400lbs of Lucas red n tacky?

[Fixastuff]

I can get one of these on sale from a supplier for $980. It’s a heck of a deal but what do I do once I have it? I mainly grease machinery and have only used cartridges. I almost always grease on job sites, machines are not home often enough to grease from big tub in garage.

I’m not the “best” when it comes to keeping a shop clean and I’m picturing my self getting crap in the barrel of grease and ruining it.

What grease guns/system do y’all recommend for getting grease out of this barrel cleanly?

Thanks

Also I use red n tacky because basically that what I started with and stuck with. Not married to it or anything.

 

[tacticalturnip]

That is pretty crazy; do it.

 

[hosspuller]

This is the same conundrum shoppers at Cosco or warehouse clubs have. One can get a vast quantity of something... BUT most will go to waste.

In your case since the machines are away from the home site, you'll have to refill grease guns at home. Look for bulk grease dispensers or gun fillers. Do not take the grease supply to the field. Contaminated grease is worse than no grease since you'll be injecting grit deep into bearings..

 

[scootr]

If you can't keep it clean or not willing to deal with refilling guns, you should not buy it. Look for a pallet of refill tubes?

 

[5030]

Been doing just that for years. I buy my grease from Lubrication Engineers in 150 pound 'open head' drums which means you can remove the top easily. I have an ARO air powered grease pump and the end of the hose terminates in a normal female grease coupler and I bulk fill my lever grease guns from the bulk greaser. I also have a 150 foot grease hose that I can take out of the shop and grease equipment on the pad out front f the shop.

The drum grease never gets contaminated because the ARO air grease pump covers the entire top of the grease drum and it comes with a follower plate that fits inside the drum and 'wipes' the excess grease from the sides of the drum as I use it. Typically, a 150 pound open head drum lasts me about 2-3 years and nice thing about bulk loading my lever grease guns is I never get grease on my hands, unlike cartridges where removal of a spent cartridge is always messy.

I also run clear polycarbonate barrels on all my grease guns so I can easily see how much or how little grease is left in the guns and when they need refilled. Because I pressure pump the grease from the bulk greaser into the guns, I don't use a bulk grease fitting, but rather a normal Alemite fitting on the top of the gun barrel. The grease I use isn't cheap and it's very tacky as well so it's a PITA to get off your hands and no amount of washing will get it out of your clothes either so I try to always mitigate any grease on me or my clothes.

I have not bought a single tube of grease in the last 10 years.

 

[Fixastuff]

Ordered. $1054 with shipping.

 

[Peter 315]

Wow a 55 gallon drum of grease that will last you a lifetime...

 

[Peter 315]

Just get this no mess.....
Macnaught M3 50:1 Grease Pump for 55 Gallon Drums - 1.76 PPM Grease Delivery - PN# M3GP55

 

[BigBlue1]

I'd say that if you have to ask what you'd do with a 55 gallon barrel of grease the answer is probably that you don't need it. But who knows... Maybe make a slip-n-slide for the kids on the backyard hill??

 

[CliffordK]

That is a lot of grease. Is there a shelf life on the grease? There is a gallon sized can at Mom & Dad's place that has been moderately separated for years.

Hmmm... Lucas says "This grease demonstrates excellent mechanical stability and has a prolonged storage life."

Other brands say somewhere around 5 years.

 

[5030]

I have NEVER heard of a 55 gallon drum of grease, ever. To the best of my knowledge it only comes in 150 pound open headed drums and the drums are basically 15 gallon drums, not 55 gallon.

Of course if all you use is grease cartridges, then I would have to assume you know nothing about how bulk grease is contained.

 

[Peter 315]

You mean 120 pound kegs...

I have NEVER heard of a 55 gallon drum of grease, ever. To the best of my knowledge it only comes in 150 pound open headed drums and the drums are basically 15 gallon drums, not 55 gallon.

Of course if all you use is grease cartridges, then I would have to assume you know nothing about how bulk grease is contained.

Red “N” Tacky Grease – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!

 

[CliffordK]

I have NEVER heard of a 55 gallon drum of grease, ever. To the best of my knowledge it only comes in 150 pound open headed drums and the drums are basically 15 gallon drums, not 55 gallon.

Of course if all you use is grease cartridges, then I would have to assume you know nothing about how bulk grease is contained.

A pint a pound... more or less for water. Grease should be slightly lower density.

So 8 pounds to a gallon.

400 lbs should be about 50 gallons more or less.

I see Lucas sells:
35 lb pail (5 gallons)
120 lb keg (15 gallons)
400 lb drum (50 gallons)

Red “N” Tacky Grease – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!

www.lucasoil.com

It looks like the drum should be about $2,000, so getting it for around $1,000 sounds like quite a deal, assuming it is genuine Lucas.

Red “N” Tacky Grease – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!

www.lucasoil.com

 

[cj7]

Hit up your friends. Maybe they will chip in on a tub or two from your great purchase.
I am thinking use some of the Mrs older tupperware for containers to take out of the shop.

Have fun!

 

[5030]

The company I buy from only sells 120 drums, like I said, never heard of a 55 but I'd imagine it weighs a lot and who knows what shipping will cost either.

I grease a ton of equipment and my 120's last me a couple years. I cannot imagine how long a 400 pound 55 gallon drum would last.

I also cannot imagine shoveling it out of the drum and putting it in Tupperware containers for 'friends'. That in itself sounds extremely messy, kind of like changing grease tubes times 1000....

I am curious as to how the 'friends' would fill their grease guns with it as well. That sounds like another circle jerk to me.

Like I said, a 120 pound drum 'Keg' lasts me a couple years.

My 120's fit on a roll around base as well so I can roll the drum and grease attachment anywhere in the shop and hook up the air to it.

In my view, a 55 gallon drum is an insane amount of grease.

 

[Fixastuff]

Looks like BG products has a solution to fill tubes from a 55gallon drum. My neighbor is a dealer for them so I’ll check him first.

 

[Fixastuff]

I think @5030 from now on when you chime in a thread with “I only fill from bulk” I can reply “well I only fill from a 55gallon bulk”.

 

[big bubba]

wonder if grease hardens over time, maybe only when air exposed

 

[newbury]

IIRC they used to sell it in a pretty drum with special graphic, now it looks like a plain drum with an 8"x10" sticker.
The fancier drum was on my wish list.

 

[Fixastuff]

It wasn’t a question of if it would be used it was a question of, can I use it properly. Once I saw the caps that basically turned the barrel into a grease gun for filling tubes it was on.

When both excavators, the plow and the drill are running a decent amount of grease is used each week.