Gear Head Oil

[LpGibson]

Hello everyone. I am new here and i have a question about the oil for the gear head in my craftex 10x18 metal lathe. They recommend # 10 machine oil for use in the gear head. I don't seem to be able to find it locally so i was wondering what a good equivalent would be. Thanks ... Fred .. Bloomfield.Ontario. Canada

[Jose Rivera]

Not cheap! http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q= ... 1&ie=UTF-8

In last resort I would use Castrol 5-20 motor oil.

[gwrdriver]

An ISO60 to 68 hydraulic oil, such as Chevron-AW, makes a superb machine gear oil and it can be bought at just about any Farm & Home or industrial supplier like Grainger. This is the oil that is used in the hydraulic systems of equipment like tractors, cranes, dozers, fork lifts, etc. It's equivalent (Shell Tellus) was specified for both the headstock and apron of my Harrison lathe and I've used it for 25 years in the Harrison and all my other machines with complete satisfaction.

[LpGibson]

Thanks for the info guy's. Looks like i won't be buying any of that 10 weight $$$$$ lol. I guess i will go shopping tomorow and see what i can find. Thanks again for your help... Fred

[Bill Shields]

depending on availability, you can also use 10w motorcycle fork oil....which is very similar to the Tellus that Harry describes...in fact, BMW specifies the Tellus for their front forks (used to)....

It will probably be a bit more expensive than from Grainger's, but depending on how much you need.

Please DON'T use motor oil. Yes, it is oil, but the rest of the junk in there you DON'T need in a lathe.

[Harold_V]

Please DON'T use motor oil. Yes, it is oil, but the rest of the junk in there you DON'T need in a lathe.

The exception, of course, is to use a non-detergent. It's actually one of the recommended oils for the compressor I own.

Harold

[MikeC]

Wal Mart has a straight mineral oil in 30wt that seems to work real well on bearing parts and such. It has a graphic of a model T on the label. Non-detergent, non additive, just oil. I use it in on my old machines a lot.

There are two ways to remove contaminates from oils.... filtering or settling. Problem with running automotive motor oils in machines is that the detergents suspend any grit particles so the filter can remove them. Machines generally don't have filters, so the goo just gets recycled through moving parts. Non-detergent oils allow the contaminates to settle out when the machine is idle. Now your contaminates are laying in the bottom of the gearbox where they are harmless.

There are also a lot of additives to combat combustion byproducts and viscosity modifers to allow the oil to flow the same at different temperatures. All these chemicals do nothing to improve the overall lubrication qualities of the oil.

[nortly]

you can use a ISO grade 32 most tractor dealerships stock it. Its used for hydraulic systems and industrial gear reducers. It's not a good idea to use multigrade automotive engine oil, the additive packages in it can do weird things inside the gearhead.

[JimGlass]

In the Mid-West we have Farm & Fleet stores and they have 10w oil. Try a farm supply store.

Avoid multi-grade oils. They have additives that are not necessarily good lubricants.

I use turbine oil in my JET geared head lathe and buy it from
McMaster-Carr.

My JET mill uses 10Wt so I have plenty on hand.

In sunny, freezing cold Florida

Jim

[Inspector]

The Grizzly equivalents to your lathe call for ISO 68 type oil. Mobil DTE is one, Chevron Rando is another (I found locally in an automotive supply store). If you live near a Princess Auto store they sell ISO 68 in liter, 4 liter and 20 liter sizes at a good price (that would be cheap. )

Pete