The before and after on my lube schedule was night and day

I used to just grease my crane when I remembered to, maybe once a week if things were slow. About 4 months ago I got real strict with it, every single morning before the first pick no matter what. The difference in smoothness on the boom extension is insane, it used to chatter and jerk a little, now it glides like butter. My swing brake also used to grab hard on me after sitting overnight, now it releases clean every time. It's not even the same machine, I swear. Anyone else notice a huge jump in performance just from sticking to a daily grease routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

rose_hart313d ago

Just wondering if you checked your pins and bushings before you got on that strict schedule... sometimes the lack of grease hides wear that's already happening, and suddenly greasing it every day makes everything feel smooth again but the damage is already done on the inside. I found that out the hard way when my boom started squeaking again after a month even with daily greasing, turned out I had ovaled out a bushing from running it dry too long.

nora103d ago

You gotta check everything with a light and a feeler gauge before you change the routine. I learned that lesson when I started greasing my excavator bucket pins daily after running them dry for months. Felt smooth for two weeks then the squeak came back worse. Pulled the pin and the bushing wall had worn down to almost nothing on one side. Now I always measure clearance first and if it's over spec I know greasing is just masking the problem until I can get new parts in. That way I don't waste time and grease on something that's already shot. Have you ever had any luck with the oversized pins they make for worn bores?