Posted by John Eickhof on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 0:58AM :
In Reply to: Grease recommendation for MU-2 Winch posted by Northern Calif Dave on Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 11:57AM :
I have found that per the old military manuals that 30wt motor oil on the declutch dog assy is best, here in Idaho with the extreme cold, grease multi-lith or marine will freeze making it almost impossible to operate the declutch. Plus grease has a tendancy in the open air to oxideze and pick up dust. (motor oil picks up dust too) I always drip oil on the declutch dog after every use of the winch or after I pressure was after being in snow or mud) I also drip 30wt NON DETERGENT oil across the top of the drum and wire rope. This prevents corrosion of the rope. I prefer to use fibre or hemp core wire rope, it's an old habit from the towing days. It is more flexible in the cold and if you take care of it while in use, I believe it will outlast steel core wire rope.
As for my gearbox...I use 80-90 WT gear oil plus about 5 oz. of Lucas oil treatment. This blends well with the gear oil, plus it coats the seals and prevents leakage. The 8-90 will growl in the cold, but the Lucas coats the gears and bearings in such a way that wear is almost un noticable. I use the Lucas additive in my differentials, transmissions, transfer cases too. I have worn out several MU winches through the years and this seems to be the best maintenance for them. As for the drum and drum shaft bracket, a little grease goes a long way. The end bracket is a bronze-oilite bushing and actually would require no additional lubricant if it was not exposed to the weather elements, so a grease fitting is provided and should be greased sparingly with multi-lith grease. Same for the drum, there are two fittings that place lubricant on the bearing surface of the sfat that is only about 3/4" wide, this surface only comes into play when 'free-spooling' so I keep the lubricant to a minimum and service it every other oil change (about 6000 miles or once a year) I hope this helps. Also, for you guys who do a lot of winching...dont't forget to service your snatch blocks regularly!!!
Follow Ups: