Grease Is Critical, Pushes Dirt Out Of Spinning Things

Lubricating your vehicle and equipment is crucial for long life and reduced repair costs. The constant movement of ball and universal joints wears out grease along with sand and water turning it into sandpaper. Regular greasing removes old grease and sand that has contaminated it. The time between greasing your vehicle and equipment will vary based on use. An off-road vehicle or heavy equipment will require more maintenance than a road queen.

It isn’t too difficult to locate most grease points on any vehicle or piece of equipment. If it slides or spins, it will likely require grease for the bearings. If it doesn’t need grease, then you have a sealed bearing. These are awesome until they fail. I had a universal failure on my truck leaving my driveshaft on the trail.

Time To Add Lube

Now that you have located all your grease points, it’s time to grease them. The grease gun fitting needs to be pushed on the grease zerk. The grease gun fitting usually clips on, but sometimes you may have to hold it to the grease zerk. Finally, pump until the old grease is removed. Getting rid of the old grease will be messy and you may need a rag.

How To Fill The Grease Gun

This is how most grease guns are loaded, but it may vary depending on brand. You will have to remove the hose end pump, don’t remove the rod end, it’s a pain to deal with the spring. The grease cartridge should pop out once the pump end is removed. The old grease cartridge can then either be removed with pliers or by pulling back on the spring tensioner on the grease gun, releasing it.

Before loading new grease into the grease gun, pull back the spring tensioner all the way on the back. Take your new grease cartridge, insert the end with the plastic on it, not the pop top, towards the rear of the gun. Ensure that the plastic is removed before inserting the cartridge. Once the cartidge is in the grease gun, pull the tab and remove the pop top.

The pump handle can now be screwed back on the loaded grease gun tube. Finally, release the spring rod to allow the plunger to apply pressure to the grease. Grease will not pump out of the grease gun if you leave the rod extended.