# Chain lube



## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

Just spent the afternoon doing seasonal maintenance on my Arien Deluxe Platinum 24. Used WD40 Dry Lube with PTFE on the chain. Needed some Ariens gearbox synthetic lube from Jacks and seen a product made just for chains. 

Anyone ever use Chain Lube? Supposed to be engineered especially for lubing chains (such as like the one inside the Ariens.)


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Just use good quality motorcycle chain lube. It is specially designed for chains. It has tackifiers to keep it on the chain. It penetrates between the pin and bushings and protects against rust and water contamination, plus it is designed for extra pressures.
If you use plain motor oil, that will drip off of the chain.
The special chain lube goes on thin, penetrates into the chain, and when the solvents in it evaporate, it becomes thicker like a grease and it is very easy to use when it comes in an aerosol can.
Just spray it on the chain with the attached spray tube while you are rotating the wheel so the chain moves and the oil will get on the surface of the chain and will penetrate into the pins and rollers.
The chain oil has directions on the can, just read them first, and you will be in business.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

I haven't tried it, but was wondering if chainsaw chain lube might be good to use on a snowblower chain. Seems to possess all of the properties that are needed, but it might not be viscous enough to withstand the cold temperatures during Winter. Any thoughts ?


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

+1 on the motorcycle chain lube!


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## SayItAintSnow (Dec 15, 2017)

Enigma,

I'm sure all the responses you got are great suggestions. 

As for myself, I use this stuff (link below) and find that when I do my annual maintenance on my machines, the stuff still looks good and doesn't get all dry and cakey. 
https://www.amazon.com/Jet-Lube-35050-Extreme-Temperature-Cartridge/dp/B000LG8DLG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=artic+grease&qid=1568750812&sr=8-1

It's supposed to be good for temps down to -65. 
(If it gets colder than that where you live, don't worry about what grease you use. Instead, you should consider moving......:devil
.
.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

SayItAintSnow said:


> Enigma,
> 
> I'm sure all the responses you got are great suggestions.
> 
> ...


It doesn't tell you much what it is, just calcium. Is calcium a lubricater? To me it's a solidifier, clumper.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

When you lube the chain and gears, you really only want to lubricate the chain, specifically the inside of the roller and the outside of the pin that goes through the roller. Chain stretch occurs in two places, the metal in the side plates stretches, and the pin and roller wears. It is always the softer of substances that wear. The softer is the chain, the gears are a much harder metal than the chain metal and there is no stretch in the gears.

What I do, I use spray motorcycle chain lube that foams up then settles down and becomes very sticky, Yech sticky. I then use a little synthetic grease on the gear teeth.

Chainsaw oil is sticky but will fling off. Anything that flings will get on the rubber contact ring and the contact drive plate.


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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

Continuing on ....
I ran across this YouTube video where a fella ran all sorts of tests on chain lubes. Granted it was on actual motorcycle chains, but a valid series of tests nonetheless. 

Have a listen and see what you think. At very least, he was able to determine one product that seemed to outperform the others in the areas of rusting, dirt pickup, slinging off and actual lubrication. 

https://youtu.be/VnPYdcbcAe0


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## SayItAintSnow (Dec 15, 2017)

JLawrence08648 said:


> _It doesn't tell you much what it is, just calcium. Is calcium a lubricater? To me it's a solidifier, clumper._



J/L,

Lol....I know what you mean. Going by that inadequate description on Amazon's page, you might wonder if this stuff looks like chalk or toothpaste or something like that! (Note: they even spelled "calcium" wrong in one place!).

Trust me, it looks like a lot of other types of grease you'd be familiar with, but it really doesn't seem to be affected by the cold at all.
Here's some specs from the manufacturer:

 https://imgur.com/e5EVByJ


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

RIT333 said:


> I haven't tried it, but was wondering if chainsaw chain lube might be good to use on a snowblower chain. Seems to possess all of the properties that are needed, but it might not be viscous enough to withstand the cold temperatures during Winter. Any thoughts ?


No, it wont stick to your chain, plus its too thick to penetrate properly.
Chainsaws pump their oil thru the bar to the inside of the chain, then centrifugal force forces the oil thru the chain and it flings off the chain. It will make a big mess down in the lower end of the chassis and it will end up on the drive plate and disc, causing slipping. 
Chainsaw oil is not meant for drive chains on a motorcycle or snowblower, plus it doesn't have the additives that specific motorcycle chain oil/grease has.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

JLawrence08648 said:


> When you lube the chain and gears, you really only want to lubricate the chain, specifically the inside of the roller and the outside of the pin that goes through the roller. Chain stretch occurs in two places, the metal in the side plates stretches, and the pin and roller wears. It is always the softer of substances that wear. The softer is the chain, the gears are a much harder metal than the chain metal and there is no stretch in the gears.
> 
> What I do, I use spray motorcycle chain lube that foams up then settles down and becomes very sticky, Yech sticky. I then use a little synthetic grease on the gear teeth.
> 
> Chainsaw oil is sticky but will fling off. Anything that flings will get on the rubber contact ring and the contact drive plate.


Actually your metal side plates don't stretch. The "Stretching" occurs where the wear is between the pins and bushings of the chain, causing "Slop" or your "Stretch".
If the metal side plates stretched, they would actually break. The bushing usually wears the most.
Everything else you mentioned is correct. The sprockets are the "Soft" part, the rollers are usually the hardest metal of the chain. The bushings inside of the rollers, bushings for "Roller to Pin" is normally the softest part, sometimes they are brass/bronze or another softer metal so you don't wear down the "Pin" that is mounted to the side plate, or you will break the pin easily if it is worn thin.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I use the NAPA Chain and Cable Lube .... I think they call it MAC's


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

JLawrence08648 said:


> It doesn't tell you much what it is, just calcium. Is calcium a lubricater? To me it's a solidifier, clumper.


Calcium is basically like a "solidifier-clumper" that is used as a base for the oil lubricant to soak into.
There are many different types of "Base" material, one being Lithium that is a common one used by many. "Lithium Complex"
Another not so common is "Bentonite" which is a clay. It is very stable long lasting durable base that performs well under high stress and extreme temeratures, both cold and hot.
Some of your different "Bases" are compatible with other "Bases", some are not and either wont mix well or have a chemical reaction with the other.
Greases are kind of made with a "Base" material that is mixed with an oil and heated to mix uniformly, and "Refined", basically done to make the oil "Thicker" as grease is a "paste" compared to a liquid like oil.
You do have different thicknesses of grease, GL-0, GL-1, GL-2, and so on, there are many more weight classifications for grease, I only listed the common ones.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

There are so many different makers of good quality chain lubes available today. Bel-Ray, Honda to name a few. Amsoil makes a very good synthetic lube.
Some contail "PTFE"- Teflon. Older ones had Graphite in them. Some dry like a wax. "Chain Wax" was another company.
Your good motorcycle chain oils have "Tackifiers" in them to make the oil stay on the chain, to help prevent "Fling-Off". It makes the oil "Tacky" like glue to stick fast to the metal.


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## danham (Sep 23, 2019)

ST1100A got it right in post #11 above (his forum name offers a clue - maybe I should change mine to H2 SX SE). As a long-distance motorcycle touring guy, I agree with him and those who recommend good motorcycle chain lube. The only thing I'd add is that after you lube the chain, wait a few minutes and then wipe off any excess. Lube that remains on the outside of the plates and does not make it into the bushings won't do the chain any good and it will make a mess and perhaps cause clutches to slip.

-dan


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

You got it right danham. Nice bike.
Yes, some chain lubes dry off pretty much by themselves, depending on how much is applied, some drip off, especially if it is sprayed on very heavy and depending on what type used.
There are so many different brands out now. 
You would have to experiment with the oil that you are using. If you are new at using the spray on chain oil, put enough on but don't flood it and like danham said, let it soak in and sit for a bit to dry and then wipe off any excess to keep it from flinging off and onto the friction disc drive plate, or you may have some slipping.
As long as you follow the directions on the can, you should be ok with it. But,,, many times people don't read the directions, and that can lead to problems.
We as high mileage-long distance touring motorcyclists generally follow directions with our prized equipment.


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