The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
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The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
As a farm machinery mechanic and writer, Dan brings a hands-on approach that only a pro can muster. Along with his In the Shop blog, Dan writes a column by the same name as well as the Shop Series for Farm Journal magazine. Always providing practical information, he is a master at tackling technical topics and making them easy for all of our readers to understand. He and his wife, Becky, live near Bouton, Iowa.
In a perfect world, whenever I lube a roller chain, I'd first run the machine until the chain was "warm," then apply a spray-on chain lubricant that goes on "runny" but quickly thickens to "sticky." I'd lube that chain while it was running at very low speed, and I'd aim most of the spray lube at the INSIDE edges of the side plates. The theories behind those strategies are:
-lubricants can work their way more easily into the tight spots in chains if the chain is warm.
-used engine oil or other lubricants work well as chain lube, but aerosol chain lubricants are designed to go on "thin" and work their way between side plates and rollers, then thicken to a gel that resists flinging off the next time the chain is ran.
-Applying aerosol chain lube to a slowly running chain, specifically to the INSIDE edges of the chain, allows centrifugal force to move the lube outward, between the pins and plates, which is where you want the lube to go.
Yes, there are situations where I've lubed "cold" chains that weren't turning, but I made sure I spent extra time lubing the tops and bottoms of the links, with special attention to the side plates. Simply applying chain lube to the rollers keeps them from rusting during storage, but gets quickly squeezed off the rollers by sprocket teeth the next time the chain is used. The side plates where they connect to the pins are where lube does the most good.
If I'm lubing a machine before I put it in storage, I like to coat all the chains with WD-40, JB-80 or other penetrating lubricant, then smother the top, bottom and sides of the chain with quality chain lube. The penetrating oils get deep inside the links to help prevent corrosion, and the sticky, gloppy chain lube penetrates for lubrication and coats for preservation.
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