7 grease guns later, you have solved my dilemma!!! I am an amateur but I’m not afraid to admit it, and I’m not afraid to learn and get my hands dirty. Thank you!
@@dansproshop ... Good on you for having the best configuration for your gun. Single hand squeeze and hose from the pump head to the zerk fitting . No rigid pipe to try to position awkwardly. And the worst is the type that takes two hands. One on the barrel and one on the pump lever. Maybe a third one for the zerk fitting.
BTW, the rod has virtually no effect on the piston pushing the grease. That's all on the big spring. Pulling the piston back and releasing it might have a small effect, especially with the barrel a bit loose. A manual priming can be accomplished by holding the gun vertically with the pump head down and a folded shop towel underneath for a striking pad. Allow the gun to drop about a foot straight down on the towel two or three times. It will cause the grease to slide to the pump head. You can feel that the piston is farther in the barrel IF you have a very fine touch and paid attention to the depth at the beginning. I noticed that your gun was loaded with red grease. Presumably synthetic. I like that. I used to get a black Moly-Graph type also. Actually, most grease in cartridges is very high quality. It's most important to keep grease in the places it's supposed to be. I think I'll shinny under my pickup tomorrow.
UH.. I Just Make A Pile Of Grease On Top At Pump BEFORE Screwing It In,... Just Reach Your Finger In The Bottom Of Tube Get A Glob.. Drop it On Top.. It Forces Grease Into Pump Mechanism Upon Screwing tube Into Gun
Yeah that bleeder valve never works for me. I've been using the push the rod in while the threads are half way trick for over 25 years and it seems to always work.
Remove the Allen screw and put a grease Zirk in. Now you can refill it if you have a bigger grease barrel. We have a barrel on the floor for set ups so when I do my run I refill and save tubes for remote jobs in other areas
Pointer... don't release the plunger till you have the body screwed on a few turns. Wait a few seconds and the internal spring will push the air out... THEN tighten the body while pumping. Oh, to get the empty cartridge out without cutting your fingers... remove the body from the top section, then pull and release the plunger. There will be enough friction to push the old tube right out into the trashcan. Now, pull and lock the plunger for a refill.
Unless you use green grease 😅 the tubes stick in my grease gun real bad from that stuff. Even after I stopped using it, the tubes still stick in. It needs a good wash lol. I have to pry the tube out with a screwdriver 🤣
@@M.TTT. even after switching to valvoline, the cardboard tubes get stuck in the barrel of my grease gun. I think it's because the green grease is so sticky, and it has coated the inside of my barrel.
You can do the same thing with the little button on the top that’s made to let the air out. Just screw it in push the button and pump the bottom plunger like you were showing
Milwaukee M18 electric grease gun for the win. Because when you have multiple PMs to complete for the day, and each has over 40 fittings, who has time to play with the hand pump. Although, I do still keep one as a backup.
@@MatthewJRedmond, Ive been wanting to try that out but a lot of the fittings I have are in very confined spaces. The Lock N Lube would be too long for most of the lift mechanisms I work on.
Guy at work came up to me and said "I give up. I've been pumping this thing for five minutes and can't get grease to come out!" I opened grease gun and showed him cap was left on. Sometimes it's the easy things you forget to do. He was so embarrassed since he's one of our lead techs. Even the smartest ones sometimes need a little help. Ha ha
I’ve always have done it the old school way. I just unscrew the hose from the pump side, cover the outlet port with my finger and pump until I get grease. Primes every time on the first try. I also leave the hose installed only hand tight so it can be removed easily with out tools.
Hey Dan, if your shop has one of the large pneumatic grease guns (like the ones that bolt to a drum of grease) just unscrew that bleeder button and thread a zirk fitting in. Then whenever it needs a fill just fill from the pneumatic. Much less mess too and no need to unscrew the tube or lose prime
Yep, I just screw it in like 2 turns instead of going all the way in and back out... Sometimes the grease will form a seal on the threads so I'll wiggle it to break the seal... Doing that and leaving it in the sun helps also.
It doesn't work on all guns but if you pull the plunger all the way out and turn it 90° it will lock. Then push on the plunger till the air is worked out. Most of my guns work this way. No fussing with bleeders or unscrewing just pump away.
I was looking to see if anyone was going to mention that. Doesn’t seem too many are aware that is how they are designed to purge air out by compacting the grease. When done compressing, tighten the tube, twist the plunger another 90 and then up into the gun. The internal spring on the plunger will take over from there.
The one I found from the 70s it has a primer port at the top. Once you put a new tube in open the one way valve when you don't hear anymore air tighten the valve. It has ran over 10,000 tubes in its life.
When I first started wrenching the shop I was at supplied the grease guns. It took me forever to get grease to come out with a new cartridge. I worked next to this old timer and we'd goof off and play tricks on each other. The next time I needed to load a new tube I swapped my nearly empty grease gun with the old timer just to mess with him. He didn't notice and didn't say anything. I did this a handful of times and I would watch his reaction hoping he'd figure out but he never did. I wanted so bad for him to realize it had been me the whole time. Now that I write this I kinda feel bad about it. He was a good guy and we had some good laughs while we struggled to make hours
New trick to try! I usually put the grease from the old cartridge on top of the new one. Works about 75% of the time. Change it as soon as you get any sign it is empty!
Some grease guns will prevent the rod from pressing in unless you give it a 1/4 turn. Usually it’s the ones without the thumb latch. With rod press against the plunger and pump. You’ll literally hear the air blow out then grease will follow. Lincoln grease guns and dewalt. I know for sure
I once had an older technician that went through all of the steps but when it came time release the plunger he couldnt get it to unlock so his solution was to put the whole thing in a vise and start wailing on it with a 2 lb. shop hammer. I told him that it doesn't work that way and he has to sometimes twist the handle a bit to get it to seat. His response was, in the most Mississippi accent that you can imagine, "I've been changing grease longer than you've been born. I know what I'm doing." I just walked away.
My old pre-cartridge gun had a zerk fitting on top. I just filled it off the grease machine. When I left there I just paid the local shop the cost of a cartridge to fill it off their machine and avoided the mess of hand filling it. I eventually got a cartridge gun, but I miss the old one, as I liked the pump's action better. And no, I no longer use it enough to justify the cost of a new cordless one.
Great job with the new grease gun. Now, if you have a old grease gun that has run out of grease, the trick is to screw the tube off of it before you pull the rod out. That way you don't suck all the grease out of the hose and lose your prime before you put the new tube in. (Plus the relief valve on top of the tube helps get rid of any excess air, too.)
I've been doing that for years. I installed a new cartridge and leave the barrel loose for a moment. Release the handle sometimes you can hear a small woosh of air. After I push the bleed button a couple times and it's good for the length of the cartridge life
When you pull out the plunger to load another tube rotate the plunger handle 90 degrees. This locks the plunger to the handle so you’re able to put more pressure then the spring would provide intern pushing the air/priming very quickly. One hand pumps as the other hand pushing the locked rod in. It will prime almost without pumping. once it’s primed rotate the handle another 90 degrees allowing to to return to the normal spring compression position No one know this hidden feature
I'll have to try this when I set up my mini grease gun. On cordless grease guns they are easy, after loading a new tube leave it loose like you did hear, only you just apply some pressure on the plunger & pull the trigger, that should get it going.
I just tighten, pull piston, push and hold pressure relief button, push piston, release pressure relief button, then test handle. If necessary, repeat. Similar to bleeding brakes with just brake pedal pressure, no help, and a wrench on the bleeder.
I had a buddy, in a machine shop I used to work at, that made his own air assault grease gun, out of boredom mostly. He tossed the handle and made a threaded piece that looked like the tip of a giant syringe. He cut the priming rod off so he could completely remove it but could still use the hole it went through. Then made about an inch thick piston that fit perfectly inside the tube, (it took some trial and error because the original plate would just end up kicking sideways inside the tube). And then he tapped the hole where the priming rod went, for an air chuck to be threaded in. And used an air chuck with a trigger to fire it. You could be walking across the shop, like 30 feet away, and he could blast ya with a perfect shot of grease. The bosses thought it was hilarious, but they realized that running parts with long cycle times, gave us way too much free time to get into shit. Lol it was awesome though
I always flip the gun over and tap the head straight down on something solid. Works super quick and easy but work pays for the grease gun. Its worked for 6 years now undamaged
Another pistol grip fan I see.... I finally gave in to getting an electric gun at work, after popping my wrist squeezing it in the cold. Back on the video topic, the electric grease gun has instructions on doing this on a label on the side, other than pulling the handle back and forth, I just unscrew the tube, then pull the trigger, and it miraculously works. I've relagated the pistol grip to red(drillers, Crimson, or Red'n'tacky, depending on what the shop has in stock.) On the electric side of things, the mechanics decided red grease was their preference so they stopped ordering cheaper(purple or blue) grease, while in the cold, the electric gun shuts off due to excessive pressure using red grease in the cold, so I had to have them special order the cheap grease.
Hey, I'm about as shitty a mechanic as they get but I do some things with friends and family. None of us knew that and you just helped us "fix" 2 broken guns.
Over 50+ years of wrenching on cars, I have thrown 2-3 of those SOB's. I have better luck with the small tube ones but I only work on my own cars most of the time.
I usually load it, put the plunger back, then unscrew the body from the handle a little, then pump it. Works every time. I change out cartridges weekly since I work in the oil field and this is what I do. Not saying your way is wrong at all. Just a different approach.
When I turned 65 years old I retired, and “purged” all my DYI automotive, home-improvement, and yard-care tasks over to a mechanic, contractor and gardener service and lounge around my house and yard, enjoying the fruits of THEIR labors! 🤗
I retired a year ago...but I still do different handyman jobs to keep my "grey matter" in tip top shape!! I love RUclips to help me with keeping my truck in shape too!!
Pumping the rod does nothing. But you can pull the rod all the way back without locking it in, give it a quarter turn, and then push the end of the rod to push the follower in against the grease to help purge the air. Once it's pumping give it another quarter turn to stow it. You can also check if your tube is empty by pulling the rod back out, it'll pick up tension where it meets the follower, so if it's hard to pull immediately you're out of grease, but if it slides a bit before it catches the follower you still have some left and likely need to twist the tube to let more air out.
If you leave it unscrewed like you did and just start pumping it it will prime aswell then just tighten back up. I never had a problem doing that trick
Or you can us the dipple at the top of the pump to prime it...it has one in the video...its kinda what it's there for... I love watching videos that teach you to do the wrong thing
Then damn grease guns can be a pain in the ass my womans bought me the dewalt battery powered grease gun for a man here that owns so many ball joints and fittings n shit (I began my own construction business 2 years ago I have a ton of old iron) it’s a life saver and makes quick work plus easy change grease tubes and it primes right up :) The day was better the night was great 👍🏼
Anyone else remember the days before the cartridges? An airlock could pop up anytime, and we would have to prime the gun sometimes often. That was because we loaded the gun by hand from a five gallon bucket. Great fun!
Cool deal, didn’t know that. In anger I just reloaded it and pushed the plunger a bunch of times and pumped like crazy. Your solution is much better and eliminates the anger part.
Simple fact, put new cartridge in, tighten cap, pull back plunger all the way and kick to the side, plunger will then go into a lock position, lock position will allow you to put pressure on the plunger which will push grease as you pump and you are primed and pumping grease. We know you are headed for a mess with alot of people the way you do that. Trust me I been in oilfields since the 70s and we did alot of greasing.
Amen.i wrestled with this a decade ago..when power guns got popular.i didn't pump the plunger.however I loosened tube.then tightened while I had trigger pulled.presto.big props!!!
When you load up a new gun, just flip it upside down and tap it on the floor gently a couple times and pump it while it's upside down. That worked way better than the unscrew push pull pump screw it back in method. And i learned that from an old coworker who's been doing it that way at least once per week since the early 70s. My .02
There is a notch on the plunger and a pinched area on the rod Pull the plunger out spin it 90 degrees and slowly push back in If you twisted the correct amount you will feel it lock into the actual plunger allowing you to PUSH the grease up into the top of the gun We work in very cold weather so the grease isn’t moving without help You can also screw the barrel in one or two threads “not turns” then release the catch this pushes the tube into the top then screw the barrel completely in, this will also help push the grease towards the piston Last I keep my grease in the heated garage which makes all the difference in the world I take the number of tubes I plan to use “plus one” with me inside the pickup on the floor being heated all the way to the equipment When the temps are below zero these methods have served us well Even when it’s warm they eliminate wasted time Hope this helps
Idk if it's because I always buy cheap grease guns, but of you loosen the bleed screw on especially the harbor freight greese guns you are likely to get a mess and still not get prime. Loosening the threads a bit on the body works way better. Also if you are replacing an old greese gun you can also fill the entire cap area with greese it also makes primeing way easier.
Step 1. Do not pull back the plunger until the tube is off the gun. That is what is making it loose prime and ruining the seal on the plunger. Step 2. After unscrewing the tube, pull the plunger back and let it go while holding the tube over a trash can. This will push out the old grease tube without greasing your fingers. Step 3. Pull the plunger rod back and lock it in place. Then put new grease tube in and pull the ring end off. Step 4. Screw the tube on the gun but unscrew it a full turn when it gets tight. Then release the plunger rod. You can lock the rod into the piston to add more push but it is almost never needed if you did step 1. After this, hand tighten the tube to the grease gun head. Last step. Use the grease gun. There will be no air in the grease and no problem using it. If this doesn't work, you did not follow the instructions in step 1.
If it’s being even more troublesome, you pull out the plunger give it a quarter turn so it’s locked and push it against your leg and pump the grease gun or if it has a purge valve on the top release that until it works again.
Don't cycle the plunger. It's supposed to stay behind the grease to push forward. The spring action keeps the pressure up. If you push it in, the grease will end up in the rear.
Make sure the piston is flipped for tube and not bulk, you can screw in all the way and push the ball down on the bulk fill port, that's how you prime a grease gun.
Some grease guns if you push the rod forward all it does is poke a hole all the way from front to back, and might push a large ammount of grease to other side of disk. It's best to not push rod at all. It's to keep steady pressure on grease.
There's an air release valve or socket in the top for you to use to prime. That's how I was taught to do it. On air powered devices they have a push valve.
7 grease guns later, you have solved my dilemma!!! I am an amateur but I’m not afraid to admit it, and I’m not afraid to learn and get my hands dirty. Thank you!
Absolutely! That was the point here!
😂😂😂 buddy I'm on my third in about 2 months cause I thought the same 😂😂 thank to harbor freight they're only 17$
@@dansproshop ... Good on you for having the best configuration for your gun. Single hand squeeze and hose from the pump head to the zerk fitting . No rigid pipe to try to position awkwardly. And the worst is the type that takes two hands. One on the barrel and one on the pump lever. Maybe a third one for the zerk fitting.
BTW, the rod has virtually no effect on the piston pushing the grease. That's all on the big spring. Pulling the piston back and releasing it might have a small effect, especially with the barrel a bit loose. A manual priming can be accomplished by holding the gun vertically with the pump head down and a folded shop towel underneath for a striking pad. Allow the gun to drop about a foot straight down on the towel two or three times. It will cause the grease to slide to the pump head. You can feel that the piston is farther in the barrel IF you have a very fine touch and paid attention to the depth at the beginning.
I noticed that your gun was loaded with red grease. Presumably synthetic. I like that. I used to get a black Moly-Graph type also. Actually, most grease in cartridges is very high quality. It's most important to keep grease in the places it's supposed to be. I think I'll shinny under my pickup tomorrow.
UH.. I Just Make A Pile Of Grease On Top At Pump BEFORE Screwing It In,... Just Reach Your Finger In The Bottom Of Tube Get A Glob.. Drop it On Top.. It Forces Grease Into Pump Mechanism Upon Screwing tube Into Gun
It's the "remove the cap" part that has caused me problems in the past. 🤣
Had a coworker hand a gun over to me once says it don't work. I open it in front of him and yep tube still sealed. There's yer problem
@@MarylandFarmer.Everyone has done that once. It's when it happens more than once is the problem 😂
@@MarylandFarmer. omg wow
@@ItsMeGiga i've never done that, even as a self taught kid lol
Actually came to make this comment as well..... You run heavy equipment long enough you end up running into this at one point or another.
There's a relief valve on the top you can use instead of unscrewing the tube but I mean that'll work too
Yep. It should be a bleed screw like on a brake caliper, IMO. What ever!
It’s right there in the video. Push button style lol
Yeah that bleeder valve never works for me. I've been using the push the rod in while the threads are half way trick for over 25 years and it seems to always work.
The relief valve works way better
Remove the Allen screw and put a grease Zirk in. Now you can refill it if you have a bigger grease barrel. We have a barrel on the floor for set ups so when I do my run I refill and save tubes for remote jobs in other areas
Pointer... don't release the plunger till you have the body screwed on a few turns. Wait a few seconds and the internal spring will push the air out... THEN tighten the body while pumping. Oh, to get the empty cartridge out without cutting your fingers... remove the body from the top section, then pull and release the plunger. There will be enough friction to push the old tube right out into the trashcan. Now, pull and lock the plunger for a refill.
good tip
Unless you use green grease 😅 the tubes stick in my grease gun real bad from that stuff. Even after I stopped using it, the tubes still stick in. It needs a good wash lol. I have to pry the tube out with a screwdriver 🤣
@@Krankie_V funny, I tried that stuff once, same thing happened. must be the weird plastic tubes
@@M.TTT. even after switching to valvoline, the cardboard tubes get stuck in the barrel of my grease gun. I think it's because the green grease is so sticky, and it has coated the inside of my barrel.
@@Krankie_V A steam cleaner or power washer with hot soapy water should clean out the inside of the barrel of the grease gun.
You can do the same thing with the little button on the top that’s made to let the air out.
Just screw it in push the button and pump the bottom plunger like you were showing
That’s right this one has that ball bearing type button , guys don’t understand the concepts so if that button didn’t work they throw good gun out
Bleed valves fail all the time.
What a concept-- venting the gun at the location where it's designed to be vented!
Milwaukee M18 electric grease gun for the win. Because when you have multiple PMs to complete for the day, and each has over 40 fittings, who has time to play with the hand pump. Although, I do still keep one as a backup.
Honestly an electric gun was the best investment even if you dont have very many fittings to grease its just so much nicer.
i went with the bauer at HF. been using it a year. love it. i added an extended locking fitting on so even easier 1 hand use now
I use the m18 on tractors, implements & a dozer, we used the old school stuff & took forever to get things greased
Paired mine with a lock and lube tip and now I never leave home without it. 😁👍
@@MatthewJRedmond, Ive been wanting to try that out but a lot of the fittings I have are in very confined spaces. The Lock N Lube would be too long for most of the lift mechanisms I work on.
Guy at work came up to me and said "I give up. I've been pumping this thing for five minutes and can't get grease to come out!" I opened grease gun and showed him cap was left on. Sometimes it's the easy things you forget to do. He was so embarrassed since he's one of our lead techs. Even the smartest ones sometimes need a little help. Ha ha
Was his name James? I know a bunch of James' that done that lol
@@retribution87hey now. I've never done that
No way! Are you sure it was a guy? Sounds like something a 2 year old would forget to take off.
@@retribution87 actually his name is Mark. I still bring it up occasionally when his head gets too big. Ha ha
Common sense will get you a long way down the road to success
I’ve always have done it the old school way. I just unscrew the hose from the pump side, cover the outlet port with my finger and pump until I get grease. Primes every time on the first try. I also leave the hose installed only hand tight so it can be removed easily with out tools.
I literally just bought my first gun yesterday and was ashamed I had no idea how to use it. Thanks for the visual of what the directions said.
Keep giving out these little hacks. It's gold.
Hey Dan, if your shop has one of the large pneumatic grease guns (like the ones that bolt to a drum of grease) just unscrew that bleeder button and thread a zirk fitting in. Then whenever it needs a fill just fill from the pneumatic. Much less mess too and no need to unscrew the tube or lose prime
That means free grease for side jobs!
Yep, I just screw it in like 2 turns instead of going all the way in and back out... Sometimes the grease will form a seal on the threads so I'll wiggle it to break the seal... Doing that and leaving it in the sun helps also.
It doesn't work on all guns but if you pull the plunger all the way out and turn it 90° it will lock. Then push on the plunger till the air is worked out. Most of my guns work this way. No fussing with bleeders or unscrewing just pump away.
I was looking to see if anyone was going to mention that. Doesn’t seem too many are aware that is how they are designed to purge air out by compacting the grease. When done compressing, tighten the tube, twist the plunger another 90 and then up into the gun. The internal spring on the plunger will take over from there.
The one I found from the 70s it has a primer port at the top. Once you put a new tube in open the one way valve when you don't hear anymore air tighten the valve. It has ran over 10,000 tubes in its life.
I complain my gun was so old but than got this gun and went back ol faithful 😂
When I first started wrenching the shop I was at supplied the grease guns. It took me forever to get grease to come out with a new cartridge. I worked next to this old timer and we'd goof off and play tricks on each other. The next time I needed to load a new tube I swapped my nearly empty grease gun with the old timer just to mess with him. He didn't notice and didn't say anything. I did this a handful of times and I would watch his reaction hoping he'd figure out but he never did. I wanted so bad for him to realize it had been me the whole time. Now that I write this I kinda feel bad about it. He was a good guy and we had some good laughs while we struggled to make hours
Nice!
This is why I always took mine to work and filled it with the bulk power greaser.
New trick to try! I usually put the grease from the old cartridge on top of the new one. Works about 75% of the time. Change it as soon as you get any sign it is empty!
Some grease guns will prevent the rod from pressing in unless you give it a 1/4 turn. Usually it’s the ones without the thumb latch. With rod press against the plunger and pump. You’ll literally hear the air blow out then grease will follow. Lincoln grease guns and dewalt. I know for sure
I once had an older technician that went through all of the steps but when it came time release the plunger he couldnt get it to unlock so his solution was to put the whole thing in a vise and start wailing on it with a 2 lb. shop hammer. I told him that it doesn't work that way and he has to sometimes twist the handle a bit to get it to seat. His response was, in the most Mississippi accent that you can imagine, "I've been changing grease longer than you've been born. I know what I'm doing." I just walked away.
Im really liking this "pro-tip" videos. 👌
Thanks!
Thank you! 👍
That is a good idea but there is a bleeder screw on top to purge the air yes, it can get a little messy.
Yeah mine was from harbor freight and came with a bleeder
Great tip!
I'll definitely give it a try!
I have pulled plunger out turn it to lock it put handle on floor ect. Push down on top of gun pump it. Forces grease into gun
A man who read the instructions... good job...
Thank you for the correct explanation.
I have never had a grease gun without the relief valve on the top. It saves a lot of trouble!
Thanks for the trick for new equipment. The ones I've used already primed and ready.
My old pre-cartridge gun had a zerk fitting on top. I just filled it off the grease machine. When I left there I just paid the local shop the cost of a cartridge to fill it off their machine and avoided the mess of hand filling it. I eventually got a cartridge gun, but I miss the old one, as I liked the pump's action better. And no, I no longer use it enough to justify the cost of a new cordless one.
This needs to go viral for all the young people
Haha. That was the hope!
Great job with the new grease gun. Now, if you have a old grease gun that has run out of grease, the trick is to screw the tube off of it before you pull the rod out. That way you don't suck all the grease out of the hose and lose your prime before you put the new tube in. (Plus the relief valve on top of the tube helps get rid of any excess air, too.)
I've been doing that for years.
I installed a new cartridge and leave the barrel loose for a moment.
Release the handle sometimes you can hear a small woosh of air.
After I push the bleed button a couple times and it's good for the length of the cartridge life
Love watching people struggle with thst.
My father taught me that years ago I sure miss him ! Good tip for starter do it yourselfers!
Thanks Dan, masde my day...and the cows even came home today!
When you pull out the plunger to load another tube rotate the plunger handle 90 degrees. This locks the plunger to the handle so you’re able to put more pressure then the spring would provide intern pushing the air/priming very quickly. One hand pumps as the other hand pushing the locked rod in. It will prime almost without pumping. once it’s primed rotate the handle another 90 degrees allowing to to return to the normal spring compression position
No one know this hidden feature
I'll have to try this when I set up my mini grease gun. On cordless grease guns they are easy, after loading a new tube leave it loose like you did hear, only you just apply some pressure on the plunger & pull the trigger, that should get it going.
I just tighten, pull piston, push and hold pressure relief button, push piston, release pressure relief button, then test handle. If necessary, repeat. Similar to bleeding brakes with just brake pedal pressure, no help, and a wrench on the bleeder.
I had a buddy, in a machine shop I used to work at, that made his own air assault grease gun, out of boredom mostly. He tossed the handle and made a threaded piece that looked like the tip of a giant syringe. He cut the priming rod off so he could completely remove it but could still use the hole it went through. Then made about an inch thick piston that fit perfectly inside the tube, (it took some trial and error because the original plate would just end up kicking sideways inside the tube). And then he tapped the hole where the priming rod went, for an air chuck to be threaded in. And used an air chuck with a trigger to fire it. You could be walking across the shop, like 30 feet away, and he could blast ya with a perfect shot of grease. The bosses thought it was hilarious, but they realized that running parts with long cycle times, gave us way too much free time to get into shit. Lol it was awesome though
If its cold , heat it a little with torch. Then it flows really good.
I’ve been doing this since 1965. Works every time!
Very helpful. THANKS! I love learning new tips. Now, I wish I had something to grease.
Glad it was helpful!
I always flip the gun over and tap the head straight down on something solid. Works super quick and easy but work pays for the grease gun. Its worked for 6 years now undamaged
Thanks for this!
Another pistol grip fan I see.... I finally gave in to getting an electric gun at work, after popping my wrist squeezing it in the cold. Back on the video topic, the electric grease gun has instructions on doing this on a label on the side, other than pulling the handle back and forth, I just unscrew the tube, then pull the trigger, and it miraculously works. I've relagated the pistol grip to red(drillers, Crimson, or Red'n'tacky, depending on what the shop has in stock.) On the electric side of things, the mechanics decided red grease was their preference so they stopped ordering cheaper(purple or blue) grease, while in the cold, the electric gun shuts off due to excessive pressure using red grease in the cold, so I had to have them special order the cheap grease.
Hey, I'm about as shitty a mechanic as they get but I do some things with friends and family. None of us knew that and you just helped us "fix" 2 broken guns.
Awesome! Glad to help!!
Times I have loaded a grease gun looked like a 3 stooges skit. Thanks friend.
Fixed mine as I watched this. Thanks brother!!
Great to hear!
Over 50+ years of wrenching on cars, I have thrown 2-3 of those SOB's. I have better luck with the small tube ones but I only work on my own cars most of the time.
Faster way is to put in a new tube give a few turns then push in the handle tighten all the way and your good learned that on the farm as a kid
I usually load it, put the plunger back, then unscrew the body from the handle a little, then pump it. Works every time. I change out cartridges weekly since I work in the oil field and this is what I do. Not saying your way is wrong at all. Just a different approach.
When I turned 65 years old I retired, and “purged” all my DYI automotive, home-improvement, and yard-care tasks over to a mechanic, contractor and gardener service and lounge around my house and yard, enjoying the fruits of THEIR labors! 🤗
I retired a year ago...but I still do different handyman jobs to keep my "grey matter" in tip top shape!!
I love RUclips to help me with keeping my truck in shape too!!
Thanks Dan.
Pumping the rod does nothing. But you can pull the rod all the way back without locking it in, give it a quarter turn, and then push the end of the rod to push the follower in against the grease to help purge the air. Once it's pumping give it another quarter turn to stow it.
You can also check if your tube is empty by pulling the rod back out, it'll pick up tension where it meets the follower, so if it's hard to pull immediately you're out of grease, but if it slides a bit before it catches the follower you still have some left and likely need to twist the tube to let more air out.
I’ve seen a grease guns whip more mechanics asses than I can count, especially if they never loaded one before.
Just happened to last week!!!! Good info
Thank you, I‘ll check that tomorrow in the morning 👍🏻
If you leave it unscrewed like you did and just start pumping it it will prime aswell then just tighten back up. I never had a problem doing that trick
Pull the hose off works also. Pump and prime till grease comes. But very good info bro.
Or you can us the dipple at the top of the pump to prime it...it has one in the video...its kinda what it's there for...
I love watching videos that teach you to do the wrong thing
Thanks for the tip!!
Very cool technique, thank you sir
Then damn grease guns can be a pain in the ass my womans bought me the dewalt battery powered grease gun for a man here that owns so many ball joints and fittings n shit (I began my own construction business 2 years ago I have a ton of old iron) it’s a life saver and makes quick work plus easy change grease tubes and it primes right up :)
The day was better the night was great 👍🏼
nice tip, thanks, I won't lie,, with grease up to my elbows I have thrown more than one of these against the wall
Always fun playing with that grease
Have to make sure the plunger piston fits into the grease tube. If it doesn’t go into the tube, you won’t get any grease out.
Nice tip. I would fill the cap almost all the way with grease before screwing the cartridge in. That works too.
I learned this a long time ago since working on logging equipment and 18 wheelers.
Anyone else remember the days before the cartridges? An airlock could pop up anytime, and we would have to prime the gun sometimes often. That was because we loaded the gun by hand from a five gallon bucket. Great fun!
Useful tip!
Yup. This is exactly what I do. Works every time.
or simply unscrew screw on top and squeeze until a lil grease comes out ..
Cool deal, didn’t know that. In anger I just reloaded it and pushed the plunger a bunch of times and pumped like crazy. Your solution is much better and eliminates the anger part.
Simple fact, put new cartridge in, tighten cap, pull back plunger all the way and kick to the side, plunger will then go into a lock position, lock position will allow you to put pressure on the plunger which will push grease as you pump and you are primed and pumping grease.
We know you are headed for a mess with alot of people the way you do that. Trust me I been in oilfields since the 70s and we did alot of greasing.
Good info.
Amen.i wrestled with this a decade ago..when power guns got popular.i didn't pump the plunger.however I loosened tube.then tightened while I had trigger pulled.presto.big props!!!
You'uns is like watching an industrial version of my cousin.
Learned that greasing my grandparents cars when I was young. Yes had to grease the ball joints back then.
I appreciate the video. Wish I could’ve seen it eight years ago when I had to figure this out on my own.😅
When you load up a new gun, just flip it upside down and tap it on the floor gently a couple times and pump it while it's upside down.
That worked way better than the unscrew push pull pump screw it back in method.
And i learned that from an old coworker who's been doing it that way at least once per week since the early 70s.
My .02
There is a notch on the plunger and a pinched area on the rod
Pull the plunger out spin it 90 degrees and slowly push back in
If you twisted the correct amount you will feel it lock into the actual plunger allowing you to PUSH the grease up into the top of the gun
We work in very cold weather so the grease isn’t moving without help
You can also screw the barrel in one or two threads “not turns” then release the catch this pushes the tube into the top then screw the barrel completely in, this will also help push the grease towards the piston
Last I keep my grease in the heated garage which makes all the difference in the world I take the number of tubes I plan to use “plus one” with me inside the pickup on the floor being heated all the way to the equipment
When the temps are below zero these methods have served us well
Even when it’s warm they eliminate wasted time
Hope this helps
Idk if it's because I always buy cheap grease guns, but of you loosen the bleed screw on especially the harbor freight greese guns you are likely to get a mess and still not get prime. Loosening the threads a bit on the body works way better. Also if you are replacing an old greese gun you can also fill the entire cap area with greese it also makes primeing way easier.
There is a bleed plug on top to let the air out also make sure the handle is open/back/spread whatever when priming.
Step 1. Do not pull back the plunger until the tube is off the gun. That is what is making it loose prime and ruining the seal on the plunger.
Step 2. After unscrewing the tube, pull the plunger back and let it go while holding the tube over a trash can. This will push out the old grease tube without greasing your fingers.
Step 3. Pull the plunger rod back and lock it in place. Then put new grease tube in and pull the ring end off.
Step 4. Screw the tube on the gun but unscrew it a full turn when it gets tight. Then release the plunger rod. You can lock the rod into the piston to add more push but it is almost never needed if you did step 1. After this, hand tighten the tube to the grease gun head.
Last step. Use the grease gun. There will be no air in the grease and no problem using it.
If this doesn't work, you did not follow the instructions in step 1.
You sir are a saint and a scholar
Haha. Thanks!
If it’s being even more troublesome, you pull out the plunger give it a quarter turn so it’s locked and push it against your leg and pump the grease gun or if it has a purge valve on the top release that until it works again.
There is a ball press vavle at the front aswell for pressure release
You had me at the Sig Sauer sign!
Oh wow! I gotta try this. I've always wondered what the trick was. Thanks dude!!✊️
No problem 👍
Don't cycle the plunger. It's supposed to stay behind the grease to push forward. The spring action keeps the pressure up. If you push it in, the grease will end up in the rear.
Thanks for the tip.
Make sure the piston is flipped for tube and not bulk, you can screw in all the way and push the ball down on the bulk fill port, that's how you prime a grease gun.
Hey! The cows came home! LoL Great video.
Thanks!!
I learned to turn it on 2 full turns then prime it then tighten down no need to back it off .
Great, thank you for sharing your experience
Some grease guns if you push the rod forward all it does is poke a hole all the way from front to back, and might push a large ammount of grease to other side of disk. It's best to not push rod at all. It's to keep steady pressure on grease.
Love my Milwaukee power greaser
I needed this tip badly. Lol. ( Ive got 2 new guns that won't work)! Thanks
Absolutely!!
There's an air release valve or socket in the top for you to use to prime. That's how I was taught to do it. On air powered devices they have a push valve.