Grease Gun

RobMcClain

RobMcClain

Member
At the risk of sounding like a real moron, how do you guys effectively store a loaded grease gun? I have a cartridge type of gun that I keep grease in for my trailer's wheel bearings. When not in use I try to keep the plunger locked back so there is no pressure on the grease, but it often slips out of the notch and puts pressure on the grease. Then of course the grease slowly seeps around the plunger so I generally lose the ability to use it and if I pull the plunger back it pushes all that grease out the plunger hole.

When I put a new cartridge into the gun I usually only use a bit of grease when checking the bearing buddies but I haven't found any good way to remove the open cartridge so I leave it in and hope to keep the plunger locked back so I don't waste the new grease - but often the plunger slips and engages and by the time I see this has occurred much of the grease has already oozed behind the plunger. This especially occurs when we are on the road towing and I want to have the gun handy. I've had a few guns over time and this still occurs. So what am I doing wrong???

Rob :?
 
Rob, The larger 5 mil thick "industrial grade" Ziploc bags do the trick for me when on road or in workshop. You have to use the thick variety or double bag the thinner ones. In addition to the Ziploc bags, I also wrap the package in an old bath towel to prevent chafe through of bags.
 
Rob,
I keep ours in a trash bag along with some of the red cloth rags to wipe up any excess when I use it. I don't pull the plunger unless I'm changing the grease cartridge. I usually don't usually keep the threaded part all the way tight to let the excess air to bleed out. You might want rig up a Velcro strap to keep the handle from moving from the all the down position. Keep some GO JOE sealed package type wipes in the bag for a quick clean up. Or a pair of rubber gloves to keep hands tidy.
D.D.
 
I understand the problem you are experiencing. I have one electric gun that does that all the time here on the farm. I have resorted to using the smallest vice grip and pulling the plunger rod out till it comes up against the plate and locking it down. the vice grip keeps it from moving.
 
At the risk of sounding like an even bigger moron (which, mechanically, I am), I have never understood bearings or greasing bearings - I have received SO much conflicting advice. Two of my "experts" - Gary Estes and Jim at Willand Autotech in Ferndale - have told me most people get into trouble by trying to put TOO MUCH GREASE into their hubs. They both advised that it is seldom if ever necessary if the hubs get annual inspection by someone who knows what they are doing (i.e., them, not me). They both advised THE most important things were (1) not putting in with hot hubs (sucks water into the hubs), and (2) immediately fresh water rinsing everything after pulling out of the salt (get all the corrosion causing saltwater off every surface that you can). Good or bad advice?

I now have Bearing Buddies on the CD25:

Bearing_Buddy.sized.jpg

I understand that when I put grease into the Bearing Buddies I am not putting grease into the hubs. Still, I have no clue how much is the right amount to put into the Bearing Buddies and how much is not enough or too much. I have been carrying a grease gun, and have used it in past years without really understanding what I am doing or trying to do.

So can somebody really explain this?

 
One issue with bearing buddies is that it is easy to overfill them. When that happens the excess just blows out through the back seal. You can feel the dried grease on the inside of the wheels if you've consistently overfilled them.
 
Find a small card board box or plastic box with lid, line bottom with a work rag or cloth, place gun flat on top of rags and place a couple of clean ones on top of it, discard them as needed and keep a small bottle of waterless cleaner (I aliquot cleaner from a larger container to a free plastic condiment (salasa) container with a lid from restaurants...cheap, too) on top of the clean rags too

oops toss in a few dispo gloves too
 
I've used bearing buddies on at least the last 10 boats I've owned (heavier weight boats), so far no 'discernible' problems--knock on wood. Something recent I've learned is when you're pumping grease into them, that grease isn't necessarily getting past the first (outer) bearing into the hub and to the second (inner) bearing. Over time while driving, it will migrate inwards from the spring pressure of the bearing buddy.

This is how I maintain the bearings using bearing buddies. I don't refill/top off them while cold. I check them just before launching when I arrive at the ramp, usually they are warm. If any are "bottomed out" against their stops, I pump just enough grease to barely raise them off the stop; this helps ensure you have no air gaps before submerging into the cold water. I make a mental note of any bearing that requires this regularly, or begins to require it, this usually means your inner seal is beginning to leak.

Something recent I've learned is that when you disassemble the wheel unit and bearings, always refill by hand all the grease cavities from the inner seal and around the spindle with the wheel in place to slightly overfill that cavity before sliding on the outer bearing. I do this with a straw and a needle bearing fitting on the grease gun to fill from the inside out before putting in the outer bearing. Seems to work.

The grease definitely expands substantially as the hub warms up on the road, that's why you don't want to add grease when they're cold, it will expand beyond the limits of the bearing buddies and it has to go somewhere, that's when a seal is blown or it leaks past. I seem to have to replace a seal every 2-3 years on average, maybe I'm doing something wrong or that's just the nature of the beast.
 
Pat Anderson said:
At the risk of sounding like an even bigger moron (which, mechanically, I am), I have never understood bearings or greasing bearings - I have received SO much conflicting advice. Two of my "experts" - Gary Estes and Jim at Willand Autotech in Ferndale - have told me most people get into trouble by trying to put TOO MUCH GREASE into their hubs. They both advised that it is seldom if ever necessary if the hubs get annual inspection by someone who knows what they are doing (i.e., them, not me). They both advised THE most important things were (1) not putting in with hot hubs (sucks water into the hubs), and (2) immediately fresh water rinsing everything after pulling out of the salt (get all the corrosion causing saltwater off every surface that you can). Good or bad advice?


good


sometimes folks are over zealous adding grease
or have not read the manual or mis informed by others

If the hubs were clear or Superman used his X ray vision this would not happen... ha ha ha

from

http://www.bearingbuddy.com/faq.html

How do I check the grease level in the hub?


Grease can be added to the hub through an easily accessible grease fitting located in the center of the Bearing Buddy® piston. Lubricant level can be checked by pressing on the edge of the piston. If you can rock or move the piston, the hub is properly filled. If the piston won't rock or move, add grease until piston moves outward about 1/8 inch. When adding grease, always use a hand grease gun. An automatic grease gun will destroy the hub's inner seal
Click to expand...
 
I agree, that bearings need to be cool (not not) when putting in the water. I use an IR thermometer to check the bearing temps regularly when trailering.

If you have been driving for many miles and the bearings are 120 degrees, let them cool down to 100 degrees or less. Different bearings are going to have different temps. i used buddy bearings for years--and each year tore the bearings down, to repack the grease. As noted put in a small amount of grease, always you want the spring backed plate about half way out. Never fill up the bearings so that the outer plates are compressing all of the springs around the rim so they appear solid.

I have used the Super Lube type, which send grease thru the Zerk fitting and into the center of the spindle--there are holes between the bearings on the hub spindle--and the grease is forced out thru the bearings. I re=do the grease before any long trip, and at least once a season. I put in new grease to displace all of the old grease. To do this with the Buddy bearings, you have to dis-assemble the bearings.
 
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