Lubricants for bearings provide long-term operation and increase the speed and smoothness of rotation of rubbing elements. They have different consistency and temperature regimes of use. Some are designed both for strong negative thermometer readings and for work in hot conditions. Others can function only in the middle temperature range. They differ in anti-friction properties and the ability to ensure the operation of equipment under a certain weight of the load. If you lubricate the hub of a car or a high-speed machine with an inappropriate composition, this will lead to premature wear of the workers. Lubricating a bike or motor bearings from weakly powerful units with expensive mixtures, you can not feel their quality and overpay. Reading this article gives a clear idea of the anti-friction properties of lubricants and will teach you to distinguish where and which composition is better to use.
Content:
Bearing grease for which company to choose
The world market is replete with lubricants, which produce well-known companies and start-up production.
The following holdings achieved the greatest success in this:
1. Castrol limited
2. Luqui Moly
3. British petroleum
4. Valvoline
5. Mobil
The first company has a wide range of synthetic and traditional materials with good lubricating properties, which are designed for cars, motorcycles and various trailers. Their products are distinguished by the spirit of innovation, focused on customer needs. The company's engineers are constantly looking for new solutions in the field of lubrication.
Luqui Moly belongs to the German brand and is known to many for its oils, additives and other auto chemicals. Operating since 1957 and having received world recognition, the company is a leader in this field in Europe. Its two largest factories are located in the Hive and Saarlouis.
British Petroleum is a British holding that has existed since 1909. The board directs the activity of the huge structure to the extraction of oil and gas, and the accompanying products of production are lubricants.
Valvoline is one of the oldest manufacturers of automotive oils and viscous mixtures for bearings. It began in 1866. Now the headquarters is in London. Products are distinguished by their bio-development, which has the least impact on nature.
Mobil is an American brand specializing in fuels and lubricants. In the States alone, the company has more than 400 stores.
Best bearing lubricants for general loads
Such mixtures are designed for rubbing knots of bicycles, mopeds or electric motors with low revolutions. They can be pushed into the machines at work or used in rotating devices in private workshops. They are also good in agricultural technology.
Substances in their composition are designed for low temperatures and loads. Here are the best general purpose lubricants according to users.
BP Energrease LS-EP 2 - for machine tools
This product from British Petroleum is based on highly refined oils with oxidation inhibitors and antifriction components. Universal lubricant can be used everywhere, but it is best suited for any type of machine tools (turning, milling), as well as conveyor mechanisms. Manufacturers recommend it to all equipment textile, woodworking, paper and plastic products.
The lubricant has good pumpability and shows stability when shifting or vibrating on the bearings. The tool has a good viscosity, and its decomposition into oil and additives begins only after 18 hours of continuous operation at a temperature of 40 degrees.But the dropping begins at the thermometer mark of 195 degrees, therefore the maximum temperature limit for the grease is 140.
Advantages:
- versatility means;
- easy to pump;
- does not fall out at shifts;
- resistant to decay.
Disadvantages:
- small temperature range;
- minimum packaging volume 15 kg.
Luqui Moly LM 50 - the best for the hubs
German developers created a lithium complex based grease with good extreme pressure properties. This product is applicable in various systems, including central distribution, but it is best to use it for the lubrication of the hubs. The composition is resistant to water, which is important for the wheels. The product does not quickly become soft and remains in the bearing for a long time.
Anti-corrosion properties protect metal on rotating hub elements. The temperature range varies from -30 to +160, which is well suited for wheels. Means promotes high load on the rotating parts with minimal wear from friction and pressure. This German grease retains all its properties for a long time, when other similar substances age. Disintegration into oil occurs after 18 hours of operation. Viscosity according to DIN 51562.
Advantages:
- thick;
- reliably protects against corrosion;
- does not leak from bearings;
- repels water;
- suitable for work under high loads.
Disadvantages:
- not very large temperature range;
- very expensive.
Castrol LMX Li-Komplexfett - good for tools
The grease has a plastic helium structure that allows you to quickly push it into the bearing. Manufacturers used lithium complex thickeners in combination with a base consisting of mineral oil. Additionally, several additives were introduced, whose proportions are strictly balanced. It gave an excellent product for bearings of the electric tool: Bulgarians, cutting machines, perforators.
The mechanical stability of the lubricant allows you to work with tools all day long. Even when the metal is heated, the lubricant does not leak. The tool is designed to maintain operation at high speeds. Resistance to hardening increases the useful life. The lubricant has a high adhesion to metal components, therefore it is not washed out or shaken out.
Advantages:
- ecological composition;
- it is applicable both for equipment, and for the tool;
- affordable price;
- supports bearing operation at high speeds.
Disadvantages:
- bright color.
The best bearing lubricants for special loads
Such lubricants are less kinematic viscosity, which allows them to better penetrate between the rubbing elements, while maintaining slip and preventing wear. Manufacturers add to their composition special additives that increase their quality. It has found its application in construction machinery and equipment, as well as in racing vehicles.
Mobil Mobilgrease Special - for construction equipment
This American product is designed for use in bearings subject to constant vibration. Often such loads are experienced by excavators and crane installations at a construction site or mining equipment. In its composition, the developers have used molybdenum disulfide, so that the wear of parts becomes minimal. To prevent the mixture from flowing out of the rotating nodes, lithium hydroxystearate was used. The thick consistency allows the facility to be held firmly inside the bearing.
Due to the well-thought-out composition, the tool protects well metallic elements from corrosion as well as wear during translational or oscillatory movements. Optimal use is the bearings and hubs in the truck chassis. But this lubricant will leak out if the temperature of the metal rises above 130 degrees. Therefore, regular monitoring and refueling is required.
Advantages:
- well protects against corrosion if moisture gets into the unit;
- lithium based thickener;
- designed for vibration and vibrations;
- The consistency is convenient for pumping.
Disadvantages:
- low temperature range (from -20 to +130);
- fast consumption;
- price.
Fuchs Titan Renolit Duraplex EP2 - for high temperatures
This lubricant combines selected oils and lithium soap-based thickeners. The developers have introduced into it an additional package of additives, which gives the mixture stability and stability at extreme temperatures for work, arising from the high revolutions and strong friction of the weight of the structure, rotating on bearings. Such a lubricant is best suited for blowers with hot air and electric motors from large industrial machines.
Good and anti-corrosion properties. Water resistance does not allow to wash the grease when cleaning equipment with a water jet under pressure. The mixture has good colloidal stability at a temperature of 80 degrees for 18 hours.
It can usually be used in the range of -30 to +160. With short-term elevations up to 200 degrees, nothing will happen, since a drop in substance starts from 250. Packaging can be 400 and 500 grams each, or 25 and 180 kg for bulk purchases by large enterprises.
Advantages:
- additional package of additives;
- work at a temperature up to 200 degrees;
- colloidal stability at 18 o'clock;
- waterproof;
- large selection of packaging size.
Disadvantages:
- soap as a thickener;
- the tube is not very convenient for driving lubrication in the bearing.
VALVOLINE MOLY FORTIFIED MP GREASE - where it is very humid
Products from the Dutch developers received an EP complex of additives that reduce friction, and molybdenum disulfide was taken as the basis. Its main advantage was high water resistance. It does not oxidize when washing under pressure, does not get out of knots and reliably blocks access to corrosion. Such lubrication also showed itself well under shock loads. Its useful mechanical properties are retained for a long time.
This composition allows you to use it in bearings of industrial equipment, agricultural machinery and vehicles, operation of which is carried out in conditions of increased humidity.
Manufacturers were able to achieve and record temperature indicators for this tool, ranging from -150 to +1200 degrees. Black-gray matter is easy to drive into the bearing.
Advantages:
- high temperature;
- designed for high humidity;
- assists in transferring shock loads;
- wide application in technology;
- extreme pressure properties;
- cheap;
- a variety of packaging.
Disadvantages:
- despite the water resistance, require the presence of the anther.
What kind of bearing grease to buy
In order to choose the right lubricant, it is necessary to determine the place of its use and the temperature regime of the given unit. The important role played by the amount of moisture and shock loads.
Therefore, we can summarize the choice of lubricant as follows:
1. For construction vehicles whose bearings are subject to strong vibrations and overloads, Mobil Mobilgrease Special is best suited.
2. Where high temperatures, for example, in blowers and various air heaters, Fuchs Titan Renolit Duraplex EP2 should be applied to their bearings.
3. For industrial machines, BP Energrease LS-EP 2 will be sufficient, which will not fall out, and one package will last long.
4. In the hub of cars worth using expensive, but time-tested Luqui Moly LM 50.
5. In very humid conditions, for example for equipment in car washes or equipment that is often washed, VALVOLINE MOLY FORTIFIED MP GREASE will do.
6. For a construction tool where vibrations and pressure are frequent, Castrol LMX Li-Komplexfett will be reliable.
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