Grease recommendations -wet weather

[DaveDCB]

It’s hot weather that’s the problem with grease! So wouldn’t worry

 

[Diggerdavey]

If it's new it doesn't need greasing if it's old it's not worth greasing.


I find it hard to believe that electric grease guns are of any benefit unless in a workshop doing lots of machines at one time. Or greasing those remote greasing banks on some machines that supply several points with one nipple

I have an alemite lever and previously had an alemite 2 pressure pistol grip. It takes <5mins to grease most machines.

Plus you can’t beat the feel of hand greasing to get and idea of a pin or bush is getting tight

 

[doobin]

Plus you can’t beat the feel of hand greasing to get and idea of a pin or bush is getting tight

You can fairly easily hear with the sound of the motor to be fair.

What is doing my nut with the Makita gun is the way grease oozes out of the hose as soon as you remove the nozzle, regardless of how tight the pin seemed to be or how long you wait for pressure to abate.

Gonna try the slower Milwaukee gun again and see if it’s any better.

 

[Lancs Lad]

You can fairly easily hear with the sound of the motor to be fair.

What is doing my nut with the Makita gun is the way grease oozes out of the hose as soon as you remove the nozzle, regardless of how tight the pin seemed to be or how long you wait for pressure to abate.

Gonna try the slower Milwaukee gun again and see if it’s any better.

Always thought you'd come back to red

 

[Gecko]

In 50 years around machines I’ve seen a lot of failures through lack of grease, but not one through the wrong colour or make of grease.

I'd agree, but qualify it with "appropriate grease".
For pins, you don't need a high temp grease, but you do need it to be EP. The Extreme Pressure (EP) additives resist being squeezed out of the joint, prolonging the re-grease interval.
Water resistance (anti-wash out) is a real bonus where you are dipping the bucket into mud/water.
Anti-rust/corrosion is particularly good on low use machines that are parked up a lot of the time and not getting fresh grease regularly.
Moly is increadibly slippery and helps to reduce wear as the grease layer gets thin and you start to get metal to metal contact.
- moly should never be used on rolling elements because it's "too slippery". The balls/rollers just skate instead of rolling, leading to flat-spots and premature failure.

Every respectable brand make appropriate greases and while some out-perform others in lab tests, once you get on site, a bit of contamination here, skipping a lube there, all becomes dominant. Having the "best grease" doesn't help if you don't use it!

 

[Bri963]

I'd agree, but qualify it with "appropriate grease".
For pins, you don't need a high temp grease, but you do need it to be EP. The Extreme Pressure (EP) additives resist being squeezed out of the joint, prolonging the re-grease interval.
Water resistance (anti-wash out) is a real bonus where you are dipping the bucket into mud/water.
Anti-rust/corrosion is particularly good on low use machines that are parked up a lot of the time and not getting fresh grease regularly.
Moly is increadibly slippery and helps to reduce wear as the grease layer gets thin and you start to get metal to metal contact.
- moly should never be used on rolling elements because it's "too slippery". The balls/rollers just skate instead of rolling, leading to flat-spots and premature failure.

Every respectable brand make appropriate greases and while some out-perform others in lab tests, once you get on site, a bit of contamination here, skipping a lube there, all becomes dominant. Having the "best grease" doesn't help if you don't use it!

Agree with all of this. Back in the day when I did a bit of drainage work, it was twice daily greasing of the bottom end pins rather than any special grease. I certainly wouldn’t put water pump grease in a BTD 6 bottom roller, or Retinax on bucket pins, unless it was all I’d got. Definitely no to moly in a swing bearing or wheel bearing.

 

[Steve Blackdog]

I'd agree, but qualify it with "appropriate grease".
For pins, you don't need a high temp grease, but you do need it to be EP. The Extreme Pressure (EP) additives resist being squeezed out of the joint, prolonging the re-grease interval.
Water resistance (anti-wash out) is a real bonus where you are dipping the bucket into mud/water.
Anti-rust/corrosion is particularly good on low use machines that are parked up a lot of the time and not getting fresh grease regularly.
Moly is increadibly slippery and helps to reduce wear as the grease layer gets thin and you start to get metal to metal contact.
- moly should never be used on rolling elements because it's "too slippery". The balls/rollers just skate instead of rolling, leading to flat-spots and premature failure.

Every respectable brand make appropriate greases and while some out-perform others in lab tests, once you get on site, a bit of contamination here, skipping a lube there, all becomes dominant. Having the "best grease" doesn't help if you don't use it!

Thanks- a very comprehensive post!

 

[Gecko]

One (obvious?) thing I forgot on the list above - perhaps the greatest benefit of regular greasing is that by pushing new grease in, you are flushing the the dirty / contaminated "paste" out of the joint.
If you've ever rebuilt an engine, you'll know the valve griding paste is just grit and something to keep it between the surfaces you are trying to grind.
You don't want that in your joints, but it's exactly what you get if you don't flush it out.

 

[Bri963]

One (obvious?) thing I forgot on the list above - perhaps the greatest benefit of regular greasing is that by pushing new grease in, you are flushing the the dirty / contaminated "paste" out of the joint.
If you've ever rebuilt an engine, you'll know the valve griding paste is just grit and something to keep it between the surfaces you are trying to grind.
You don't want that in your joints, but it's exactly what you get if you don't flush it out.

That’s exactly why I ignore the recommended greasing intervals when it’s something ridiculous like 500-hrs.

 

[Storrsy]

That’s exactly why I ignore the recommended greasing intervals when it’s something ridiculous like 500-hrs.

I just don't see how a conventional pin and bush arrangement could ever tolerate that. Even 50 hours seems a stretch to me. For minis I do mine every time I fuel up and usually a few extra pumps for the bucket end.

 

[Storrsy]

What annoys me is the TB216 which I've had from new is approaching 1800 hrs and almost NO detectable play in any of the greasable bushes. However where a pin is fixed to move with the parent metal (like each side of the kingpost) its starting to wear a little and there's nothing I can do about it. Shame the whole length of the pin can't be greased.

 

[Smiffy]

I just don't see how a conventional pin and bush arrangement could ever tolerate that. Even 50 hours seems a stretch to me. For minis I do mine every time I fuel up and usually a few extra pumps for the bucket end.

I was always taught this. Also that greasing is a good chance to check the machine over.
I can't fathom the cpcs gang who grease a machine once a week whether it needs it or not. A excavator is less than 20 points. You can do it before the machines warmed up.

I do it even on hire machines as I'm of the mindset that you can't complain about being sent a sloppy machine if you don't grease the good ones in the first place.

 

[Bri963]

I had a hire machine from A plant years ago. When it was dropped off I asked the driver where the grease gun was, he said it was the first time he’d ever been asked that.

 

[Gecko]

That’s exactly why I ignore the recommended greasing intervals when it’s something ridiculous like 500-hrs.

I thought you were joking about 500hrs.

 

[Gecko]

However where a pin is fixed to move with the parent metal (like each side of the kingpost) its starting to wear a little and there's nothing I can do about it.

Is it really two seperate pins?
A singe pin would obviously provide a lot more support, but presumably something travels through that space.

 

[Storrsy]

Is it really two seperate pins?
A singe pin would obviously provide a lot more support, but presumably something travels through that space.

View attachment 66777

Yeah the main verticle king post pin is 2 seperate pins. The old 016 was a single pin but most seem to use the 2 split pins now. But to illustrate the problem is not the blue part of the pin and bush but the green one where the pin is fixed- wear still develops here and its ungreasable.

 

[Gecko]

That's a bit ugly.
I don't think grease is the solution to this problem though.
If the pins were a heavy press fit into the boom, I can see that lasting well, but being a sliding (clearence) fit, it's starting with a minute amout of play and will just pean the hole larger.

I presume you couldn't fit a single pin?

 

[Storrsy]

That's a bit ugly.
I don't think grease is the solution to this problem though.
If the pins were a heavy press fit into the boom, I can see that lasting well, but being a sliding (clearence) fit, it's starting with a minute amout of play and will just pean the hole larger.

I presume you couldn't fit a single pin?

Fairly sure all the minis do it like that now. On my 2.8t 4500hrs it looks like there about 6mm in the kingpost untill you realise it's not in the greasable moving part but the fixed side

 

[doobin]

Fairly sure all the minis do it like that now. On my 2.8t 4500hrs it looks like there about 6mm in the kingpost untill you realise it's not in the greasable moving part but the fixed side

E19 is a single pin. To my mind it makes more sense- less cost overall than two small ones surely?

 

[JerryRtilt]

Yeah the main verticle king post pin is 2 seperate pins. The old 016 was a single pin but most seem to use the 2 split pins now. But to illustrate the problem is not the blue part of the pin and bush but the green one where the pin is fixed- wear still develops here and its ungreasable.

If you could fit a pin all the way through Expander would be the answer, not cheep though !