Same here. Have used Lincoln and several other brands. Decided to try the cheap China ones - see what they will do. Doesn't seem like I ever replaced as many couplers as i have in the last few years.

I found out one thing that will ruin them - paint. Had a nearly new coupler go bad so decided to take it apart and see what gives. Was full of green paint chips off of a new machine I had greased. They must get some tiny Vietnamese lady to assemble those suckers cause I was never able to get it back together, hard as i tried. Decided my time was worth more and finally chucked it - of course it couldn't be one of the cheapies, had to be a Lincoln.

It helps if you can find a place that caries the 6 or 10 packs. They are about half price as buying one at a time. 

John 

Long, long time ago I used to have a 5 Star tool man show up once a year or so.

Kind of miss that. Had some stuff that seemed high quality. Little things like silver pencils for using with torches. Welding rods for hardening.

Seems he had couplers for grease guns. Are we talking about the end you screw on grease gun hose? Seems a regular coupler had 3 " things to grab grease zerk". His had 4. Maybe my memory is following my eyes. Dang reading glasses.

Could go out and look at grease gun before posting but am feeling cocky tonight.

Brian

I always did that so as to not bend the jaws when I had to pull it off of a plugged fitting under pressure. Jerking them off at high pressure will sure ruin them. Some of the other brand later couplings I have bought you can't do this, even though there is a knurled portion that makes it look like you can. Tried vice grips to get them to unscrew to no avail.

John 

Sorry Ray but it is true. the 2600 is actually an estimate based on the fact that they number their equipment which covers everthing from a Volvo bender to a sign board, I think the smaller stuff like quickie saws and jack hammers are not numbered so they still have a lot to keep up with. JRJ owns many many gravel pits etc. and some of the sister companies perform their own maintenance, also a lot of rental equipment, and most of the trucks are not done in house. I have no idea how many peices of major stuff they have but it is a lot, loaders, track hoes, grinder mills, rollers,pavers, off road dumps, TLBs, you name it. I think they have 25-30 mechanics full time in the shop and more on the road, It amazes me they can keep up with it all as they always seem a bit disorganized.
Back to greasing, I know they started getting grease in 55 gal drums because they go through so much, heck the waste tank on Mitchco's truck holds 400 gal and he sometimes empties it several times a day( all oils no antifreeze). He told me the grease tip quality has gone down, so they are trying different brands, but still puts new ones on daily or more. Wish he would jump in here so you could get it straight from him, but he is off to company picnic today and when he is here I keep him busy unloading hay.
Edit Just re-read you Ray and you need to fix that sticky button on your calculator, he doesn't service every piece of equipment every day AKA 30 seconds each, and i beleive I said ten to fifty pounds per day not 500.

http://www.jrjnet.com/

I just looked at your post again, you said, "but then he goes through 10-50#s of grease per day, five days a week".  10 50# of grease is 500# per day, just as Ray said.  You must have meant something else?

I'm sure you just mistated the numbers, I'm not calling you a person who does not tell the truth. 

I made a post sometime back where the numbers didn't make sense either, had to reconsider and explain some of the facts I stated.  I'm sure you are in the same position.

Ok, ten to 50 pounds of grease per day makes more sense. 

I had trouble keeping up with farm equipment maintence, not my favorite thing to do.  Even with another person to help, the idea of greasing 2,600 pieces of heavy equipment sounds like something I would be asked to do after I die, assuming I did not live a good life and went to the afterlife in the wrong place.

On the coupler part, 4-jaw were always better for me than 3-jaw, I looked for them often, and bought several when they were available.  Our local Rural King Farm Supply has them off and on, and Shoup had them in the catalog once, don't know about the new one.

My Lincoln electric gun had a 4-jaw when I bought it, but bought a new one this year, it came with a 3-jaw.