Tried using a new brand of traction grease on a set of sheaves and got way more slip than expected

Swapped to this 'Sure-Grip' synthetic on a set of 36-inch sheaves in a downtown office building, thinking it would handle the summer heat better. After the application, we got a call back within a week for excessive car slippage during peak loads. Has anyone else had a bad reaction with a specific synthetic grease, or is it more likely I just got a bad batch?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_sullivan27d ago

We had a nearly identical call back on a bank job last year, same 36-inch sheaves and a different "high-temp" synthetic. I always blamed the sheave wear before. Watching the techs clean that sticky, almost gummy grease off and go back to the old petroleum-based stuff was a real eye-opener. It just didn't bond right under load, no matter how thin we applied it. Now I'm convinced some synthetics just have a totally wrong additive package for traction.

finley_wells6611d ago

Yeah that gummy film parker mentioned is the killer. It just sits there and acts like a lubricant instead of gripping. I'm done experimenting with new traction greases after my own slip call back.

ben48627d ago

Scrub that synthetic off completely with solvent before you try anything else. That gummy film it leaves will ruin the grip of any grease you put over it. I've seen guys try to just add more of the old grease on top and it makes the slip worse. Stick with the basic petroleum grease you know works, especially on older sheaves. The fancy high temp stuff often has friction modifiers that work against you in a traction system.