What Lube to make a weighted sled slide easier?

[sleddriver]

Mods: If this should be in another forum, please advise & move.

To save my back & knees, I rigged an inclined plane (alum. extension ladder) at 22.5° (5/12 pitch) from the ground to the roof edge. Then I built a sled out of 1/2" ply with a few side blocks to keep it on the ladder. Where the ply contacts the alum. ladder rails, I fixed some dimpled Formica, thinking it would be more slipperly.

I wet-sanded the alum ladder rails until they were smooth, then lub'd with Slippit, which I use on my table saw to keep it from rusting and make the top slick.

I used this for awhile, then thought LPS #1 or 2 might work better. A little bit. I also thought of UHMW between the sled bottom and ladder rails. Adding wheels would be tricker.

I'm hauling a 3 shingle load (240#'s), using a 4:1 purchase I rigged. I think the sum of all the frictional forces is biting me in the rear. Plus the psi between the weighted sled and the rails is a bit too high.

I borrowed a boat trailer winch, thinking I'd temp. attach it to a bracket I'd mount on a tree, but couldn't figure it out. I'd have to measure the gear dia. to figure the purchase.

If you have any ideas on how to improve the sled, weigh in. If a better lube would work, I'm listening.

 

[NHGUY]

I wonder if Lucas oil stabilizer has a use in this case.It can be rather slick,however tacky at the same time.Back in the Moreys Oil Stabilizer days,I was told that it was much slicker than oil itself,and thus was its protective advantage.....but then again they were looking to sell a million of them and would say anything.

 

[LeakySeals]

Ski wax

http://stores.ebay.com/CANWAX-SLIDE

 

[suspiciousmind]

Chain lube?? It's Teflon/wax and comes in an aerosol can.

 

[yonyon]

Maybe you could improvise a track on the sled to hold some needle bearing rollers in a tacky grease? If you're planning to use this thing frequently and can get a good deal on rollers it might end up costing less then grease alone.

 

[Tempest]

UHMW. Anything liquid will catch the grit from the shingles and cause problems.

You might be able to find some UHMW tape.

 

[sleddriver]

Thanks for the ideas! I'm liking the UHMW option. I think I might have some...somewhere. The dimpled formica has been worn flat and is covered with aluminum dust (dark gray). The rails are very, very smooth, almost mirror-like in places. Which indicates I'm using effort to polish rails, not move shingles. Wish I had some sort of tension gauge...

 

[scurvy]

UHMW PE is always what I'd recommend for a sliding application like this. Acetal copolymer (Delrin) would also work.

The machinists I learned lathework from would set up a 1 gallon bucket to slowly drip 30 weight oil mixed with STP onto a stop control valve being held in strips of UHMW PE while machining the seat areas. Might actually be worth buying a bottle or two and trying it with used oil.

 

[sleddriver]

Update: A search through my plastic scrap bin yielded a perfect piece of 1/4 or 5/16 or 3/8" just deep enough to countersink some screws below the surface.

It's also about 4" wide, which helped because when the sled transitions from the upper rail to the lower, the later is narrower. Previously, the wood ply was now sliding on the alum. rail.

I hauled up one sqr (240#) and it felt like it took less effort, though it's hard to quantify. Still have about 6 sqrs left to go, so ANY reduction in effort is welcomed!

BTW, love Delrin. I've turned some on my mini-lathe (Taig) and it just peals off really nice. I turned a calibration eyepiece for my telescope out of it. Great material to work with.

 

[WagonBoss]

I don't think any lube would be as efficient as adding rollers. Maybe some iron pipe mounted to the bottom of the sled to span both rails so you can keep the side blocks.

 

[ledslinger]

When a house mover moved my brother's house, he used bars of Ivory soap to lube the beams it was slid on.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: ledslinger
When a house mover moved my brother's house, he used bars of Ivory soap to lube the beams it was slid on.

Now that's creative & economical to boot!

UHMW has made a difference. So has using a wider bearing surface. I should have checked this sooner.

Work Smarter, not harder.

 

[another Todd]

Parafin wax. It's cheap, available at just about every supermarket, and should serve you well. That said, rollers would be better, if that is an option.