OK, what about grease?

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I know a thing or two about engine oil, solvents and other lubricants, but recently have gotten into some heavier equipment that requires more attention than I'm used to.

Can you give me a quick rundown on grease? What different types are there? In what applications are they used? What are some good brands?

In particular, what/how much should be used to grease mower blade spindles? Vehicle chassis?
 
Amsoil, supertech, house brand, There all the same(not really, but typically there all rated for the same stuff, marine grease wont exspand as much but will liquidfy at lower temps then others).
If your looking for extreme pound out I would lean towards Amsoil, but there 5.00 a tube.

A car chassis is simple, you simply greae until the oil grease starts too come out of the boot. I will keep pumping until I can see fresh stuff coming out but thats just me.
 
Two basic types, wheel bearing grease for stuff that keeps rolling and making heat and heavy shock grease full of moly (and other stuff) for ball joints and extreme pressure sliding.

Then you have your lithium base that you can't mix with other types (soap?).

You can get special service stuff that's tackified that sticks to everything.

Am sure someone who knows yet more will jump in and correct me.
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They say Shaeffers is really worth it. The cheap stuff turns to oil when you look at it wrong and "drops" becoming ineffective.
 
If you got some heavy equipment research moly fortified grease with aluminum complex thickeners(Schaeffer's #238).

search the grease forum many post on it.
 
When you say 'heavy equipment' I assume (generally a bad move) that you are talking about dirt moving/removal equipment. There are MANY acceptable greases. In my opinion (everyone has one) the most important factor is frequency of greasing. This to flush the trash off of the sliding surfaces. Worked for me. John--Las Vegas.
 
Originally Posted By: Torino
When you say 'heavy equipment' I assume (generally a bad move) that you are talking about dirt moving/removal equipment. There are MANY acceptable greases. In my opinion (everyone has one) the most important factor is frequency of greasing. This to flush the trash off of the sliding surfaces. Worked for me. John--Las Vegas.


"Heavier" equipment than what I had in the past, i.e. I have begun investing in things that I expect to last longer and work harder...in particular, farm tractors and mowers that get used a lot. I also maintain my own vehicles.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Two basic types, wheel bearing grease for stuff that keeps rolling and making heat and heavy shock grease full of moly (and other stuff) for ball joints and extreme pressure sliding.

Then you have your lithium base that you can't mix with other types (soap?).

You can get special service stuff that's tackified that sticks to everything.

Am sure someone who knows yet more will jump in and correct me.
wink.gif


They say Shaeffers is really worth it. The cheap stuff turns to oil when you look at it wrong and "drops" becoming ineffective.


Great information, this is exactly the type of response I wanted. Thank you eljefino.

Can anyone tell me more about lithium and compatibility probelms? I think that is often considered "all purpose grease," isn't it?

Does anyone have experience with Lucas or Wolf's Head products? They seem to be readily available to me.
 
Compatibility becomes a NON-issue once you completely replace one type of grease with another.
If it came with X grease, and you push it ALL out with Y grease, you're compatibility issue left with X grease.
Here's a chart

http://www.finalube.com/reference_material/grease_compatibility_chart.htm


Now keep in mind, especially on a mower, the seals are usually dust seals, the grease does a bunch of the sealing by itself.
So if you push all the nasty old stuff out , wipe it off with a rag, you're usually good to go.
Now of course there are exceptions, but mowers aren't rocket science.
Neither are cars.
If you find a grease that meets of exceeds the manufacturer's requirements for.. say.... a ball joint. And that grease is a higher echelon grease than say, the u-joint (or vice-versa), and you load your grease gun with the better grease, you're probably going to be just fine.
When it all comes down to brass tacks, NO grease is FAR worse than even a crummy grease.
I use crc / sta lube lithium #2 with moly and/or graphite for most stuff, spring shackles, drivelines, solid axle knuckles (toyotas) etc, and then usually mobil 1 synthetic stuff (at home) for wheel bearings.
 
Essentially, grease is an oil held in suspension by a soap thickener. Soaps can be lithium, aluminum, clay, calcium, calcium-sulfate, polyurea, and probably a bunch of others that I don't know. Lithium is the most common. The oils can be synthetic or conventional and vary in viscosities and add packs just like engine oils. NLGI certifies greases and grades them for automotive use with its GC-LB ratings though quality industrial greases won't necessarily carry this rating. With grease some of the key features to look for are load capacity, water resistance, cohesive/adhesive properties, compatibility, temperature range based on application and oil seperation characteristics. For the items you stated, a lithium complex, grade #2, rated GC-LB should be satisfactory. For a mower spindle, a couple of pumps from a grease gun every 10-15 hours should be fine. You can certainly increase the quality of grease with a different base, synthetic or adding one with moly, but that is your choice. Any of the major oil companies produce a good grease. I'd happily take anything from Delo, Conoco-Phillips, or Shell. Mystik JT-6 from my local Walmart is also a good choice as well as Valvoline Palladium from NAPA. A good grease gun used often may be more important. Hope this helps.
 
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I go with the idea that some/any grease is better than no grease. If were just talking lawn mowers & vehicles(cars & trucks) I just go with the cheaper common grease.
 
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