Ok, I admit it; the title is misleading. As a company that sells and installs auto grease systems, we are a bit biased towards them. Nevertheless, the list below represents the most frequent objections that we hear about them, so our answers to those objections may help guide your decision making if you are considering an auto grease system for your equipment.
#1. TOO EXPENSIVE.
Whenever this objection comes up, we like to bring up the costs associated with inadequate greasing, the 20-40 minutes of daily labor expended to fully grease all the points on the equipment, the costs associated with employee accidents (and corresponding insurance claims) from climbing all over the equipment, and unexpected delays from worn-down pins and bushings that fail in the field. Our customers find that most auto grease systems have a couple months payback period, especially for equipment with high usage, making it a no-brainer decision. If you’d like help with a payback analysis of our auto grease system on your equipment, we’d be happy to provide one.
#2. I WANT A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE EQUIPMENT.
An auto grease system does not eliminate the need for visual inspection of your equipment. Equipment still has to comply with DOT pre- and post-trip inspections, regardless of your chosen method for greasing. What an auto grease system does eliminate is the 20-40 minutes of labor added to this otherwise quick safety inspection. You don’t need your employees to grease the equipment as an excuse or way to force a visual inspection. And, arguably, without the distraction of having to grease the equipment, they will probably deliver a better inspection anyway.
#3. WHY FIX WHAT'S NOT BROKEN?
It’s true; you’ve always done it this way. But, like everything else in the world, technology improvements not only allow you to focus on more productive, money-generating activities, they make your life easier, too. The same argument could be made with a shovel versus an excavator. Both work, but one is far superior for larger jobs. Consider the way you first started greasing your equipment versus the tools you use today. Your powered grease gun - adapted from a manually-powered grease gun - was designed to make greasing easier on your hands, save you some time, and improve the chances that you will perform this daily chore with more regularity. It is a natural progression to make you more profitable. An auto grease system is the next step and is basically a mounted, permanent grease gun with an automatic timer installed on your equipment.
What about you? What’s keeping you from installing an auto grease system on your equipment? Would you like more information or a quote? Contact Lubecore MN today!