Pro tip: Ditch the grease gun for dry lube on gearboxes

For 8 years I swore by standard grease on every crane gearbox I touched. Then a union guy on a job in Pittsburgh last June pulled me aside and said I was building up heat and dust. He handed me a $12 can of dry lube and dared me to try it on a 5-ton hoist we were servicing. Checked it after 3 months and the gears were cleaner and ran cooler by 15 degrees. Anyone else made the switch away from grease or am I the only one that was stubborn?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_fox9227d ago

Tried dry lube on my garage door track once. Cat hated the squeak.

viola_butler26d ago

Oh MAN, that is just typical cat behavior right there! @wesley_fox92, you probably thought you were being helpful and then your cat was like "how DARE you fix my personal concert of horrible noises." Cats are so dramatic about sounds, mine will give me the stink eye if I sneeze too loud. I bet your cat was plotting revenge while the garage door went all silent and smooth. Honestly though, a squeaky garage door is annoying but a cat that holds a grudge is a WHOLE other level of trouble. You might have to sleep with one eye open for the next week or so.

the_jake4d ago

Nah man, dry lube has its place but I wouldn't ditch grease entirely. Grease is thicker and stays put better in high load applications like gearboxes where you've got heavy metal on metal contact. Dry lube works great for light duty stuff like garage door tracks or maybe a small hoist, but on a big crane gearbox I'd worry about it getting squeezed out under pressure. That 15 degree drop sounds nice but if the gears start wearing faster because there's not enough film strength, that savings disappears fast. Plus dust and dirt buildup can be managed with good seals and regular cleaning, you don't have to switch lube types to fix that. Different tools for different jobs, you know?