Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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IN FTR Associates - Yokohama Tire Corp. Roadranger - Mitsubishi Fuso Schneider National - - Kenworth- Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems Performance Friction- 28 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | FEBRUARY 2012 in focus: IDEAL GREASE GRADES Extending greasing intervals Have longer oil changes made any impact? W hen it comes to grease grades, thickeners deter- mine the stiffness and grade. While the grease's oil does the actual lubricating, the thickeners act as a sponge, and when the grease is subjected to mechanical loads, the oil separates from the thicken- ers, reaches the surfaces and lubes effec- tively. The thickeners later reabsorb the oil when the pressure is gone. The thickeners make it easier for seals to keep the grease in the joint, and for that reason, most fleets use NLGI 2. Some exceptions include customers that use an automatic lubrication sys- tem and those operating in cold climates where winter temperatures often dip below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. "In these cases, the customer may opt for softer grease, which would be a lower number like NLGI 1 or even NLGI 0 to ensure the truck is lubricated," says Jim Gambill, manager of direct marketing for Chevron Lubricants. Check with both the OE and the system maker on the recommended type of grease. Despite higher costs, some northern- based fleets use No. 2 synthetic grease be- cause it performs better in cold weather, enabling them to use the thicker grade. Longer intervals Many technical and operational changes have made it practical to extend oil change intervals up to 30,000 miles – perhaps more. Since greasing tradi- tionally was done at the 10,000- to 15,000- mile intervals, fleets now must decide whether to conduct "dry" grease mainte- nance between engine oil changes or to ex- tend greasing intervals While the grease's oil does the actual lubricat- ing, its thickeners act as a sponge, and when the grease is subjected to mechanical loads, the oil separates from the thickeners, reaches the surfaces and lubes effectively.