Grease by suction

[4720 OWNER]

Since joining the farm life have increased the number of grease guns from 1 to 5, all with their unique usages and features. One descriptor I have seen lately is they can be refilled with a cartidge, bulk, or suction. The first 2 are easy, but have not figured out how to fill one by 'suction'. May be the easiest question on the planet, but do not know if do not ask.

 

[Egon]

In days long past grease guns were filled from bulk pails by suction. There were no cartridges.

The gun is the same It's just that you extend the plunger all the way forward, place the end of the gun [Grease pump portion removed] into the bucket of grease and slowly pull back the plunger thus filling the gun with grease. Replace the pump end, bleed and away you go.

 

[4720 OWNER]

Thanks, inherited a 30 gal barrel of grease and have been using a spatula to fill. This sounds much easier but messier, oh well, kind of like being a kid all over again. Also inherited dad's grease gun from the 50's or so, i bet it would work with that. Figured they must have done something before cartridges were invented, or was it the zerk that came first?

 

[Egon]

Grease cups!

 

[4720 OWNER]

Worked on some turn of the century equipment to put myself thru college. No grease cups but there were oil cups and felt wicks to keep things running. The 'new' machine was from the 1940's, the old one from 1890's and they both worked fine.

Guess grease cups were before grease was discovered as a petroleum product.

 

[Egon]

Steam & Engine of Australia - Lunkenheimer Grease Cups

There were different styles.

 

[4720 OWNER]

i love this stuff. So brings back the good ol days that cannot even google on and used to be an integral part of rural and city counties government.

Would be willing to go into it more but not sure if would be appropriate here.

 

[Egon]

I can remember filling and tightening grease cups on running machinery on a regular basis. It is quite a few years ago though and I do believe some of the bearings were made from wood!

 

[ToadHill]

I had an old pto driven saw that had wooden bearings. They were held in place by a metal cap with a cup machined into it that you filled with oil before each use. The oil soaked thru the wood and lubed the shaft.

 

[Kaliburz]

That reminds me, it's been a while since I filled a grease cup and turned it on an old 1958 Yale forklift.... I think it goes to the throw out bearing.....

(Granted, since it's been in the family from the mid 1970's, I think I'm the only one who's filled the grease cup.......)

I use to use 'bulk' grease. Have two or three old buckets here, still has about 6 inches of grease in each. I guess it's cheaper to buy in bulk, so my dad and uncle did that. The bulk loader is nice, pumps grease into the grease gun, but unfortunately, when it gets cold and you have an empty gun, it doesn't work that well. We had two bulk loaders, since each gun had a different 'tip'...... I only recalled that each bucket was replaced once while I was a kid..... (and the ones that were being replaced were still STEEL!!!!)

I suppose if the shop was heated or if the grease was left in the sun, it would load better. Current bucket is prob back from the late 80's....

I switched to cartridges since I was getting tired of trying to figure out why the grease gun wasn't loading. Was it the grease (too thick) or the bulk loader (no suction).....