Checking to see if anyone is still using bulk grease in there grease guns? The reason I'm asking is that i have put a patent on my replacement see thru grease cylinder and now I'm looking to see if people still use bulk grease anymore. My cylinder should fit almost all regular size hand and auto grease guns. I'm also looking for someone that might be interested in making a see thru cartridge for this cylinder. If so please call or text me at 270-320-7205 or email me at meiergerd219@insightbb.com, thanks Jerry.
With a tube of grease rapidly closing in on $5 bucks I'm thinking of going back to bulk grease. There isn't much mess if you do it right.
I kinda like the idea, seems everytime I pick up a grease gun, two shots & it's empty. Have to be cost effective to fly though..
I've used both, but I lean to the cartridges now, easier,cleaner, and they take up less space. Also since the cordless grease gun came out I haven't used the bulk one at all, my OTR trucks get greased every week
Only grease I use comes from work, and we use tubes only. I don't know af anyone around here using bulk to fill a gun. If they are using bulk they are pumping right out of the barrel to do the greasing.
I have used alot of bulk and still have about ½ a pail, but, the cartridges are simply less fuss. If you have an easy way to transfer from a bulk container it would sway alot of folks. .
I HATE dealing with changing cartridges in my grease gun! Seems like I get 2 good grease jobs out of a cartridge.
Back in the day when I was a John Deere mechanic, we had a pump that would clamp on the top of a bulk grease bucket. The grease guns we used had a nipple on them that would fit the coupler on the pump. It didn't take long to fill a grease gun, and the mess was minimal. They're still available today, Google "bulk grease pump" and you'll get a list of who has them...
Years ago, my Dad used Archer Oil products and grease on the farm. The grease guns we used were re-filled from a bulk 5-gal bucket that had a hand pump on top. The gun had a short nipple with an internal ball check on its top that you pressed down into a fitting on the pump outlet and with a number of pumps, the gun was filled again. Only drawback was if you let the gun lift up off the fitting; kinda messy But, very quick and alot better than hand filling a gun. (If any of you have ever done that....) This was before the days of cartridge fills. It look kinda like this, but with a fitting in lieu of the hose.
Ever go to grease something and got one maybe two pumps and that was it? This will let you see how much grease is in the gun.
I like using the bulk type gun. I bought a 5 Gal. can and when I have to fill it it is simple to insert the tube in the grease and pull the plunger.A simple wipe off of the extra grease on the tube and screw it back to the pump. When i used a cartrage, I would always think of how much one costs! Always more the the bucket for those big jobs! Just be careful not to hit the plunger "lock", ask me how I know!
if you are using a grease gun, just look at the plunger travel at the back of the gun. its like a dipstick, you just gotta pay atention when its low so you can change it...
We use bulk grease at work. No real mess involved, just attach the gun to the hand pump on top of the drum and fill your gun. We also have clear tubes on the guns. They not only let you see how much is in the tube, but also what type of grease is in the tube. We have different colors for different grease. It also stops all the grease cartridges from growing legs and ending up leaving in every other lunchbox.
The bulk grease is also about half the cost of cartridge grease. Not counting the cost of the pumps and guns.
Yes, I just look at how far the rod sticks out. On the old track cranes we used to grease them every day when they shut down at noon. I would usually go through at least 4 tubes of grease a day. Now we have rubber tired material handlers with automatic greasers for everything but the grapples. The operators have to grease those when they fuel up as they don't shut down at noon. The operators can't grease those 13 fittings without a power grease gun. I don't like the battery powered ones because you couldn't tell if a fitting was taking grease. The Lincolns had a bypass if the pressure got too high.
I don't think a clear cartridge would work well. I used to wear the threads out every three months on a steel grease gun cylinder going through about 20 tubes a week. If you use a filler pump on a pail, you don't have to take the gun apart. How strong is the cylinder? I used to break the handle on the guns if a fitting took grease real hard or didn't take at all. I'd be afraid that the threads would tear out of a polycarbonate cylinder. I know that the sun eats up the polycarbonate covers on the automatic greasers in about 4 years.
It seems to me that seeing the amount of grease in the gun doesn't change anything regarding the need to refill it when it's empty. The only difference I see is that you MAY avoid the "two pumps and it's empty" frustration....but in the end, it only holds so much and refill frequency is the same. Ray
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