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Don’t Let Grease Guns Get In the Way of Improving Your Productivity
Heavy equipment operators have alternatives when it comes to manually greasing machines
Heavy equipment owners and operators understand the critical role grease plays in preventive maintenance programs. Daily grease activities can be overlooked, especially when you’re relying on an operator to hit up to 50 grease points with a grease gun. At first glance, manual grease guns and tubes of moly or synthetic grease may seem like a cost-effective solution for equipment lubrication, but you must take into account some important considerations when deciding what’s right for you, especially with regard to operator inconsistencies and machine downtime.
The trouble with grease guns
For years, grease guns have been the go-to greasing tool for heavy equipment. But like in most industries, technologies are in a constant state of change and there are innovative solutions introduced. Manual hand pump grease guns made way to battery-operated grease guns, reducing operator fatigue and shortening the time it takes to grease a piece of equipment. However, battery-operated grease guns still require considerable time to grease a machine, and some of the same problems found in hand pump grease guns remain present in battery-powered counterparts such as over greasing, under greasing, difficulties with couplers attaching to grease fittings and safety concerns with lube points near high heat or hard to reach locations.
The benefits of automatically greasing heavy equipment
Automatic lubrication not only changes the way you grease your equipment but also eliminates many of the issues surrounding manual lubrication with grease guns:
- Skipping or neglecting grease points because it's time-consuming
- Using random amounts of grease, causing over or under lubrication
- Safety risks
As production demands continue to grow, the traditional method of dedicating an hour to greasing often results in shortcuts like skipping difficult grease points. During the most demanding times, the entire hour may be completely neglected. Automatic lubrication saves roughly an hour of greasing per machine each day.
Automatic lubrication systems apply calculated amounts of grease to every fitting, meaning no more arbitrary amounts of grease being applied to every lube point. Manual greasing is based solely on the person operating the grease gun; when grease begins oozing out of the fitting this is the sign that the fitting doesn’t take any more grease. However, overflowing grease may also be caused by a poor fitting connection or dirt in the grease fitting causing a clog. Without proper diagnoses, the lube point may not be getting an adequate amount of grease.
Changing weather conditions, hard to reach grease locations, and hands carrying grease guns all play into potential safety risk associated with greasing equipment – like slips and falls, burns and other work-related injuries. These are typical risks found in manual grease practices, which can significantly be reduced by automatic lubrication.
The unique properties of grease in automatic lubrication systems
If you’ve ever used a grease gun, undoubtedly NLGI #2 or #1 rings a bell. One of the main reasons that manual greasing calls for heavier or NLGI #2 grease is because a heavier grease or “stickiness” of the grease is often perceived as higher quality grease. But with automatic lubrication, grease properties are unique.
NLGI grease ratings for automatic lubrication systems are as low as #0 to #00. Automatic lubrication systems pump smaller amounts of grease more frequently while the machine is running. This ensures a constant flow of grease that lubricates entire pins, eliminating the need for heavier grease or thick grease.
Increasing equipment lifetime, productivity and profitability
Although the initial investment for automatic lubrication may seem significant, the ROI from automatic lubrication can be as quick as 9 months. It's not uncommon for break-even costs to be less than a year on a machine operating daily.
ROI is calculated by not only the downtime caused by manual greasing, but by component failures resulting from inadequate greasing practices. Take the typical costs of downtime and repairs and balance it with the cost of the automatic lubrication system to discover the break-even cost.
Costs vary for automatic greasing systems – with installation costs dictated heavily by the amount of grease line routing and protection required. For machines that have grease points in open areas, the grease lines need to be well protected from the daily rigour of operation. Equipment costs depend on pump size and the number of grease fittings that require lubrication. For heavy equipment with many grease fittings, the cost of the system is dispersed, because much of the system cost is in the grease pump.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GRACO AUTOMATIC GREASING SYSTEMS
The basic components of an automatic lubrication system are a metering device, pump, controller, tubing/hose, and fittings to connect to the grease points. To enhance or complement the operation of the system, many accessories are available. Graco offers complete automatic lubrication systems for several machines, including excavators, wheel loaders, mining trucks, agricultural equipment (tractors, combines) and forestry equipment.
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