Many forklift owners spend thousands on lubrication – only to find their mast chains still turning rusty. Too often the fault lies, not in the quality or suitability of the lubricant, but in the way the leaf chain is treated, says Peter Church, head of international chain specialist FB Chain.
Mast chain lubrication is a crucial part of forklift maintenance. Lubrication protects the chain from corrosion and excessive wear caused by friction, ensuring optimum lifting performance and service life. Nevertheless, it is a process that is not always entirely understood. Despite liberal application of quality lubricants, some forklift owners still find their leaf chain turning rusty – because the lubricant has not reached the inner workings of the chain, where it counts the most.
“Our customers often ask what type of chain spray they should be using to keep their forklift mast chains in good condition,” says Peter Church, managing director of the UK’s leading industrial chain specialist, FB Chain. “However, in most instances, the key factor is not the spray itself, but rather the way it is applied. We always tell our customers that whatever lubricant they choose, it is essential that it gets in between the link plates and pins.”
“Recently a customer brought a leaf chain to us that appeared well lubricated as it had a thick coat of oil on the outside. But when we cut it open, the pins and plates were completely dry and brown with rust,” he adds.
Getting to the nitty gritty
There are two main reasons why a lubricant might not permeate a leaf chain. The first is the tension of the chain and the second is contamination by dust or dirt.
“A chain should ideally be slack during the lubrication process so that the oil can flow easily into the chain joints,” Church explains. “This is especially important to note if your forklift truck has an attachment that keeps the chain at high tension. In this case, we recommend that you take the load off immediately after lubrication to remove as much of the tension as possible.”
Dust and debris also prevent oil from properly coating all surfaces of a leaf chain, which should be cleaned thoroughly before any lubricant is applied.
“We appreciate that cleaning forklift chains can be time-consuming but it will save you a great deal of money – on lubricant and replacement chain,” says Church.
FB Chain estimates that the life of a properly lubricated forklift truck chain is 60 times longer than that of a dry running leaf chain.
Cleaning techniques
“Some customers like to use steam jet equipment together with high pressure compressed air to clean their forklift chains. However, we believe the simplest and easiest way is by using a chain cleaning brush,” says Church.
To help customers, FB Chain now stocks its own chain cleaning tool with a choice of two brushes that wrap around the side of each leaf chain link to quickly and effectively remove dirt and debris.
“Along with our Professional Chain Wear Gauge, the FB Chain cleaning brush is an essential element of every forklift service technician’s toolbox,” he concludes.
FB Chain
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