I've discovered the reasons behind mass shootings.

[cuttin edge]

My father had a lincoln grease gun. I think it was a 12 volt. It wouldn't pump red grease. It has been in my mother's shed since he died, so over 12 years. Battery is probably ruined. I've often meant to get it for home, but unless I have to put another upper control arm on my pick up, it only has one grease nipple. Yes I call them nipples. Never like to call them zerks. Maybe fittings, but never zerks.

 

[skyking1]

we have zerks and button heads. I had never messed with the buttons till I got on the 75 year old dredge.

 

[JD955SC]

I love my Milwaukee but dang if a tube of grease doesn’t feel like it lasts but about 15 seconds in it.

we have an air keg greaser setup but the hose is wrestling a greasy pig and the tip is always shot and it feels like it always goes empty on me so that’s 20 mins lost to change it out in a most cumbersome process.

and if you want fun try dealing with a POS autolube especially a hammer autolube. Guaranteed to be broke.

 

[skyking1]

The digger dredge had a lincoln air unit on the 120 pound grease barrel, with 40' of hose to wrestle. I greased the bucket at the end of the night shift. It has 3" pins and would drink 5~10 conventional tubes of grease, and take way too long that way.

 

[emmett518]

I had a hand pump grease gun, the leaver type for almost 20 years. Not sure who made it. It was marked ingersol rand, but I didn't think they made grease guns. I put a 2 foot hose on it. I used to put a new tip on it every spring, and give it a bath in the parts washer. Then some *&^% borrowed it, left it on the track of his hoe, and ran it over. Everything else has been garbage, and I only get a summer or 2 out of them before they start oozing grease and refuse to pump. Our back hoes are the worse, as they have no dedicated operator, and never get grease until they start squeaking. The plant loader and the loaders at the quarry have automatic greasers, as they are a 16 hour day gig, and most times a non stop machine. I like taking the time to grease because that's when you find things that need fixin.

Very insightful analysis. Going over this unit, and fixing all the tiny things is teaching me a lot about how the machine is laid out, and allowing me to catch questionable things before they actually break.

I've been to the hardware store and auto parts store at least once a day since the hoe arrived.

 

[T-town]

Yes I call them nipples.

Must be a Canadian thing??....... my wife ( a Newfy ) called erasers "rubbers"...... went into the college bookstore asking where they kept their 'rubbers'... clerk told her she was in the wrong store...
The roommates had a big laugh on that one..

 

[Swetz]

What would you call this then??

All kidding aside, my employer has insisted that the item above be called a space piece as not to offend anyone...no bs!

 

[skyking1]

big plumber joke " he said nipple "

 

[emmett518]

In my experience, the people that are the most reasonable, the most honest, the most un PC, and the most professional have been cops and military types. And I get the impression, blue collar folks are the same way.

As long as you can meet the standards, not whine about anything, show integrity, and concentrate on doing the best job you can on the thing that involves them, they don't give a rat's ass if you're male or female, gay or straight, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or pagan, cis or transgender. "Get er done" is the most important thing.

 

[emmett518]

It's a pipe nipple . And if you're a snowflake, in a tizzy over a word, then you obviously have too much time on your hands.

 

[NH575E]

Well, I watched this thread heading get replies and pop to the top and finally,,, I reluctantly,,, clicked on it. I think an admin should change the title to something more on topic. Just saying!

The first thing I did before my first backhoe greasing was to order a bag of grease fittings and plastic caps from Grainger. I was still working at the time and we had contract pricing from them so the cost was negligible.

I have used a pistol grip Alemite with an 18" hose for neigh on to 50 years. The hose cover is cracked all over but still doesn't leak. After the second greasing I went to Tractor Supply and bought a DeWalt 20V grease gun. I will never give up using my Alemite but it will probably never approach my backhoe again.

Lessons Learned: After the initial freeing up of all the pins a fitting that won't take grease is more often under a load than an actual fitting clog. Sometimes you have to start the machine and reposition the bucket or boom so the pressure isn't on the fitting side of the pin. After a dozen or so greasings you learn the best way to park everything before you start so you can grease the whole machine without having to move something.

I was able to free up all the pins and get all my fittings to take grease except the bottom boom pivot fitting. It really concerned me and every time I greased it I tried to force grease into it. About the third greasing with the DeWalt it gave in. That was a happy day when it gave in and took grease. I tried everything under the sun to get pressure off of it and get grease into that one fitting. My stabilizer pins are about the only ones that challenge me if I grease regular. I'm pretty sure I would have never got grease into that fitting with my Alemite gun.

In the case of the DeWalt you have to be mindful of the sound of the grease gun. If you continue to hold the trigger after it runs out it will suck the tube closed and make it a booger to get out. When the grease tube is empty it changes from a beat type sound to a constant motor type sound.

I have the lock and lube coupler on mine but I'm not in love with it. I eventually had to install the rebuild kit that came with it and it works better than it originally did. I had to clamp it in a vise to get the damn thing apart. It went in the trash at one point but being a little OCD about defeat I dug it back out and made it succumb to my repair attempt. It doesn't always grab onto a fitting easily and if you pump grease on a fitting that is clogged or blocked it can be a real pain to get off. If it happens to be in an area where you can't get a pair of channel lock pliers on it you will use your entire swear word vocabulary.

My last thought and lesson learned is grease type. Get yourself a good 5% moly grease. I use Amalie Pro Tac +. It will stay in the pins 3 or 4 times longer than a typical 3% moly. Several companies make and recommend a 5% Moly including CAT for heavy equipment use. I wouldn't use it in an automotive wheel bearing but for pins and such I think it made a big difference in how often I need to grease my machine.

Now I've gone and opened the "BEST GREASE" topic. ENJOY!

 

[cuttin edge]

Must be a Canadian thing??....... my wife ( a Newfy ) called erasers "rubbers"...... went into the college bookstore asking where they kept their 'rubbers'... clerk told her she was in the wrong store...
The roommates had a big laugh on that one.. [/QU People can pick me out as an east coaster, but Newfoundlanders have their own language. My wife is a Cape Breton girl, and has a few sayings I don't know.

 

[cuttin edge]

It's a pipe nipple . And if you're a snowflake, in a tizzy over a word, then you obviously have too much time on your hands.

I've always thought the word snowflake was wasted on what people are trying to describe. Snowflakes are mother nature's works of art, and each one is unique. I think they should just call a spade a spade.

 

[skyking1]

that greasing with the pin unloaded thing is easier to do with a helper at the controls. Sometimes that is all it takes to get things going. you find the sweet spot and away it goes.

 

[cuttin edge]

What would you call this then??

All kidding aside, my employer has insisted that the item above be called a space piece as not to offend anyone...no bs!

I think it's even labeled a nipple in the bin at the hardware store.

 

[Bluox]

we have zerks and button heads. I had never messed with the buttons till I got on the 75 year old dredge.

I bet you have never seen a grease zerk fitting .
Bob

 

[emmett518]

that greasing with the pin unloaded thing is easier to do with a helper at the controls. Sometimes that is all it takes to get things going. you find the sweet spot and away it goes.

If we're talking zerks on outriggers, what position should they be in to grease? Can you float outriggers?

 

[skyking1]

just touch them on the ground.

 

[aighead]

@emmett518 Great thread starter! I would agree wholeheartedly! Repriming my pneumatic grease gun has caused all kinds of frustration and has been a reason I don't grease enough. I went and picked up the now infamous Milwaukee 18v, but I haven't had time to try it out yet, though I'm excited to, it'll probably be a task for this weekend.

Also, thanks guys, for the note about pins not accepting grease because there is likely a load on them, I didn't think about that but it makes tons of sense.

I'm also thinking of drawing a diagram for how the hoe needs to sit for me to reach all the zerk fittings. I mess up, usually with how the hoe bucket needs to curl to reach a fitting in that pivot.

 

[Willie B]

I've got a wall adorned with hand operated grease guns, an air powered grease gun, and a Milwaukee 18 volt. Only gun I've ever had that wasn't a pain to bleed the air out to get it pumping is the Milwaukee. Other guns; thoroughly wipe out ALL grease in the pump area, and from the threads before putting in the new tube. start the thread a turn or two, release the plunger, push it in. Most guns have a bleed plug to remove, and when grease squeezes everywhere, they are difficult to get the thread started. In extreme cases unscrew the hose.
Use two guns at a time. When one is empty, refill it, hang it on the wall hose end up. use the other until it is empty.

I once had a gun that pumped under very high pressure. That sometimes got grease in those neglected joints. More commonly, on a new to me machine I have to take a few pins out to clear the grease galleys.

You don't need a whole tube of grease in each joint. Manual instructions on a few points will call for a lot of grease EX: Case 580K calls for 50 pumps in each rear axle bearing once a year. I presume this serves as a seal to keep gear oil in the transaxle. Other joints, a few pumps suffice. Squeeze out just attracts grit, does more harm than good, might damage seals.