Tradies and operators of heavy machinery who need to regularly grease their machinery are going to love AEG’s new 18V 450 Gram 2-Speed Grease Gun.
With heaps of power and a 2-speed gearbox there is no denying this grease gun was built for heavy-duty use. It was designed for lubricating a wide range of heavy equipment in the automotive, agricultural and mining industries.
With that in mind I went to visit my mate Kane from Matthews Contracting.
Kane has a huge collection of large excavators and attachments onsite so I could go crazy with the AEG grease gun. Kane loaded me up with a pile of grease cylinders and let me go for it. As I scanned the yard I soon realised that with the number of machines and attachments on site there were more nipples to be greased than Boxing Day on Bondi Beach… and with that thought, it was time to get stuck in!
Test 1: Power and PSi
Used machines and attachments require proper maintenance and a requirement is the purging of the existing grease out of the knuckles by pushing new grease into the nipples. This is especially important on large knuckles and attachments like demo hammers, which need some serious pressure to purge older built-up grease. Luckily for me, the AEG and its 2-speed gearbox delivers up to 10,000 psi, making it the perfect tool to purge the old grease out of the attachments. Also helping in this area is the two-speed gearbox, which allows total control of pressure and flow rate.
In this purging test we first set the grease gun to speed 1 (low speed), which produces high pressure of up to 10,000 psi. As I fitted the head of the nozzle to the hammer it took a good 5 seconds before I could see the old grease pushing out, but it slowly and surely made way for the significantly newer grease. From the look of the grease I think it had been a while since that hammer had been used.
I opted to switch the grease gun over to speed 2 for the next test (high pressure). This setting was perfect for those nipples that were regularly cleared and didn’t require high pressure because they weren’t clogged. This setting was perfect to quickly move around the excavator, topping up fittings.
Test 2: Dosage and Measurement
Each attachment or knuckle is going to have its own prescribed amount of grease or lubricant, which is needed for correct and precise dosage. To keep the correct dosage required for various settings, a pre-set dosage dial delivers (15 x settings) exact amounts of lubricants for every requirement. For example, the two higher-end settings are 25 and 50 – a new hammer mid-sized attachment may require a dosage setting of 50, while a smaller attachment may only require 25 or less. Some knuckles on excavators may need several squeezes of the trigger at lower settings to clear older clogged grease, but an experienced service technician or mechanic will know exactly what is required for various machines.
Test 3: Other Features
A well-placed shoulder strap is a great safety feature because it allows the user to use both hands to climb over equipment and use handrails – those cold and slippery mornings can catch you by surprise! An LED will also light up the work area in dark or enclosed work bays or locations. The last thing anyone wants is a mess of grease from an accidental trigger squeeze so the trigger lock will be appreciated by those who enjoy a clean work area.
On the side of the grease gun you will also find a right-angle coupler, which will be worth its weight in gold when it comes time to fitting the head when tight angles are involved.
Finally, a cleaning pin is located onboard the gun to remove old built-up grease from the fitment area, which provides a better fitment to the nipple.
The Wrap-Up
The AEG 18V 450 Gram Grease Gun was an impressive tool. Some of the attachments I successfully used it on that pushed the old grease through I had actually been told by the mechanic onsite it had no chance of purging.
So by the end of two or three tubes of lubricants, the mechanics and service technicians were quietly impressed. I had the sneaking suspicion it had outperformed their significantly more expensive grease gun onsite.
For those of you who own large machines and attachments that require heavy-duty greasing, the AEG 18V 450 Gram 2-Speed Grease Gun has all the power and features you will need to get your servicing and lubricating completed with speed and ease.
