Cleaning Loader Arm Grease

   / Cleaning Loader Arm Grease #21  
Pressure washers are ok but a hot water / wet steam pressure washer is **** plus. They ain't cheap, mine set me back 5 grand but on wet steam no grease stands a chance. I'll pre wet, lay on the suds with my foam cannon (Simple green) in it and then fire up the diesel burner and wash with wet steam at 3500 psi with a wide fan nozzle.
 
   / Cleaning Loader Arm Grease #22  
I just run hot water through a standard 3500 psi pressure washer and it melts away the old nasty grease. I've done it this way for years and it works great. Best to detach the loader from the tractor to prevent grease from slinging all over. Regrease the loader bushings immediately after to push out any water.
 
   / Cleaning Loader Arm Grease #23  
I just run hot water through a standard 3500 psi pressure washer and it melts away the old nasty grease. I've done it this way for years and it works great. Best to detach the loader from the tractor to prevent grease from slinging all over. Regrease the loader bushings immediately after to push out any water.
All good if you have hot water available at the barn, I don't. In fact I collect my wash water from the shop roof in IBC totes. Our well water has too much mineral content to use as washdown water. Just leaves behind a nice white film on everything.
 
   / Cleaning Loader Arm Grease #24  
I know that lots of grease on my front loader arms is a good thing (it's being lubed), and many (most) people don't worry about it, I'm getting tired of what seems like the tendency for grease to jump onto my clothes (like porcupines shooting their quills - which they don't).

When it warms up a bit I'm thinking of taking some time to clean the built up grease from the outer painted areas around the arm's grease fittings. I'm NOT worried about the inner areas - just the surface on the outer perimeter.

What would be a good, efficient, safe cleaner - that would dissolve the grease? Mineral spirits on paper towels? Detergent & warm water? I certainly don't want to thin out the grease in the bearings. I don't want to damage the paint.
Resist the temptation to clean it off. All that grease keeps sand, dirt and rain out of the bearing surface.
 

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   / Cleaning Loader Arm Grease #25  
Spray what ever you are going to use on a
rag then wipe off the grease should not get
in the joints etc

willy
 
   / Cleaning Loader Arm Grease #26  
All good if you have hot water available at the barn, I don't. In fact I collect my wash water from the shop roof in IBC totes. Our well water has too much mineral content to use as washdown water. Just leaves behind a nice white film on everything.
Even though they had to drill my well 200 ft to get 8+ gal/min flow I'm fortunate to have very good quality water. We don't have to soften it and it tastes great right from the tap. My wood boiler in the barn creates "free" hot water 6 months out of the year, so I try to do most of my heavy duty cleaning projects requiring hot water while we're heating with wood. I also use the IBC totes to collect rain water for watering trees and plants, and for topping off the pool if needed.
 

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