Need Recommendation for a Grease Gun

[Lukeaa]

At the Monaco rally in Salem, the point was emphasized that the drive shafts on the diesel chassis needs to be greased every 5,000 miles WITHOUT fail. Or very expenses things will happen to your rig. And they also mentioned that it was a bad idea to trust the local oil change shop to do it correctly.

Since I do not currently have a grease gun, I thought I would see what those who have them recommend. Since I have air on the coach, a pnuematic gun seems reasonable, but I will see what the voices of experience has to say. Any recommendations? And what kind/brand of grease do you recommend, also.

[Lukeaa]

At the Monaco rally in Salem, the point was emphasized that the drive shafts on the diesel chassis needs to be greased every 5,000 miles WITHOUT fail. Or very expenses things will happen to your rig. And they also mentioned that it was a bad idea to trust the local oil change shop to do it correctly.

Since I do not currently have a grease gun, I thought I would see what those who have them recommend. Since I have air on the coach, a pnuematic gun seems reasonable, but I will see what the voices of experience has to say. Any recommendations? And what kind/brand of grease do you recommend, also.

[Sixpack98]

Two choices for a grease gun would be air powered or battery powered. Battery grease guns are more expensive but you don't have to drag out the air hose but I don't find that an issue. Sears has a pretty good selection of grease guns and pretty reasonable wrt price.
Lithium soap based grease CL2 is what is recommended by Monaco for the U joints. Some folks also use Lithium soap based grease with Moly, they claim it provides better protection. Both are easy to find at most auto parts stores or truck shops.
Your Manual should be able to help you with the procedure for greasing. Most U joints have 2 fittings. Some say both need to be greased but I don't think that is necessary if you see grease coming from all 4 caps. Also, don't forget to grease the driveshaft spline.
Monaco has a great lube manual that costs about $14. A little $$ but worth the money.

mark

[Diplomat Don]

Lukeaa.....I have a pistol grip grease gun at home that I use for servicing the coach. I'll probably purchase an air powered gun from Harbor Freight for future use.

With that said, I bought a small pistol grip gun that fits into a 12" x 6" tupperware. I mounted the tupperware inside a metal rack on the sidewall of my storage bay. I'm very religious about greasing the u-joints and the small gun is there if i need it on a trip.

Don't forget, when you grease the spline, place your finger in the end between the spline and u-joints. It will keep the grease from coming out the end and force more into the splines.

[MonacoMama]

quote from Diplomat Don:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Don't forget, when you grease the spline, place your finger in the end between the spline and u-joints. It will keep the grease from coming out the end and force more into the splines. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Luke...make sure you use the "surgical gloves" from Costco to make for an easy clean-up!

By the way....
I believe you will see Don's grease gun on the right side wall...




MM

[DAN L]

i have been using a harbor freight pneumatic grease gun for over 15 years with no problems. it squirts one shot of grease with every squeeze of the trigger. other more expensive power grease guns that i have used keep squirting grease as long as the trigger is depressed.
i use moly grease for the chassis and u joints on my moho, trucks, cars, and motorcycles.
wipe the grease fitting well before attaching the grease gun, otherwise you inject dirt into the joint.
don't forget to use gloves and safety glasses. grease under high pressure can puncture your skin easily. if that should happen to you, it is imperative that you get to an emergency room asap.

[UPS 34]

I have used all 3 types in the past. Air, Pistol grip and Battery. I find the Battey to heavy and hard to get into tight places. Air works great but dragging a hose can be a problem. The Pistol Grip works great as long has you have good hand movement. There is also the lever type that need to be but in the trash. The main thing is you need one that works for your vehicle. I use a trigger type from Sears. Works great.

[Hooter G]

I'm still new to this, and by coincidence have been searching for a comprehensive maintenance schedule for my '08 Cayman. The chassis maintenance schedule available for download on the Monaco site says that drive shaft u-joints and splines should be greased annually or every 10,000 miles. Now I am really confused. Here's the URL: http://www.monacocoach.com/service/checklist.html

Hooter G

[Sixpack98]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hooter G:
I'm still new to this, and by coincidence have been searching for a comprehensive maintenance schedule for my '08 Cayman. The chassis maintenance schedule available for download on the Monaco site says that drive shaft u-joints and splines should be greased annually or every 10,000 miles. Now I am really confused. Here's the URL: http://www.monacocoach.com/service/checklist.html

Hooter G </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hooter,
Common wisdom on this board and Monaco specific fourms is to ignore the Monaco 10k miles service interval and grease the U joints and spline every 5,000 miles or 2 times a year. Lots of reports of U joint problems following Monaco's service interval.
Also, it is a good idea to check drive shaft angle, which, I believe, is 8 degrees. Improper ride height impacts driveshaft angle. Too much driveshaft angle places increased stress on the U joints and premature failure.

[Jestme13]

Good advice guys. I like my battery gun, it is heavy but the 30" hose lets me leave it sitting on the ground. I operate it with a free hand after making a good connection onto the zerk. I grease often, sometimes even after a 2000 mile trip, more is always better when it comes to lube

[Sixpack98]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jestme13:
Good advice guys. I like my battery gun, it is heavy but the 30" hose lets me leave it sitting on the ground. I operate it with a free hand after making a good connection onto the zerk. I grease often, sometimes even after a 2000 mile trip, more is always better when it comes to lube </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve,
Replacing the short hose with a longer hose makes all the difference in the world. Regardless of the type of gun you choose, the longer hose allows for much better placement of the gun. I replaced my hose with an 18" but 30" would provide much better placement. Where did you find a 30"?

[David K]

I use an air powered gun -- easy to fill, and easy to use as each time you pull the trigger, it injects grease. I have an 18" hose -- also interested in where the 30" hose can be obtained.

[dirko]

Hi Ho: What am I missing here? I have been greasing zerk fittings on trucks, trailers, motorhomes, etc. for over 50 years now with a simple hand-operated grease gun which costs $8 to $10 from any auto store. I also use air for lots of stuff (I have two air compressors here at home), but have never figured out how I could save any time or get better results with an air operated grease gun.

If I were lubing verhicles for a living I would probably use an air gun and buy grease in buckets (as my dad did), but the grease in tubes and a simple hand gun work just fine on an occasional basis.

What am I missing?

Dirk

[digNbubbs]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dirk Ostermiller:
...
What am I missing?
.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't think you are "missing" anything, but rather seeing that different people have different ways of doing things. I know I have not been doing *anything* for 50 years, so I probably struggle doing things others find easy.

Personally, I like the suggestion of a longer hose, as I sometimes have a tough time holding the tip on the connection while suspending the grease gun in the air while squeezing the handle. My arms run out of blood eventually Also, maybe the battery or air versions prime a little easier when putting a new cartridge in than my current one.

Just different lubes for different folks


--kevin