3 small random questions-any advice appreciated

[dblack]

Okay guys, I have three questions I need some discussion or answers on. I have searched the forums and didn't see anything.

First, what grease gun is everyone using? I have gone through 3 grease guns in the last year and I only work 1-2 days a week(I am a student the other part of the time). I grease our 252 every 2 hours like the manual says and our bc1000 every 5 hours. I literally have a box of non working grease guns at my house. Either the piston in the handle breaks or the spring stops feeding the grease forwards. I need a manual one (not a battery powered) that is reliable because I hate getting to jobs and not being able to work because of a stinkin unreliable grease gun.

Second, what brand of plastic wedges is everyone using? I have been using the Stihl ones in the past but find that they are kind of brittle, especially in cold weather. What is everyone using for felling trees?

Third, and even more random question. For chippers, grinders, and chip trucks...how often do you all wash those machines? I have a truck right now that hasn't been washed in two years. I know it won't fit through the carwash and I am nervous to use a power washer (which I normally use on equipment). I know washing equipment every month or couple months helps to keep the value of it up some if I got to upgrade. Is there people who specialize in washing heavy equipment or should I just plan to spend a whole afternoon scrubbing these things from top to bottom?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[GLOCKED]

Grease gun is just a decent one from Mills Fleet Farm. Has lasted for many years. Don't just buy the cheap ones. Wedges I liked the K&H Red Head from Bailey's. I don't wash my stuff just blow it off with the leaf blower right after I'm done using them.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Lincoln cordless and a couple air powered. Takes over a tube to grease each piece of bigger eqipment. The cordless Lincoln works great for smaller grease jobs.

Also have a bunch of hand ones, not used often.

Try to steam clean once a year.

 

[JeffGu]

Lately I've been using these... no brand name on it, but I found them at a farm store, TSC or Orsheln's.



Wedges are the HardHead ones... love these... I get them from TreeStuff.com and this pair is the 12" ones.



I wash my equipment after every job. I either take it to a quarter car wash, or I use an electric power washer (they're very cheap and work fine for this) at the shop or in my driveway at home.
I mix a degreaser like Purple Power half-and-half with water in a spray bottle and hose everything down good with that, then power wash it. There's a lot of hype about driving water into bearings, blah blah but in forty plus years I have yet to see that happen.

 

[troutbum]

We use the lincoln grease guns, both cordless and pneumatic. The air power will push some grease.

Friday is maintenance day for us. So every week we wash everything, especially the chipper radiator, after we blow it out, and the engine compartment, ive had the dust/debris catch on fire on top of the motor. Also focus on the grease zerts, to clean old grease off, and they take grease much better clean. We blow out air filters too.

I started using the bright pink wedges from Murdochs, seem to hold up much better than the Stihl.

 

[BC WetCoast]

We grease our grinder the start of each day, so it may 1/2 hr run time between grease or 6 hrs. As long as you grease regularly you will get the optimal life out of those bearing. They have a pretty limited life regardless. All the other bearings and bushings have low stress on them.

Truck washing is the foreman's responsibility, but depending on the work level, may happen weekly, maybe monthly, maybe yearly. Nobody is going to wash trucks on their own time and they don't want to pay us overtime to do it. We use a pressure washer and scrub brush.

 

[benjo75]

I fell a tree for a friend who gave me a Milwaukee electric grease gun in exchange. They're about $250. Best working gun I have ever used. The tip always goes out way too soon on the manual guns from the part store.

Hard Head wedges. I also use the yellow rifled, grooved wedges so I can double them up. And they don't try to spit out if the tree starts to sit back.

I wash equipment as often as I have time. More often during pollen season. They get sprayed off pretty often when it's dusty. If they get muddy, i wash them asap. We get complimented all the time on the looks of our equipment. Some of it's older but in good shape. Doesn't hurt to keep it clean. The DOT will look for the dirtier trucks around here. About once a year they get a thorough going over.

 

[troutbum]

Truck washing is the foreman's responsibility, but depending on the work level, may happen weekly, maybe monthly, maybe yearly. Nobody is going to wash trucks on their own time and they don't want to pay us overtime to do it.

I should have mentioned, the other foreman and I do maintenance on Fridays after 45 plus Monday through Thursday. And we only wash the trucks as needed, but equipment every week. Extra hours in the summer make up for snow days in the winter. Works for me

 

[Cupocoffee]

I love my Milwaukee grease gun. It has an extra long hose and the battery life is good. My Carlton SP7015 needs a lot of grease and I love just pulling the trigger and letting it do its job.

I wash my equipment regularly ... probably every ten days or so. I get quite a few comments from customers on the appearance of my rig.

Stihl wedges.

 

[treebilly]

Lincoln grease gun, hard head felling wedges, and when I have time. Take a blower to the truck and chipper after the job and wash maybe every other week.