To avoid wear on pins and bushings, how often should you grease? Grease recommendations? And who makes a quality, hand operated grease gun? And do you shoot grease until it oozes out, and then wipe the ooze? Thanks
That is a very loaded question like "How high is up?" So many variables especially without knowing the machine you are running. Like what are the conditions it is being used under and how many hours a week. I'm sure others will chime in with other questions.
John Deere 310L.
John Deere's parts book has a link in it to their maintenance guide lines.
Personally I only grease every few months. But then again I'm only on the machine for 8-10 hrs a month. I also take into consideration if I'm driving around vs using the front bucket or back bucket extensively. No point in greasing the front if you have been using the back 99% of the time.
Anyone have a grease gun that they love? Manual please.
https://www.amazon.com/Alemite-Develops-Delivery-Cartridge-Extension/dp/B009K530KS
If you use cordless tools then I recommend you purchase one that fits your current batteries. The link below is the gun I LOVE. If that is not in the budget, one like NH575E posted is the best ergonomically...pumping a lever gun sucks!! https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...p.ds&msclkid=c1c95fa9a54c1c6e7e8b3ff551383838
I treated myself to a DeWalt a few years back. I don't bother getting it out of the case except for the backhoe and the finish mower. Everything else I just grab the Alemite and give it a quick shot. I never want to grease my backhoe or finish mower with a manual grease gun again. For a grease recommendation I have been using Amalie Pro Tac Plus with 5% moly. It seems to stay in the pins a lot longer than the 3% I used to use. I grease my machine at the first sign of the pins in the loader starting to squeak. I make a mess doin it and I might clean up after the process every third time.
What KS said.. We need what machine, how and where it is being operated in order to give more advice other than "when it starts squeaking grease it". As far as type of grease we use a moly based grease. Current brand is Phillips MEGAPLEX XD5, buy it by the tube and the keg.
Operator's manual says every 10 hrs. or daily.
New machines will likely have grease seals to hold grease in, dirt out. Older machines, these seals only work on the cleaner pins/bushings. I step up the "daily" requirements manufacturers recommend. I rarely dig all day, but I do grease every day I run. I've owned a dozen hand grease guns. Best was a one hand thing I bought from my Case dealer. I'll see if I can find particulars. I find hand grease guns frustrating. They get airbound after they are filled. It is essential to wipe all the grease out of the pump end before filling it, or air can't escape. My family gave me a Milwaukee 18 Volt unit. Greasing still ain't fun, but I don't dread it so much.
Here is a good thread that deals with the grease guns and grease. HeavyEquipmentForums
There really is no such thing as too much grease, except blowing out seals. Grease every time you use the equipment. Good equipment operators grease twice a day on a busy machine. Grease is cheap, pins and bushings are not. You don't have to use a lot if you grease on each use. Make a habit of saying, today I'm using the backhoe, so it gets greased before I use it. Under wet conditions, raining for instance, grease at the end as well to push any moisture out.
When I ran a service truck I used to drill an 1/8" hole in the threads of hand grease guns to bleed air out of the gun. I would leave the barrel unscrewed far enough to leave the bleed hole open. Pull the rod out and twist it to lock onto the piston and then push on it. After the air is expelled, just screw the barrel in to seal the bleed hole. If anyone is interested I have a gun in my shop. I only use it for my boat trailer wheel bearings. I can post a picture of the hole location later today.
For those that grease all the time... How long before it doesn't take like an hour to grease the beast? I usually spend an hour fighting with the GD grease gun, then another hour actually greasing. I'm getting better at it but I don't do it enough because it takes me a long time. I'm also usually only using the hoe for an hour or two at a time.
I can grease our 953 including the grease fittings on the front idler carriers (2 each side that you have to get on your knees to clean out and grease) in 10-15 mins with my Milwaukee 18V gun. 325FL track hoe 15-20 mins including a cartridge change out during. 420D backhoe takes the longest to grease out of all of them. 20-30 mins with a cartridge change out during.
Thanks @CM1995 20-30 minutes sounds like a reasonable goal for me to try to hit. My wrastling with the gun is much more irritating than any other part of the process. Losing prime makes me want to punch something. Each time I grease I feel like I've solved the losing prime issue, then it bites me again. Do the battery op. guns make that any better or is it the same thing as manual or my pneumatic?
Did you know grease guns can be adjusted....you can adjust for the fitting size and it will lock better to the fitting. Turning the head will adjust for size.
I had an Alemite and now a DeWalt electric gun. They will pump the air out very quickly when a new cartridge is loaded. Air isn't much of a problem with them. I always store the cartridges with the tear-tab end down. It prevents the grease from moving away from the tab end and creating an air pocket.
It'd be worth it, at this point, for me to switch to electric if they reduce the air priming issue. When I bought my pneumatic Lock-n-Lube job it was significantly less expensive and I couldn't afford the electric, I think I could now justify the expense, and I also didn't have the muscle and patience to use a manual greaser.
You'd think that a country that can put a man on the moon, put a billion transistors on a chip, and transplant hearts could make pins and bushings that could work without daily greasing.
sad life!! then we die!! had a friend didn't use his grease gun, and the gun rusted up on him lol
I am a Milwaukee 18V with Lock N Lube tip believer - the setup is worth every penny. Used it this afternoon to hit the bucket pins on our 953 before I pushed our dump off. I haven't had an issue priming the Milwaukee. Our first electric gun was a Dewalt and it constantly had issues with keeping prime. We run 3 18V Milwaukee's with no issues. Just our $.02 YVMV.
I found that if you actually use the little air bleeder button on the business end of the grease gun in and then run the rod in and out a few times unlocked while the button is in, it gets the air pretty darn near all out. I have both a newer Milwaukee and a older Lincoln cordless gun and they both work good, I start a machine in the morning and by the time its warmed up it's greased. In the winter we always greased at shutdown when joints were a bit more warm and receptive.
OIH that's my protocol as well. By the time our 953 is warmed up I can have it greased. Morning or evening greasing doesn't really matter down here as it's warm 70% of the time.
It takes forever to grease a backhoe! 6 on front axle, 6 on driveshafts, 5 difficult to reach up under the floor, 2 on rear axle. Then it gets easy. 34 fittings on the hoe, 14 on the loader. Uses just under a tube of grease, so I ALWAYS have to replace a tube each use.
Uh oh! I've got the diagram for grease spots on my NH lb75b and it doesn't show anything under the machine... I wonder how many I've been missing. I think I did see one or two under there that I got but I guess I should get under with a flashlight and really check things out. I'll probably go shopping for the Milwaukee version today. Thanks for the tips!
aighead, From my manual (675E), but I bet yours is similar. View attachment upload_2021-3-27_8-9-48.png View attachment upload_2021-3-27_8-10-43.png View attachment upload_2021-3-27_8-11-35.png View attachment upload_2021-3-27_8-12-10.png
Thanks @Swetz you are probably right and I likely got a bit antsy as I was looking through my manual and missed some...
Normally drivelines, u-joints, etc, do not call for grease near as often as pins and bushings. The manuals as always are a great help.
The company I worked for greased machines twice daily, they were laying pipe in new subdivisions. Once in the morning while the machine was warming up and then again after lunch break.
I just called Lucas. They advised using Lucas Extra Heavy Duty Mining and Construction grease, #10881 for hoes. I hear it's Tupac's favorite grease for hoes. NAPA had it with a pretty decent discount. I bought a case of 12 for around $78. Next day delivery at the store.
That is a good price. Best I could find locally or online was like 415 per tube. I bought Cat Extreme Duty for $12-13 from my dealer. He knocked off some for buying a case
What ever about grease free bushings a plain simple manual gun that doesnt air lock above 6 pumps per minute cant be that much harder than a lunar landing. Alemite would be the best of a bad lot from what I have used. I mostly buy pressol as they are not 2 bad and 1/4 the price. I reckon if you wait for the sqeek then you are doing harm .Half that intervil may be better. Little and often is my motto
Made a typo. Actually forgot to hit shift
I see that there are air bleeder valves available that screw into the fill port on old school guns that have no bleeders. The downside is the loss of being able to fill the gun with a bulk filler. When I ran a service truck I used the Graco air powered gun that was on it to fill my hand gun. That method never introduced air into the hand gun. Does anyone use a bulk filler to refill an electric gun ? Just curious about that.
My milwaukee electric grease gun came in. I didn't realize the thing is about the size of my car! I'm excited to try it out.
Trust me, you will never look back
You're greasing world is about to change.
you should be greasing ALL zerks EVERY work day. Watch for the excess to spill out, and it will be helping remove the sand and crud. Grease with enough to see some out-flow. In long bushings, make certain both "ends" of the pin are being whetted. Waiting until you hear a "squeak" is RIDICULOUS! didn't you just brag on a DeWalt battery gun??????????
Lol if things are squeaking you're too late. If you're running most of the day or all day at least one greasing, heavy dirt work/sand twice a day, digging in mud dipping water probably a few times a day. If you're only running occasionally like a lot of property owners do you should probably grease at least based off the hours recommendations in the manual.
What do you do about pins that have no grease? Like the pin holding the backhoe bucket on the arm? I know some are grease free, but there are a bunch on the end of the backhoe arm that seem dry.
Do the pins or bushings have zerks ??? If they do, you already know what is needed to get grease in them. Pump grease in them until it comes out of the joint clean.
I spray some WD45 on those. It helps to keep the noise down. I don't know why JD didn't make those greasable. On edit, maybe it's cause those touch the dirt and you don't want the grease picking up the dirt and sand.
If you do it regulary one or two thrusts enouth. I never look if some grease come out or not. I do it regular. Of course it depends on how much I work a day. And care to keep in clean
Those in the dirt all the time wear less if not greased. Grease seems to hold grit in place to continue to damage.
Thanks. I'll clean out the grease, and stick to penetrating oil on those. Any advice on how to position the bucket to get the pin out? One part of the bucket fits in a open eye, and the other has the pin. I assume that you pull the pin, and then angle the bucket so you can unhook.
Today I used my JD 410C. About 1.5 hours. It is unlubricated at the bucket pins. After I stopped I noticed the bucket pins were shiny where they shuck a bit side to side. I ponder; do they offer bushings & pins cheaper? Is wear accelerated where this happens? I had a Case that had greased with seals at these points. They were all worn out when I bought it at about 2000 hours. I replaced all that. I can't help wondering which is better. My theory is the greased work better if you grease at four hour intervals, every time you dig. Those who neglect might better have dry joints.
On my 310E backhoe, John Deere recommends greasing every 8 hours. That's what I try to do too. If I ever hear a squeak or noise, I grease it ASAP. My front end loader is very tight like it hasn't been used much and my backhoe tower is a little loose, like it's been used much more. That said, I grease everything the same each time.
I clearly need to grease my machine more often. On a good day it takes and hour to do and eats 2 tubes of grease. I did it yesterday and spent a good part of the day and used 3 tubes of grease. I did go over the whole machine and greased all the pins as well as the universal joints and front axle parts. Had to wrestle with replacing 3 of the fittings that I ended up removing with vise grips. None of the pins were frozen. My machine is pretty tight for a 22 year old machine with unknown hours. I only use my machine a couple hours at the time. I don't ever see me greasing it every 8 hours of use and I doubt it ever saw that kind of service in it's former life. I still have one upper king pin and one lower that won't take grease. I ordered some new 45* fittings for the lower so I can get on it with the LnL. The upper pin that wouldn't take grease also has some play so I ordered one of those but the receiving bushing it mates with is on back order. Hopefully just the pin and getting it to take grease will take out most of the play.
Same here. I guess previous owner greased just SOME of the fittings. The lower two on the front end loader were bone dry and would not take grease. I tried everything and eventually pressed those bushings out. Dug the rock hard grease out of the channels and reinstalled them.
I'm with you @NH575E . I don't grease often enough either and I'm using similar amounts as you.
This is not a backhoe thing, but do follow recommendations. It is very possible to damage equipment by over greasing, for example the swing bearings on an excavator. I also don't grease every fitting or pin the same. I push some out and clean up after that, so as not to have a goopy mess. Once the machine is clean, a rag will remove the fresh grease that gets pushed out. No need for pressure washers or solvents, just get it off while it is fresh.
I guess now is a good opportunity to give a short review of my minimal uses of the Milwaukee 18v grease gun. Like otherwise reported it works very well. So far no trouble with air bubbles and priming and it's nice to sling it over my shoulder and take it to the machine rather than park in front of my garage so my air line can reach. Great suggestion by those that made it.
I think the dry graphite spray would be good for pins without grease fittings. Spring steel split tension bushings don't normally call for grease. That's why I used to repair my swing post pivots but sprayed the graphite on them too. Must have hit something to change the font of post.
Do take advantage of the pump counting feature you can either set it to continuous or you can pick a number like three or four and then some pins you hit twice and some pins you hit once.
I grease too often. If it has been exposed to rain or two weeks accumulation of snow, I feel compelled to grease. I have replaced pins & bushings on four backhoes, it never gets easy. Grease is comparatively easy. Some manufacturers build machines with iron on iron joints where they will certainly be contaminated with dirt. Others build greaseable, sealed joints. I've had both, sealed joints stay sealed very briefly. They are inevitably gritty. I speak only of pivots working in the dirt, at the bucket. Other joints need grease, absolutely.
What?? I'm not sure what pins you are referring to but a standard greaseable pin and bushing on a piece of equipment needs to be greased once a day at a minimum if it's used for day. A piece of equipment with greaseable pins and bushings will most certainly wear faster with no grease used digging dirt compared to regular greasing of the pin and bushing.
He's referring to pins without zirks, like the tilt linkage on a backhoe bucket. The main pin at the end of the stick has a zirk and has some chance of staying out of the dirt. The cylinder linkage pin on the bucket will be stuck in the dirt often, so it doesn't get greased because the grease would only hold the sand and grit and wear faster. There's a dry moly spray that might be good for those kind of joints, just a guess.
That isn't what I meant. Some engineers try to create seals that keep dirt out of those bucket pins. I don't believe they are successful long term. Other engineers design a dry joint. If your joint is equipped with grease fittings, grease them. From an engineering viewpoint it might make more sense to design a dry joint where dirt inclusion is inevitable.
Electrics are too bulky for me
electric is just a toy.. and leads to overspending of lubricant. If you have extra money, replace the oil and filter more often. The machine will say thank you.