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Need a grease gun and grease recommendation.

edgephoto

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
727
Location
Stafford, CT
Guys thanks for all the advice and experience.

I found Cat grease for under $7 per tube to my door. I ordered 10 tubes. I expect the first time I grease the machine for it to take the most grease. If I use 2 tubes every time I grease the machine then I might deal with bulk in a 5 gallon pail.

I have switched all my mix and match battery tools to Milwaukee so I will be buying the 18v grease gun. Again if I really will use 2 tubes every greasing I may switch to the foot operated style that take bulk grease.

I am not a pro and my machine will be lucky to see 8 hours per week.

My machine was an ex-town machine and looks to have had all it's maintenance performed. All the pins have come out easy except one. I found one dry point last week and cleaned out the passages from dirt and dried up grease.

I also have been replacing all the zerk fittings with new ones. This serves two purposes. One is I know that if a joint does not take grease it is not the fitting. Second is it helps me get familiar with the grease points.
 

Nick G

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2019
Messages
47
Location
Western WI
Occupation
Former operator, farmer
I bought a DeWalt this spring and really like it. Has a LED "headlight", handy in darker places. It loads, unloads and bleeds very easily. Battery does several tubes to a charge. Has a nice clip on the side to wrangle the hose. I spent the money on one of the "lock on" tips too. Worth every penny!
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,599
Location
LaGrangeville, N.Y.
I've switched to using synthetic grease. I've been using synthetic oils for over 30 years and decided to give the grease a try and I won't go back. It seems to stay in the machine longer so you use less grease each time, makes the machine run quieter, there's not nearly as much clanging and it stands up to moisture MUCH better. It's only a little more in cost but I think in the long run it actually costs less.
 

edgephoto

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
727
Location
Stafford, CT
I having been using synthetic oil in my power equipment for 25 years. Back when I used to own vehicles I ran synthetic in them too. Now I do not own a car or truck so I run whatever work pays for, which is synthetic.

For now I bought 10 tubes of Cat grease. When this runs out I will give a synthetic a try. Picking a grease is a pain in the neck. The manufacturers are not really good about listing the amount of moly etc.

I need to do an oil change and will be using Rotella T6 in the machine. My machine was made to run on dino oil but synthetic is just better.
 

Fred from MO

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Messages
146
Location
MO
Occupation
Engineer
I just got a dewalt and it was recommended by 3 people who maintain heavy equipment. Like the gent above said, I’ve had lever guns for over 30 years-not anymore!
 

applehead

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2010
Messages
10
Location
Indiana
I use a Milwaukee M12 for my JD410. Have found Harbor Freight carries black moly grease made by CRW. One of the only quality brands I can find there. I purchase with coupon. Also found about a half dozen tubes of Shaefflers EP moly grease at a flea market last year for $1 a tube. Of course I am using those first. Takes about 2 tubes to thoroughly lube the 410. Just gave my 1980 unit with 2472 hours a full fluid and filter service on Saturday.
 

NH575E

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2015
Messages
1,183
Location
North, FL
Occupation
Retired Machinist
Picking a grease is a pain in the neck. The manufacturers are not really good about listing the amount of moly etc.
From my little bit of research I've found most moly greases are only 3%. I could tell a definite difference when I switched to the 5%.

I was working on my little tractor today and finally got around to freeing up the three point leveling link adjustment. I had a can of anti-seize that was near empty and mixed some motor oil in it and sprayed a little WD-40 in for extra thinning. Then I scraped it out and packed it into a small grease gun. I was able to get it to go through the grease fitting for the lower threaded part by turning the knuckle as I put pressure on the gun lever.

It got me thinking. I wonder if anti-seize compound could be used in place of grease. HMMMMMMMMM. I have found some in 15 oz cartridges but it starts at $23 for the copper type and goes up from there. Would be an expensive experiment but I bet it would work great.
 

doublewide

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
844
Location
MA
I was wondering about the 5% Molly grease. Do you guys use it on everything? Driveline, suspension, etc... Or do you keep different grease for different applications?
 

Coaldust

Senior Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
3,286
Location
North of the 60
Occupation
Cargo Tanks, ULSD, RUG, Methanol, LPG
Hey Doublewide,

Good question. Some of the bearing manufactures don’t recommend Moly B in high speed roller and needle bearings. Which, includes u-joints. I can’t cite anything off the top of my head at the moment except a couple. The 2020 Kenworth T880 manual for a new rig I did the up-fitting on recommended not using Moly B on the drive lines. The Blackmer TXD truck pump maintenance instructions specifically calls for a lithium complex grease without Moly B because it can mess up the ceramic seal.

I certainly doesn’t hurt to check what the manufacturer recommends and then make a decision.

It’s a challenge with a mixed fleet. Especially, trying to get all the mechanics and operators on the same page.

I learned that even the wrong grease is better than no grease. Tell an operator he isn’t using the right grease, and he won’t grease anything, ever again.

Van Houl, the motorcoach manufacture, is very sensitive about what grease is used where. It takes four different grease products to complete a PM.
 

NH575E

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2015
Messages
1,183
Location
North, FL
Occupation
Retired Machinist
I think most of the grease suitable for backhoe pins would not be good in high speed wheel bearings.
 

old and slow

Active Member
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
40
Location
Satellite beach
We use the milwaukee grease guns with the lock and lube end. Great for everything except driveline. Use regular hose end there to hard to get the bigger lock end in u-joint zerks. Thumbs up to schaeffer grease .
 

edgephoto

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
727
Location
Stafford, CT
We use the milwaukee grease guns with the lock and lube end. Great for everything except driveline. Use regular hose end there to hard to get the bigger lock end in u-joint zerks. Thumbs up to schaeffer grease .

Good tip. Appreciate it.

I am still far from having to worry about greasing every 8 hours. Still doing my overhaul but need to order a gun soon.

I ended up just buying the grease from the Caterpillar dealer. It was a few pennies less than I could find Shaeffer or any other brand for.
 

Theweldor

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Messages
556
Location
Western, NY
Occupation
The Village Idiot
99% of my work is on Cat equipment. When it is all said and done most of the lubricants Oil, Grease, etc. Are all within a few pennies of what can be found elsewhere. And, when it comes down to any type of warranty you always have that to back you up.
 

edgephoto

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
727
Location
Stafford, CT
@Theweldor My machine is long past any warranty but I agree with your point. When I was picking up parts I asked about cost of fluids and grease. The parts guys even said "you will find we are competitive with other brands that meet our specs".

Hydraulic oil seemed expensive and it is but compared to other oil that meets Cat's specs it is not much more for the real stuff. So I just bought the Cat fluid. The local dealer is super friendly and nice.
 

Fourtencustoms

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
136
Location
North Idaho
just fyi dudes earlier in this thread I bought the Milwaukee 12V grease gun..... its okay, works good for most stuff but the 12V tool will not pump enough pressure to tension the track adjusters on my mini excavator........still have to get the hand pump out...........
The dewalt 20 or Milwaukee 20V would have been a better purchase for me...
 

mitch504

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
5,776
Location
Andrews SC
We use the milwaukee grease guns with the lock and lube end. Great for everything except driveline. Use regular hose end there to hard to get the bigger lock end in u-joint zerks. Thumbs up to schaeffer grease .

I just took a regular coupler, screwed a 1/8 grease fitting in it, and put it in my lock'n'lube for the 3% of places it won't fit
 
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