Got chewed out for not greasing the swing bearing every shift

Last month a veteran operator pulled me aside after I finished a 12 hour shift on the Ellicott. He said I was going to burn through a $4,000 bearing in under a year if I kept ignoring the grease fittings. I was only doing it every third day. Now I hit all 6 points right after my morning safety check. Has anyone else had to change a bearing early because of lazy maintenance?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_clark4d ago

And @dakota_taylor39 over here living on the edge like a swing bearing grease rebel. I mean sure, the manual says every shift, but I guess some people like to live dangerously and see if that $4,000 part actually can survive on once a week prayers and good intentions. I bet that old timer who yelled at OP has probably replaced a few of those bearings himself and knows exactly what happens when you treat the grease points like a suggestion instead of a rule. But hey, Dakota, you do you - just make sure you're nowhere near my dredge when that thing finally decides to seize up mid-spin.

dakota_taylor394d ago

Look, I've been running an Ellicott for 6 years now and I maybe grease those fittings once a week on average. That bearing is tough, and those fittings are a pain to get to when you're soaked and tired. I figure the manual says every shift because they have to cover their ass, but in real world conditions I've never seen one fail from a little neglect.

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