I presume this is the right spot for this.
I recently bought an old John Deere combine (a 3300 if anyone is interested) and as most combines do, it has a large number of chains to be lubed. A combine is a dirty environment though most of what is flying around is non-abrasive vegetable chaff.
From my research, there seems to be two schools of thought: a gooey mess, like bar & chain oil, or some other such mixture that soaks into the rollers but stays on the outside and doesn't easily sling off (but does attract a lot of dirt); or a dry penetrating stuff that get down into the rollers and leaves more or less a dry film (often moly) but leaves out outside dry.
Some home-grown alternatives are to use motor oil or gear oil, sometimes with various things added like a moly mixture, or ZDDP.
Since most chains reputedly fail from the inside, seems to me something that penetrates but doesn't leave the chain gooey on the outside is good because it doesn't attract dirt. Getting the oil INSIDE the chain is more important than the outside, though it doesn't hurt to reduce wear on the sprokets
Two products have come up frequently, the John Deere Chain & Cable lube (lots of moly) and the Justice Brothers stuff (the makeup of which is pretty much undisclosed wherever I have looked). The Deere product is $5 can while the JB is $9-12. DuPont Chain saver ($14.) and Schaeffer ($20.) have also come up and both have moly.
If anyone has an particular information to impart or product recommendations, I would appreciate it. If someone can educate me on chain lubes with references, I would be doubly appreciative. If someone has recommendations based on use with a combine, it's triple appreciation time.
I recently bought an old John Deere combine (a 3300 if anyone is interested) and as most combines do, it has a large number of chains to be lubed. A combine is a dirty environment though most of what is flying around is non-abrasive vegetable chaff.
From my research, there seems to be two schools of thought: a gooey mess, like bar & chain oil, or some other such mixture that soaks into the rollers but stays on the outside and doesn't easily sling off (but does attract a lot of dirt); or a dry penetrating stuff that get down into the rollers and leaves more or less a dry film (often moly) but leaves out outside dry.
Some home-grown alternatives are to use motor oil or gear oil, sometimes with various things added like a moly mixture, or ZDDP.
Since most chains reputedly fail from the inside, seems to me something that penetrates but doesn't leave the chain gooey on the outside is good because it doesn't attract dirt. Getting the oil INSIDE the chain is more important than the outside, though it doesn't hurt to reduce wear on the sprokets
Two products have come up frequently, the John Deere Chain & Cable lube (lots of moly) and the Justice Brothers stuff (the makeup of which is pretty much undisclosed wherever I have looked). The Deere product is $5 can while the JB is $9-12. DuPont Chain saver ($14.) and Schaeffer ($20.) have also come up and both have moly.
If anyone has an particular information to impart or product recommendations, I would appreciate it. If someone can educate me on chain lubes with references, I would be doubly appreciative. If someone has recommendations based on use with a combine, it's triple appreciation time.
