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Processor bar lube idea

Started by landscraper, October 27, 2014, 05:23:27 PM

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landscraper

Why couldn't the saw bar on a firewood processor be greased instead of oiled?  I was using my rechargeable grease gun the other day and had the idea that you could power the grease gun off the engine battery, and run a remote switch to the operator station to squirt a CC of grease every so often.  Hard-mount the grease gun and plumb the hose direct to a fitting brazed onto the bar.  Anti-sling, high speed grease would stay on the bar?  Maybe it would use less dollars worth of grease than bar oil since the grease could be metered more closely and is thicker than bar oil.  Any thoughts?
Firewood is energy independence on a personal scale.

beenthere

Would be interesting for you to give it a try. Maybe a pleasant discovery.

My initial thought would be a build-up of grease mixing with chips and an accumulation of "crud" from the combination. But that thought may be far from actual experience.

Hope you find out how it works.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Mapleman

That is an interesting idea, but I would worry that while the grease would likely do better at lubricating between the chain and the bar, it would be too thick to penetrate into the chain rivets like oil does and you'd end up running a chain that was dry internally which could lead to excessive chain stretch and shorter life. 

If you go ahead with the experiment, I'd be interested to hear the results.

Dave
"The older I get, the better I used to be."

snowstorm

its already been done. it came out several years ago for cut to length heads. cat sells them along with others

deastman

Caterpillar and Hultdins now offer grease system's to replace oil lubrication on bar and chain harvester/processor heads. The one from Cat is made in Quebec and uses biodegradable grease and is supposed to save money using grease compared to bar oil,  only problem is that it costs around $6000 to have the system installed. I dont know much about the Hultdins system,  probably in the same price range.  The Cat system could probably be adapted to a firewood processor but not sure it would be worth it.
Samsung 130 LCM-3 with Fabtek 4-roller and Cat 554 forwarder, Cat EL 180 excavator, Cat D3C dozer, Cat D7E dozer, '92 Ford LTL 9000 dump, Easy-2-Load 25 Ton tag-a-long, current project under construction: '91 Peterbilt 379 with a Hood 8000 w/extenda-boom loader

landscraper

Thanks for the info.  $6000?!? Wow.  I'll pass.  Might try it one day with my lincoln rechargeable greasegun, I'll let you know if I do.  I think the concern about oiling the chain is a good one.
Firewood is energy independence on a personal scale.

Nate379

How much bar lube do you go through?  My processor uses hydraulic oil and I maybe use a gallon - 2 a month.  That's about 75-100 cords.

bandmiller2

Six grand is one expensive grease gun. I would try it with a thin type soft grease as the chain warms enough should make it into the rivets. What do you have to loose a chain.?? Give it a try. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

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