Grease Equipment

If you’re like us you then not for the first time you will have struggled to perform the simple task of injecting a few squirts of grease into a simple grease nipple.

To start with there’s the messy business of actually filling the grease gun itself. If you ‘bulk fill’ your gun by sucking grease up into it from an open tub then you’ll know only too well how messy this can be and how difficult it is to keep everything absolutely free of harmful and abrasive dust. You also need to empty and clean the gun (or buy several different guns) if you want to use different grease.

Then there’s the job of clamping the jaws at the end of the gun onto the nipple that requires greasing. Often this requires endless twisting and manoeuvring to get the jaws to lock, not easy when you’re lying on your back staring up at the belly of your favourite 4x4. Then you find you’ve got the gun positioned where it can’t actually be pumped easily. Just when you get yourself comfortable and start pumping, the jaws pop off the nipple so you need an all-important third hand to hold the jaw connector steady on the nipple while your other two hands pump the gun itself!!

To add insult to injury you also find that your hands freeze to the gun itself on cold days and you acquire an interesting assortment of aches and blisters from the hard surfaces of the lever and pump body.

Skilled mechanics have long known that problems like these have simple solutions and it usually comes down to finding the right tool in the first place. So when we set out to find grease guns that we could offer in our new online store, we decided we would choose only those that could solve our problems too.

Firstly, how do you overcome the ‘bulk filling’ mess and storage problems? If you’ve ever bought a tube of sealant or decorator’s filler from your local DIY shop you’ll know that nowadays these come in sealed tubes that you put into a simple gun. Squeezing a trigger lever forces the sealant out of the tube and a nozzle directs it where you want it. This principle is also used in professional quality grease guns but the actual mechanism is much more robust. It works like this:

A grease gun and grease cartridge

The grease gun spring is pulled back until it automatically locks in the fully open position. The end caps are removed from the grease tube and it is placed in the grease gun

The grease gun is reassembled and the trigger is pushed to release the internal spring. This spring then applies gently pressure to the grease so push it into the main pumping chamber. When the lever is pumped this chamber then generates the high pressures required to force grease out of the one-way valve in the end of gun.

With this set up changing the type of grease or simply refilling when empty couldn’t be easier. Simply pull back the spring on the main body until it locks in place. Then unscrew the main body of the gun and swap the grease cartridge for the replacement. Then reassemble the gun, and push the trigger to release the spring.

If you have swapped cartridges for a different type of grease don’t forget to work the pump a few times to purge the old type grease from the end of the gun. Also make sure you replace the end caps on any part used cartridges to prevent contamination.

Believe it or not these guns can also be ‘bulk filled’ in the old fashioned way but once you’ve used cartridges you’ll never want to go back.

Well that’s the mess solved but what about those other problems?

Firstly, your grease gun should have a 4 jaw hydraulic connector on the end to give a secure grip on the grease nipple itself. Properly designed and manufactured these connectors can withstand enormous pressures without leaking or coming loose. Whatsmore good ones are a simple snap fit on and off the nipple without the need for excessive force or a third hand to hold them in place.

Now what about manoeuvrability? The simplest form of extension is a short, rigid metal tube. These are very cost effective but only really suitable where the grease nipple is easily accessible to both the gun and you the operator.

4-jaw hydraulic connector

For anything more difficult, especially under and around vehicles, a flexible hose extension is required. But these must always be fitted with a swivel fitting at the base or they simply don’t give the full benefit of their flexibility. Without a swivel fitting the grease gun itself will fight against you as you position the connector on the grease nipple. Also, look out for the material the flexible hose is made from since Polyamide rubber is more durable and strong than plain rubber for automotive applications. Finally, make sure you buy a hose extension that is at least 300mm and preferably 500mm in length or again you won’t get the full benefit of its flexibility in confined spaces.

4 jaw hydraulic connector (LEFT) & Swivel fitting (RIGHT)

Polyamide rubber hoses up to 1000Bar pressure

OK, we’ve got the manoeuvrability sorted but what if you’re in a really awkward spot or perhaps need a hand free to hold something steady (other than the grease gun of course). Well how about a one-handed pistol grip grease gun?

(LET) Pistol grip set to high volume setting and (RIGHT) Pistol gip set to high-pressure setting

As can be seen grease can now be dispensed with one hand. The choice of ‘Volume’ setting (for pumping lots of grease under low pressure e.g. into large housings) or ‘Pressure’ setting (for pumping smaller quantities under high pressures e.g. into propshaft UJs) gives added versatility.

The last of our problems was that freezing cold day and blistered hands. To sort this out simply add comfort fit moulded grips around the metal components – problem solved

Moulded comfort grips prevent slipping, blisters and freezing of hands and fingers.

For those of you lucky enough to have an air compressor, you can even get a grease gun that is powered by compressed air. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t share most of the features shown above, after all the only difference is that you don’t have to pump! However, always check the gun has its own air release valve so you don’t have any pressure in the system when disconnecting. Furthermore, an inbuilt filter should also stop any particles in the airstream (compressor airstreams are not pure!!) from contaminating the grease

As you can see, there’s quite a bit more to the simple grease gun than meets the eye. If you want piece of mind, an easy life and tools that will last and last then look for the features we have described.

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