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How to Choose the Right Off-Road Auto Lube System
WHAT IS AN AUTO LUBE SYSTEM?
An automatic lubrication system, also known as a centralized lubrication system, supplies predetermined volumes of lubricating grease or oil to critical points throughout a piece of equipment. These lubrication systems excel on equipment big and small, from light-duty construction applications to heavy-duty mining applications.
WHAT COMPONENTS MAKE UP AN AUTO LUBE SYSTEM?
Auto lube systems are made up of a few primary components. Below you will receive an introduction to the three main components of an auto lube system: pumps, metering devices and controllers.
Lubrication Pumps
Lower Maintenance Costs with Frequent Lubrication
Reduce unplanned downtime and maintenance costs with on-vehicle and heavy-equipment automatic oil and grease pumps. Auto lube systems provide consistent lubrication on a more frequent basis than manual techniques. Too little lubrication can create heat and wear, while too much can create drag, which also creates heat and causes wear, as well as damaging seals. Graco grease and oil pumps deliver the right amount of lubricant at the right time.
Metering Devices
Keep Your Equipment Running Smoothly
Graco valves and injectors are designed for a wide range of configurations, outlets and dispense volumes to lubricate multiple-sized bearings to help minimize equipment downtime. Easily dispense lubricants to every point — you decide where and when.
Controllers
Take Total Control by Optimizing Lubrication Intervals
Information drives uptime. The Graco GLC™ Series of controllers capture and deliver more information, allowing for faster, smarter decisions. Easy to understand and easy to update, this family of auto lube controllers helps increase productivity. Control your system from the palm of your hand with the GLC X Controller and Graco Auto Lube™ app.
HOW TO SELECT A LUBRICATION SYSTEM
Each type of equipment has different component specifications that are required to make up an auto lube system that will properly supply the correct amounts of lubricant to each lube point at the correct time intervals. Proper machinery lubrication is essential to keeping your operation running smoothly.
Auto Lube Systems for Compact Equipment
Smaller equipment such as skid steers, compact wheel loaders, compact backhoes, compact tractors and compact telehandlers benefit from smaller, compact auto lube systems. Space constraints mean that your auto lube system has to be compact enough to mount appropriately on the equipment but powerful enough to supply adequate volumes to critical lubrication points. Smaller series progressive grease divider valves make the perfect fit for compact equipment.
Auto Lube Systems for Construction Equipment
Medium-sized construction equipment typically demands a slightly larger than compact system in order to deliver the lubricant most efficiently throughout the different equipment. Equipment in this class would include medium wheel loaders, medium excavators, medium dozers, dump trucks, articulated and rigid frame trucks and directional drills. These systems typically require progressive divider valves in the auto lube system, and the pump reservoirs typically hold enough grease for the equipment to run an average of 250 hours. Auto lube systems of this size are small enough to fit well into the equipment but powerful enough to meet demanding construction applications. The return on investment is typically quick with the lower cost of a system to meet these size requirements.
Auto Lube Systems for Quarry, Aggregates and Cement Equipment
Equipment such as large-wheel loaders, large excavators, large dozers, off-highway trucks and track drills sized for quarry operations... requires larger auto lube system components than typical construction-sized equipment. The pumps on these systems should hold enough grease in the reservoir to last an average of 250–500 hours. Large systems like this benefit from having an auto-fill shut-off valve attached to the pump so that the reservoir can be filled at ground level, eliminating the need to climb on the equipment. Auto lube systems reduce downtime, which is essential to a profitable quarry operation. The return on investment typically equates to the cost of just one or two pin replacements.
Auto Lube Systems for Mining Equipment
The largest category of off-road mobile equipment throughout the world is mining equipment. Equipment in this category includes large and extra-large loaders, super excavators, shovels, mining trucks and blasthole drills. This type of equipment demands the largest heavy-duty auto lube systems in the marketplace. Pump reservoirs need to hold enough grease for the machine to run at least 500 hours. Mining is a high-contamination application, meaning an auto lubrication system is critical to reduce grease contamination. Auto-fill shut-off valves are even more essential on large mining equipment in order to safely fill the grease pump reservoir from the ground, through a remote fill manifold.
WELL-OILED MACHINES RUN ON GRACO
As a world class provider of automatic lubrication equipment, Graco has the pumps, metering devices and lubrication controllers to meet the needs of your equipment, large or small.
In order to streamline the sales process, we have eliminated system design and created a quick-to-spec, quick-to-quote and quick-to-sell solution. Visit graco.com/offroadselector to find an automatic lubrication kit for your piece of heavy equipment.
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MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY IS KEY TO MINING OPERATION PRODUCTIVITY
Learn more about how maintenance efficiency can help your mining operation save money, increase safety and improve productivity.
