Guy at the yard made me rethink my lube schedule

Was talking to this old timer named Pete while waiting for a pick. He said he greases his boom pins every 8 hours without fail, not just when the zerk takes it. I always did it by feel, maybe once a day. Now I'm setting a timer on my phone, seeing less slop already. Anyone else stick to a strict schedule or just wing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

piperb9327d ago

Has anyone checked if too much grease can actually cause issues? I ran into a problem on my own rig where packing the pins too often pushed dirt into the joint instead of flushing it out. The old timers at my yard swear by a light hand and watching for the grease to come out clean, not just following a clock. Some machines with sealed bearings will blow out the seals if you overdo it, then you're chasing leaks. Timing is good for consistency, but you also gotta pay attention to what's coming out of the zerk. Might save you a rebuild down the road.

riverreed27d ago

Dude YES. I had the SAME thing happen on an old Cat loader I used to run. Greased it every 10 hours like the manual said, and one day I saw grease oozing out the side of the seal. Turns out I'd packed the pin so full it blew the seal out completely. Now I'm replacing bushings and chasing leaks for a week. That thing about watching what comes out is KEY. If the old grease is dark or gritty when it pushes out, you know you're flushing dirt through. I keep a rag now and wipe the zerk clean before I pump, and I stop the second I see fresh clean grease show up. Saves a lot of hassle.