I have been working on and off all winter working on my Cat 426 backhoe. Soon I will be able to use her to start clearing my land to build a house and barn. I am at the point where I need to start greasing everything via the zerk fittings. Pistol grip type guns aggravate my carpal tunnel. The lever type cartridge models are ok. I think with the amount of greasing and quantity of grease needed I should go with something I can use with bulk grease. There is no compressed air where the machine will be. At least not until I get my shop built but that is a long way off. I see these foot operated units. Are they any good and if so which brand is good and which brand to stay away from? Lastly what grease do you guys like for a Caterpillar 426 hoe? Obviously Cat sells a number of greases but something not Cat branded will save a few bucks if it can do the job.
edgephoto, I started a discussion on this a couple months back (see link below). Since this thread, I did actually purchase a backhoe, and serviced it. I currently have a lever grease gun. It works ok. My long term plan is to ask for a Milwakee 18 volt grease gun for Christmas. I currently have several Milwaukee M-18 tools, so why buy another brand. For grease (also discussed on the thread) I went with Schaeffer 02212029 Moly Ultra Grease. I purchased it on Amazon (see link). I am not an Amazon person, but it was there and available. I used about 2 tubes of grease doing the entire tractor, and was tired of pumping by the time I was done. I hope this helps! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DKA5B8W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 HeavyEquipmentForums
Skip the lever, go straight to battery. Bulk is not worth the trouble unless you're running a fuel and lube truck for a contractor. Stick with tubes. If you have a cordless tool setup already, use that brand. Otherwise, there's lots of used cordless grease guns cheap, you don't need a lot of battery life to do one backhoe, the batteries get weak with age and won't pump as much as they used to.
@Swetz Thanks for the links. I tried using the search feature and could not find anything pertinent. I did get 195 pages of results. @Delmer I will look at battery operated cartridge models. I have Milwaukee stuff so I will probably look at that. You think battery operated cartridge model is better than a foot operated model that fills from a pail?
We use the foot type from Lock and Lube and it works great. No fussing with with air locks and two hands available at all times for wiping, moving hoses out of the way etc. Best of all hands and arms don’t get sore.
There is no way that with one backhoe bulk grease is worth the hassle. Like swetz said, about 2 tubes per application. My guys and I go through about 20 tubes a week. I really like the Alemite A500 for a manual gun, but, after being given an Alemite battery gun by a customer who was selling out, I developed a strong allergy to hand pumping. I loved the Alemite gun, but sold it to a another customer and bought a Milwaukee M18, because I had lots of other M18 tools. The M18 gun has been better than the Alemite, which was great. I have a little less trouble with air lock, and the battery life is better. By all means, WHATEVER you buy, put a Lock'n'lube coupler on it. Wow, this made me think what a difference 10 years makes. 28 years of using a lever gun, and ABSOLUTELY HATING to grease. Then about 10 yrs ago, my first battery gun, then a better battery gun, then a couple years ago, a great coupler. WOW! Now I only dislike greasing.
We get about four fills per pail. A lot less waste regarding empty tubes. To each his own however.
I was just saying for somebody who only has one machine used a day a week, maybe, I couldn't see bulk. What's he going to use, 2 tubes a month? For my operation, I put a lever gun and a few tubes with every machine, and the battery gun on the service truck. The lever guns almost never get used. With the foot tubs, how do you grease things like on top of a trackhoe boom?
Good point about the booms. I only chimed in because he specifically asked about the foot models. When we are busy we grease 20 machines a shift. One thing I don’t miss is watching a guy standing there pumping frivolously to get the next tube primed.
I have one machine and will use it on weekends, most likely one day on a weekend. I appreciate all the input. I will look at battery guns. If I use 2 tubes per greasing then I am good with that. The foot operated looks handy but filling it is messier. I think cost-wise foot operated bulk vs. battery gun is not a big difference. I just want something simple and easy to use.
Thumbs up to the Milwaukee M18 grease gun. The DeWalt is a decent tool, also. I've settled on the M18 and M12 platform. Battery vs manual? Get both. The manual gun can push grease at higher pressures for those plugged up or dried out zerks. Or, sometimes you are greasing something delicate and don't want to over-grease. The Alemite 500 is an awesome tool. I have an original Stewart Warner 500 that must be 40 years old. Can't tell a bit of difference between the original and a brand new Alemite 500. I worked for a Alemite distributor and used the battery powered gun, myself. We had lots of battery returns and complaints from customers. DeWalt and Milwaukee are miles ahead, but your mileage may vary. Grease? Holy cow. That's a multi page discussion right there. I would stay away from bulk like everyone else suggests. It will expire way before you can use it all. And contamination control becomes an issue. I like Chevron Ultra-Duty EP. But, I drink the Chevron kool-aid. Check out Mystick JT6. Or, P66 Multi-pled 600. Helluva product. Amazon.com. Whatever, I would stick with a lithium complex EP NLGI #2 with moly. Especially since that machine has so many plain pin bushings.
Yeah, I have looked at the foot ones with interest, and when my friend gave me the battery one, I was looking hard at an air operated five gallon pump with a 50' hose reel to go on the service truck. I have bunches of trucks and machinery, but there's only 2 full-time and one part-time of us, so most of it sits. Like I said, using 10-20 tubes a month, I stayed with simple. I use Mystik JT6, I have been tempted by some of what I've learned on HEF, but 30 yrs ago, I switched from using whatever was on the front of the shelf at the parts store to exclusively Mystik, and the improvement was amazing, and am reluctant to change what works.
Alemite A500 lever gun with Lock N’lube coupler. As for grease, something with 5% moly. Switched to Schaefer 238 a few years ago and really like it. Been using mostly NLGI 2 but keep some #1 for winter and #3 for bucket pins.
A couple years ago Home Depot had a real decent sale on Milwaukee M12 tools so I bought the kit for the shop at work, we had been using DeWalt 18V to that point. Liked them so much I went on line to see what other tools are available and got the grease gun as we service 6 mowing machines every week. Love it!! I can only imagine the M18 tools are better. I don't know if they can use bulk grease or not. By the way, I liked these tools so much I bought several, including the grease gun, for my personal shop!
2 tubes, is that for one grease job on one back hoe? I can use about one tube on a Volvo grader. I pump until I hear the crack of the moisture, anymore than that is a waste. They have on in the shop, it counts your shots, and tells you how much grease you have left. Seems to have great power, as it pumps red grease when it's cold. I think it's made by Lincoln. My father had a Lincoln 12 volt. Been in my mother's unheated shed for over 10 years now, so the battery is probably no good.
If you keep a backhoe greased up good you should be able to grease 3 to 4 times on one tube and I only grease once a day unless I am digging an elevator pit with a 3 foot bucket I grease the 4 zeros on the bucket curl at lunch as well but that's only 2 to 3 pumps per zero I use vavoline 985 never had pin problems and second the Milwaukee m18 gun I made fun of electric guns till dad got one I had mine a week later
Milwaukee 18V grease gun is the way to go. We have 3 spread across 2 crews and myself. Tried the Dewalt first and wouldn't buy another one - PITA to keep primed. No issues with the Milwaukee.
AzIron, I was told that it would take 2 tubes in my thread. I thought it was a lot. When I purchased my backhoe, I greased every fitting on the machine as I normally grease my other equipment, and it was just about 2 tubes of grease. Perhaps, I used a bit more than I normally would because it was my first time with this machine. I haven't been able to use the machine more than an hour since greasing as all the rain in my location, so time will tell. To be honest, I am not stuck on how many tube of grease, but rather that each and every zirk takes grease, and I see the grease made it out of the void at the end, and the grease that is flowing is clean and water free
Not critisizing you using 2 tubes, just seems to be a lot. Might have been dry. I know a lot of guys that make sure every pin has grease oozing out all around every pin, makes a mess. Our plant loader has an automatic greaser, as there are days when the machine never stops. The boys say it uses less grease than a gun when you figure it out. Never liked them. I find that when you are greasing, is when you find any problems.
cuttin edge, I didnt think you were criticizing...all good. I have some experience with the auto greasers on very large transmission line (high voltage electric) cable tensioners. I have mixed feelings about them myself. Our guys tend not to grease the equipment at all...kinda not my job attitude. So, that said, it is better that then nothing. My main problem with them is I have seen them die and still have lots of grease in them...said another way, I feel they are not that reliable. My experience was like 20 years ago, so perhaps they are better now. As for an owner/operator, especially if he/she is mechanically inclined, there is no better to get a feel for your equipment that to physically look at it and touch it, and greasing will cause both of them to happen.
Only our plant loader has the automatic greaser. There are times when the only time the machine stops is at night. When the operator has break, or lunch, someone else grabs the machine. I think it is set to grease every 8 operating hours. Interestingly enough, our backhoes are the ones that get the least grease. They don't have a regular operator, and most of the time, someone hops on for a couple hours, and leave for another job. Only time they get grease is if someone has them for the full day, or they start squeaking. There are a couple guys that will grease them as soon as they take them, but one of those guys retired last fall, so who knows. We have a mixture of pistol grip, and leaver pump guns. Mostly the machines with larger pins have the leaver style, like the excavators, and the loaders. I have a pistol grip for my maintainer grader, and one of each for my production class grader. I believe they are all lincoln. I had an ingersoll rand leaver style for years, until I wore it out, but they mostly buy the cheaper ones.
I have been using hand lever grease guns my whole life, always worked fine for maintaining our equipment. Not anymore! Holy smokes now that I have a small dozer and a mini excavator that has all changed. My hands get tired after half a machine is lubed. I have Milwaukee 12V and Dewalt 20V tools. After researching this topic for a few months now and talking to quite a few people I am going after the dewalt 20V auto grease gun. On sale they can be had under $200. I am really looking forward to getting this tool............... dozer, mini ex, and a compact tractor have so many zerks I lost count! Good info and advise in this thread, re affirmed the same info I came up with! Thanks guys!
I would HIGHLY recommend the Milwaukee over the Dewalt. We've had both in the past. The Dewalt is collecting dust while our 3 Milwaukee's get used daily. The problem with the Dewalt is priming it and keeping it primed. The Milwaukee's don't have that issue.
On a side note - Each of our crews has a mini con-ex job box with an 80 lb grease keg and wheelbarrow air compressor. Our tube grease and keg grease are the same. The tube grease has plastic sleeves so we can fill up he electric gun out of the keg to save money when you just need the electric gun. Food for thought on buying grease in 5 gal buckets and still using an electric gun.
Excellent advice, thanks. However I only have Milwaukee 12V tools, the smaller stuff for getting into the tight spaces. I have LOTS of dewalt 20V and 40V.... as I understand the Milwaukee would require me to get into the 18v? I wonder if the issue is with your dewalt gun? I heard they are super easy to use? Listening with open ears, again thanks!
Some commented up thread the same issues with the Dewalt which is mainly priming it and keeping it primed. Milwaukee makes a 12V gun. - https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200415226_200415226 I would wager our oldest Milwaukee gun has pumped over 1,000 tubes.
SOB thanks alot! Found the Milwaukee 12V unit bare tool for $116!! Nice.......... I will be getting this one. EDIT. I bought that one, last one on Amazon $122 shipped
That's a great price!
FWIW I have both Milwaukee guns. 12 volt and 18 volt. The 18 volt gun pumps quite a bit faster than the 12 volt. But for occasional use the 12 volt works just fine especially if you already have other 12 volt tools it would be a 'no brainer' for me.
On the issue of DeWalt guns becoming air locked: I have great luck inserting a fresh tube and screw the barrel into the gun a turn to turn and a half. Release the spring plunger and finish tightening the barrel. For well over a case of grease now have had zero issues. I will agree early on when I was new to the gun, it airlocked almost every tube change. Do think DeWalt should address this issue but it’s a good grease gun for me. Just a side note - hopefully the new grease tubes in storage are bottom up so the air in the tube is on the plunger end. Cheers.
Bootheal, That is how I do my lever gun, and it works to get rid of the air pocket, for me too.
I would have to disagree about not getting the Dewalt. I have used both, the Milwaukee and dewalt guns. Both are great products. I have had my dewalt 20v gun since August of 2019 and I have been super impressed with it in all functions. It loads and primes faster than my grandfather's John Deere (alemite) grease guns and takes the same batteries the rest of my tools use. I've put a dozen tubes through it this week alone and priming was never an issue when reloading. With the Deere branded grease guns, I see everyone fiddle with them for 5 minutes getting them primed again. I load and go with the Dewalt Maybe i just got a good unit, but based on my experience, I wouldn't steer someone away from them. I also really like the Milwaukee grease gun, but I don't own any Milwaukee tools. I wanted to stay in the same tool system I already had to keep things simple. My father in law has the Milwaukee system. I've used it, it's still a better product than the Deere/Alemite guns I've used. Whichever platform you use, I agree with @mitch504 about getting the lock n lube coupler.
I have 20v Dewalt I bought about 6 years ago. Use it daily, really a good tool and I also bought the Lock and Lube for it. Burned a couple Lincolns and I gave my Milwaukee away.
My morning ritual includes greasing before I start digging greasing takes about 6 minutes to accomplish keeps an eye on everything if you have grease squirting out your pins out of the joint your just waiting it I have seen the m18 guns on sale for 180 bucks so you just got to shop
Bought several of these to go on our trucks to store grease tubes bottom up. They work great and hold 12 tubes. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...mJglCUl0zKGR5v6IrGl8VhJ0Ac75MnucaAjOYEALw_wcB
One thing I was taught years ago with the old manual guns, and it surprises me how many people don't know it. Do you know how to tell how much grease you have left in the tube?
CM1995, I have not seen that in the past, but I really like it. Grease tubes make a bit of a mess, and this will contain the mess. I have also had a tube crushed in the past....real mess. I may pick one of these up for like $25.00 delivered, it seems worth it. Thanks!
Yes, I do. It works the same way with my Alemite electric. How many reading this know how to drill a hole in a grease gun to bleed the air out of it ?
I am using the DeWalt 20v gun with Amalie Pro Tac 5% moly. I use to use Valvoline Ford/Mercury moly in everything but I found my greasing didn't last long before my bucket pins started to squawk again. The 5% seems to stay put longer. It takes one and a half to two tubes to grease my NH575E.
I have the DeWalt and have never had a priming problem , just stick in a new tube and keep greasing.
Guys thanks for all the advice and experience. I found Cat grease for under $7 per tube to my door. I ordered 10 tubes. I expect the first time I grease the machine for it to take the most grease. If I use 2 tubes every time I grease the machine then I might deal with bulk in a 5 gallon pail. I have switched all my mix and match battery tools to Milwaukee so I will be buying the 18v grease gun. Again if I really will use 2 tubes every greasing I may switch to the foot operated style that take bulk grease. I am not a pro and my machine will be lucky to see 8 hours per week. My machine was an ex-town machine and looks to have had all it's maintenance performed. All the pins have come out easy except one. I found one dry point last week and cleaned out the passages from dirt and dried up grease. I also have been replacing all the zerk fittings with new ones. This serves two purposes. One is I know that if a joint does not take grease it is not the fitting. Second is it helps me get familiar with the grease points.
I bought a DeWalt this spring and really like it. Has a LED "headlight", handy in darker places. It loads, unloads and bleeds very easily. Battery does several tubes to a charge. Has a nice clip on the side to wrangle the hose. I spent the money on one of the "lock on" tips too. Worth every penny!
I have ordered a Lock n Lube end too
I've switched to using synthetic grease. I've been using synthetic oils for over 30 years and decided to give the grease a try and I won't go back. It seems to stay in the machine longer so you use less grease each time, makes the machine run quieter, there's not nearly as much clanging and it stands up to moisture MUCH better. It's only a little more in cost but I think in the long run it actually costs less.
I having been using synthetic oil in my power equipment for 25 years. Back when I used to own vehicles I ran synthetic in them too. Now I do not own a car or truck so I run whatever work pays for, which is synthetic. For now I bought 10 tubes of Cat grease. When this runs out I will give a synthetic a try. Picking a grease is a pain in the neck. The manufacturers are not really good about listing the amount of moly etc. I need to do an oil change and will be using Rotella T6 in the machine. My machine was made to run on dino oil but synthetic is just better.
I just got a dewalt and it was recommended by 3 people who maintain heavy equipment. Like the gent above said, I’ve had lever guns for over 30 years-not anymore!
wicked good info people! I have learned I am storing grease tubes all wrong
I use a Milwaukee M12 for my JD410. Have found Harbor Freight carries black moly grease made by CRW. One of the only quality brands I can find there. I purchase with coupon. Also found about a half dozen tubes of Shaefflers EP moly grease at a flea market last year for $1 a tube. Of course I am using those first. Takes about 2 tubes to thoroughly lube the 410. Just gave my 1980 unit with 2472 hours a full fluid and filter service on Saturday.
From my little bit of research I've found most moly greases are only 3%. I could tell a definite difference when I switched to the 5%. I was working on my little tractor today and finally got around to freeing up the three point leveling link adjustment. I had a can of anti-seize that was near empty and mixed some motor oil in it and sprayed a little WD-40 in for extra thinning. Then I scraped it out and packed it into a small grease gun. I was able to get it to go through the grease fitting for the lower threaded part by turning the knuckle as I put pressure on the gun lever. It got me thinking. I wonder if anti-seize compound could be used in place of grease. HMMMMMMMMM. I have found some in 15 oz cartridges but it starts at $23 for the copper type and goes up from there. Would be an expensive experiment but I bet it would work great.
I was wondering about the 5% Molly grease. Do you guys use it on everything? Driveline, suspension, etc... Or do you keep different grease for different applications?
Hey Doublewide, Good question. Some of the bearing manufactures don’t recommend Moly B in high speed roller and needle bearings. Which, includes u-joints. I can’t cite anything off the top of my head at the moment except a couple. The 2020 Kenworth T880 manual for a new rig I did the up-fitting on recommended not using Moly B on the drive lines. The Blackmer TXD truck pump maintenance instructions specifically calls for a lithium complex grease without Moly B because it can mess up the ceramic seal. I certainly doesn’t hurt to check what the manufacturer recommends and then make a decision. It’s a challenge with a mixed fleet. Especially, trying to get all the mechanics and operators on the same page. I learned that even the wrong grease is better than no grease. Tell an operator he isn’t using the right grease, and he won’t grease anything, ever again. Van Houl, the motorcoach manufacture, is very sensitive about what grease is used where. It takes four different grease products to complete a PM.
I think most of the grease suitable for backhoe pins would not be good in high speed wheel bearings.
We use the milwaukee grease guns with the lock and lube end. Great for everything except driveline. Use regular hose end there to hard to get the bigger lock end in u-joint zerks. Thumbs up to schaeffer grease .
Good tip. Appreciate it. I am still far from having to worry about greasing every 8 hours. Still doing my overhaul but need to order a gun soon. I ended up just buying the grease from the Caterpillar dealer. It was a few pennies less than I could find Shaeffer or any other brand for.
99% of my work is on Cat equipment. When it is all said and done most of the lubricants Oil, Grease, etc. Are all within a few pennies of what can be found elsewhere. And, when it comes down to any type of warranty you always have that to back you up.
@Theweldor My machine is long past any warranty but I agree with your point. When I was picking up parts I asked about cost of fluids and grease. The parts guys even said "you will find we are competitive with other brands that meet our specs". Hydraulic oil seemed expensive and it is but compared to other oil that meets Cat's specs it is not much more for the real stuff. So I just bought the Cat fluid. The local dealer is super friendly and nice.
I think Cat gp grease is less than $5/tube .... so not much more than Walmart lol
Yes I paid under $5 per tube. I want to say it was about $4
just fyi dudes earlier in this thread I bought the Milwaukee 12V grease gun..... its okay, works good for most stuff but the 12V tool will not pump enough pressure to tension the track adjusters on my mini excavator........still have to get the hand pump out........... The dewalt 20 or Milwaukee 20V would have been a better purchase for me...
I just took a regular coupler, screwed a 1/8 grease fitting in it, and put it in my lock'n'lube for the 3% of places it won't fit
Milwaukee 12 volt is rated for 8000 psi. My Alemite 12 volt is rated for 10,000 psi. Fully charged batteries is a must have to achieve those pressures.
Ryobi seem to make a decent electric grease gun. A lot cheaper then a Milwakee.
I am invested in the Milwaukee system so fo me the choice is 12v or 18volt. I planned in the 18v. Just need to buy it
I’ve got the Dewalt. Actually, between personal and business, we’ve got 3 of them. They’ve all been flawless. I’d never want to grease with a manual gun again. Lock-n-lube is worth every penny. I’d never have a gun without it until something better comes along.
Now that I've settled down (not moving around for work), I bought a sealed drum of Valvoline Crimson #2 grease for $200. Lifetime supply for sure. Combined with a NOS Stewart Warner manual bulk grease pump I got off of ebay for $50. So nice to not have to mess with tubes. I'll be trying a Milwaukee 12V grease gun for my first battery powered pump. Mostly because I'm not ready to pay the big bucks for a Makita. I have Makita 18V and Milwaukee 12V tools. A while back I probably would have looked at pneumatic grease pumps. However, now days the cordless grease guns seem to be the ticket.
I love my Milwaukee 12v grease gun I bought one after this thread. I am glad I did! Most of my tools are dewalt 20 and 40v but I also have the 12v Milwaukee mostly because the 3/8” ratchet is perfect for working under hoods. The 12v grease gun works perfectly!! It is now one of my favorite tools it was half the cost of a new dewalt 20v gun
When I was looking at cab tractors, I was going to buy a Kubota MX5400. A knowledgeable ham radio friend explained why that was a bad idea, and that I should buy a lightly used backhoe. I thought a backhoe was a luxury, and that he was out of his mind, but I did a bit more research, and took his advice. Smartest decision I could have made. Backyard tractors can't take the abuse. My neighbor's MX has been broken more than it has been up. They are designed for yuppies moving Styrofoam packing peanuts. When I was looking, I realized that I could get one with heat and AC. I thought both were luxuries if I wasn't going to be in the cab 8 - 12 hours a day. Mine came with both, and they are worth every penny. Finally, when I went out to get a grease gun, I bought a high quality hand operated one. Folks here told me to go with Milwaukee or similar. I thought that an electric one was for soy boys, and it was an unneeded luxury. Well, they were right. The Milwaukee 18 volt with a Lube and lock is fantastic. I bought a 3/4 inch, 18 V Impact wrench, and use those batteries on the grease gun. They last forever. I have a ton of grease fittings on my hoe, and I need to keep them lubed to keep them from wearing. Electric is the way to go.
I've never had a problem with my Dewalt. I use Lucas Mining and Heavy Equipment grease but was recently given a case of Mobil XHP Mine Grease from my distributor. It has 5% Moly just like the Lucas but is half the price. I haven't tried it yet. I grease until I fresh grease purges. On my 580M it takes about a tube and a half for all the fittings. My loader fittings have more wear/clearance so they hold more grease. A little bit of purge becomes a blob after working.
Does anyone use a pneumatic grease gun anymore ?
Yep. We have 2 pneumatic grease kegs outfitted in mini conex boxes we take from site to site. Also have the Milwaukee electric guns. Each has their place.
Milwaukee 18 V gun. Very happy with this unit.
Several years ago I treated myself to an 18v Milwaukee grease gun. I put a lock'n'lube nozzle on the end of it, & it all works great!! The only problem is that whenever I use it I wind up "greasing myself" as well as the equipment. What's the secret to staying relatively grease free?? Maybe I'm just a slob when I grease, but if I were a "professional" operator, I can't imagine greasing at the start of a day & then staying filthy greased all day!! I would rather grease at the end of the day....what do you guys do???
Where are you picking up the grease, is your gun leaking, are you over greasing and the machine is covered in grease. Anything like a u joint that is sealed, I only pump till I hear the crack of moisture. Other joints, I stop when I can see the grease start to come around the pin. I have an old pair of leather glove just for greasing, and when I am done, I grab a handful of dirt, and rub my hands like I'm washing them. Keeps the gloves clean. I also carry a rag to clean of the grease fitting when I'm done.
This ^^ Only thing I can add is always start with a clean grease gun and end with a clean one.
First thing I do is unscrew the barrel, and dip my fingers in there. Put some grease on my shirt, my pants (behind the thigh so it gets on the truck seat), and swab some behind my right ear, getting it good in my hair. Makes people think I've been workin.
I can stay pretty clean greasing, but I don't even have to touch a fifth wheel, and I think the grease jumps on me.
I have the old fashioned manual gun, the Milwaukee 18 volt, and just recently purchased a pneumatic grease gun. My least favorite is the manual gun. It does have a purpose tho. The cordless grease gun is great when my machine is not near the air source on my property. To me, the pneumatic is the best choice for greasing the hoe. No changing the tubes, and cost way less for a 5 gallon pail then the tubes. I also manage to get enough on myself that I don't squeak for a week after greasing...LOL
I’ve noticed that there is a delay in grease oozing out of the joint. I pump in 15 squirts of grease, and see nothing. Then an hour later, there is grease everywhere.
My Dewalt 20 volt grease gun has a fitting on the head for attaching it to a bulk gun filler.
Have you done this...just wondering how it works?? If it is good, it eliminates the need to purchase the tubes at a higher cost.
We have a similar unit to fill our Milwaukee gun. Works well.
Our grease tubes are plastic and we refill them from our 80 lb air kegs from time to time. Works great with a Milwaukee 18V. DB2 do you have a part # or a link on that piece?
I purchased a makita a few months back. I’ve put about 5-6 tubes through and I’m fairly happy. Every once in a while I lose a prime when switching a tube, but I’m sure that’s user error. I’m not used to the sound when empty yet.
Does the Makita have a button to prime with? The Milwaukee has an air release button on the side that lets the air out. Put a new tube in, hit the trigger and push the button on the side until the air comes out and a little grease pushes then it's good to go.
As far as getting grease everywhere I have my collection of stained shirts that I shouldn't have been wearing at the time but just 1/2 dozen or so.. Now this stuff will search me out on the jobsite and get somewhere on me that I cannot see until it has ruined my clothes and the truck seat. A bucket of this can be opened clear across a 100 acre site and I WILL have some on me before I go home.. I am certain that Satan himself created this vile concoction.
We had open 5 gallon buckets of koprcote for doping connections on drill pipe. That stuff ends up on everything. One dab will cover a person if they aren't careful about getting it off. Coveralls, Jean's, shorts, office chairs, truck seats, etc all end up with their share after a short while
DB2 do you have a part # or a link on that piece?[/QUOTE] I believe this is what we went with. I’ll ask my mechanic tomorrow to make sure.
That's good to hear. I was thinking about getting the Makita.
I like that Lucas oil mine grease. I'd be curious how the Mobil works out for you.
Looks like the Makita and Milwaukee are the same price on Amazon.
Yes it has a valve that you can spin to do what you mentioned. I just had a lot of air in it because I didn’t realize it was out.
I bought mine from tractor supply around Christmas. They had the whole kit for 199. I couldn’t believe it. The kit has the gun, case, battery, and charger. It was cheaper than just buying the tool itself.
I have a buddy that runs Makita. He hates the grease gun, says Milwaukee is so much better it's no comparison. I run 20 V Lincoln for greasing. I'm all Milwaukee tools, but will not own a grease gun. I have two guns, and four 3 amh batteries. The bigger batteries are key. Those little 1.5s that come with the gun are not the answer.
CM1995- I think your bucket that can get you from a hundred yards somehow manages to get me too! I can just look at my backhoe and somehow get greasy.
My gun doesn't leak, but I do get some leakage sometimes around the fitting in the lock'n'lube. This can lead to some grease covering over time. Otherwise, it sounds like many of you get just just as greasy as i do!!
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XPG01...6-4014-a7e4-b550529dd746&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi $131.35???
I have had good luck with Makita in the past it's just all our stuff is Milwaukee now. That's a great price!
It is a great price. I'm trying to figure out why??? Same tool, right? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-...vVNFlsj04900GayS41waAj1NEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Seems legit - https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/...545E0C3A/search?ref_=ast_bln&terms=grease gun If you want it I would buy it!
Just remember the big batteries are around a $100 each, and add that to the price. And a charger. So it kind of adds up if you aren't already makita. https://www.amazon.com/Makita-BL184...refix=18v+lxt+makita+charger,tools,118&sr=1-3
I used a Lincoln for years, it got the job done, but where I work now all our battery tools are pretty much Dewalt, so I purchased this Dewalt 20V grease gun. Compared to the old Lincoln, no comparison. This thing is bad ***. Easy loading and bleeding, variable speed trigger, will pump really slow, or with trigger wide open it's whipping it out. Has a trigger lock that prevents you from pulling the trigger while carrying. And of course I use lock n lube couplers. If you already have Dewalt 20V tools I highly recommend this one. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...506-&msclkid=05d9c0dc555a175c8cc3a3de807600e0
I purchased the M18 Milwaukee because the guys I work around have many $$$ of their tools and I can borrow rather than purchase if needed. I still use a lot of air tools in the shop being a former auto body facility but there are many times a cordless tool is welcome.
Wow that’s cheap. I’ve had mine for a while now and it works pretty well. I just need to get the hang better for when it runs empty.
Milwaukee M18. I poo pooed the suggestions that I needed an electric grease gun for the zillion zerks on my backhoe, but once I got the Milwaukee and the lock and lube, I got religion. I bought mine in conjunction with their 3/4 inch drive Impact gun (necessary for dealing with backhoe lug nuts), and use those large batteries on the grease gun. I never run out of juice.
I love my milwaukee 12V I would be all over that Makita if I had Makitra batteries and did not already purchase the 12V on super sale Do not be afraid of the M12 stuff this grease gun gets it done, I am not sure how I lived without it before!! tube after tube of grease I think maybe once a year I have to charge the battery