wire rope lubrication oil free sample

Developed as a service tool, the Lincoln Wire Rope Lubricator is attached periodically to equipment on a monthly, quarterly or other cycle to lubricate wire ropes. Lubrication intervals should be determined according to rope manufacturer specifications. The life cycle of a steel wire rope that has been periodically lubricated is approximately six to eight times longer than a wire rope that has not been lubricated. Specifically for Wire Rope Lubricator applications a biodegradable grease LGTE 2 is available. The grease is environmentally acceptable and certified with Ecolabel.

Also, lubricating a wire rope while in service helps to prevent corrosion of the wires. Corrosion can be internal and external, and it often is caused by acids, alkaline waters, salt air, humidity, fumes, and abrasive and industrial environments in general.

LUBEGARD Wire Rope Lubricants are patented, aquatically non-toxic & biodegradable. They contain a unique blend of corrosion inhibitors, thickeners and wear reducers. Both are ideal for all types of wire ropes and chains in a variety of services and environments.

Wire rope forms an important part of many machines and structures. It is comprised of continuous wire strands wound around a central core. There are many kinds of wire rope designed for different applications. Most of them are steel wires made into strands wound with each other. The core can be made of steel, rope or even plastics.

Wire ropes (cables) are identified by several parameters including size, grade of steel used, whether or not it is preformed, by its lay, the number of strands and the number of wires in each strand.

A typical strand and wire designation is 6x19. This denotes a rope made up of six strands with 19 wires in each strand. Different strand sizes and arrangements allow for varying degrees of rope flexibility and resistance to crushing and abrasion. Small wires are better suited to being bent sharply over small sheaves (pulleys). Large outer wires are preferred when the cable will be rubbed or dragged through abrasives.

There are three types of cores. An independent wire rope core (IWRC) is normally a 6x7 wire rope with a 1x7 wire strand core resulting in a 7x7 wire rope. IWRCs have a higher tensile and bending breaking strength than a fiber core rope and a high resistance to crushing and deformation.

A wire strand core (WSC) rope has a single wire strand as its core instead of a multistrand wire rope core. WSC ropes are high strength and are mostly used as static or standing ropes.

Wire ropes also have fiber cores. Fiber core ropes were traditionally made with sisal rope, but may also use plastic materials. The fiber core ropes have less strength than steel core ropes. Fiber core ropes are quite flexible and are used in many overhead crane applications.

The lay of a wire rope is the direction that the wire strands and the strands in the cable twist. There are four common lays: right lay, left lay, regular lay and lang lay. In a right lay rope the strands twist to the right as it winds away from the observer. A left lay twists to the left. A regular lay rope has the wires in the strands twisted in the opposite direction from the strands of the cable. In a lang lay rope, the twist of the strands and the wires in the strands are both twisted the same way. Lang lay ropes are said to have better fatigue resistance due to the flatter exposure of the wires.

Wire ropes are made mostly from high carbon steel for strength, versatility, resilience and availability and for cost consideration. Wire ropes can be uncoated or galvanized. Several grades of steel are used and are described in Table 1.

Steel cable wire is stiff and springy. In nonpreformed rope construction, broken or cut wires will straighten and stick out of the rope as a burr, posing a safety hazard. A preformed cable is made of wires that are shaped so that they lie naturally in their position in the strand, preventing the wires from protruding and potentially causing injury. Preformed wire ropes also have better fatigue resistance than nonpreformed ropes and are ideal for working over small sheaves and around sharp angles.

Lubricating wire ropes is a difficult proposition, regardless of the construction and composition. Ropes with fiber cores are somewhat easier to lubricate than those made exclusively from steel materials. For this reason, it is important to carefully consider the issue of field relubrication when selecting rope for an application.

There are two types of wire rope lubricants, penetrating and coating. Penetrating lubricants contain a petroleum solvent that carries the lubricant into the core of the wire rope then evaporates, leaving behind a heavy lubricating film to protect and lubricate each strand (Figure 2). Coating lubricants penetrate slightly, sealing the outside of the cable from moisture and reducing wear and fretting corrosion from contact with external bodies.

Both types of wire rope lubricants are used. But because most wire ropes fail from the inside, it is important to make sure that the center core receives sufficient lubricant. A combination approach in which a penetrating lubricant is used to saturate the core, followed with a coating to seal and protect the outer surface, is recommended. Wire rope lubricants can be petrolatum, asphaltic, grease, petroleum oils or vegetable oil-based (Figure 3).

Petrolatum compounds, with the proper additives, provide excellent corrosion and water resistance. In addition, petrolatum compounds are translucent, allowing the technician to perform visible inspection. Petrolatum lubricants can drip off at higher temperatures but maintain their consistency well under cold temperature conditions.

Various types of greases are used for wire rope lubrication. These are the coating types that penetrate partially but usually do not saturate the rope core. Common grease thickeners include sodium, lithium, lithium complex and aluminum complex soaps. Greases used for this application generally have a soft semifluid consistency. They coat and achieve partial penetration if applied with pressure lubricators.

Petroleum and vegetable oils penetrate best and are the easiest to apply because proper additive design of these penetrating types gives them excellent wear and corrosion resistance. The fluid property of oil type lubricants helps to wash the rope to remove abrasive external contaminants.

Wire ropes are lubricated during the manufacturing process. If the rope has a fiber core center, the fiber will be lubricated with a mineral oil or petrolatum type lubricant. The core will absorb the lubricant and function as a reservoir for prolonged lubrication while in service.

If the rope has a steel core, the lubricant (both oil and grease type) is pumped in a stream just ahead of the die that twists the wires into a strand. This allows complete coverage of all wires.

After the cable is put into service, relubrication is required due to loss of the original lubricant from loading, bending and stretching of the cable. The fiber core cables dry out over time due to heat from evaporation, and often absorb moisture. Field relubrication is necessary to minimize corrosion, protect and preserve the rope core and wires, and thus extend the service life of the wire rope.

If a cable is dirty or has accumulated layers of hardened lubricant or other contaminants, it must be cleaned with a wire brush and petroleum solvent, compressed air or steam cleaner before relubrication. The wire rope must then be dried and lubricated immediately to prevent rusting. Field lubricants can be applied by spray, brush, dip, drip or pressure boot. Lubricants are best applied at a drum or sheave where the rope strands have a tendency to separate slightly due to bending to facilitate maximum penetration to the core. If a pressure boot application is used, the lubricant is applied to the rope under slight tension in a straight condition. Excessive lubricant application should be avoided to prevent safety hazards.

Some key performance attributes to look for in a wire rope lubricant are wear resistance and corrosion prevention. Some useful performance benchmarks include high four-ball EP test values, such as a weld point (ASTM D2783) of above 350 kg and a load wear index of above 50. For corrosion protection, look for wire rope lubricants with salt spray (ASTM B117) resistance values above 60 hours and humidity cabinet (ASTM D1748) values of more than 60 days. Most manufacturers provide this type of data on product data sheets.

Cable life cycle and performance are influenced by several factors, including type of operation, care and environment. Cables can be damaged by worn sheaves, improper winding and splicing practices, and improper storage. High stress loading, shock loading, jerking heavy loads or rapid acceleration or deceleration (speed of the cable stopping and starting) will accelerate the wear rate.

Corrosion can cause shortened rope life due to metal loss, pitting and stress risers from pitting. If a machine is to be shut down for an extended period, the cables should be removed, cleaned, lubricated and properly stored. In service, corrosion and oxidation are caused by fumes, acids, salt brines, sulfur, gases, salt air, humidity and are accelerated by elevated temperatures. Proper and adequate lubricant application in the field can reduce corrosive attack of the cable.

Abrasive wear occurs on the inside and outside of wire ropes. Individual strands inside the rope move and rub against one another during normal operation, creating internal two-body abrasive wear. The outside of the cable accumulates dirt and contaminants from sheaves and drums. This causes three-body abrasive wear, which erodes the outer wires and strands. Abrasive wear usually reduces rope diameter and can result in core failure and internal wire breakage. Penetrating wire rope lubricants reduce abrasive wear inside the rope and also wash off the external surfaces to remove contaminants and dirt.

Many types of machines and structures use wire ropes, including draglines, cranes, elevators, shovels, drilling rigs, suspension bridges and cable-stayed towers. Each application has specific needs for the type and size of wire rope required. All wire ropes, regardless of the application, will perform at a higher level, last longer and provide greater user benefits when properly maintained.

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. has found through years of field experience, that longer wire rope life can be obtained through the use of penetrating lubricants, either alone or when used in conjunction with a coating lubricant. Practical experience at a South African mine suggests that life cycles may be doubled with this approach. At one mine site, the replacement rate for four 44-mm ropes was extended from an average 18.5 months to 43 months. At another mine, life cycles of four 43-mm x 2073 meter ropes were extended from an average 8 months to 12 months.

In another study involving 5-ton and 10-ton overhead cranes in the United States that used 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch diameter ropes, the average life of the ropes was doubled. The authors attribute this increased performance to the ability of the penetrating lubricant to displace water and contaminants while replacing them with oil, which reduces the wear and corrosion occurring throughout the rope. A good spray with penetrating wire rope lubricant effectively acts as an oil change for wire ropes.

In these examples, the savings in wire rope replacement costs (downtime, labor and capital costs) were substantial and dwarfed the cost of the lubricants. Companies who have realized the importance of proper wire rope lubrication have gained a huge advantage over those who purchase the lowest priced lubricant, or no lubricant at all, while replacing ropes on a much more frequent basis.

Wire ropes can be utilized in a number of applications. The intended application generally will dictate the initial lubrication of the wire rope by manufacturers. For example, some wire ropes are employed for the support of structures such as buildings and bridges. These ropes remain nearly static, so there is little need to relubricate them. They will not have the same internal friction and wear (although still subjected to surface corrosion) as a dynamic rope utilized in heavy equipment applications for lifting or hauling purposes.

Wire ropes used in crane services often employ a fiber core which is saturated in oil with strands of wire wrapped around it. This fiber core acts as a sponge to actively drain or release lubricant when the rope is subjected to bending or loading. Most wire ropes fail from the inside, so this fiber core can be beneficial if binding conditions occur.

Wire ropes without a fiber core are typically coated with a lubricant during the manufacturing process to lessen internal friction and to coat the surface in order to minimize corrosion due to water or the environment.

While there are standards in place for lubricants used during the manufacturing process, most are generic and only help put you on the right track in your lubricant selection. Of course, all wire rope lubricants should have corrosion control properties as well as penetrating capabilities to get as far into the core of the wire rope as possible.

There are numerous methods of applying lubricant to wire ropes. For machinery in which the rope can move, you may choose to use a drip, spray or trough method. These methods apply lubricant at a single point and utilize the movement of the rope to spread the lubricant over the entire length of the system. Some trough systems are pressurized, which can be advantageous, as they push the lubricant into the rope.

If the wire ropes are static, manual brushing or sprays usually are the easiest way to apply lubricant. In most cases, it is best to remove excess lubricant from the surface to help minimize dirt and water from sticking to the lubricant, especially in dirty environments.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 902 SF Wire Rope Lubricant may be applied manually. However, application by automatic spray equipment is recommended. For best coverage and penetration, wire rope should be sprayed on all sides, which requires a minimum of two nozzles opposing each other.

Castrol Molub-Alloy 902 SF Wire Rope Lubricant is intended to provide safe operation through longer service life of wire ropes while reducing total lubrication and maintenance costs. The naturally flexible and adhesive film provides the required persistence to assure also protection of sheaves and drums without excessive application.

Wire ropes contain numerous moving parts which require lubrication. Each time the rope bends or flexes, the internal strands rub together. Whitmore"s Wire Rope Lubricant coats these strands to prevent friction and wear. This results in longer wire rope life, less downtime for rope changes and more production.

Whitmore"s Wire Rope Lubricant quickly penetrates to the core. This ensures that the rope is lubricated throughout while providing a nondrying, nontacky film on the outside of the rope which protects outer strands from corrosion as well as lubricating the wire rope drums and sheaves.

Whitmore"s Wire Rope Lubricant is easily pumpable at temperatures down to -25°F (-35°C). Its nondrying film remains flexible in the most extreme weather conditions which eliminates flaking and peeling.

Whitmore"s Wire Rope Lubricant can be used to lubricate all sizes of wire rope as well as chains, leaf springs and other applications where a penetrating oil is needed. It may also be applied by hand or automatic lubrication system.

Using the correct lubricant with the appropriate application method can not only maximise the wire rope life but can also eliminate costly replacements and improve safety.

The fluidity of the lubricants helps to ensure that the rope strands are well lubricated, reducing internal wear caused by the metal-to-metal contact occurring when the wires slide or bend around a drum or sheave.

The Wire Rope Lubricants and Grease range prevent corrosion by displacing moisture and forming a thin barrier of continuous lubricant film protecting against the elements.

Proper lubrication of your wire rope, chain and cable can safely extend its operational life regardless of application. Cranes, elevators, shovels, drilling rigs, suspension bridges and draglines are some of the many applications that use wire rope, chain or cable to perform work such as pulling, dragging or hoisting. These applications often are exposed to harsh environmental conditions, including extreme weather. Lubrication Engineers can help your wire rope, chain and cable last longer and operate safely by implementing a lubricant reliability program and recommending the right lubricants for the job.

Most wire ropes are lubricated during the manufacturing process, but this lubricant will not last the entire life of the rope. When looking for a lubricant to relubricate your wire rope, choose one that contains no acids or alkalis, possesses the adhesive strength to stay on the rope, can penetrate between wires and strands, has high fluid film strength, resists oxidation and remains pliable. It is important to remember that most wire ropes fail from the inside out. Corroded rope can be a safety hazard, as there is no way to determine its remaining strength and life. Proper lubrication will help prevent deterioration of wire rope due to rust and corrosion.

Because most wire ropes fail from the inside, it is critical to ensure the center core receives sufficient lubricant. LE recommends a combined regimen in which a penetrating lubricant is used to saturate the core, followed by a coating lubricant to seal and protect the outer surface. LE offers several penetrating and coating type wire rope lubricants to suit your specific needs.

Penetrating lubricants contain an evaporative solvent that facilitates migration of the lubricant into the core of the wire rope, then evaporates, leaving behind a heavy lubricating film that protects and lubricates each strand.

Wirelife Almasol Coating Grease (451-453) is a soft, semifluid calcium-based grease designed to coat wire rope as well as moving chain and cable parts to ensure long life and smooth, quiet operation. Its tacky, water-resistant characteristics enable it to adhere strongly to rapidly moving parts, seal out damaging moisture, protect against premature wear and shield metal against corrosive attack.

Typical Applications: Wire rope, chain links, pins, bushings, cable sheave bushings, cables, open and closed silent and roller chains, and small, slow-turning gearboxes that require a semifluid lubricant

Wirelife Almasol Coating Lubricant (2002) is a fluid wire rope lubricant that provides a tough outer coating to seal and protect against fretting corrosion, wear and rust – even under extreme load and moisture. It seals and protects better than any product available. When used in conjunction with Wirelife Monolec Penetrating Lubricant, maximum protection and wear reduction is achieved.

Wirelife Almasol Syn Coating Lubricant (2022) is an extremely tacky, nonasphaltic synthetic lubricant with exceptionally high film strength. Perfect for extreme environments and conditions, it is the ultimate outer surface protector for wire rope and cable and comes from the same advanced technology that LE developed to protect large open gears in the mining and quarry industries. It derives its high load-carrying capacity from its synergistic blend of an extreme pressure additive and Almasol, LE’s exclusive wear-reducing additive.

Wirelife Monolec Penetrating Lubricant (2001) has excellent corrosion resistance and high load-carrying (EP) properties. It penetrates to the core of wire ropes, whether they are running or stationary. It is also excellent as a penetrating lubricant for chains of all sizes and works well in a variety of other industrial applications. When used in conjunction with Wirelife Almasol Coating Lubricant, maximum protection and wear reduction is achieved.

It contains a petroleum solvent to enhance its ability to penetrate. The solvent evaporates, leaving behind a film of heavy-bodied lubricant that protects and lubricates each strand and resists leakage from the wire rope core. Available in bulk sizes or in an aerosol version.

Typical Applications: All stationary or moving wire ropes or cables under heavy loads; chains of all sizes; mining and construction applications such as standing and running lines, draglines, cranes and derricks; marine applications such as cranes, hoists and drilling rigs; any other application that requires excellent rust protection for steel parts.

Designed for marine environments and other applications where environmental concerns require the use of a very low toxicity wire rope and chain lubricant, LE’s Wirelife Low Tox Penetrating Lubricant (2011) has excellent load-carrying capability and provides outstanding protection against rust, while having the lowest possible toxic effect on the environment.

Earthwise EAL Wire Rope Grease (3353) is recommended for use in applications on or near the waterways. It is an EAL and meets the specifications required by the EPA’s Vessel General Permit (VGP). It is readily biodegradable, exhibits minimal aquatic toxicity and will not accumulate in the cells of fish and other aquatic life forms. It is a soft, semifluid formulation designed to coat wire rope as well as moving chain and cable parts to ensure long life and smooth, quiet operation. Its semi-tacky, water-resistant characteristics enable it to adhere to the application and seal out damaging moisture and protect against rust formation.

Typical Applications: Applications near or around waterways including: Wire rope; chain links, pins and bushings; cable sheave bushings, bearings and strands; open and closed silent and roller chains. Ideal for use in automatic lubrication systems.

LE is happy to offer industrial lubricant and reliability recommendations for a variety of applications, and to provide product-specific data on all of our items to help you make the right decision. To learn more about our wire rope lubricants, wire rope lubricators as well as our other enhanced lubricants and lubricant reliability products, please

The Chain and Wire Rope Lubricant is a heavy duty high temperature and pressure lubricant that penetrates chains, cables, and wire rope to deposit a wear resistant coating. The foam spray clings to the surface penetrates and coats leaving a Molybdenum and extreme pressure lubricant on the inner surfaces. This two in one lubricant both penetrates into the core of the wire rope , evaporates and leaves behind a heavy lubricating film to protect and lubricate each strand and with a second coating penetrates slightly and seals the outside from moisture reducing wear and corrosion.

The Chain and Wire Rope Lubricant can be used on conveyors, hoist chains, link and roller assemblies, rail equipment, mining equipment, road and construction machinery, cutter bars, material handling equipment, chain saws, etc.

What is unique about the testimonials we’ve received over the years is that they’ve come to us unsolicited through third parties. Their evaluations and opinions concerning the performance of our product came directly from their own successful use of it in their respective wire rope preventative maintenance programs.

We have a good understanding of most of our end user’s maintenance operations because we owned a 400 crane rental fleet. Thus we have addressed many of the same preventative maintenance challenges and the logistics required in addressing those challenges that our customers encounter. This experience allows our group the ability to analyze their applications so that we can provide them with the best product mix possible. This is true whether we address the requirements for offshore cranes, mooring lines, anchor lines or tow ropes, etc.

The use of wire rope pressure applicators has now become a main stay in most wire rope maintenance applications worldwide since The Kirkpatrick Group, Inc. first introduced them to the world market in 1982. Wire rope pressure lubrication has changed the manner in which industries maintain their wire ropes simply because their use has established that the working life of wire rope can be extended over manual application of coatings. In addition, labor savings have proven to be as much as 50 times greater as compared to the labor costs and time spent using manually applied methods. This claim has been proven in independent United States Government testing. The testing was unsolicited by our company and those reports are available upon request.

We asked the crew how long they had been working the job and they said several hours. I responded: “What if I can provide something guaranteed that will do the same job in 30 minutes and also clean the wire rope providing optimal penetration instead of only surface coating the way you are doing it?” That’s all it took to close the deal.

“Cleaning and lubricating wire ropes on cranes using the old manual hand method took approximately five eight-hour workdays per crane. Using the pressure applicator, wire rope on a crane can now be cleaned and lubricated in one eight-hour day. This represents significant

savings in labor costs. The automated pressure wire rope lubricator has reduced PWC San Diego’s annual cost of cleaning cables from about $320,000.00 a year to approximately $34,000.00, a yearly generating savings of approximately $286,000.00.” They said it. We didn’t.

This kind of feedback has helped us gain a broad knowledge of what it takes to optimally apply wire rope dressings to wire rope with over 2,000 systems placed during our 35 years in business. This knowledge is a direct result of our own onsite and daily troubleshooting experience that involves direct communication with our users on a worldwide scale who have incorporated our systems into their wire rope preventative maintenance programs.

A wire rope travels through a cleaning device (Groove Cleaner) peeling away penetration blocking debris from its outer surface and groove pattern as it enters into a Lubrication Collar for lubrication. Once inside, the wire rope is exposed to internal pressures that both coat and penetrate every open space within the wire rope able to receive the newly applied product. The pressurization is created by the filling of specially designed internal seals being fed from the pump.

Although the internal pressure generated is adequate for the task at hand, no pressure lubricator is a closed hydraulic system that can generate thousands of pounds of internal pressure as is the case with hydraulic cranes or excavators that incorporate closed hydraulic systems. This is because the wire rope is passing through the lubrication collar removing the internal pressure as the newly treated wire rope travels from the Lubrication Collar. Many factors contribute to the level of pressure that exists at any given moment inside the internal seals. A few key ones:

Strand Density and configuration of the wire rope being treated. The process is self-compensating creating pressure that co-relates to that required to maximize the pressure required for the particular wire rope configuration being treated.

Consistency of the original lay-up material as well as that applied once in the field during maintenance. Higher viscosity products create and require more pressure to penetrate the wire rope. Conversely, lighter viscosity products create and require less pressure to penetrate the wire rope.

Wire Rope Travel Speed. The travel speed must be at a level that keeps the internal seals full. This is also is directly related to lubricant viscosity. Rule of Thumb: Feed to Speed. One does not want to remove the lubricant faster than it is being supplied. Spotty coating and penetration will occur.

Post manufacturing preventative maintenance should supplement the original layup material applied at the time of manufacture when each strand can be addressed with a coating prior to closing. There is no better time to coat a wire rope. For this reason we will always support a highly viscous product being used during the manufacturing process. This product must have the necessary staying power to provide optimal fluid film protection against strand rubbing and friction wear that can occur when the wire rope is placed in service in the field.

Using light weight oils as lay-up coatings at the time of manufacture does not achieve the level of protection later when the wire rope is in service and exposes the wire rope to excessive abrasion. This is because many oil viscosity products can only provide a thin microscopic barrier. Thus strand rubbing is unavoidable inside the internal strands of the wire rope. These types of lay-up products also do very little to block water penetration. This is true unless a viscous product is later applied by pressure lubrication in a subsequent preventative maintenance schedule. Pressure lubrication, if feasible, will at least fill every available open space in the wire rope and in doing so pressures out entrapped water. In the event a viscous coating product is used; a solid barrier is then created against future water penetration.

The photos below show a Boom Hoist Cable sent to us by a large offshore customer. Its original lay-up product was an oil viscosity used by the manufacturer. The customer was then required to use this product as dictated by the manufacturer after delivery to apply it manually by spray to maintain their warranty. At issue was that the contractor’s Boom Hoist Cables’ longevity was cut by some 40% by his being required to follow their requirement. He had a problem.

At the advice of a business associate, he contacted our offices requesting our input. I requested that he send me the sample shown in the photos on this page. Very quickly one will note that extensive abrasion and strand rubbing has occurred. No fluid film protection is evident. This is very simply because the coating (oil) product was too thin to maintain on the rope and dripped from it leaving only a microscopic sheen. One can also note that the outer strands have become brittle and are broken and that the inner strands including the very core (not shown) have gouges from strand rubbing due to a lack of fluid film protection.

I called him once I had evaluated the situation and told him quite simply that his problem was created by a lack of lubrication. He said we were mutually on the same page and believed that the manufacturer’s warranty was irrelevant if he had lost 40% of his wire rope life using their coating product and following their procedures. Those procedures included labor intensive manual spray application.

His Boom Hoist cables had always been shipped previously to him with a viscous lay-up coating that seemed to preclude the issues he was experiencing using the low viscosity oil product.

He asked if he could send two new reels that had not yet been placed in service to us to pressure lubricate with our high viscosity Dynagard. We agreed and performed the process with our wire rope lubrication system at a local wire rope distributor. It was mutually understood that this would be the only time the cables could be pressure lubricated because once they were in place on his cranes they would be too close together to accommodate the width of our Lubrication Collar (4.25”). They would then be required to apply the Dynagard Blue by hand for follow-up maintenance. The result: Boom Hoist longevity went back to where it was previously at a full 100%.

The above term is so often used in reference to the application of wire rope coatings using either manual methods or pressure applied methods. However, this is especially true in reference to pressure application due to its very description that indicates much better penetration than manual coating that more often than not only coats the wire rope surface. “Through the Core” was our strongest selling point when we first introduced pressure lubrication and we have many photos of our system penetrating to the core of wire ropes over the years. However, as we have traveled down this road, it is not always the case. There are factors that prevent penetration through the core and many are not a negative and have nothing to do with a failure of the technology or performance of our wire rope lubrication systems. At the end of the day our systems allow a wire rope to pass through a 100% pressurized/consistent immersion not available using manual hand application.

Even so, many light weight oil products are sold with the selling point of penetrating to the core. We have found that most only wash out or breakdown the preexisting lay-up material. Once that is gone the oil product must assume full protection against fluid film breakdown and then be used in the maintenance schedule on a more frequent basis over the previous higher viscosity product to maintain the same protection. Why? Oils goes away quicker and offer a much thinner protective layer.

I believe that our firm has designed the most efficient wire rope lubrication system available today. I know we were the first. We understand what is required to provide those we serve with the right system for their specific application prior to purchase and then to maximize the customer’s use of that system once it is received. This can only be accomplished from our own experience in the field and input from third parties actively involved in wire rope preventative maintenance.

Wire rope lubricants are designed for coating and protection of a wire rope from corrosion and they minimize the internal and external wear. The lifespan of a wire rope can be dramatically amplified when it is coated with a lubricant, i.e., lack of lubrication would result in reduction of longevity for wire ropes.

Wire rope lubricants find a wide range of applications in industrial fields, including mining, forestry, shipping, construction cranes, building elevators (lifts) and suspension bridges. These applications can be also be categorized based on consumption of lubricants. The lubricants used during the manufacturing of ropes come under category 1, whereas the lubricants used during the working conditions of wire ropes come under category 2.

Additionally, fatigue life of ropes can also be greatly extended by proper lubrication, when the wires can move freely to balance the stress distribution caused by drums or sheaves. The lubricant must reach the fiber cores or they will absorb moisture and encourage corrosion. Today, new legislative environmental guidelines are driving the users to give deliberation not only to the typical wire rope lubricants that lubricate and protect the wire ropes, but that are also considered as environment friendly.

Crosby’s Vitalife®products are the preferred wire rope lubricants in the industry because of their ability to penetrate into wire rope and displace water and contaminants, thus reducing wear and corrosion throughout the rope.Available in a variety of container sizes.

Whitmore’s Wire Rope Lubricant products also coat these strands to prevent friction and wear. This results in longer wire rope life, less downtime for rope changes and more production.

Whitmore’s Wire Rope Lubricant is easily pumpable at temperatures down to -25°F (-35°C). Its nondrying film remains flexible in the most extreme weather conditions, which eliminates flaking and peeling.Whitmore’s Wire Rope Lubricant can be used to lubricate all sizes of wire rope, as well as chains, leaf springs and other applications where penetrating oil is needed. It may be applied by hand or automatic lube system.

The main purpose of a wire-rope lubricant is to reduce internal friction so that the rope runs smoothly and to coat the wires so that corrosion is inhibited.

To be most effective, the lubricant should maintain these characteristics for the full range of operating temperatures. Ideally, the lubricant should penetrate the rope core easily and adhere strongly to the wire surfaces.

Light oil lubricants are thinner, clearer, and penetrate the interior of a wire rope more easily, and are less prone to solidify than heavy lubricants.In addition, they are effective when applied in light coatings and are readily adaptable to continuous,automatic lubrication systems.

The corrosion protection provided by light Lanolins is sufficient for most operations,but may not be sufficient for underwater rope usage. Good lubrication can serve as one of the most effective protections against corrosion.