The Application of Lubrication

 

I know you’ve been looking forward to this topic with great anticipation. Right? Well then, let’s get to it!

Oh, WAIT … EMERGENCY … I forgot one important step in the menu for Caramelized Pasilla Beef Brisket in the last blog post. Before you serve that whole big pot or bowl of stew to your guests, take out the pieces of Pasilla chiles. The instructions do not say to chop or dice the chiles before you put them in the pot … so remove the seeds and stems, but leave the chiles in large pieces, and then put those large pieces in the pot. That way you can see the pieces of the chiles later and pull them out before you serve the stew. The chiles probably wouldn’t be unpleasantly spicy, but they would be rather unpleasant to try to chew. I’ve gone back to that blog post and added this bit to the instructions, but I wanted to make sure all of you who have already copied that recipe have this information to add to it.

Ok! Now … on to the subject of the application of lubrication!

The application of lubrication is, indeed, a fascinating topic of discussion, as I’m sure you will agree, if only because lubrication is so very important. Our discussion here could include such topics as the manner in which a lubricant is applied, the location to which it is applied, how often it is applied, the temperature at which it is applied, and of course the specific product used. All of those topics, and more, could result in a great deal of discussion.

I am sure there are all manner of ideas and opinions out there concerning each one of those topics. But here in this blog, I am concerned with one thing only … what works best for my travel trailer!

My writing about lubrication here is prompted by a recent visit to a nationally known, major brand, hardware store for the purchase of a few items needed for projects in my home. I almost always wander around all hardware stores I visit. They are like toy stores to me. I like to see stuff that I know nothing about, and I like to learn.

On this one particular day’s recent visit to the hardware store, I happened to walk down an aisle that had what looked like thousands of cans of spray lubricant, tubes of lubricant, bottled lubricant, powdered lubricant … all colors, all sizes, all prices, and each claiming to be the best. How could anyone with no experience make a decision?

When I was a professional truck mechanic working for Federal Express, the group of mechanics I was in (12 of us in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska) started a discussion among ourselves about lubrication for truck parts (not including engine, transmission, or differential fluids, but for everything else truck related) and we tried to convince each other that the brand each one of us liked the best was indeed the best. Well, out of 12 mechanics, there were 11 “best” brands. All we could do was agree to a friendly disagreement.

But then I said, “hey, let’s try them out. Each of us will try out one of the brands that is NOT our favorite. We’ll do that for three months, then we’ll swap brands around again for another three months, etc. The list of our best brands should get shorter. We should be able to apply scientific experimentation to this problem, yes?” They loved it! So we did that. Given the extremely high number of miles that are put on those FedEx delivery trucks, this was going to be a very thorough test, performed by the people (us mechanics) who knew those trucks better than anyone else in the world did.

Each of us had our own shop at separate FedEx locations … each of us had a specific number of trucks assigned to us for maintenance … so we were perfectly positioned to track our efforts. Each of us worked alone so no one else could influence the results for “our” trucks. For instance, I was the only mechanic at the FedEx location in Kent, WA. I had 50 trucks that I took care of, bumper to bumper, including the bumpers. 🙂 Jerry was the only mechanic at the Tacoma, WA, facility … he had 49 trucks. Ron was the only mechanic at the Bellevue, WA, facility, he had 52 trucks … etc.

As always (and for our test), we lubed seat belt mechanisms and door hinges and steering wheel bearings under the dashboard, we lubed windshield wiper joints and door locking mechanisms and hood latches and hinges, we lubed steering joints under the engine and exterior mirrors and seat slide adjustment mechanisms, and we lubed those really huge roll-up door spring mechanisms inside the back of the big trucks and the tracks that those large rear doors ran in when they opened and closed (reader Sindri will remember those doors) …

… and we lubed carburetor linkage on the engine and the fuel throttle pedal inside the cab and the brake pedal linkage and the hand crank mechanism that opened and closed the cab side door windows, we even lubed the little door you have to open in order to pump in gasoline every day. In short, we lubed everything in sight that moved! We did all of this and LOTS more once every three months on every truck that we took care of. We also replaced all that stuff when it looked like something was about to wear out, but that’s a tale for another blog post. 🙂 We mechanics took care of everything on every truck, from tires to engines to brake lights, fuel tanks to exhaust systems, transmissions to headlamps … everything. In short, we knew those trucks like the backs of our hands, or even better, and we were well positioned to track wear on all of the parts mentioned here and many, many more parts too. Each of us had years of experience.

After one full year of all 12 of us trying different brands of lubrication products specifically for metal and rubber on FedEx trucks, the final result of our testing was:

• Two brands tied for first place … CRC and LPS.
• Absolutely 100% in LAST place, the worst product we tested … WD40.

I tried to talk the other mechanics out of testing WD40 since it isn’t specifically a lubricant … it’s a penetrant and it displaces water, but it’s not a lubricant no matter what the label says, so it’s a whole different product with very different uses than purely lubrication. A penetrant will not necessarily lubricate. In fact, it may do the opposite as it penetrates and loosens rust, soil, water, and other deformities from surfaces, but then those particles (if left in place) may inhibit movement and lubrication, and actually cause damage to the parts unless you clean the parts first, and then apply a true lubricant.

But two of the mechanics wanted it tested, so we tested it. In the end, both of those guys (along with all of the rest of us) voted WD40 to be the worst of everything we tested. The best? Hands down (or up) for all 12 of us … CRC and LPS.

Ever since that test, I’ve used CRC products and LPS products on all of my cars and trucks and boats and, for the past three years, on both of my travel trailers. I’ve been very happy with both products.

But, during that visit to the hardware store a few weeks ago that I mentioned above, I found a product that was new to me that may just replace both of my favorites. It’s called “BLASTER Industrial Strength Silicone Lubricant”. I bought one can of it and used it right away to lubricate everything on the travel trailer that needs lubing during regular spring maintenance. When I checked the trailer a few days ago, after several weeks of lots of rain (and some snow), the lubrication looked like it had just been applied (in other words, adherence was very good) and the parts worked smooth as silk.

Another thing I especially like about BLASTER is that it’s rated for use on metal, plastic, wood, rubber, vinyl, and leather. Some of the CRC and LPS products are not rated for use on both metal and rubber, or both metal and plastic, so you may have to buy two different products from them to cover everything that you want lubricated. You have to be careful and read labels. BLASTER works on everything.

What I also like about BLASTER is the price. It’s less than half the price of the same size spray can of CRC or LPS.

So yesterday, I went back to that hardware store and I bought 4 more cans of BLASTER and happily carried them home. 🙂 It felt like Christmas. I’ll use this stuff over the next year or so and see what I think. To have one product that works on rubber (the window seals on the trailer) and on vinyl (the decals on the outside of the trailer, right next to the windows, so you can’t help but get some of the spray on the decals, and some lubricants damage vinyl decals, but supposedly not this one), and on plastic (door hinge parts, etc … and, by the way, the tracks that home patio door window blinds run in, and the plastic parts therein) and on wood, as well as on metal … gosh what else could you need?

I still have a few cans of CRC lubricant and LPS lubricant handy just in case BLASTER doesn’t do well, but I suspect I have a new favorite.

If any of you folks have experience with BLASTER and wish to share it, please do so. I’d love to hear your opinion.

Ok, in all fairness, I must say one more word about WD40. Although it is a really lousy lubricant and please don’t use it for that … it is an excellent penetrant, one of the best out there, especially when you have rust that you want removed, or moisture that you want removed, or parts stuck together that need to be loosened. Use WD40 to soak the parts and remove all sorts of crud, gently loosen the parts that are stuck together, but then carefully and properly clean the parts, and then use a proper lubricant … like BLASTER!

🙂