Loading a tube grease gun question

[NWP]

Those Lincoln rechargeable guns are nice.  They always seem to get all the grease out.  We used them when I worked for a local farmer.  I've just been too cheap to get one.  And I'm afraid the guys that work for me might leave it out and it get wet.

[bandmiller2]

Good point Chuckie,being a cheap yankee,I've always cheated and greased those DanGed zerkless bearings.I ether pry their little skirts up and use the needle greaser or, if out, set them in melted grease.Hay rakes and balers have scads of those rascals.I'am sure grits will help,but homefries have the same effect. Frank C.

[Woodchuck53]

Been cutting back on fried foods last couple years. Lost 12 lbs. so for. My hair isn't red but I do own a few knives myself. Stay safe guys.

And in case I miss some one while on vacation Happy Holidays all. Chuck

[Cedar Savage]

After reading this whole post, & learning how to change a greese cartridge, I gotta ask how do know when the nipple is worn out on the hose end & needs replacing? 

[beenthere]

I'd say when it doesn't stay on the zerk while pumping grease.

Then again, that happened to my old one and the new one wasn't any better. So still planning to try to find a good one that doesn't take one hand to hold it on the zerk fitting.

[bandmiller2]

The end that clamps on the zerk is the critical part, buy a name brand.I use a swivel one on a lever gun and a straight one on a pistol grip gun with a hose.With a hose on a lever gun you need three hands.If you have a hard time holding the coupling on a good zerk and have grease everywhere it time for a change. Frank C.

[Woodchuck53]

I'm a firm believer in a bulkhead mount were applicable for my zerts. That and a rigid tube on the gun allows for quick service with out climbing in and over equipment as well as you can lean more pressure into the fitting. Just make a notation on the ones that may need a little extra pump or two and away we go.

Just a thought because it want work for everyone of course, just us old guys with bad knees from so many years of stairs out here. Chuck

[Doug Wis]

    I use a Lincoln 12v and  works very well for me, but only one person has come close to my method of starting a new tube of grease. I keep a cool whip container of grease on the shelf with a putty knife in it.Put the new tube in and then fill the end with the putty knife so it's rounded out , then screw the end back on. Very seldom that this does't work.  I also really like the 30" hose on these guns.

[Migal]

 :D Part of Greasing a machine is having time to inspect the machine while greasing it  8) Take care of her ;)

[Bibbyman]

 

 

See what I did wrong?  I stored the grease tubes upside down and after maybe 10 years,  all the grease melted to the bottom.  The box is clearly marked "this side up". 

Here is the rest of the story.  The 25 hp electric motor on the Wood-Mizer requires almost no maintenance.  What keeps it from being no maintenance is the need once a year to squirt one pump of grease into two zerts.   I also perform this tough maintenance chore on the Ronk phase converter.

The complication is,  the grease is a specific grease made for electric motor bearings.  I could not find it in the usual places but was easily obtained from local oil distributor. But I had to buy 12 tubes.  It wasn't expensive so what the heck. 

Well,  for the past ten years I've been using the same grease gun with the same tube of grease.  Four squirts a year don't tend to deplete the volume much.  This time I found that I'd screwed up and let the tension on the grease and the plunger had worked its way up to midway of the tube and there must have been air in front of the grease.  In any case,  it wouldn't pump out.  In my efforts,  I managed to screw up the tube inside.  So what?  Just get another tube.  But I found that the grease had melted down to the bottom.  There was plenty of grease in the old tube to fill the void.   And I got the 2 minute maintenance job done for another year. 

I did take the tension off the grease plunger and stored the grease gun nose down.  Maybe I won't have this problem next year.

[Chuck White]

Stuff happens Bibby!   ;D