This guide helps you choose a portable grease pump for work that happens away from the workshop: service trucks, farms, construction sites, and wind farms, where there is no air line and the machine cannot come to the pump.
Related: complete guide to grease pumps · industrial oil pumps · types of grease pumps · Need hardware? grease pump range
1. What is a portable grease pump and when do you need it?
A portable grease pump is a self-contained lubrication unit you bring to the machine. It combines a pump, a grease reservoir (or a drum/pail interface), a high-pressure hose, and a dispensing gun in a package one person can carry, wheel, or bolt to a truck bed. Power comes from a vehicle battery (12V/24V DC), a rechargeable lithium-ion pack, mains power where available — or nothing at all in manual versions.
You need one when:
- Machines are serviced in the field — excavators on a construction site, tractors during harvest, haul trucks at a remote yard.
- Your workshop has no compressed air, but you still want powered, consistent greasing instead of lever guns.
- Wind-energy or QA-driven jobs require metered, recorded grease delivery at height or in nacelles.
Portable pumps are one branch of the wider grease pump family; this article focuses only on the mobile, power-independent end.
2. Key specifications to compare
Four ISOHITECH reference products span the portable category. Their published figures give you the comparison frame:
| Model type | Power | Pressure | Output | Grease range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y6020 barrel-mounted kit | DC 12/24V or AC 220/380V | 35 MPa working (40 MPa on HD kit) | ~0.6 L/min | NLGI #000–#3 |
| 24V portable grease pump | 24V (battery models available) | 10,000–12,000 PSI | 70–120 g/min | NLGI #2 |
| 12V cordless grease gun | 12V Li-ion, 2.0–4.0 Ah | Up to 8,000 PSI (551 bar) | 7–13 cartridges (400 g) per charge | Standard 400 g cartridges / 450 ml bulk |
| Mobile drum pump (pneumatic/manual/drill) | 4–8 bar air, manual lever, or 18V cordless drill | Up to 360 bar (60:1 pneumatic); 345 bar manual | High-flow pneumatic 400–600 g/min | NLGI 000–3 |
Read the table by job size. A cordless grease gun is the lightest option — 3.3 kg with battery, dispensing 7–13 standard 400 g cartridges per charge. A 24V portable pump steps up to 70–120 g/min continuous delivery. A barrel-mounted kit like the Y6020 sits on a 20–30 L drum (≈280–320 mm diameter) and turns a service truck into a mobile greasing station. A mobile drum pump on a 60:1 pneumatic ratio converts 6 bar (87 psi) of air into 360 bar (5,220 psi) at the nozzle for the heaviest field work.
3. Comparison with alternatives
Portability always trades against capacity and duty cycle:
| Option | Carry weight / mobility | Runtime | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12V cordless grease gun | One hand, 3.3 kg | 7–13 cartridges/charge | Technicians walking machine to machine |
| 24V portable pump | Carry handle / strap | Battery or vehicle power | Field service without air supply |
| Barrel kit (Y6020) | Truck-bed or floor mounted | 20–30 L drum between refills | Fleet yards, wind farms, large jobs |
| Pneumatic mobile drum pump | Drum-mounted, needs air | Continuous while air lasts | High-volume sites with a portable compressor |
Against the manual alternative, powered portable pumps remove operator fatigue and keep pressure consistent stroke after stroke — a manual mobile pump peaks around 345 bar (5,000 psi) but its flow is operator-dependent, while a drill-driven gear pump on any standard 18V cordless screwdriver offers a quiet middle ground with trigger-controlled flow.
4. Installation and maintenance tips
- Secure the drum or frame. On service vehicles, bolt the pump frame to the truck bed and ground the electrical supply per the motor label.
- Use the follower plate when grease is stiff. Soft greases (NLGI #0–#2) typically prime without one, but NLGI #3 — or #2 in cold weather — needs a pressure follower plate to prevent channeling, cavitation, and mess at the drum rim.
- Prime the hose until pure grease exits. Air in the line means inconsistent shots and false “greased” points. Run the pump with the coupler open until flow is solid.
- Respect fitting ratings. A pump rated at 35 MPa can exceed what a small bearing cavity or fitting takes — set the gun relief where the application demands it.
- Mind hose pressure loss on long runs. For a 6 mm bore hose with NLGI #2 at 20°C, allow roughly 10–15 bar of loss per meter at peak flow; beyond 3 meters, upsize to an 8 mm bore hose.
- Manage batteries like tools, not toys. Rechargeable packs typically deliver 500+ full cycles; expect roughly 7–10 cartridges per charge on a 2.0 Ah pack with NLGI 2, and 12–18 on a 4.0 Ah pack. Cold weather and NLGI 3 grease cut these numbers.
- Keep the air clean on pneumatic portables. A regulated 4–8 bar supply with 100–150 L/min free air delivery is the baseline; undersized lines reduce both cycle rate and output pressure.
5. ISOHITECH portable grease pump options
ISOHITECH’s portable lineup maps directly to the four job sizes above: the 12V cordless grease gun for walk-around technicians; the 24V portable grease pump for powered field service; the Y6020 barrel-mounted kit (frame, cover, pump, gun, 2.5–3 m hose, optional follower plate, hose reel, and digital metering gun) for truck-based fleet and wind-industry work; and mobile drum pumps in pneumatic, manual, and drill-driven versions. For container-matched options from 5 to 55 gallons, browse the bucket pump category, and use the grease pump hub to compare portable units against fixed workshop systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best portable grease pump for field service without compressed air?
A 12V/24V DC electric unit is the standard answer. Cordless grease guns suit technicians servicing individual fittings; a 24V portable pump delivers 70–120 g/min for bigger jobs; and a barrel-mounted kit such as the Y6020 runs from a vehicle battery while drawing from a 20–30 L drum — a full day of fleet greasing with no refills.
Can a portable grease pump handle NLGI 2 and NLGI 3 grease?
Most professional portable pumps handle NLGI 000 through 3 at about 10°C and above. NLGI #3 — or stiff #2 in cold conditions — needs a follower plate to keep suction primed; below roughly 5°C a heated drum blanket is recommended because cold viscosity can exceed the pump’s priming capacity.
How many grease points can I service on one battery charge?
It varies with cartridge size, viscosity, and pressure. As a reference, a 12V cordless grease gun with a 2.0 Ah pack typically dispenses 7–10 standard 400 g cartridges of NLGI 2 at 4,000–6,000 PSI, and 12–18 with a 4.0 Ah pack; high-viscosity grease and continuous high-pressure work reduce these figures.
Is a portable pneumatic pump better than a battery-powered one?
Only if you already carry air. A 60:1 pneumatic portable delivers higher sustained flow (400–600 g/min) and up to 360 bar, but it depends on a compressor. Battery and vehicle-powered DC units trade some flow for total independence from air infrastructure.
What should I check before buying a portable grease pump?
Confirm five things: pressure rating against your hardest fitting, output rate against your daily grease volume, grease grade compatibility (especially NLGI #3), hose length and bore for your working radius, and power source — battery Ah, or 12V/24V vehicle compatibility for truck mounting.
