Need a grease gun and grease recommendation.

[cuttin edge]

cuttin edge, I didnt think you were criticizing...all good. I have some experience with the auto greasers on very large transmission line (high voltage electric) cable tensioners. I have mixed feelings about them myself. Our guys tend not to grease the equipment at all...kinda not my job attitude. So, that said, it is better that then nothing. My main problem with them is I have seen them die and still have lots of grease in them...said another way, I feel they are not that reliable. My experience was like 20 years ago, so perhaps they are better now. As for an owner/operator, especially if he/she is mechanically inclined, there is no better to get a feel for your equipment that to physically look at it and touch it, and greasing will cause both of them to happen.

Only our plant loader has the automatic greaser. There are times when the only time the machine stops is at night. When the operator has break, or lunch, someone else grabs the machine. I think it is set to grease every 8 operating hours. Interestingly enough, our backhoes are the ones that get the least grease. They don't have a regular operator, and most of the time, someone hops on for a couple hours, and leave for another job. Only time they get grease is if someone has them for the full day, or they start squeaking. There are a couple guys that will grease them as soon as they take them, but one of those guys retired last fall, so who knows. We have a mixture of pistol grip, and leaver pump guns. Mostly the machines with larger pins have the leaver style, like the excavators, and the loaders. I have a pistol grip for my maintainer grader, and one of each for my production class grader. I believe they are all lincoln. I had an ingersoll rand leaver style for years, until I wore it out, but they mostly buy the cheaper ones.

 

[Fourtencustoms]

I have been using hand lever grease guns my whole life, always worked fine for maintaining our equipment. Not anymore!
Holy smokes now that I have a small dozer and a mini excavator that has all changed.
My hands get tired after half a machine is lubed.
I have Milwaukee 12V and Dewalt 20V tools.
After researching this topic for a few months now and talking to quite a few people I am going after the dewalt 20V auto grease gun. On sale they can be had under $200.
I am really looking forward to getting this tool............... dozer, mini ex, and a compact tractor have so many zerks I lost count!

Good info and advise in this thread, re affirmed the same info I came up with! Thanks guys!

 

[CM1995]

I have been using hand lever grease guns my whole life, always worked fine for maintaining our equipment. Not anymore!
Holy smokes now that I have a small dozer and a mini excavator that has all changed.
My hands get tired after half a machine is lubed.
I have Milwaukee 12V and Dewalt 20V tools.
After researching this topic for a few months now and talking to quite a few people I am going after the dewalt 20V auto grease gun. On sale they can be had under $200.
I am really looking forward to getting this tool............... dozer, mini ex, and a compact tractor have so many zerks I lost count!

Good info and advise in this thread, re affirmed the same info I came up with! Thanks guys!

I would HIGHLY recommend the Milwaukee over the Dewalt. We've had both in the past. The Dewalt is collecting dust while our 3 Milwaukee's get used daily.

The problem with the Dewalt is priming it and keeping it primed. The Milwaukee's don't have that issue.

 

[CM1995]

On a side note -

Each of our crews has a mini con-ex job box with an 80 lb grease keg and wheelbarrow air compressor. Our tube grease and keg grease are the same. The tube grease has plastic sleeves so we can fill up he electric gun out of the keg to save money when you just need the electric gun.

Food for thought on buying grease in 5 gal buckets and still using an electric gun.

 

[Fourtencustoms]

Excellent advice, thanks. However I only have Milwaukee 12V tools, the smaller stuff for getting into the tight spaces. I have LOTS of dewalt 20V and 40V.... as I understand the Milwaukee would require me to get into the 18v?
I wonder if the issue is with your dewalt gun?
I heard they are super easy to use?
Listening with open ears, again thanks!

 

[CM1995]

Some commented up thread the same issues with the Dewalt which is mainly priming it and keeping it primed.

Milwaukee makes a 12V gun. -

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200415226_200415226

I would wager our oldest Milwaukee gun has pumped over 1,000 tubes.

 

[Fourtencustoms]

SOB thanks alot!
Found the Milwaukee 12V unit bare tool for $116!! Nice.......... I will be getting this one.

EDIT.
I bought that one, last one on Amazon $122 shipped

 

[CM1995]

That's a great price!

 

[bam1968]

FWIW I have both Milwaukee guns. 12 volt and 18 volt. The 18 volt gun pumps quite a bit faster than the 12 volt. But for occasional use the 12 volt works just fine especially if you already have other 12 volt tools it would be a 'no brainer' for me.

 

[Bootheal]

On the issue of DeWalt guns becoming air locked: I have great luck inserting a fresh tube and screw the barrel into the gun a turn to turn and a half. Release the spring plunger and finish tightening the barrel. For well over a case of grease now have had zero issues. I will agree early on when I was new to the gun, it airlocked almost every tube change. Do think DeWalt should address this issue but it’s a good grease gun for me. Just a side note - hopefully the new grease tubes in storage are bottom up so the air in the tube is on the plunger end. Cheers.

 

[Swetz]

Bootheal, That is how I do my lever gun, and it works to get rid of the air pocket, for me too.

 

[colson04]

I would HIGHLY recommend the Milwaukee over the Dewalt. We've had both in the past. The Dewalt is collecting dust while our 3 Milwaukee's get used daily.

The problem with the Dewalt is priming it and keeping it primed. The Milwaukee's don't have that issue.

I would have to disagree about not getting the Dewalt. I have used both, the Milwaukee and dewalt guns. Both are great products. I have had my dewalt 20v gun since August of 2019 and I have been super impressed with it in all functions. It loads and primes faster than my grandfather's John Deere (alemite) grease guns and takes the same batteries the rest of my tools use. I've put a dozen tubes through it this week alone and priming was never an issue when reloading. With the Deere branded grease guns, I see everyone fiddle with them for 5 minutes getting them primed again. I load and go with the Dewalt
Maybe i just got a good unit, but based on my experience, I wouldn't steer someone away from them.

I also really like the Milwaukee grease gun, but I don't own any Milwaukee tools. I wanted to stay in the same tool system I already had to keep things simple. My father in law has the Milwaukee system. I've used it, it's still a better product than the Deere/Alemite guns I've used.

Whichever platform you use, I agree with @mitch504 about getting the lock n lube coupler.

 

[Mother Deuce]

I have 20v Dewalt I bought about 6 years ago. Use it daily, really a good tool and I also bought the Lock and Lube for it. Burned a couple Lincolns and I gave my Milwaukee away.

 

[AzIron]

My morning ritual includes greasing before I start digging greasing takes about 6 minutes to accomplish keeps an eye on everything if you have grease squirting out your pins out of the joint your just waiting it

I have seen the m18 guns on sale for 180 bucks so you just got to shop

 

[CM1995]

Just a side note - hopefully the new grease tubes in storage are bottom up so the air in the tube is on the plunger end.

Bought several of these to go on our trucks to store grease tubes bottom up. They work great and hold 12 tubes.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...mJglCUl0zKGR5v6IrGl8VhJ0Ac75MnucaAjOYEALw_wcB

 

[cuttin edge]

One thing I was taught years ago with the old manual guns, and it surprises me how many people don't know it. Do you know how to tell how much grease you have left in the tube?

 

[Swetz]

CM1995, I have not seen that in the past, but I really like it. Grease tubes make a bit of a mess, and this will contain the mess. I have also had a tube crushed in the past....real mess. I may pick one of these up for like $25.00 delivered, it seems worth it. Thanks!

 

[Tinkerer]

One thing I was taught years ago with the old manual guns, and it surprises me how many people don't know it. Do you know how to tell how much grease you have left in the tube?

Yes, I do. It works the same way with my Alemite electric.
How many reading this know how to drill a hole in a grease gun to bleed the air out of it ?

 

[NH575E]

I am using the DeWalt 20v gun with Amalie Pro Tac 5% moly.

I use to use Valvoline Ford/Mercury moly in everything but I found my greasing didn't last long before my bucket pins started to squawk again. The 5% seems to stay put longer.

It takes one and a half to two tubes to grease my NH575E.

 

[Billrog]

I have the DeWalt and have never had a priming problem , just stick in a new tube and keep greasing.