Update: Changed my mind about greasing swing bearings daily

I used to grease my dredge swing bearings every single morning without fail. Old timers always told me, can't over grease em. Well last Tuesday I was out on a job near the Mobile River and my port swing started jerky as hell. Had to shut down mid shift. Pulled the bearing apart and found the seals blown out, grease everywhere but none inside where it mattered. My buddy Chuck came over and showed me how over greasing actually pushes dirt in and heats things up worse. Now I just pump until I see a tiny bead of fresh grease then stop. Can't believe I was doing it wrong for 2 years. Anyone else ever have a machine act up because you were maintaining it too much?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryanh5615d ago

Yeah I read the same thing in a old machinery handbook once.

nina_jenkins15d ago

Hold on a second @ryanh56, I have to gently push back on that. I think you might be mixing up a couple of things here. Those old handbooks from the 1950s and 60s are great, but they often had measurements based on worn-out tools, not brand new ones. The actual specs from the original manufacturer for that lathe model say the clearance angle should be 8 degrees, not the 5 degrees you'll see in those reprinted books. If you try to follow that old handbook too closely on a modern tool, you'll end up with too much chatter and a rough finish. It's a small detail but it makes a big difference once you're actually cutting steel.