lithium grease

[swamp donkey]

Is anybody using the lithium grease in a spray can to lube there chains. Says on the can lubes chains and sprockets and repells water

[MikeyM]

I dont like lithium grease because it just seems to gum up over time, now dont get me wrong, I havent been into 6x6's for long so I dont know how it would do, I just have used the stuff on other things. I just re-lubed my chains and used Lucas-oil chain lube, its areosol and seems to do pretty good, I also coated the chains with marine grade grease (stuff you used to repack bearings) may have been over kill but went ahead and did it

[plott hound]

im with mikeym on this.damn lithium grease gets kinda crusty overtime.i use it for absolutely nothing.

[mudNmallards]

I’ve fought the chain lubrication battle for years even at the manufacturer level and there is really no winning it.
Its impossible (and I don’t use absolutes very often) to properly lubricate any chain without physically disassembling every single link, cleaning it, greasing the pins and clearance between rollers and then putting it back together. ( the only exceptions to this are huge chains like on log conveyors, mercerizers and furnaces that have bushings in there that can be greased and replaced but those links are 6” to a foot long each)
Chains are normally lubed with regular #2 or #3 grease( the majority except for specialty chains) that is somewhat thinned for spraying during the manufacturing process on the assembly line before they are finally put through the bradder that mushrooms the pins.
Once that’s done, given the inherent thickness of grease as a desirable property, cannot adequately penetrate into the clearances and replace the exuded grease that’s lost. I and many before me ( and I’m sure many after me as well) have stood on distributors and manufacturers desks screaming about this. The answer is always the same. Sure they will make a chain that’s able to be taken apart and lubed properly but the additional machining processes will triple the cost and then add the hours of labor to grease it on to that- it greatly exceeds the cost of a regular chain. It’s a matter of cost over value.
The best that can be done in the field that I have ever seen is to clean it and dry it- soak it in motor oil- wipe it dry and maybe a light coat of grease externally. At least you got some form of lubricant in the pins even if its nothing more than a thin film with no EP capability.
Some mills use oil bath trays on runs- it works pretty decent but the mess it makes combined with the obvious safety and environmental hazard doesn’t justify the little additional benefit. I wouldn’t recommend it in vehicles like this.
You might try an oil felt lubricator right before the chains go into a sprocket( at least it may save some wear on the sprocket as the roller goes through it) but like the lubricator brush configuration- there will still be a drippy slingy mess.
Honestly, spray chain lubes are not worth the effort or investment simply because they don’t lube the chain internals where it counts and after the first 1 or 2 revolutions- they are not lubing the sprocket either. You would be better off with a bowl of oil and a paintbrush saturating the chain and toweling off the excess. ( and spend less money)
If anyone ever solves the chain lubrication problem in a provable reliable way will be the next billionaire because he would be the most sought after lubrication consultant on the planet.

[techfx]

I use a version of this white lightning lube on bicycle chain... it's pretty thin and I think wax based... just noticed they have this for wet applications. Wonder how it would work for AATV's? It would be pretty expensive in the quantity we would need.


White Lightning

[mudNmallards]

I use a version of this white lightning lube on bicycle chain... it's pretty thin and I think wax based... just noticed they have this for wet applications. Wonder how it would work for AATV's? It would be pretty expensive in the quantity we would need.


White Lightning

I would strongly NOT recommend such an experiment. The chains on these vehicles are standard industrial grade and go through some pretty heavy service. I respectfully advise not using any type of lubricant that does not carry API,SAE or ISO ratings for the type of application and/or usage.

But if you want to experiment- email them and ask for a copy of their products MSDS, the spec sheet and any testings it has undertaken, see what they say. (If you dont get any of that but a handful of "flowery" non descript advertising terms then you have your answer right there) Dont be surprised if you find out this stuff is Wesson oil mixed with some teflon sold at an inflated price.