Midwinter is a great time to rejuvenate the Great Chain Lubrication Debate. Several times a year I’m asked whether or not roller chains should be lubricated daily, weekly or if they need to be lubed at all. For what it’s worth, here’s my answer:
- Fast moving chains on combines, balers and other machines benefit from regular lubrication. I had a customer who routinely oiled all the chains on his combine each evening during harvest, while they were still warm from the day’s work, and he had to replace those chains no more than once every three years. His combine was an oil-splattered mess, but his chains ran for years.
Other customers choose to lube chains once a week or perhaps only once at the beginning of season. I consistently replace those worn-out chains each year during our winter service program.
So, in my experience, regular, daily lubrication greatly increases the lifespan of a high-speed chain.
- However, I’m not sure low-speed chains, like the seed meter drive chains on planters, need frequent lubrication. Those chains generally operate at slow to moderate speeds in extremely dusty conditions. Lubrication attracts and holds dusty grit and increases wear. I haven’t been able to document that planter chains lubricated daily last significantly longer than chains allowed to run “dry.”
HOWEVER—avoid letting a planter’s chains sit unlubricated for more than a day or two. If rain is in the forecast, or there will be a break of several days in planting, lube the chains. And be sure to liberally coat every inch of every chain on a planter before parking it at the end of planting. I believe chains are harmed more by inadequate lubrication during storage than by inadequate lubrication during actual planting.
Those are my opinions about chain lubrication, and I’m sticking to ‘em.
