Choosing a Grease for Heavy Equipment

Noria Corporation

Choosing a Grease for Heavy Equipment

Heavy equipment is subjected to a substantial amount of force, heat, and potential contaminations through their everyday practices. The best way to secure this investment is through your lubrication. Proper lubrication prevents the components of your machines from grinding against each other, causing damage that releases harmful contaminants into the system. There are a variety of greases on the market today, but how do you know which one is the right choice? In this article, we’ll cover what to look at to help you determine the best heavy-duty grease for your needs.

Review the Manual

As proper greasing has become a more common practice, there has been a greater influx of grease options hitting the market. But, not all grease is created equally. It’s important to compare and contrast the different greases and their properties with your specific and unique needs. A great place to start is by looking at your Original Equipment Manufacturer’s manual. The OEM manual will have suggestions for what types of grease work best with your machine, although these recommendations tend to be more generic in nature.

Consider the Environment

The next aspect to consider is the environment that your equipment will be performing in. If your equipment is typically subjected to high temperatures, you will want to consider a high-temperature grease that has a specialized thickener. Thickeners are what help to create the grease’s viscosity, or their consistency. If a grease has a higher viscosity, this means it will be thicker in consistency. This thickness is what allows the grease to stay in place on the machine parts without dripping off in the excessive heat. But, if you find your equipment working in colder environments, you will want a grease that can stay liquid. This means you will want to find a grease that has less viscosity, allowing it to work in colder temperatures without freezing or clotting.

Other environmental factors to consider are wind and water. Excessive winds can pick up dirt, dust, and debris from nearby and deposit them directly onto your machinery. If your parts are not properly lubricated, these contaminants can get in and cause severe damage to your internal components. Whether freshwater or saltwater, damage from water can occur both naturally, such as through humidity or by being near an ocean, and through regular business practices, such as washing down the equipment. You need to ensure that your heavy-duty grease can protect your machines by being resistant to washing away.

Look at Your Loads

Finally, heavy equipment also has the added factor of heavy loads to contend with, and you’ll need to choose a grease that can handle the extreme pressure while still being able to properly lubricate the parts. This is where having a heavy-duty grease can come in handy. Heavy-duty greases are specially formulated to handle stress-heavy environments while protecting against wear and corrosion. This makes sure that your equipment isn’t producing its own contaminants through its daily actions.

Conclusion

Heavy industries need a heavy-duty grease that can keep up with the constant and unique requirements of their industry. From dust and dirt to water and wind, you need to select the right grease to get the job done and protect your machines from the constant threat of contamination. By looking at different aspects of your plant and the requirements that your machines’ have, you can feel confident in your grease selection journey.

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