How to Use a Grease Gun
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- A lot of people new to tractors may not know how to use a grease gun. When growing up on a farm, one way to get in really, REALLY big trouble would be to forget to grease equipment you were using…and have your dad catch you.
Farm dads know the value of grease in keeping their equipment running. There are a ton of moving parts on tractors and implements, and little fittings, called "zerks" to allow pushing grease in to lubricate those areas. And there's a real simple formula for most of those tractor components…the more you keep them lubricated with grease, the longer they last.
When I worked in a dealership and someone was wanting to trade in a piece of equipment, many times they'd apologize for how greasy it was. There was no apology needed. The more grease I saw on an implement or tractor, the more I knew the guy trading it in had been meticulous about maintaining it. If I saw areas that were supposed to have grease that were dry, I knew a repair could be coming in that area. And it was really amazing when a trade-in came in all covered with grease, 15 minutes with a heated power washer bath and it looked like a new one. The bottom line is, proper lubrication of equipment is extremely important to a long, productive life.
This video looks at some different designs of grease guns, what zerks look like and how to know when the area is filled with grease. What I don't talk much about is how often to grease the different parts of a tractor or implement, and that's where you need the owner's manual. It will identify every grease fitting on a piece of equipment and tell you maximum service intervals between lubrications. Having said that, in 25 years in the equipment business and a lifetime on the farm I've never seen a piece of equipment fail because it was over-greased.
If you want a better grease gun that doesn't require near as much work to load cannisters, check out the Lube Shuttle system here: • LUBE SHUTTLE The Bes... .
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Thanks for helping out us guys who didn’t grow up on a farm. Simple things we don’t know.
Thanks for another great video Mike. One thing you might want to mention is to wipe away the excess grease from the zerk as best you can. Also, no matter how careful one tries to be, there will always be grease dripping from somewhere so check your shoes before tracking it into the house (ask my wife about that).
BoneheadNW GREAT ADVICE…especially on the shoe thing. Grease and carpet don't like each other!
If you have an air compressor there is a pneumatic grease gun that works very well too
Thanks, Tractor Mike. Simple, straight forward video. Wish all self help vids were this direct.
I appreciate that you make these videos for the hobby farm guys. I bet you're keeping a lot of guys safe and making their equipment last longer by doing this. I've been around farming all my life and I learned something new in your "how to load a trailer" video. Keep up the good work mike.
Nicholls & Sense Glad to do it! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the great video! Simple to understand and follow.
Would love to see a video demonstrating and explaining the different uses of a 4 in 1 bucket and if they are worth the extra money or if they save money by not having to buy other implements that do the same jobs. Just an idea. Thanks.
Thank you for the very informative video. I need to grease my Jeep CJ5 and really had no idea how to do it. Now hopefully I can eliminate a bunch of annoying squeaking going on.
Another great informative video! I've used a grease gun my whole life but it seems every time I go to reload that sucker it takes me an half hour to get it right.
hey mike i just learned that the tip has a spring in it,so when you can't get the tip off the zerk.you just unscrew the tip a little and the spring inside loosen the grip and comes off a whole lot easyer. just finger tighten back and go to the next one..
Very nice and clear video. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I loaded a brand new tube of grease in one of the big ones, it still acted like it was out of grease, I was baffled for a while. Finally figured out the plunger was hung up on the open end of the grease cartridge and not feeding the grease. Took some messing with it, finally got it to work. Do you remember when the bottom side of cars had zerks all over the suspension? Grease them up or they would squeak like the dickens every time you hit a bump.
great video, no nonsense, just shows you the way, unlike many youtube videos.
I guess that was a mini grease gun. I am new to this. I bought a old riding mower a few years ago and never greased it. So I will give it a try.
When they cam to excavate our driveway to enlarge it the young man greased his machine before loading it back on his trailer at the end of the job. I thought it was kinda a weird, now I know better. Thanks Mike. Keep them coming dude!
The Plow Guys That's the way to do it, have it ready to go for next time. Thanks four passing that on and thanks for watching!
Keep it up Mike I am learning so much. The best part is you do it in small bite size portions. LMAO! easier for this old fart to process it. lol
Hey Mike, you didn't mention anything about airlocks or bleeding the gun. I can't tell you how many guns I either threw away or returned to Walmart as "defective" before I learned this. It's a simple fix, but you gotta know that it needs to be done. I realize this video is 8 years old, but perhaps it's time for an update. Also some horror stories from guys who didnt' know they needed to grease anything - if you have them. I can always remember as a high-schooler working in a filling station back when they had a mechanic and no beer. The boss came up to me one day and asked me if knew what was in his hand. He showed me something that looked like used coffee grounds but there was no moisture and it was hard and caked. I, of course had no idea. So he told me it was what was left in the bottom of the customer's oil pan. 50,000 miles on the car and the guy said he never knew you were supposed to change the oil. I've been a believer in lubrication ever since. I imagine there may be more stories and/or pictures out there that would demonstrate the need for grease.
Thank you Mike. Really helpful.
Very helpful...thank you!
I have had several grease guns and they’ve all been a POS. Messiest, crappiest part of owning equipment. Haven’t found a good solution yet.
Thanks, man. Easy to follow, quick and simple.
Thanks for making this video. Helped answer a few questions for me.
I always wipe the old grease and junk on zerk before greasing. I dont want to push all the dirt and junk thru the zerk!
But he worked for a dealership. He ought to know better.
I would love to see your take on WHAT grease to use. There's a mind boggling about of options these days!
I use just good old standard all purpose grease. I don't tend to be too creative. I'm posting a video this afternoon about a new grease gun called Lube Shuttle that I'm switching to. The plunger is gone! I'll try to remember to post a link here after it goes public at 2 pm CST, if you're interested in an easier and cleaner way to do greasing you'll want to watch.. I do plan to do a video soon with a chemical engineer I've met who knows the correct applications for all grades of grease. Maybe he'll tell me I'm ruining my equipment with the all purpose grease :)!
Tractor Mike thanks for all the education you do!
Great video mike I cannot disagree with anything you said! I have the long hose version myself, great for front end work on cars
Hey Mike! New subscriber- Love your channel! Question, is there a difference between red and blue grease? Also, maybe a follow up video on replacing zerks, I had one that wouldn't take grease and had to replace.
Daddy's grease guns are huge and you have to fill with a five gallon bucket of grease sucking in and pulling. I helped him once and I tried by myself. Total fail. He's passed now and I need to fill. I can't find a single video of his kind of grease guns. He ran draglines and dozers and built bridges.
Thanks for the help!
I appreciate the video. Thx
Should do a talk on electric guns, and also mention the air lock button. You could crank on your gun with a full tube in and no grease coming out, and not realize there's a button to allow an air bubble to escape making it possible for the grease to move.
Lastly I had a tube of grease once that had a huge air pocket in the middle of the tube. I probably could have saved the grease but ended up wasting a half tube because of that.
electric guns with a hose is the way to get it done fast
watch this ua-cam.com/video/gaMEfwDtJzQ/v-deo.html
Did watch video and I farm and grease more equipment in a month than Tractor Mike will in his life. In my life time I have used several different guns. And found that the battery power grease gun gets it done fast. Also a hose on a grease gun will go tight places that the others will not go.
caseih 5130 same here.
I use the Milwaukee because all my cordless are that brand (flashlights also).
Lock n lube is good for some zerks but won't get the tight spaces.
I posted that video because air bubbles and even a new tube with an air pocket in it can be trouble getting the gun primed or reprimed
Great Video helped me out alot.
recommended videos. I like it!
after 10 hours of use, grease it, grease is much cheaper than repairs
Mike I saw something that may need clarified. On the cartridge you installed you just poked a hole in the foil? Couldn't that flap of foil find it's way back and block the grease from flowing into the pump? Just a thought that it is best to just remove the foil. But as usual great video even thought the end was cut off! :)
Good point, I usually remove that foil, I'm not sure why I didn't in the video.
I use a pneumatic grease gun that hooks to my air compressor. It gives me fits sometimes, I assume probably from air getting in the chamber or something. Your smaller grease gun looked a lot easier to use. What we really need to know is how do we keep from getting grease all over the house after we're done for the day and having to clean it up before our wives see it? ;)
+Matt Jenkins If you get that one figured out let me know!!! My wife and I usually get along great, but she won't tolerate grease in the house and she'll be pretty vocal about it. I'm not sure what her problem is...
Can you please re-do the "how to load the gun" part. The rod doesn't push the grease unless it's locked to the piston - I think you have to turn it. Being able to push the rod all the way in doesn't mean it's empty. Also, the spring won't push the grease if the piston is caught on the edge of the cartridge. The instructions that came with my gun don't mention that, so there's hundreds of folk out there who are not greasing their dad's tractor because they can't figure out how to get the air out of the gun.
awesome video, I’ve noticed some people say “greaze” vs “greece” I think its just a regional thing?
What about adjusting the coupler to fit the zirk fitting? There is a way to adjust the coupler.
you unscrew the coupler on the end of your gun, check it out.
You could also search for "lock and lube" on the web and consider getting one if you have some worn zerks or ones that you can't seem to get a good fit on.
@Keven W I just bought a lock and lube attachment from Amazon. It's fits onto the end of ur grease gun and latches on to the zerk. Works great.
Mike if you have over greased a joint holding my bushcutter....how do you remove the excess grease from the joint
It'll push out over time, It's nothing to worry about.
we call it a grease nipple in the uk .
Great video!
Thanks Luke, I appreciate you watching.
Liked the vid! But got a Q.
Seems all guns I've used, once I let the plunger start pushing, it bottoms out quick. Even if I've just done few zerks. Makes me fell the grease is rolling past the plunger to the lee side. Once I'm done greasing the zerks, should I pull the plunger back for storage? Releasing any pressure on the cart (or bulk loaded grease)
Eddie,
Great question! I've wondered that myself. Not being an expert on grease guns, I ran the question past Steve, who used to be service manager at the dealership I worked at and IS an expert. Below is the response. I think the bottom line is we all (myself included) need to be investing in better grease guns. Watch for a video on that in the near future. Thanks for the question.
STEVE RESPONSE: Most grease guns will leak a little out the plunger stem. I have never had one that did not. When you put a new tube of grease in the gun and release the plunger rod some grease comes out that rod. Most grease guns you buy at a farm store are not made with a real tight tolerance. They are meant to have a little leakage based on their design. If you get a good, real good grease gun it is going to cost more $. Thus not competitive with the local farm supply store. Also a good gun will have more push to get the grease where it needs to go. A lot of the cheaper guns will bypass before they will push the grease into a tight area. Then that area of the implement or tractor will start to wear more. For example, when I take my lawn tractor to my dealer for winter service the spindles on the front axle have grease, new grease showing at the top and bottom. When I grease with my average farm store grease gun I can only push grease out the top. My gun will by pass before it will push the grease out the bottom. I would expect a little grease leakage on most all grease guns purchased at the local farm store or implement dealer.
High five for change the grease cartridge without taking a grease bath, I haven't mastered that trick. I like the mini grease guns but get bitched about the price of the wee little grease tubes, they cost as much as the big ones and nobody seems to sell them by the dozen only three or four per package, sure wish somebody'd make one I could refill from my big gun. seems too like they don't usually have the better grease in them. any shopping tips?
No, but I totally get what you're saying. The little ones are much easier to use with the pistol grip but one time around and the tube is empty. I feel your pain. I'll try to research and see if I can come up with anything.
Thank you. Very well done!
I dont want to know how many people got here because they expected you to talk about the "grease gun" m3 machine pistol
+Afro Blasterman Probably a few, but we live in different worlds. I'm not even sure what that is...
*****
I understand you to the fullest^^ If you are interested: Its a gun the USA used in World War 2. it was so cheaply wielded and finished that the Soldiers called it "grease gun". But it was made in great numbers during and after the war.
Tractor Mike, I grew up greasing older equipment and have never really had a problem. Now I bought a new tractor and grease gun, the first of each that are mine and not a relatives. The grease gun is still on the first zerk I tried to grease! I have tried for two days to get it off. Even tried to pry it off with a screwdriver. It is stuck and I mean good! Any advice?
Just keep rotating it around. It seems like the new grease guns are tougher to get off than I remember the old ones being. I've been noticing that sometimes the thing comes off best when it's tilted and I don't remember the grease guns I grew up with being that way.
Thank You Sir. I finally got it off. I tilted the grease gun to the side and twisted it and pop, it just came off!
Today I greased my spindle on my mower deck. I could not get the damn thing detached from the grease fitting! When I really put some strength into it I ended up pulling the grease fitting out of the threads!! Now I have a hole that either needs a new fitting or an entire new spindle! To get the fitting out of the gun I ended up putting it into a vise and hammering it out with a chisel! I just bought this grease gun from harbor freight and was wondering is it this cheap ass gun or is it something I did wrong?
silverhorder1969 I have the same problem. What did you find out?
Well I had a guy rethread the hole and was able to put another grease fitting on it. I did see a video that showed when removing a grease gun from a nipple you should lean it to the side and then twist it off. I don’t think I tried that? Nor have I ever heard that but it sounded correct.
No audio...?
Turn your sound on
What type of grease do you use. I bought Traveller Extreme Duty 3% Moly is that a good type?
Berzerk!
210. Your welcome