Lubing chain in a dusty environment. How?

[emmett518]

I'm working on a manure spreader. The chain and sprocket were rusty and filthy, so I removed the chain, soaked it in diesel, sloshed it around with a stick, and dried it.

What is the best way to lube the chain and sprockets so that it doesn't wear, and doesn't rust? I'd love to coat it in grease, but that is going to attract dirt, dust and grit.

Are the spray on chain lubes any good? Which brand?

Danka.

 

[farmerlund]

Lucas oil chain lube works good. Any quality motorcycle chain lube would work. I have a couple of things that have a chain lube system on them. Its basicly a small tank 1-2 quarts with a valve at the bottom attached to a small hose with a brush on the end. These work really well.

 

[cfherrman]

I would put a grease on there since you washed the chain then use used motor oil after that. My rig has 3 open chains and I care more about no lube or rust than dirt.

Spray chain lube works but doesn't last.

 

[Coaldust]

Back in my oiler days, drill mast chains got brushed by hand with wire brushes and sprayed down with any of the name brand chain & cable aerosols. That was a brutal, knuckle buster of a job.

 

[mitch504]

First, is this the conveyor chain, or the roller chain that drives it?

For 5 months a year, I do almost nothing but run spreaders. General Fertilizer Equipment, which makes my favorite spreaders, says that they have done a lot of testing and that roller chain will last longer under those conditions run with no lube, as they tried many different types and cut the chain to measure wear. I have tried lots of things in 39 yrs, and believe they are right. They say that lubing only makes dust and dirt stick and work it's way inside the rollers.

My spreaders do about 20,000 acres a year and I run stainless steel open conveyor chain, and stainless roller chain on the horizontal chain from the countershaft to conveyor shaft, and $10 Chinese carbon steel roller chain everywhere else.

The stainless wears faster than the carbon steel, but that one chain rusts solid over the weekend spreading fertilizer. The stainless only pays for itself in less aggravation.

Number 60 roller chain in a 10'box costs about $10 in carbon steel, and $120 in stainless. I run Chinese chain because I replace it every season.

 

[treemuncher]

Some of the new o-ring motorcycle chains specify the use of a wax type lube. I prefer the DuPont brand with Teflon when I can find it. It works well on lots of different mechanisms.

Mitch likely has the best answer available for this application.

 

[Delmer]

Working on a manure spreader, and asking the question, I'm going to assume this is an obsolete spreader that's going to spread horse apples a couple loads a year. In which case, I'd spray it with fluid film because the rust is worse than the wear. Wear them out every year or sooner, keep them dry in most cases.

 

[Shimmy1]

Mitch and Delmer have it right. Dry chains last longer in most ag applications unless they have a lube system, and those mostly are just a great big mess and the chain doesn't last a whole lot longer. Put a new chain on and send it out the door.

 

[56wrench]

Well, i’m going to throw this out there. I have found that roller chains are sacrificial. The sprockets are the most important. Some sprockets are hard to change, some have fairly soft teeth, and some sprocket clusters( multiples welded into an assembly) are horrifically expensive. Worn sprocket teeth cause new chains to stretch prematurely and shorten their life and worn chains wear the sprocket teeth, and so it goes. So, whatever it takes to get the most life out of the sprockets in any given situation, thats what i do, which usually involves some form of lubrication. The mess is the least of my worries. Dry chains run hot and wear faster. Chains should be lubed while they are warm, so the lube is absorbed into the rollers(bushings) and pins as the chains cool down from the normal operating temp. Just my 2 cents

 

[mitch504]

The problem in my case is that if you lube them warm, when the oil is drawn in, so is an ultra fine powder that is more corrosive than salt

 

[cfherrman]

I've always done cold so good to know. If your worried about dirt would a dry silicone or graphite based lube be better?

 

[Shimmy1]

Graphite possibly. Silicone? Useless on a chain IMO.

 

[emmett518]

Roller chain. There are two of them.

First, is this the conveyor chain, or the roller chain that drives it?

For 5 months a year, I do almost nothing but run spreaders. General Fertilizer Equipment, which makes my favorite spreaders, says that they have done a lot of testing and that roller chain will last longer under those conditions run with no lube, as they tried many different types and cut the chain to measure wear. I have tried lots of things in 39 yrs, and believe they are right. They say that lubing only makes dust and dirt stick and work it's way inside the rollers.

My spreaders do about 20,000 acres a year and I run stainless steel open conveyor chain, and stainless roller chain on the horizontal chain from the countershaft to conveyor shaft, and $10 Chinese carbon steel roller chain everywhere else.

The stainless wears faster than the carbon steel, but that one chain rusts solid over the weekend spreading fertilizer. The stainless only pays for itself in less aggravation.

Number 60 roller chain in a 10'box costs about $10 in carbon steel, and $120 in stainless. I run Chinese chain because I replace it every season.

 

[Delmer]

20 ton modern one, or hundred bushel ground drive?

 

[emmett518]

Working on a manure spreader, and asking the question, I'm going to assume this is an obsolete spreader that's going to spread horse apples a couple loads a year. In which case, I'd spray it with fluid film because the rust is worse than the wear. Wear them out every year or sooner, keep them dry in most cases.

Horse and cow poop, ground driven, and it's not obsolete. I did buy it used, but it's almost brand new. And I will probably be using it once a week, spreading 25 cubic feet each time. It's a small unit.

 

[emmett518]

20 ton modern one, or hundred bushel ground drive?

Small guy. 25 cubic feet.

https://www.abiattachments.com/manu...ure spreader&utm_content=ABI Manure Spreaders

 

[Delmer]

Fluid film all the way. If you want to get obsessive about it, hose it out every so often and oil the apron chain. You'd never do that if you spread every day, maybe not even every week? I use one once a year or three, so it gets hosed off, oiled and sits outside 363 days a year, it should outlive me. If the paint is solid, it's helping you. If the paint bubbles, it's promoting the rust underneath it, blast the loose stuff off with a pressure washer and oil it.