Oil & Fuel When I get rich like Jay Leno

[Jstpssng]

Lenny,

I have posted this pic before BUT time to post again. Dump the expensive grease cartridges, which never really empty out, and move to a foot operated grease pump with 6 foot whip and locking grease nipple attachment. No power needed, 1-2 pumps per grease nipple, breaks thru dried up grease in nipples, saves massive amounts of time greasing, and buying bulk grease is much less expensive.

Yet for $219 (Northern Tool price) I can buy a LOT of grease!

 

[RolandW]

I use the AirTec G200 lithium grease. I also use (in the older messy grease guns) Tractor Supply Lithium HD routine variety. I'm no connoisseur of lubricants. Use the Air Tec at the farm and the cheapy stuff at my 2 other locations with less equipment to service.

Thanks JWR and all who contributed to this thread. Because of your help I can look forward to greasing things with my new rig in coat and tie!
I ordered an AirTec manual gun, and have brought the Lock-n-Lube out of exile. Based on ideas I got here, I also made a right-angle adapter and a straight extension, both of which I can connect to the LnL to reach the fittings that were not accessible with the LnL before.
I grew up on a farm. Dad had a pump that fit on 5-gallon pails of grease for filling, and we just accepted that grease guns were messy things. But now I've become sissified and don't like it.
Since I don't use a large volume of grease I went with the Li400.

 

[fidowanttobe]

In time you may have an epiphany moment and think of an adapter, extension, doo-hickey, etc. etc. that reaches that one zerk that is tough to get. I have a small tool bag with gloves, rags, extra full tubes, the Grease Rejuvenator, Kroil, PB Blaster, and a small plastic jar with the 90 degree adapter, grease needle, and several others I have accumulated. All have been rigged to adapt to the LnL. Grab the bag and the Dewalt and I can get them all on anything I have run into, (so far). I still need a longer hose on the Dewalt tho.

 

[dennis103]

If you think greasing a tractor is challenging, you need to grease a wheeler or side by side. I think the engineers work together to see how contorted a body would have to be to get to their fittings. And of coarse when you finally get into position to get that last hardest to get to fitting.....the grease gun is out.

 

[dirttoys]

Man, what a hoot, sadly I have thrown a couple of fits.

I tell people my x uses diesel fuel, but runs on grease, wears me out

Best,

ed

 

[DieselBound]

With manual grease guns, to change cartridges and not get an effing air lock happening:

- Lock back the t-handle/plunger;
- Unscrew the cylinder;
- drop out expired cartridge and insert a new one; screw the cylinder back in BUT NOT ALL THE WAY- leave several turns yet; send the t-handle/plunger back into the cylinder and push it down; finish threading the cylinder. DONE!

I've got a 20v DeWalt grease gun (after battling with manual and air-powered grease guns) and have found it to be the best at ambling all over the place to grease stuff. I carry a pair of pliers to rock and twist the tip off of zerks when stuck (only real pain/complaint I now have).

 

[Sberry]

I need a couple new ones too.

 

[otherpinz]

Hmmm...I always thought greasing was relaxing.

It is to me. But NOT CHANGING THE &%^R% TUBE!!!

 

[jonsstihl]

that air tec setup is slick but I don't like the fact that you are stuck using their grease unless you buy the empty tubes but If you think changing a cartridge is messy wait till you load a tube by hand...

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

In time you may have an epiphany moment and think of an adapter, extension, doo-hickey, etc. etc. that reaches that one zerk that is tough to get. I have a small tool bag with gloves, rags, extra full tubes, the Grease Rejuvenator, Kroil, PB Blaster, and a small plastic jar with the 90 degree adapter, grease needle, and several others I have accumulated. All have been rigged to adapt to the LnL. Grab the bag and the Dewalt and I can get them all on anything I have run into, (so far). I still need a longer hose on the Dewalt tho.

They have: It is a special fitting to replace the Zerk fitting. A hose attaches to that, and then a Zerk Fitting attaches to the other end. The have the Zerk ends which can mount to plates, so you can hard mount them where they are convenient.

Haven’t looked at them in 13 or 14 years. I designed them into fish excluder screens, and ran a grease pump off of one of the gear reduction boxes. The bearings requiring grease were underwater, and it was a real pain to reach in and get hooked onto the Zerk’s fitting. By running the lines to a central point with a pump, they only had one Zerk fitting on the reservoir, (on the deck, in the dry), for the grease pump to fill when they maintained the screen.

I ended up with the information on the system, because our shop foreman had received it. The company was selling kits to retrofit central point grease systems onto heavy equipment. Which would give the operator a single point to grease every morning while they waited for the equipment to arm up. We put it on an excavator, a Case 680 Backhoe, and a Cat 14 Grader. The setup; we installed had a spring pressurized grease canister that you refilled by hooking a grease gun on to it. Once you bled everything out it was very low effort.

And, the local Cat dealer was adding it as a dealer option on quite a bit of their equipment. Everything the dealer had in their rental fleet had it, so the mechanic/fueled/oiler didn’t miss any of the lube points on the equipment. The central point was next to the fuel cap. So, hard to accidentally miss.

If you search “Central Point Grease System” you get quite a few results. Including Grainger. So, there are quite a few options out there.