I remember a cartoon drawing of a fellow walking around a corner with a grease gun, and when his truck saw him approach, it ran and hid – because it had never seen a grease gun and was terrified of it.
An older fellow talked about helping his grandpa grease a piece of farm equipment. He said he thought a grease gun was silent – but his grandpa could hear when a grease zerk was not properly taking grease. He said that from the other side of the machine the old fellow would call out and ask what he was greasing because it didn’t sound right. He also explained to him that a grease zerk that takes grease today will take grease tomorrow but a zerk that has been missed can easily plug with dirt and metal filings. Sometimes extra effort on the grease gun handle would clear it, sometimes the zerk had to be replaced.
The zerk that gets missed when the machine is serviced is usually one that’s hidden or just difficult to reach. It’s also the one that will allow a bearing to run dry, overheat and eventually cause heat and sparks that set the combine or baler on fire.
Grease worms. The little varmints creep in and eat all the grease so the bearing runs dry and is ruined. Grease worms are first cousins to the lubrication pencil. As in, “Greasing it with a pencil.” Writing down in the book that it was serviced without even looking at the machine.
With that said – with what do you fill the grease gun? The makers of grease and oil have some common goals. The first is to sell product. To sell product, the buyer needs to believe that of the choices available, one is better than the others. Every manufacturer claims to have the best product for the most reasonable price. And in the field, any grease is better than no grease.
Some applications need different characteristics of a lubricant than others. This is where the owner’s manual for a piece of equipment will answer questions about which lubricant is required. In most applications, a one-size-fits-all grease will be adequate. Some places need a grease that will tolerate high operating temperatures. Some need to stay in place in an exposed application without being a massive dust and dirt magnet.
A knowledgeable salesperson at a petroleum distributor should be able to specify which grease works best for a given use. Talking to these guys and gals about challenging spaces to get grease to stay will help them suggest a better product. When something new shows up, they will bring it to your attention since you have mentioned a problem situation in the past.
I remember a discussion in the shop of an outfit that ran heavy trucks. At the specified lubrication mileage, the steering axle kingpins were showing up dry. They tried different greases until a couple of them showed a significant improvement. The product that worked was not the cheapest.
The guys who make things want the product to last long enough so that the end user comes back for another one when they expand or finally wear out the first machine. Part of this is putting in writing the necessary care to make the machine last. That includes specifications for the lubricants for the whole unit.
The guys who make lubricants want to sell their product, so they make it meet the manufacturers’ specifications. Then they have to make it available at a price competitive with that of other suppliers. Brand loyalty and what works for your neighbor come in to play in deciding which product to choose. At the end of the day, any grease is better than no grease.
To illustrate this, I remember a magazine article from decades ago of a fellow exploring miles away from any other people when he hit a rock that punctured the oil pan on his four-wheel-drive rig. He did have tools with him. He removed the oil pan and with the heat from a fire he built, and a flat rock and hammer and punches, he was able to seal the hole in the oil pan. He didn’t have oil with him and was a several-day hike from civilization. There were sheep grazing in the area. He killed one or two and rendered their fat into enough lard to fill his crankcase. He heated it and poured it in his engine, which he immediately started and drove conservatively back to civilization. As soon as he bought new oil and before his engine cooled, he drained the sheep tallow and refilled with motor oil. He searched out the owner of the sheep to pay him for the animals, but the owner said that the story was worth more than a couple of sheep.
Motor oil is a whole different ball game. With emissions and high horsepower from low-displacement engines, the oil requirements seem crazy. For years, I ran 10-40W in everything. Then 15-40W in the truck and diesel pickups. Then with an update on an automobile, it was calling for 5-20W. Now, 0-20W is the current super motor oil. As the manufacturing process evolved for engine makers, bearing clearances shrank and now the new iron needs thinner oil to get between metal surfaces that spin when cold.
Now, synthetic blend and full synthetic oils have made such an inroad that it is something to find non-synthetic motor oil on some shelves. The engine makers have a good reason for specifying the oil they do for each engine.
As far as other lubricants – I’ve found bicycle chain spray lube to be better for car door hinges and latch mechanisms, including hood latches. Silicone spray lube is easier on rubber or plastic parts than the usual penetrating oils. There is a myriad of specialty spray lubes, some beneficial, others just marketing ploys. You need to know what you need a product to do.
As a teenager, I remember Dad buying a quart of oil. The salesman asked him what kind of oil he needed. “Just something to put in the oil can for the kids to squirt on the ground,” was his reply.
