patricialee•1mo agoProlific Poster

Heard a veteran operator say something about lube that changed my mind

I was on a job site last Tuesday over by the Port of Oakland and overheard this old-timer telling a greenhorn that he sprays his crane cable with a light oil every single morning before the first lift. I always thought that was overkill (just water and dirt attractor, right?) but he showed me his wire rope from 18 months of daily use and it barely had any fraying compared to mine. Now I'm doing the same routine and my cables are lasting way longer. Anyone else do a morning lube on their cables or am I wasting my time?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy6281mo agoMost Upvoted

First off, that old-timer was right. I run a 100 ton Grove and I started doing the same thing about two years ago. I use a light machine oil on a rag and wipe the cable down before the first pick. My current cable has over 600 hours on it and it still looks almost new. No fraying, no rust spots, and it runs way smoother through the sheaves. You're definitely not wasting your time.

the_richard1mo ago

That oil trick works until it doesn't. Had a cable snap on an old Link-Belt back in '09 because the dust stuck to the oil and turned into grinding paste.