Lubricants & Lubrication Equipment for Australian Industry
AIMS Industrial stocks one of the broadest lubrication ranges available to Australian trades, workshops and plant maintenance teams — over 1,100 products spanning both the lubricants themselves (greases, oils, sprays, anti-seize and corrosion inhibitors) and the equipment used to apply them (grease guns, drum and barrel pumps, couplers, hose reels and metered dispensing gear). Whether you need a tube of food-grade grease for a conveyor bearing or a complete drum pump and hose reel set-up for a workshop bay, it's in the one range.
Proper lubrication equipment matters as much as the lubricant itself. A worn grease coupler that won't seat on the nipple, a hand pump that can't move a heavy gear oil out of a 200 L drum, or no metering on a dispensing gun all lead to the same outcomes: under- or over-greased bearings, wasted product, and components that fail early. Getting the application tool right — not just the grease or oil — is what turns a maintenance schedule into actual protection for the equipment.
This range is used daily by maintenance and reliability teams in manufacturing and processing plants, workshop and fleet mechanics, mining and agricultural operators, and trades who need to keep machinery, vehicles and tools running with the right lubricant delivered the right way. AIMS is a proudly Australian-owned business, and our team can help you match a lubricant or piece of dispensing equipment to your specific application — contact us or request a quote if you're not sure what you need.
What's in the Range
The table below groups the real categories of product stocked across this collection — the equipment used to apply lubricants, and the lubricants and related chemicals themselves.
| Category | What it is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Grease Guns | Lever-action and hand-operated guns taking standard 400 g or 450 g grease cartridges, plus grease booster guns | Manual point lubrication of bearings, pins, linkages and grease nipples on plant, vehicles and equipment |
| Grease Pumps | Bulk transfer pumps for containers from 2.5 kg tubs up to 180 kg drums, some with trolley and hose reel | Feeding hose reels or multiple lube points from a central bulk grease supply in a workshop or plant |
| Grease Couplers & Fittings | Standard, needlepoint and right-angle quick-connect couplers, grease fitting unblockers, follower kits and seal kits | Connecting a gun or pump to a grease nipple, reaching awkward fittings, and clearing blocked nipples |
| Oil Pumps | Hand-operated gear oil pumps, lever-action barrel pumps and rotary pumps for 20 L to 200 L drums | Transferring gear oil, hydraulic oil and general machine oil out of drums for topping up or filling equipment |
| Oil Control Guns & Meters | Manual, electronic-register and digital-display oil control guns, plus inline oil meters (1/2" and 3/4") | Metered oil dispensing where you need to track or preset the volume delivered, e.g. workshop servicing |
| Hose Reels & Accessories | Retractable reels for oil, grease and air lines, with mounting brackets, swivels and O-ring service kits | Reducing hose clutter and hose wear in workshops, vehicle bays and mine sites |
| Drum & Chemical Handling | Rotary and lever-action pumps for chemicals and oils, bung adaptors and drum-handling accessories | General fluid transfer from drums beyond straight lubricants — chemicals, coolants and similar fluids |
| Greases | Lithium, lithium-complex, moly (MoS₂), EP, food-grade (NSF H1), silicone and waterproof greases in tubes, tubs and cartridges | General bearing lubrication through to heavy-load, high-temperature or food-processing applications |
| Machine & Cutting Oils | General machine oils and cutting/tapping fluids for drilling, reaming and tapping operations | Workshop machining, general equipment lubrication and metalworking |
| Sprays, Penetrants & Anti-Seize | Silicone sprays, adhesive lubricants, white lithium grease spray, dry graphite lubricant and anti-seize compounds | Non-staining lubrication for plastics and rubber, threaded assemblies, and light-duty hinges and slides |
| Corrosion Inhibitors | Moisture-displacing corrosion inhibitors and long-term metal protectants | Protecting steel, aluminium and electrical components in humid, coastal or marine environments |
How to Choose the Right Lubrication Equipment
- Manual vs powered dispensing: A lever-action grease gun or hand-operated drum pump is the right starting point for occasional use, a handful of lube points, or smaller sites. Where a plant has many lube points, frequent re-greasing, or drums are being emptied daily, a bulk grease pump feeding a hose reel — or an electric-powered pump (AIMS stocks 12V, 24V and 240V options for fluid transfer) — saves labour and gets more consistent results than a hand pump run all day.
- Grease vs oil: Use grease where the point can't easily be replenished or is exposed to water and dust — sealed bearings, open bearings, long-interval service points. Use oil where you can circulate it — gearboxes, hydraulic systems, engine sumps. Oil dissipates heat better and suits higher speeds; grease stays in place better in dirty or open environments.
- Single point vs bulk/drum systems: A grease gun with couplers is the right tool for spot lubrication of individual fittings. Once you're regularly emptying 20 L, 60 L or 200 L drums into multiple points, a drum-mounted pump — hand, electric or feeding a hose reel — will move product faster and with far less physical effort than repeated gun refills.
- Cartridge size and coupler compatibility: Standard grease guns take 400 g or 450 g cartridges — check the cartridge size stated on the grease before ordering to match your gun's chamber. Couplers should match your fittings: standard couplers suit most grease nipples, while needlepoint and right-angle couplers reach recessed or awkward fittings that a standard coupler can't seat on.
- Metering when you need traceability: If you need to record or control how much oil goes into each unit — for service records, warranty compliance, or cost control — an electronic-register or digital-display oil control gun or an inline oil meter is worth the extra cost over a plain trigger gun.
- Food-grade compliance: If the lubrication point is in or near a food or beverage production zone, the lubricant needs to be NSF H1-registered for incidental food contact — this is a compliance requirement, not just a preference, and it doesn't change which dispensing equipment you use.
Brands We Stock in This Range
This collection brings together lubrication equipment and lubricants from a mix of specialist equipment manufacturers and established lubricant brands, including Macnaught (grease guns, pumps, couplers, hose reels and fluid transfer equipment — the core of the equipment range), CRC, Rocol, Molytec, Inox, Dy-Mark, Helmar, CorrosionX, Loctite (anti-seize), WD-40, Tap Magic, Anglomoil, Molybond, Maxigear and Lubemate. If you need a specific brand or an equivalent to what your OEM manual specifies, get in touch and we'll match it.
Related Ranges
- Chemical Pumps — drum and barrel pumps for chemicals and fluids outside the lubricants range
- O-Rings & O-Ring Kits — seal kits and O-rings for pumps, guns and hose reels
- Oil Tanks — bulk oil storage to pair with drum pumps and dispensing systems
- Food-Grade Silicone — NSF H1 lubricants for food and beverage processing
Frequently Asked Questions
What size cartridge does a standard grease gun take?
Most lever-action grease guns take a 400 g or 450 g cartridge — the size varies by gun model, so check your gun's chamber size against the cartridge size stated on the grease packaging before ordering. Switching grease brands doesn't require a different gun as long as the cartridge size matches.
How do I choose between a hand pump and a powered pump for a drum?
A hand-operated (lever or rotary) drum pump suits occasional transfer or lower-viscosity fluids. Where you're emptying drums daily, moving a thicker gear oil, or feeding several lube points from one drum, a powered pump — or a bulk pump feeding a hose reel — will move product faster and more consistently than repeated hand-pump strokes.
Why won't my grease coupler seat on the fitting?
This is usually a mismatch between the coupler type and the grease nipple, or a blocked or damaged nipple. A standard coupler needs a clear, undamaged standard grease nipple; recessed or angled fittings usually need a needlepoint or right-angle coupler instead. A grease fitting unblocker tool clears nipples that are clogged with hardened grease or debris before the coupler will seat properly.
How do I choose the right lubricant — oil or grease?
Use oil where the equipment can circulate the lubricant and dissipate heat — gearboxes, hydraulic systems, high-speed bearings. Use grease where the point can't easily be replenished, or where water and dust contamination is a risk — sealed bearings, exposed pins, long-interval service points. Always check the equipment manufacturer's specification before substituting one for the other.
What does NLGI grade mean on a grease label?
NLGI (National Lubricating Grease Institute) grade describes how stiff a grease is, on a scale from 000 (fluid) to 6 (very stiff). NLGI 2 is the most common general-purpose grade for industrial and automotive bearings. NLGI 3 is stiffer and better suited to vertical surfaces or warmer conditions where a softer grease would slump.
What's the difference between H1 and H2 food-grade lubricants?
NSF H1 lubricants are approved for incidental food contact — used where there's a possibility of contact with food, such as conveyor bearings in a processing line. H2 lubricants are for equipment in food plants where there is no possibility of food contact. Using a non-food-grade lubricant in an H1-required position is a food safety compliance risk, not just a technical preference.
What is anti-seize compound used for, and when do I need it?
Anti-seize compound is applied to threaded fasteners and assemblies to prevent galling, corrosion and seizing — particularly on high-temperature joints like exhaust fittings and flanges, or on dissimilar metals prone to galvanic corrosion. It's not a substitute for the correct torque procedure; it changes the friction coefficient of the joint, so always follow the fastener manufacturer's torque guidance for anti-seize-coated threads.
How does a moisture-displacing corrosion inhibitor differ from a standard grease or oil coating?
A moisture-displacing corrosion inhibitor physically displaces water already present on and in a metal surface, then leaves a thin protective film behind — rather than simply sealing moisture in the way a standard grease or oil coating does. This makes it suited to components that have already been exposed to water or condensation, such as electrical connectors or components after a wash-down, not just dry parts going into storage.
Can I use an oil control gun on both oil and diesel?
No — check the product specification before assuming. Lubrication equipment is generally designed and sealed for a specific fluid type (oil, diesel, grease, or chemical), and the seals or materials used may not be compatible with a different fluid. Use dedicated equipment for diesel/fuel transfer and for oil dispensing rather than swapping one tool between fluid types.
Do I need a hose reel, or is a straight hose enough?
A straight hose is fine for occasional or single-location use. A hose reel earns its keep where the same oil, grease or air line is used repeatedly across a workshop bay or service area — it keeps the hose off the floor and out of foot and vehicle traffic, which reduces hose wear and trip hazards, and makes the line faster to deploy and stow each time.