# New tool.....maybe, need some input



## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

I get my best ideas when I go to bed, before I go to sleep. My mind is most active then and I formulate ideas that I later put inro reality in the shop. Those bedtime ideas have turned into 3 patents and some unique and marketable items....

Along those lines I'm going to build articulated gathering wheels for my new bailer but thats for another time...this winter.....

Had a brain storm (fart) the other night but I want some input from those in the trenches...you guys....

It concerns grease guns of all things.

We all need them, we all use them.

I know most everyone has at least one. I do. I have a pump one (lever) and an air operated one. I have considered a rechargeable gun in the past, but the bulk and the fact that it takes a battery (that is usually discharged like my 18 volt drill is) is a detraction and the cost too. A good one is some serious bucks plus you need batteries and a charger, it's heavy too.....

How about a penumatic grease gun without having to worry about an air hose to operate it. How about an onboard, lightweight and compact compressed gas supply that would couple to the inlet and/or the male fitting on the end so you could use it remotely or on an air line in the shop. Penumatic guns are a whole bunch cheaper than battery oprated ones. Would you prefer enough gas to run multiple cartridridges or is one load per gas cylinder enough?

Would you be willing as a consumer/user to invest in a reasonably priced (under 50 bucks) attachment that would allow you to use your penumatic grease gun without an air hose, anywhere, anytime and have spare gas cylinders for the attachment in your pocket, or toolbox on the implement....

I'd like some input, pro or con before I build a prototype.....

It's very doable and inexpnsive.....


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Maybe...

Need to see more info.

Ralph


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

One problem might be as your gas gets low it may not pump as much grease as when its first installed and full. For example the one forage blower has a grease bank and we put a certain number of pumps in each one with a lever grease gun. That way we know how much they get. Basically anything you can't see grease come out of could be a problem when your gas cylinder gets low


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## NewBerlinBaler (May 30, 2011)

An automatic grease gun for under 50 bucks? I'm interested & I bet a lot of other folks would be as well.

These gas cylinders / cartridges - would they be rechargeable with an air compressor or do they need to be purchased new each time? To be small and compact, seems the cylinders would need to be charged to well above shop air pressure to push the grease out and last for any duration.

Gary


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

rjmoses said:


> Maybe...
> 
> Need to see more info.
> 
> Ralph


Well, tell more. I have to build a prototype first... Read on.....



Bgriffin856 said:


> One problem might be as your gas gets low it may not pump as much grease as when its first installed and full. For example the one forage blower has a grease bank and we put a certain number of pumps in each one with a lever grease gun. That way we know how much they get. Basically anything you can't see grease come out of could be a problem when your gas cylinder gets low


My idea would attach to the bottom air inlet of a convential penumatic grease gun and be portabl in as much as you could attach it to any peenumatic grease gun no matter what make.

I understand the number of pumps, my NH constant velocity joints are like that. The displacment of the internal piston on any grease gun controls the output per pump, I'm not addressing that, I'm addressing the power that drives the diaphragm on a penumatic gun usually your shop air via an air hose. Handy at th shop, not at all handy in a field or a couplke hundred feet from your compressor...



NewBerlinBaler said:


> An automatic grease gun for under 50 bucks? I'm interested & I bet a lot of other folks would be as well.
> 
> These gas cylinders / cartridges - would they be rechargeable with an air compressor or do they need to be purchased new each time? To be small and compact, seems the cylinders would need to be charged to well above shop air pressure to push the grease out and last for any duration.
> 
> Gary


My idea would be CO2 cartridge powred. CO2 cartridges are readily available and it would have a built in mini regulator with a gage so you could adjust the pressure. to mimic your shop supply. Typically, penumatic gras guns operate between 110 psi and and 175 psi..... ideally, the optimum prssure is around 125. I've exprimented with my Lincoln. It prefers 125 over more prssure. I can also design a static pressure regulator thats fool proof, set at say, 125 psi and unadjustable. However, I'd like to incorporate off the shelf components from a cost standpoint. There would be a little machining involved, nothing the shop can't handle on one of our CNC machines.

Penumatic grease guns aren't volume (air) users like say an impact wrench. Delivery is depndent on displacement of the piston and pressure of the incoming air in a cycling method.

I need to ascertain how long a normal CO2 cylinder lasts (strokes dlievered and how that equats to volume pumped (how much grease). You can also piggyback 2 CO2 cylinders in one housing for more 'air'.

I like the possibilities...... not having to stroke a lever gun and the portability of having a penumatic grease gun without the restraining air hose....

Run low on 'air', pop in another CO2 cylinder...... I can see a good market for such a device in oilfield maintenance, heavy industry and refinery maintenance where electrical devices (that may produce sparks) can't be used. No sparks with this, all mechanical.... and it will fit in your coat pocket too.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I can speak to the oilfield applications. The first thing that popped into my mind was whether or not you have ever met a roughneck or roustabout? They can break just about anything, including a few unbreakable hammers and pry bars. As the saying goes.... give a roughneck three ball bearings in the morning and by lunch they are gone. Ask him why and he will say this. " I lost one, I broke one, and the other is in my lunchbox".

In all seriousness, we have lever action grease guns and use them daily. Speed is always a consideration because as you can guess, time is money. The other consideration is that a lever action grease gun can put out around 10K psi. We have air hoses virtually to every piece of equipment and we do not use air operated grease guns due to them not being as bomb (roughneck) proof. I could see it as practical for farm more than oilfield use. From a utilization standpoint we run through roughly 40 tubes of grease every 2 weeks.

In case you are wondering I am looking out my office window at a drilling rig right now.

Edit- The term you are looking for is explosion proof as it relates to sparks. There are classes of equipment and anything that we use within 25 feet of the wellbore or on the mud tanks must be Class 1 Div 1. That is the highest rating available for "explosion proof".


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Could work.

Ralph


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## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Sounds like a good idea and I bet people would buy them. I have a Lincoln battery operated sometimes use on the track loader and the combine more of a rich man's toy than anything. But 90% of the time use an old American made Alemite pistol grip. Just as fast, always reliable don't have worry about charging battery My theory if a man is too lazy to squeeze a grease gun he's not going to do much anyway. Now if I was greasing 20 semi trucks a day in a shop or something like that I could see having some sort of pneumatic type but for greasing the farm equipment I can do it quicker and way more efficiently with the pistol grip or if I have a tough fitting the lever action Alemite. Would I buy one probably not but it is a good idea and you could probably sell them.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

2 things - small co2 tank with regulator available in most hardware stores for nailers should work great with grease gun. Power tank makes a big co2 tank with regulator for portable impact gun use and filling truck tires.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Lostin55 said:


> I can speak to the oilfield applications. The first thing that popped into my mind was whether or not you have ever met a roughneck or roustabout? They can break just about anything, including a few unbreakable hammers and pry bars. As the saying goes.... give a roughneck three ball bearings in the morning and by lunch they are gone. Ask him why and he will say this. " I lost one, I broke one, and the other is in my lunchbox".
> 
> In all seriousness, we have lever action grease guns and use them daily. Speed is always a consideration because as you can guess, time is money. The other consideration is that a lever action grease gun can put out around 10K psi. We have air hoses virtually to every piece of equipment and we do not use air operated grease guns due to them not being as bomb (roughneck) proof. I could see it as practical for farm more than oilfield use. From a utilization standpoint we run through roughly 40 tubes of grease every 2 weeks.
> 
> ...


I'll stand corrected on my termonology. Closest I have come to a drill rig was across the road last fall and I'm glad it's gone, was a noisy sob. They pumped the well for a couple months and it petered out. So much for all that seismic hoopla. I could have told them it was a waste of time and money but they didn't ask. My long gone relatives lived near here and 75 years ago, over a hundred wells were drilled and none were any good...... So they drilled and tore the hell out of some good black loam. Now they are gone but the scar will be there for decades.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

slowzuki said:


> 2 things - small co2 tank with regulator available in most hardware stores for nailers should work great with grease gun. Power tank makes a big co2 tank with regulator for portable impact gun use and filling truck tires.


Never seen on in the states.....


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

I bought a Milwaukee grease gun this spring. Best tool purchase ever. It makes greasing anything a piece of cake. My pneumatic admittedly was a cheap pos. I went from lever power to battery. I am sure they make pneumatics nicer that work well and pump continuously like my battery powered one. That being said if you offered me all my money back for mine and gave me a pneumatic one for free I would turn you down.

For me not the ticket. For someone who has never used a battery powered gun maybe a great idea.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

Look at Paslode nail gun fuel cells.

http://www.paslode.com/products/Fuel-Cells/


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

ARD Farm said:


> I'll stand corrected on my termonology. Closest I have come to a drill rig was across the road last fall and I'm glad it's gone, was a noisy sob. They pumped the well for a couple months and it petered out. So much for all that seismic hoopla. I could have told them it was a waste of time and money but they didn't ask. My long gone relatives lived near here and 75 years ago, over a hundred wells were drilled and none were any good...... So they drilled and tore the hell out of some good black loam. Now they are gone but the scar will be there for decades.


While advancements have been made in the area of noise, emissions, and air pollution, they are still a noisy piece of equipment. They are not exactly quiet as a church mouse. The real advancements that have been made in the last 10 to 15 years has been the ability to accurately steer a bit to a pre-determined spot via horizontal drilling. To put it in perspective we can hit a target that is two miles deep and currently just over 2 miles horizontally. We can typically put the bit in a 10' by 10' target at that depth. This is a relatively new advancement that they certainly didn't have all of those years ago.

What is surprising to me is that they didn't reclaim the ground that was disturbed when they P&A'd the well. I can't speak as to the operator because you didn't mention who it was. Most of the majors would have put it back to the way it was before the location was built. I am working with ConocoPhillips and they certainly would have. At least here anyway.

In many ways my life is a contradiction because I have this for a day job and have the farm/ranch at home. I can see both sides of the story. In North Dakota the landowners who have mineral rights love us, up to and including baking pies and cookies for us, while those who have sold their mineral rights hate us. In the end it is a matter of perspective, and if I was going to receive some of those royalty checks every month I expect that I would be happy to see a rig coming as well.

In either case, when drilling is successful, we are reducing our dependence on foreign oil every day. I do not remember the last well that we had to P&A. I am pretty sure that it was over 6 years ago and a little closer to the Rockies.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Shouldn't be that hard to do what your describing, I usually avoid thinking about stuff like that as if I do, I won't sleep for the night that or I'll head to the shop at 2am.

Personally I have an air powered grease gun, haven't used it in years since I bought a pair of what could possibly be the last Alemite pistol grip grease guns that were made in the USA.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Old review of one:

http://toolmonger.com/2007/03/09/hot-or-not-portable-compressed-co2-regulatortank-for-nailers/

http://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Regulator-Portable-Pneumatic-Shipping/dp/B00JVVW9HQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1E1AZDM367TA5F5E538K


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Thanks young man, I'm going to buy one,,,,,

Soemtimes my brain farts are alrady made......


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Lostin55 said:


> While advancements have been made in the area of noise, emissions, and air pollution, they are still a noisy piece of equipment. They are not exactly quiet as a church mouse. The real advancements that have been made in the last 10 to 15 years has been the ability to accurately steer a bit to a pre-determined spot via horizontal drilling. To put it in perspective we can hit a target that is two miles deep and currently just over 2 miles horizontally. We can typically put the bit in a 10' by 10' target at that depth. This is a relatively new advancement that they certainly didn't have all of those years ago.
> 
> What is surprising to me is that they didn't reclaim the ground that was disturbed when they P&A'd the well. I can't speak as to the operator because you didn't mention who it was. Most of the majors would have put it back to the way it was before the location was built. I am working with ConocoPhillips and they certainly would have. At least here anyway.
> 
> ...


Sorry to be off topic, but when an oil/gas operator says they will put it back the way it was before they got there is a flat out lie or they don't know anything about farming and think it's the same. There is a well head there when they are done and the new big horizontal well heads are huge and ruin flood irrigation. Plus they all say they need an access road (they don't. They can fricken walk). That is not leaving it the way it was. That is leaving an annoyance that they think is only worth $2500-$5000 for the site. Never mind the tanks and separator that are somewhere else. As well as flow lines in a field where I have never seen a contractor do it right so the trench won't settle a month after the contractor is gone. That is NOT leaving it the way it was. We are mineral rights owners and still get very annoyed with operators doing shoddy work and making promises they know very well they can't keep.

Sorry Ard for making comment way off topic.

Had to make an edit. I didn't mean to make it sound like Lostin55 was lying. This just has been our experience. I tend to take people at their word. And in the oil/gas industry you just can't do that sadly. It's much better then it was in the 80s and 90s though. The landmen anymore just don't know to much except what they are told. They don't really know much about the land that they are supposed to be talking to landowners about. I had one ask me how hard it was to move a sprinkler pivot in the winter so they could get in to do some work for 3 days (It took two weeks). He thought we had to use a tractor to move the pivot. I just let him think it was that big of a hassle.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Teslan said:


> Sorry to be off topic, but when an oil/gas operator says they will put it back the way it was before they got there is a flat out lie or they don't know anything about farming and think it's the same. There is a well head there when they are done and the new big horizontal well heads are huge and ruin flood irrigation. Plus they all say they need an access road (they don't. They can fricken walk). That is not leaving it the way it was. That is leaving an annoyance that they think is only worth $2500-$5000 for the site. Never mind the tanks and separator that are somewhere else. As well as flow lines in a field where I have never seen a contractor do it right so the trench won't settle a month after the contractor is gone. That is NOT leaving it the way it was. We are mineral rights owners and still get very annoyed with operators doing shoddy work and making promises they know very well they can't keep.
> 
> Sorry Ard for making comment way off topic.
> 
> Had to make an edit. I didn't mean to make it sound like Lostin55 was lying. This just has been our experience. I tend to take people at their word. And in the oil/gas industry you just can't do that sadly. It's much better then it was in the 80s and 90s though. The landmen anymore just don't know to much except what they are told. They don't really know much about the land that they are supposed to be talking to landowners about. I had one ask me how hard it was to move a sprinkler pivot in the winter so they could get in to do some work for 3 days (It took two weeks). He thought we had to use a tractor to move the pivot. I just let him think it was that big of a hassle.


No offense taken, and as I said I have seen both sides of the fence. I prefer things in writing myself. You are correct in that they can screw up a lot of things. Advancements have been made and are far better than they were years ago. There is a lot more that they can learn and a long ways to go. The bottom line is that regardless of the company it is still people dealing with people. A little stewardship goes a long ways, and unfortunately they cannot fix what they do not know about. Meaning that city folks will always be city folks and not understand what you are talking about.


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