any alternatives to a conventional grease gun????

[Taiser]

I got one of those crappy no name "pit-bull" pneumatic ones from a traveling tool show. I figured I'd try it out and it was only 20 bucks and I could always get a better one if I liked the way it worked. 4 years later I still use it all the time. I'm waiting for it too die so I can get a good name brand one but so far the thing works like a charm. Not many moving parts I guess. Air gun is the way to go, I too have not had a cramp in my finger yet!!

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the info.
I have a lever action grease gun and I have always hated it.
Takes 3 hands to use the thing. One to hold the gun, one to pump the lever,
and one to hold the hose on the grease zerk. And I always get grease all over everything.
I want something simpler.

Pooh Bear

I had the same problem. For years I struggled with getting the hose on, holding it straight and pumping the grease in. An air grease gun helped, but keeping the hose straigh on the zirk fitting was always a battle.

One day I got to wondering why the grease guns all came with solid tubes along with the flexible ones. I've always been told that the flexible hose is best, and that's all I'd ever used.

Boy was I wrong. The metal tube is a million times easier to use. I have one grease gun with a flexible tube on it for those hard to get to fittings, but for all the others, I use the metal tube. The difference in HUGE!!!!!

Eddie

 

[leeinmemphis]

Yesterday I went to a farm and gin show in Memphis and saw both the lincoln and alamite brand battery powered grease guns. The alamite was approximately $40 more but it was signifcantly lighter and felt better in my hands. I'm going to look at some air operated ones first but the alamite may be what I end up getting.

 

[radman1]

I have used the lever pump style, the pistol pump style, a Lincoln electric and cheepo Menard pneumatic and paid $12 on sale. They all do the same job. Depends on how often you use it and how much work you want. The lever pump style almost demand a rigid feed tube rather than hose unless you want to be slow and careful. Pistol pump style works good with hose but requires grip strength and gets tiresome for lots of use. Lincoln pnuematic with flexible hose my brother has is the easiest and best but cost $150. Lots of power, runs quite a while and has back up battery. Just need to make sure the back up battery is in charger.
The Menards cheepo actually works just fine for my more limited use after 2 years, except have to drag hose around and limited where it can be use by air compressor. Lots of power set on 100 psi and pumps grease faster than Lincoln electric which is more like conventional grease gun in volume.

 

[ToddW]

I recently purchased the HF air operated grease gun Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices and used it last weekend to lube up my L2800 HST and loader. What a difference from my pump up one, especially since I too am currently hand strength limited due to carpal tunnel. I think I paid about $11.00 for it on sale. I notice that they also have several battery operated ones, including the Lincoln that got some air time in this thread.

/Todd

 

[Farmwithjunk]

There are two different kinds. The single shot is the most common and the cheapest. Lincoln makes a continous cycle one that is much more expensive. I bought one of these a good many years ago when they first came out and I hated it. It only ever seemed to work half the time. Got 2 replacements under warranty and both of them were the same. I just quit using it and went back to the single shot. Later I upgraded to the continous flow cordless battery pack type and have been using nothing but since.

Let me ask you a question... What sort of battery life (per charge) do you get in terms of a full tube of grease? Reason for question, greasing a disc that takes at least a full tube per service. (sometimes 1-1/2 tubes) Would one (or even 2) charged batteries deliver that much service? (I've used air guns but not battery) Looking for something easy to use in the field.

 

[DieselPower]

I can probably do 6 to 8 full tubes of grease with the Snap On 18 volt ones that I have. Their what I use in my mobile service trucks.

 

[Farwell]

No one has mentioned hydraulic grease guns. A friend of mine has one and I have been looking for one since I saw his. Works like a hydraulic jack. Requires very little hand pressure and has no hose or battery. He got his from some job he worked on. They must be an industrial gun and not available to the consumer.
David B

 

[shvl73]

This is a timely thread, I just purchased an inexpensive ($20) no-name pneumatic grease gun. The problem I saw on first use (today) was that the tip goes on and off the fitting too easily. The gun will pump grease but, mostly around the fitting, instead of through it. I found it difficult to hold it tight enough on the fitting to actually use it. I ended up using my lever style gun. Since I'm into it for $20 so far, I'll go another couple of bucks and pick up a new tip. The rigid tube on the lever gun works well but, on my backhoe, some of the fittings don't have the clearance and require a flex tube to grease them.

 

[DieselPower]

That seems to be a common problem with the cheap gun's, the couplers. Back when I used them I just made sure I got a good Lincoln coupler when I purchased one of these guns.