the only way to get lube in while operating. At least with a central point, the regular lube person could tell something was off when the pumping effort changed.

I had autolube on a Volvo wheeled excavator (EW140). Over 8000 hours on it and the pins were like new. Yes, ripped lines out a few times (ripped hydraulic hoses off a few times as well), but a lot easier to fix than hydraulics.
If I bought any new full sized machine that I intended to keep it would be a no brainer, as you say, to have autolube fitted. It doesn't do away with the operator inspecting the machine and I would want a good installer who undertood my business to minimise hose runs being in the wrong place, but in my opionion money well spent.

My grandpa is running his 2nd forage harvester with an autolube system. First was a 7350, new one is a 7380. It has a special, large zerk and associated grease gun to fill it. Load grease tube into special gun, plunge it in. Goes easy enough for our uses and we don't take the lid off the reservoir.

This isn't our machine, but fitted similar . Tub is mounted on handrail by cab, makes it real easy to glance over and monitor the system. Make sure tub scraper is spinning , pressure gauge stays at 50 psi.
Add a couple tubes to reservoir while fueling. Walk around, check belts/chains and watch bearing locations for signs of fresh grease. System has worked out well for us. Out of everything on the farm, this is the only machine we have it on, but it's also one of the most time consuming to grease.

I have a good friend that has two 500 Kamatso loaders. 32,000hrs and 17,000hrs both have Lincoln auto lubes on them. He has a gravel quarry business. They work great in this application.

The newer autolube systems (Lincoln) have even distribution valves on them that make sure each joint gets an equal shot, if the hose gets torn off there is no resistance in that valve and the luber shuts down with a fault. However, there is still the issue of now nothing is getting grease because the alarm is inaudible inside the pump outside when the machine is running, and the indicator is a blinking light in the rocker switch that manually turns the unit on for greasing outside of it's programmed interval. since the operator is used to not having to grease the machine, he also doesn't pay much attention to the thing that is supposed to be "automatic" and the pins and bushings suffer. We have removed all of our autolube systems and gone back to operator doing it. I'd say in a quarry application they would be awesome, but not in normal construction.

The key to the systems is the same as the key to any successful operation. They take maintenance like any other part of a machine. Timber companies like Weyerhaeuser spec them on all new machines now. They don't install them on the grapples on their shovels where things get torn up regular. They are on the implement joints and I saw a huge difference in the life of the joints. Construction companies are also adding them all the time now and again I've seen a huge difference over time. Eight thousand hour machines with little or no slop in the implements is cost effective in my view. Another point I can make is how many times a joint gets packed and grease only goes to one place and then out and the operator says nothing about it. The joint is ruined before anything is known and the operator blames it on the machine and design and not his lazy ways.

Maybe a different way to look at this might be the number of joints that have to be greased. I've only seen one or two dozers with a system and there really aren't many joints. A battery powered gun with a diligent operator is probably enough. On the other hand a wheel loader, excavator or piece of farm machinery is worth consideration. One contractor maintenance superintendent I know put lube systems on his highway dump trucks. Said he would rather drivers drive and not get under the trucks with all the cleanliness and safety issue that entails. He reckoned it takes about fifteen minutes a truck to lube each and he has between thirty to fifty trucks running each day. That's a minimum of 7.5 hours that the trucks could be earning money. At $90 and hour for each truck that's a cost of $720 each day minimum for greasing the fleet. Say a system costs $7,500 per truck the payback per system might be $48 per day or be paid off in 156.25 days of operation. That is a pay off in less than one year of operation. If you add any stats on injury claims this becomes a no brainer real quick.

John C. said:

One contractor maintenance superintendent I know put lube systems on his highway dump trucks. Said he would rather drivers drive and not get under the trucks with all the cleanliness and safety issue that entails. He reckoned it takes about fifteen minutes a truck to lube each and he has between thirty to fifty trucks running each day.

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Lube systems to what fittings? I always hated greasing trucks more than anything. Getting to the slack adjusters and some of the front steering linkage on a creeper wedging yourself under these low riders these days. But I would be leery of hooking up extraneous hoses to the slack adjusters for safety reasons. Same with the steering linkage. Also at the fire department where I used to work we had trouble with too much grease being applied to the camshaft tubes coming out into the brakes.

I can imagine they did things like box bosses, lift cylinders, maybe some suspension points like spring hangers and torque rods and I can see steering linkages working OK. King pins for sure. Next time I'm over that way I'll ask if I can get a couple on pictures.

We had auto lube in the 70's into the 90's when I was more active mechanicing. What I saw was most being removed and men doing daily grease work prior to working the machines or at least weekly on trucks as when a line popped or a fitting choked either a pin was destroyed or a genuine mess made or both. First ones to usually screw up release bearing on clutches, lube would be rolling out the inspection cover, first pins to fail, spring eyes and high movement impact zone damage region pins on excavators dump trucks and loaders.

I still would not have one even as many swear by them I swore at too many previously.

We have o Lincoln on a 980g 27000 hours and the original pins are like new the pins get greased every 30 mins while everything is moving puts the grease all around the pin no contamination from dust and dirt on the zerks Of course it takes an operator that watches everything a lot of fittings on those machines are remote hoses so its really the same trouble with hand greasing

Why would anyone put auto lube on a throw out bearing?

I have 2 Groeneveld systems on trucks and they work great although the last one was incorrectly plumbed to the fifth wheel without the proper restrictors. once that was solved, its worked good ever since. everything is plumbed in. the only things to grease are the u-joints and the steering shaft. just don't ever get them airlocked and use the proper grease( I use the Groeneveld grease). the only problem is that when not regularly under the trucks, you may miss other stuff that you would notice while greasing. the reservoir only takes 2 min to fill. I use a volume pump (alemite) with the quick coupler fitting and don't have any problems. my trucks originally came from TRIMAC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS and as far as I know, they are still specing all their trucks with the Groeneveld systems