Grease - is there no better way? Can we talk about this?

[RjCorazza]

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I'm of the opinion that a lot of people think that if a little grease is good then a lot is better. My mower deck bearings only get 2-3 shots. Any more and you run the risk of pushing the seals out. Any needle bearings don't need more than the same. Bushings I like to see the grease come out somewhere but I'm probably over greasing them. U-joints get grease till it comes out all 4 of the needle bearings. That way you know that all 4 got grease.
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When young, my dad insisted I grease his equipment until 100% clean grease came out. We went through a WHOLE LOT of grease!
I have greased my equipment as you do for many years.

 

[Tinhack]

I like my electric grease gun so much, I bought another one. I keep Molly in one and Red & Tacky in the other. I use a manual one I converted to use way oil for my Mill. The Mill has grease fittings but they are for oil.

Side Note: If your Lock & Lube tip is leaking, replace the rubber seal with one of the extras they give you. If it's still leaking, your grease fittings are probably clogged--Replace them. If it's still leaking, clean the grease paths.

 

[shooterdon]

A Dealer told me that most people use too much grease, and they need to learn to only put in enough to do the job.

I've gone back to manual pump grease guns. I have one with a solid tube and another with the flexible tube. I use the solid tube for almost all my fittings, which is fast and easy.

I've tried a few different brands of manual grease guns but haven't really noticed much difference in them. For most of my fittings, I only pump it a few times. I've been doing it so long I just sort of know when to stop so grease doesn't come out of the seals. Some might get 2 pumps, others get 5. On my backhoe I have a few places that get ten pumps, that's my most extreme fittings.

I was tempted to get a DeWalt battery gun but could not justify it. Glad I did not spend the money. I doubt I spend more than an hour or two a year greasing what needs greasing. But I only put 80 hours a year on the tractor.

 

[Runner]

getting greasy is almost inevitable whether using grease gun or changing oil. my biggest complaint is replacing cartridges as air is sometimes difficult to purge. that's when the real greasy mess occurs.
this is an overly discussed subject, you might do a forum search to making your lube needs easier

Here's a method that helps me:

Before I insert the new grease tube into the gun, I reach into the "bottom" end of the tube and get a big blob of grease, then, mound that blob onto the top part of the tube (building up about a 1/4" high mound. Then, install the tube and screw it onto the gun as per normal. That usually gets rid of the air bubble.

I know that, theoretically, you are supposed to be able to "bleed" the gun with that little button, but I've not had much luck with it.

 

[oldnslo]

If my hands are greasy I just pick up a handful of dry dirt and scrub them like washing my hands. The dirt absorbs the grease and the dirt wipes off my hands easily. If one handful isn’t enough I do a second round. Dad always said that grease is cheaper than parts.

 

[Torvy]

One of the last pieces of advice my dad gave me before he passed. "Keep that equipment greased and it will last longer than you."

 

[HamishMacCheap]

A roll of paper towels or shop towels can go a long way towards keeping things clean if you wipe off excess grease as you go.

In any event, grease is cheap, parts ain't. I don't scrimp on grease.

 

[mjonesnh]

One of the last pieces of advice my dad gave me before he passed. "Keep that equipment greased and it will last longer than you."

My dad told me the same thing years ago when I was a young teenager

 

[CalG]

One of the things I hate most about working with equipment is grease. I recently decided I was going to make it easier by getting a battery powered grease gun. Then I opted to put a lube lock fitting nozzle thingy to try to reduce the mess.

It helps but the grease and mess still gets everywhere.

All over my hands. Ruined countless numbers of rags. All over the tractor in places I'd rather not have it. All over the grease gun and even some of my other tools.

Is there a better way? Are there any products I should look into?
Is there no newfangled alternate to grease that isn't quite so messy?

Grease makes the already unpleasant task of maintaining equipment even less pleasant.

I keep a roll of paper towels next to the 5 gal. bucket that the grease guns are put into.

 

[dodge man]

I bought a Dewalt battery powered grease gun because I had so much trouble getting the manual ones to purge. I tried a different gun and techniques too. Sometimes no problems other times 15 minutes of frustration. With the Dewalt there is a distinct clicking sound that repeats as you hold the trigger down, each click is equivalent to a pump with a manual gun, it’s pretty easy to control.