Greasing your machine....The hate/hate relationship.

[Runs With Scissors]

I loathe greasing my machine/s: However, I do it all the time due to the 'voices in my head'.

The thing I hate as much/(possibly more) is cleaning up, and lately I have been neglecting the "clean up" part.

The over arching question here is : What do you use to clean heavy amounts of grease off?

"Back in the day" I/we used "trike" (trichloroethane or trichloro-triflouronethane???? possibly both?) and it worked great from what I remember.............. Best of all it was free ......

About 15 gallons ended getting "accidently" taken home with a Marine that I knew, but 'he' has long since run out and therefore, "we" have had to find alternatives.

Currently I use a butt load of rags and "brake cleaner", but was wondering if anyone has a better solution?

Here are the before and after pics of my most recent "cleaning spree"....








After:

 

[GeoHorn]

I buy WD40 by the gallon and paper towels by the case.

Easy on the paint…. and lubes what it touches to boot.

 

[loggin]

I loathe greasing my machine/s: However, I do it all the time due to the 'voices in my head'.

The thing I hate as much/(possibly more) is cleaning up, and lately I have been neglecting the "clean up" part.

The over arching question here is : What do you use to clean heavy amounts of grease off?

"Back in the day" I/we used "trike" (trichloroethane or trichloro-triflouronethane???? possibly both?) and it worked great from what I remember.............. Best of all it was free ......

About 15 gallons ended getting "accidently" taken home with a Marine that I knew, but 'he' has long since run out and therefore, "we" have had to find alternatives.

Currently I use a butt load of rags and "brake cleaner", but was wondering if anyone has a better solution?

Here are the before and after pics of my most recent "cleaning spree"....

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After:

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I hear your pain!! I just usually use rags and sometimes WD40 if I want it good and clean. No difference really just using a different thinning agent.

 

[Soopitup]

I just wipe the heavy stuff that's going to fall.
I like having a thick layer at the openings of the joint, helps to keep water/dirt as far away from the friction points as possible.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Other than WD40, I use a citrus degreaser. Spray it on a rag and wipe it off.

Robot or human?

 

[GrizBota]

Pretty much the same as others rags initially followed by Simple Green and a rag. Try not to get the SG on the components that are intended to have grease on them.

BTW, the machine looks spiffy all cleaned up.

 

[Mowbizz]

Never “cleaned” my tractor, per se but just wipe off hanging grease with a rag. Used to hose off grass clippings when it had a mower deck is about it.

 

[jaxs]

I use what's handy at the time and wipe close to joints when convenient and spray Gunk on areas not near joints while pressure washing rest of travctor. If all that in before pictures collected since last greasing you might be over greasing and/or machine has a lot of wear making space for grease that is squeezed out later.

 

[lynnmor]

I use about 1/2 roll of paper towels, it costs maybe $.60 and I don’t have to deal with disgusting dirty rags. At one time I was frugal and thought it was a waste, but the benefits far outweigh the pennies spent.

 

[Nicksacco]

I use engine degreaser from Gunk (not the foamy kind).
Spray into a rag and wipe.
Easier on the paint than brake cleaner.
Others ideas are cool too.

Your "mess of grease" sure beats the heck out of no grease!
Fixing that involves saw blades, plasma, hammers and a lot of cussing!

 

[jaxs]

I use engine degreaser from Gunk (not the foamy kind).
Spray into a rag and wipe.
Easier on the paint than brake cleaner.
Others ideas are cool too.

Your "mess of grease" sure beats the heck out of no grease!
Fixing that involves saw blades, plasma, hammers and a lot of cussing!

Reminds me of when Nick was a youngster always buying and selling things to make a dollar on the side. Nick was sitting out by the road with a for sale sign on a push mower when the preacher came by and bought it. On the way home with an ice cream cone bought with the money Nick passed the preacher's house. The preacher had removed his coat and tie and worked up a sweat trying to start the mower. When the preacher asked Nick if there was a secret in starting the mower Nick asked the preacher if he tried cussing it. "Why certainly not, I've forgotten how to cuss." Nick said "just keep on pulling and it will come by to you pretty soon".

 

[85Hokie]

I too am guilty of the "pushing the button ONE more time"

I pressure wash sometimes in the summer - which, can be a disaster if I am not careful!

Pneumatic trigger control is something I still need to master - I blame the lock-n-lube, makes greasing almost fun, yeah I said it - almost fun!

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

To wipe off the grease, I keep it simple and use rags (old clothes that spousal unit is too embarrassed / disgusted to see me wear or be seen with me wearing or to holy to donate). I only wipe off prior to greasing…I leave any clean grease that comes out as first line of defense of dirt / debris coming in. To me a little extra grease collects/captures the dirt / debris to protect the joint. Not sure that is right or not.

 

[GeoHorn]

….(old clothes that spousal unit is too embarrassed / disgusted to see me wear or be seen with me wearing or to holy to donate). ….

…. I’m married to her missing Twin! ….

 

[jimh406]

I use blue disposable towels to wipe off grease although I don't worry too much about it.

 

[Fastball714]

There was a running joke in my industry, that when a piece of equipment that was worn completely out and was junk, because of no grease. You know what caused this, "too much grease"!

 

[Chris_]

I just bought a tractor that was a mess that I had to clean up. If you looked at the thing you got grease all over you. On my old tractor I just used a paper towel, on the new(er) one I've found the brake cleaner does a great job cleaning it off.

Is it true that brake cleaner is hard on paint? Is WD-40 a better option?

I also agree that leaving some exposed is good to keep dirt/water out

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Paper towels first.

Then it's degreaser fluid or WD40 and paper towel time. Then it's degreaser fluid and a pressure washer! And repaint in the summer.

Then it's "Why do I give even a shout what it looks like, as long as it's greased"!

Grease it!

Tractors and all ground engagement equipment destroy themselves in normal use.

We just gotta stay ahead of the game.

 

[NCL4701]

I run it through stuff like this and that scrubs off the worst of it. I’m in the group that thinks a bit of excess keeps dirt out of the joint. If it gets somewhere away from a joint, it gets wiped off with a soft rag.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Damn fellas....

I was hoping someone had a "magic bullet" to solve this problem.

I have never thought of using WD-40 though. I might have to get me a can to try.



Which one do you think works the best?-- "kitchen grade" paper towels, those expensive rolls of blue shop rags, or just regular old cut up T-shirts?

I think that old cotton T-shirts far out perform the "kitchen grade" paper towels, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. Those rolls of blue shop towels come in second, but are too pricey for me.

When I owned a Transmission shop I used to buy shop rags by the pound. Does anyone have a good source for "rags by the pound" currently?