Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I have an Ariens 824 and I learned on this site how important it is to keep it greased. So I bought a Briggs and Stratton grease gun and the grease canister it came with lasted me for 3 winters. Now it is time to put a new canister in and I can't figure out how to get the old one out.  I have the spring loaded arm in the opened locked position on the tube that holds the grease cartridge, but the old cartridge doesn't want to come out. I assume this is easy to do, but I just can't figure it out. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Thanks Talldog. I think it only opens from the top. The top is the side that screws into the gun, right?

stickball wrote:
Right, try grabbing the lip of the old cartridge with a pair of pliers or needlenose. It's probably just being held in by a small vacuum from the grease that oozed out around it.

Talldog's info is right on. 

Are you talking about the smaller one handed units?  If you are, I just changed the cartridge in mine that had been in there for a couple of years.  It's tough to get out.  Try to get something thin between the grease gun housing and the empty grease cannister.  Make a bit of a pocket to get the needle nose pliers into.  Get a good grip on it and twist the pliers.  It will deform the grease cannister and allow it to come out.

If you have one of the longer ones with a lever or pistol type grip. Unlock the spring loaded arm and let in slide back into the tube. The rubber seal should push the old cartridge out. Pull the arm back and load up. Take top and bottom pieces off, insert tube, screw top on seven or eight turns, not tight, let arm go into tube. This helps get the air out, so you don't have to pump half the nite to get grease to flow. If the arm dosen't go into the tube, twist the pull handle to the side and push into the grease.

Hope this helps

T.J.

THANKS to everyone who answered. I just didn't have the experience to know that I needed to use a little force. It's out now - thanks again!!