Machine lubrication

[JasonW]

Gentlemen, a question in the fine art of lubrication for my Tiawan 12x36 gear head lathe, and RF45 mill.

The so called lathe manual speaks of Mobil DTE light for the gear box, and feed box. Is this not hydraulic oil? What should really go in my beast.

I bought a pail of Chevron Vistac Way oil 68X for the ways and such. $38 Cdn for 5 gal pail.

The slightly better RF 45 manual calls for SAE 60 for the gearbox. Is this not a high performance engine race oil? I was hoping for some kind of oil I could use for both gearbox's.

I assume a good manual car gearbox oil(75W) is out of the question? Grease on the lead screws, or use way oil?

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[mike thomas]

Hold off on the gear lube. Others here know more than I about this, and will respond. It has been addressed before, and I remember some problem, but cannot be specific. The DTE has a Chevron match. The people who provided the way oil can probably cross reference it for you. Mike

[Thrud]

Jason
Do not put any gear oil in your machinery gear boxes that is not a "R&O Gear & Bearing Lubricant". Neither motor oil or the differntial oils have the proper additives for this application. If you absolutely cannot find an R&O then use Anti-wear hydraulic fluid as a last ditch alternative. Esso, Shell, Chevron, Amsoil, Mobil they all have these products - don't get cheap and try to substitute - just get the R&O in the viscosity they ask for and you will be fine. One pail should last you forever...

Dave

[JasonW]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Thrud:
Jason
Do not put any gear oil in your machinery gear boxes that is not a "R&O Gear & Bearing Lubricant". Neither motor oil or the differntial oils have the proper additives for this application. If you absolutely cannot find an R&O then use Anti-wear hydraulic fluid as a last ditch alternative. Esso, Shell, Chevron, Amsoil, Mobil they all have these products - don't get cheap and try to substitute - just get the R&O in the viscosity they ask for and you will be fine. One pail should last you forever...

Dave

</font>

Dave, I copied the offerings from Amsoil below.

WhatSynthetic
RC Series R&O/AW
Gear and Bearing Oils
ISO 15 (Prod. Code RCF)
ISO 22 (Prod. Code RCG)
ISO 32 (Prod. Code RCH)
ISO 46 (Prod. Code RCI)
ISO 68 (Prod. Code RCJ)
ISO 100 (Prod. Code RCK)
ISO 150 (Prod. Code RCL)
ISO 220 (Prod. Code RCM)
ISO 320 (Prod. Code RCN)
ISO 460 (Prod. Code RCO)
ISO 680 (Prod. Code RCP

All the manual tells me is SAE 68. I know the SAE refers to automotive apps, and ISO is another standard. So do I assume SAE 68=ISO 68?? Do we think of these oils as weights like in auto applications. The lathe states to clean out gear box(after draining oil) using kerosene.Good idea to use it in the mill as well before refilling.

[Thrud]

Jason
ISO68 is a SAE 20W. I doubt that your machine uses 68 weight - way too much drag. I am sure it is a typo and they want ISO68 (very common). The rest of the world refers to ISO specs for industrial equipment - North America is just starting to do this.

The Amsoil is great stuff - I know quite a few CNC shops that swear by it.

[JasonW]

Thanks, Dave

A local lube depot has set me up with Texaco Regal R&O Gear and bearing oil ISO 68. $40 Cdn /pail. I will give it a try.

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[gvasale]

asked a similar question myself a couple of weeks back. the answerin my case was with 30w NON-DETERGENT motor oil in the gear box and the apron. Regular motor oils have detergents and dispersants to keep the crud in suspension. Ever notice how a non detergent oil will look cleaner? the junk settles out. Way oil it was suggested will foam. If your apron has an oil pump I guess it will foam there too. Synthetics are not approved. They might be ok. but 30w is cheap enough. On the ways, with manual application, Vactra would probably be ok.

[Thrud]

gvasale:
Synthetics are not approved? By Who?

The Europeans have been using Synthetics for years. Certified airframes, every gas turbine, every space vehicle, and saavy industrial users swear by it. US Steel sells every machine they make with synthetics only. Every truck engine manufacturer recognizes long drain interval synthetics (with regualar oil analysis of course) as acceptable for warranty purposes. Damler Benz wants a long drain interval oil for their cars (lifetime fill - never drained) - something only a synthetic can do.

Synthetics use less natural resources, can be manufactured from ethanol, provide lower friction, less wear, less maintenance, and less pollution than mineral based lubes.

Any manufacturer that claims synthetic oils are inferior to mineral based products are out of touch with reality. Synthetics have been proven over and over again in Aviation, Aerospace, Fleet, and Heavy Industry. This is the 21st. century - not the 1800's.

[SGW]

I take it synthetics are not approved FOR THAT APPLICATION. They are certainly superior for a lot of uses, but they aren't good for everything. I suspect it's because of the natural detergent quality of synthetics, and if you're dealing with a situation that does not involve a filter, you (probably) want a non-detergent oil.