Pump Lube

[325abn]

I am cleaning up an old Grimm filter press.

On the Obendorfer pump there is what I think are grease fittings or are they bleeder valves?

If they are a grease fittings what type of grease needs to be used?

Is there a gasket between the back of the pump and the pump housing? It looks like there should be but I dont see any eveidence of an old one.

[Parker]

It takes food grade grease availabel at maple dealers,just a littel squirt is all it takes,dont know about a gasket,are you going to sell the press or run it?

[325abn]

I am going to sell it.

[Parker]

what is it and how much?

[325abn]

Its a Grimm 7" Long bank.
Not sure about the asking price yet. I want to clean it up and run it first. I figure somehwere around 1/2 or so the price of a new one.

[tuckermtn]

you can also get food grade grease online through Grangier and McMaster-Carr

if I were home, I would send you a tube that I have from when grangier double shipped me an order...I use only a little at a time for the sapsucker...one tube will last me for 10 yrs...

-tuckermtn

[brookledge]

If you took the plate off the pump to expose the 2 gears there would have been a paper thin gasket there originally. I have taken them off before and have used silicone to reseal it . The thing to remember is that you can't change the thickness of the original gasket as it will affect the tollerances and the pump will not work as it originally designed.
Rotary gear pumps are great as long as the tolerances between each gear and the sides are kept. Once they wear they will not pick up a prime .
When I used to have alot of road side buckets there was no better set up than to have a 3/4" rotary gear pump set up on a 3 HP gas engine with a 50 foot length of rubber suction. You put the pump on the back of the truck and with two people, one person drives and the other one keeps walking from tree to tree never having to take a bucket off the tree or carry any sap.

Keith

[325abn]

Yes I had to take the pump apart it was stuck, it turns out there was just some old surgar than needed to be cleaned out of the pump.

So a very thin layer of silicone should work as a gasket?

[brookledge]

Was there any of the paper gasket left if so just put some silicone gasket maker on and tighten it down good. If not I would put it together dry first to see if when you tighten it up it binds up the gears from rotating if not then just put a small amount of silicone and tighten it down.
Keith

[maplecrest]

in a pinch vasiline works great. i also lube my mach. releasers with it. just a small squirt in each fitting. i bought a small grease gun that holds a small tub of it.

[mwarren]

So, I am helping a friend who has a filter press (its a short bank) and he used the wrong type of grease on it. The nut on the pulley was not tight, and it appears that some of the grease got into the area where the syrup gets pumped through...I have never had one of these apart yet, so I'm not sure what to do. I want to get all the old grease out and clean it up, but am not sure what to do. Anyone have any suggestions? Does this have seals that need to be replaced? What should I clean it out with? Any help would be great.

Thanks
Mike