Stopped greasing swing pins every morning and started doing it by feel instead

I used to be one of those guys who would grease every zerk fitting on the dredge at 6am sharp no matter what. Did that for about 5 years straight on a 12 inch cutterhead down in Port Arthur. Then last winter we had a seal blow on the swing cylinder and the old veteran I work with just looked at me and said "you're overgreasing it, son." He showed me how to check the pin warmth by hand and only add grease when it feels dry or hot. Now I only hit them maybe once a shift or when I notice a squeak. It's cut our seal replacements by half and I swear the pins last longer too. Anyone else been told they're putting too much grease on their equipment?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_barnes247d ago

Learned that lesson myself running a fleet of skid steers. Used to hit every zerk every morning until a bushings wore out in half the time. Now I wipe the pin clean first, feel for heat, and only add grease if it pulls easy. Takes maybe 10 seconds per fitting once you get the hang of it.

blair_chen817d ago

Nice angle Sean_barnes24, nobody mentions how humidity changes when to grease too.

charles_coleman7d ago

Yeah man, I used to think more grease was always better too but this changed my mind completely.