# Grease guns



## kkottemann (Dec 10, 2009)

Ok....in the past two weeks i have destroyed 2 grease guns. One was air the other was manual. In the past year I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted waiting for the damm thing to prime and shoot grease. the air grease gun in particular is a major problem. First i had one from napa now i have a craftsman. is there a trick to getting these things to work efficiently? Is there a better product out there? I use alot of grease on my job...I need this to work a bit more efficiently. And yes.....they were destroyed in a fit or rage.....


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## chemist (Dec 10, 2009)

I've never had any luck with pneumatic grease guns. The best I've used are the the one hand manual squeeze ones. I usually keep a minimum of two around to avoid getting shut down by a malfunction. Then again, when both don't work the rage is exponential!


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## JohnH (Dec 10, 2009)

I feel you'r pain. I found you get what you pay for with them. The ones we get from Napa are cheap and suck. They get the cheap ones because they seem to disappeare a lot. I have one I got from Cat 5 years ago and have no trouble with it.


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## Grace Tree (Dec 10, 2009)

I've had a Lincoln battery powered for the past year or so with no trouble. Before that I had some cheaper bat powered ones that burned up just when I needed them. So far so good on the Lincoln.
Phil


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## A. Stanton (Dec 10, 2009)

I stand with you, Kman, on this one. Grease guns suck. I bought the deluxe manual one from Napa, with the one-hand trigger job. It took me about 1 hour to battle the spring and load the damn thing. Now it gets air bound during regular use. Why did Kubota have to put a zillion grease fittings on their backhoes?


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## lone wolf (Dec 10, 2009)

you know that plate that pushes the greese up on the tube well i brazed mine so it stays where it should and i can use the shaft to push the greese up when it loses a prime


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## dingeryote (Dec 10, 2009)

Where were you guys for back up a couple weeks ago on another grease gun thread? 'Ol Spacegoofus tried to play the "If ya knew what you were doin'" card.

The newer Guns are CRAP! They get airlocked constantly.

I'm down to two that work and can be bled with enough cussing and banging.
Both are Snap on's made in USA models I bought back in the early 80's.

The little bleeder check balls still work for some reason, so they get airlocked on the tubes, so I have taken to just hand packing the things.

Bloody mess, but it's better than bouncing another one off the wall.

There's nothing more agravating than having glop dripping on ya under a tractor, with skeeters biting, and both hands on a grease gun that refuses to deliver.

Last time I looked, Snap-on is getting some serious hardcore bank for a grease gun these days, so if either of mine finally croak, I dunno what I'm gonna do.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## M.R. (Dec 10, 2009)

I like the pistol grip over the lever style in a lot of places seems as if the lever needs three hands or a leg/knee and both hands, by the time I get around some of the equipment the pump is really *felt* in the forearm.

When changing tubes I just thread the top on enough to allow the air to bleed, the release the plunger....Prime...then tighten the top down.
When the guns start leaving too much grease in the tube it gets tossed.


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## demographic (Dec 10, 2009)

I'm glad you lot are having problems as well.

I thought it was just me being an idiot when I was struggling to get mine setup.


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## Veteran (Dec 10, 2009)

Buy a LINCOLN grease gun and you will never have to post a problem .Carefull about the high pressure gun it can pop a pressed fitting out.


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## Gologit (Dec 10, 2009)

demographic said:


> I'm glad you lot are having problems as well.
> 
> I thought it was just me being an idiot when I was struggling to get mine setup.



Nope...and I have the dents in the shop wall from thrown grease guns to prove it.  And then a really big mess to clean up whilst contemplating the effects of riggin fits.


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## kkottemann (Dec 10, 2009)

Well i'm glad to see that i'm not the only one!! I like the air gun so i'm goanna return th craftsman tomorrow and go find a lincoln.....i'm sure it will piss me off just the same. need a new hand pump as well for the track tension gauge.


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## 2dogs (Dec 10, 2009)

There are 3 or 4 grease guns kicking around. The one that always works is a 5year old John Deere one hand type. I have gone through two 5 gallon bucket grease pumps that have not worked worth a hoot. I through the last one out almost full because I was so mad at it.


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## treemandan (Dec 10, 2009)

I am sorry but I have to laugh. Now you all know me, I am not being mean BUT its not the guns. Its you. I swear.
I never messed with anything but a 12 dollar pistol grip from the parts house and the one I have now I have had for well over a decade with nary a problem.
First start with an unmolested gun. I know everybody think that if you unscrew the valve thing-a ma- bob you will get somewhere but I highly doubt it so unmolested it is.
Now the next thing is to pull the piston handle all the way back and cock it so it locks and stays all the way out. The piston handle is at the bottom. Pull slow and firm , all the way, cock and lock.
Then put the top trigger part in a vise,you don't have to tighten the vise very much, this only holds the trigger part while you unscrew the bottom. I know you don't need the vise but alot of time people crossthread it when putting it back together and this just helps keep it steady so you can align it back together better.
You know to put the end of the cartridge with the plastic cap towards the bottom and the pop top towards the top? Put the cartrige in and pop the top.So do that then gently screw it back together. Once corectly tightened just un-cock the piston handle and push it in all the way. If its been crossthreaded its not going to work.
Now you are done, a few pumps will bring the grease out I swear or my name ain't Dan.


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## Cowboy Billy (Dec 11, 2009)

I run heavy equ for a living and its not unusual for me to use two tubes of grease a day on a big excavator. And I agree 100% with Dan. But I add what M.R. does too. As I work in the field I don't use a vice. When I put the gun back together I unscrew the can until I feel it drop letting me know the threads are lined up then I screw it on.



M.R. said:


> When changing tubes I just thread the top on enough to allow the air to bleed, the release the plunger....Prime...then tighten the top down.
> When the guns start leaving too much grease in the tube it gets tossed.



*Take care of your grease tubes!* If they are dented the plunger will hang up and it won't work. Yes you can make it work but its not worth the effort

Do not get any dirt in the gun. Wipe off the metal end before you pull the ring out. If it should fall in the dirt and get dirt in the grease you will not get it out the tube is junk. The dirt will get in the check valve of the pump and it will bind up and barely pump any grease and pump very hard if at all.

The guns that have that little tab around the plunger are junk. You want the one that has the groove in the plunger that you pull out then to the side to lock. 

Gool luch and wear your grease gloves

Billy


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## 056 kid (Dec 11, 2009)

to get the goo flowing, I have found that wacking the cylinder on somthing hard while pumping, getting them nice & warm helps too..


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## Nosmo (Dec 11, 2009)

*Vise Grips*

If you are having trouble with the push rod jumping out of the slot when it is pulled back and your are trying to screw the gun back together clamp the rod against the end cap with vise grips.

Nosmo


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## kkottemann (Dec 11, 2009)

honestly, I don't see the need for a pair of vice grips. it seems pretty simple to me. You unscrew the top of the gun, drop in a new tube of grease, screw the top back on and pump grease right???? only mine don't want to pump grease.


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## 056 kid (Dec 11, 2009)

What about the plunger, you gots to pull it out in order to insert the grease tube...



Maybe that is why the grease isent coming?


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## joesawer (Dec 12, 2009)

kkottemann said:


> honestly, I don't see the need for a pair of vice grips. it seems pretty simple to me. You unscrew the top of the gun, drop in a new tube of grease, screw the top back on and pump grease right???? only mine don't want to pump grease.



If the tubs have been stored on their side or upside down, No. 
If there is any air space at the top of the tub it will vacuum lock it. I Almost always start the top about one good turn on the threads then release the plunger and leave the handle open and tighten the rest of the way. This pushes grease up into the top and the air out.
Properly store your grease and make sure your supplier does also.
Grease guns are suffering quality control issues just like the rest of our decaying society. But they are very simple machines and should not be very difficult to make work.


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## Hddnis (Dec 13, 2009)

...and if it is a cold day don't think the grease is "frozen" and heat the tube with a propane torch.

I had an idiot that worked for me try that once. I stress once. The bang darn near made him deaf.



Mr. HE


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## Curbside (Dec 13, 2009)

I use a ton of a grease. I only buy guns with a screw tap on the top or an air bleeder. Put the tube in the normal way make sure the plunger seats by twisting the plunger as you release it back into the drum. Loosen the air tap or bleeder and pump several times maybe two or three and its back primed. If the gun is a cheap one with no air bleeders at the top throw them away they are useless.

The one thing I wished I could figure out is how to grease without getting covered in grease. Just haven't learned how to do that.


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## 056 kid (Dec 13, 2009)

Make someone else hold the fitting while you pump..


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## bullbuck (Dec 13, 2009)

joesawer said:


> If the tubs have been stored on their side or upside down, No.
> If there is any air space at the top of the tub it will vacuum lock it. I Almost always start the top about one good turn on the threads then release the plunger and leave the handle open and tighten the rest of the way. This pushes grease up into the top and the air out.
> Properly store your grease and make sure your supplier does also.
> Grease guns are suffering quality control issues just like the rest of our decaying society. But they are very simple machines and should not be very difficult to make work.



well said.


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## 056 kid (Dec 13, 2009)

it makes no difference how the tubes are stored.







If you have a ####ty gun & a tube of grease, put it in there, find a zurk & pump, if no grease, hold the gun up right and smack it while pumping.

It always works for me & i had to grease all kinds of crap. . .


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## Nosmo (Dec 14, 2009)

056 kid said:


> Make someone else hold the fitting while you pump..



I have a Cub Cadet Tank Zero Turn Mower and it has 19 grease zerks. I find it much easier on 17 of these zerks to use a non-flexible tube to fill these zerks. I can put pressure on the gun to hold the nozzle tight against the zerk.

Two of the hard to reach zerks I have to use a flexible hose nozzle to grease.

Nosmo


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## Oly's Stump (Dec 14, 2009)

Go with the Lincoln 18 volt. Its the cats azz. U will not be disappointed. Costs about $230.00. U will never need another gun.



Lincoln PowerLuber Cordless Grease Gun — 18 Volt, Model# 1842
This Lincoln PowerLuber is a professional-grade, heavy-duty cordless grease gun that lets you do your lubrication tasks in half the time of a manual grease gun, delivering up to 7500 PSI.


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## ba-1 (Dec 15, 2009)

Get an Alemite from drill bit city. Best gun Ive ever had and it 
will prime ti self about 95% of the time and will qut grease the 
Lincon we have try doing a combine and you"ll find out what it
is worth.


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## redprospector (Dec 15, 2009)

056 kid said:


> it makes no difference how the tubes are stored.




Your 8 layers are showing dude. 

Words of wisdom from a man who has pumped literally thousands of tubes of grease. 
Tell us, how'd you get so smart?

Andy


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## 056 kid (Dec 15, 2009)

well, considering that I have used grease tubes that have been hap hardly shoved in any area in a tool door that will accept. they all give me alittle grief here & there but with alittle smacking around, the grease manages to get where it needs to go.
And every grease gun I have used in the last 3 years was treated like crap, thrown in the bed and forgotten about till needed again, not the way I would treat my grease gun but the gun didnt seem to care just like the grease..

things do not have to be perfect like some of you guys push...


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## Hddnis (Dec 16, 2009)

FWIW, I'm pretty careful how I store my grease tubes and I don't have to bang my grease guns on anything to get them to work. I also have never seen anyone do that. I worked on and have been around everything from industrial manufacturing machinery, to logging equipment, to ships, to mining equipment, to aerospace testing and manufacturing equipment. I cannot recall seeing anyone banging a grease gun in any of those settings.


That is not to say that I don't understand that sometimes a swift whack will often fix something.


Mr. HE


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## 056 kid (Dec 16, 2009)

you learn stuff every day..


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## Saw Bones (Dec 16, 2009)

kkottemann said:


> Ok....in the past two weeks i have destroyed 2 grease guns. One was air the other was manual. In the past year I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted waiting for the damm thing to prime and shoot grease. the air grease gun in particular is a major problem. First i had one from napa now i have a craftsman. is there a trick to getting these things to work efficiently? Is there a better product out there? I use alot of grease on my job...I need this to work a bit more efficiently. And yes.....they were destroyed in a fit or rage.....



Most grease guns have a bleeder screw on them. I dont use that. I usually remove the hose from the grease gun and work the mechanisim while putting my finger over the hole while I release it to avoid sucking air back in. This seems to work pretty well. Do you use tubes of grease or refill the gun from a 5 gallon bucket? They are pretty messy.


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## redprospector (Dec 16, 2009)

056 kid said:


> well, considering that I have used grease tubes that have been hap hardly shoved in any area in a tool door that will accept. they all give me alittle grief here & there but with alittle smacking around, the grease manages to get where it needs to go.
> And every grease gun I have used in the last 3 years was treated like crap, thrown in the bed and forgotten about till needed again, not the way I would treat my grease gun but the gun didnt seem to care just like the grease..
> 
> things do not have to be perfect like some of you guys push...



Hahaha. Well, since you evidently haven't used a grease gun or tubes that have been handled properly, I guess you wouldn't know if it makes a difference or not......would you?
I will remember what you said about things not having to be perfect though. Next time one of my saw's act up, I'll stand it on end and smack it around a little. Should fix her up.
If something isn't working right, find out why and fix it. If it's something I'm not doing right, I'll try to change my ways. Don't insist on quality equipment, and then buy a cheap grease gun. You wouldn't want a wild thing felling timber, would you?
I know that the quality of grease guns has gone to crap lately, but smacking stuff around really isn't the answer.

Andy


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## Slamm (Dec 16, 2009)

I have every kinda cheap grease gun and some better quality old grease guns and a Lincoln 14.4 . They all work fine for me.

I say its operator error.

Sure sometimes you get an airlock, so crack the bleeder, bleed it and go to greasing your machine.

Its not that hard.

Always add a 4 foot long hose to every grease gun you own. It makes operation much easier.

I second getting the Lincoln battery grease guns if you do daily greasing on your machines then the gun will pay for itself easily in much less time greasing and easy of operation.

My experience and opinion,

Sam


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## 056 kid (Dec 18, 2009)

redprospector said:


> Hahaha. Well, since you evidently haven't used a grease gun or tubes that have been handled properly, I guess you wouldn't know if it makes a difference or not......would you?
> I will remember what you said about things not having to be perfect though. Next time one of my saw's act up, I'll stand it on end and smack it around a little. Should fix her up.
> If something isn't working right, find out why and fix it. If it's something I'm not doing right, I'll try to change my ways. Don't insist on quality equipment, and then buy a cheap grease gun. You wouldn't want a wild thing felling timber, would you?
> I know that the quality of grease guns has gone to crap lately, but smacking stuff around really isn't the answer.
> ...





let me clarify before you over embellish your interpretation of "smack"
you hold the gun upright and do a tap tap tap tap tap kind of thing, it gets the air out, and the grease out...

btw, i learned this from a 62 year old faller,ya, i will just listen to what he sais given that he has been doing it for over 40 years.......


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## bullbuck (Dec 18, 2009)

056 kid said:


> let me clarify before you over embellish your interpretation of "smack"
> you hold the gun upright and do a tap tap tap tap tap kind of thing, it gets the air out, and the grease out...
> 
> btw, i learned this from a 62 year old faller,ya, i will just listen to what he sais given that he has been doing it for over 40 years.......


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## M.R. (Dec 18, 2009)

bullbuck said:


>



Yeah!!! 

'Little Pitchers should have big ears.' :greenchainsaw:


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## oregoncutter (Dec 19, 2009)

Small Wood said:


> I've had a Lincoln battery powered for the past year or so with no trouble. Before that I had some cheaper bat powered ones that burned up just when I needed them. So far so good on the Lincoln.
> Phil



I used the rechargeable battery powered Lincolns on log landings greasing, shovels, yarders, strokers, carriages, blocks etc etc. They hold up well to abuse & the batteries last quite awhile on a charge. We had 12 volt lighter plug in chargers for them. I was surprised at their durability and pump rates.


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## kkottemann (Dec 19, 2009)

I got it solved everyone! I bought a air lincoln and a hand pump lincoln. Got a pressure gauge on the hand pump one. put a tube of grease in the air, took about 10 seconds to prime. Bleeder valve made a difference. hand pump took just a few pumps. Good to go.


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## redprospector (Dec 19, 2009)

056 kid said:


> let me clarify before you over embellish your interpretation of "smack"
> you hold the gun upright and do a tap tap tap tap tap kind of thing, it gets the air out, and the grease out...
> 
> btw, i learned this from a 62 year old faller,ya, i will just listen to what he sais given that he has been doing it for over 40 years.......



Hahahaha. Good idea. Keep beating off your grease gun, it will eventually squirt. 

Andy


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## milkie62 (Dec 20, 2009)

*So what is the trick ???????*

I have 4 grease guns setup for different things.!8" flex hose,mini- gun,hard tube gun, and swivel head.At some point all 4 will not work properly.There has to be a trick to bleeding these things........


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## milkie62 (Dec 20, 2009)

*Priming update*

I just went to our parts room and pulled a new gun from stock.It is a Westward brand pistol grip with 18" flex hose.The directions say after loading tube screw the gun head tightly onto the barrel.The bleeder valve should be open while moving the plunger rod back and forth to force out any trapped air.The most I've ever moved the rod is probably 3 times at most. Right now 3 of my guns seem to be air bound .I will try this step and cycle the ram a few times to see if this will work.What type of grease will I put in this new gun ????????????? hhmmm


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## Panama (Dec 22, 2009)

Some of the thicker greases are much worse about getting air bound, especially when cold, no matter what gun it is in. Try to store your guns where they stay warm. If you use thick grease, you will have almost no problem if you can get the grease into the gun without the paper tube. 
Try this: make up a push rod, out of a dowel with a plastic cap (from off the end of a tube of grease) screwed onto the end. Cut the outside diameter of the cap down carefully with a box cutter until it can just be forced into a tube of grease. When you load your gun and pop the top, insert your dowel push rod (cap end) to hold the grease in the tube, while you pull the paper tube back out over the dowel rod. Then, always fill the head of the gun with grease before screwing it back on. This will eliminate the feed problems from almost any grease gun. I store the dowel rod in a gallon zip bag to keep it clean. It's a little messy, so I broke down and bought several guns for each type of grease, and refill when I get down to the last full gun. No more feed problems.


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## proto (Jan 5, 2010)

I am an auto parts dealer, we sell some Lincoln heavy duty gun, and the lower quality from Lincoln, brand name ''guardian''. Here, for our need, we use the Guardian, it always do the job without problems. The heavy duty ones can push more psi, hoses better quality, etc...
If i sell 10 grease gun,any brand, 3 come back, and every time, the same day. I take five minutes, put a new tube, push-pull the rod few times, maybe more sometimes, and tell to the guy, you are ready! Its alway that. I have never ship a gun for a warranty claim.


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## Ljute (Jan 5, 2010)

I got the Lincoln manual gun after a number of people recommended it. You can squeeze the grease out with one hand, and it is a quality unit.






I bought a similar-looking one (red) at Tractor Supply. Took it home and loaded it up. As soon as I started to get pressure the whole head popped off. Never could get it to stay on. Piece of trash!


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## gt2003 (Mar 24, 2011)

I've got to revive this thread because maybe you all have my answer here! I inherited an old, old lubrimatic mini-grease gun. It doesn't have the T-handle on the bottom of the gun. From what I've read there is some way to lock the plunger down when inserting a new tube of grease then unlock it once the top is screwed back on the gun. Seriously, I bet this gun is 30 or 40 years old. I know it works because my mechanic put a new tube in it a few years ago but I don't remember what he did. I'm also at work until he closes so if you all can help I would greatly appreciate it. Have any of you used one of these type of guns? If so, what is the trick to lock and unlock the plunger?


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## super3 (Mar 27, 2011)

M.R. said:


> When changing tubes I just thread the top on enough to allow the air to bleed, the release the plunger....Prime...then tighten the top down.




There ya go!


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