Schaeffers Grease

[Steve Frazier]

As promised, Salesrep sent me a number of tubes of Schaeffers Moly 221 Ultra grease. Unfortunately it arrived just as I had completed excavation on the job I was on. I finished that today and will start another tomorrow, so I'll give further details after that.

What I can tell you so far is that this grease is very tacky and sticky! I dabbed my finger in it to look it over and couldn't get my finger clean! No matter how many times I wiped, there still was residue on my fingers. The only way I could clean it was with solvent. If it sticks to the bushings this well, it should be quite a feat!

I did grease my machine after digging to see how it went on, then it rained that evening. The Schaeffers grease did not change color as my other greases have from the water. It says on the tube it is water proof, I'm thinking this is the proof.

I'll report back after some more use. I'll probably keep my same grease schedule for safety's sake, but I'm betting I use less grease than in the past based on what I've seen so far. Stay tuned.....

 

[cat320]

Well my brotherin law used to work on trash trucks and they would use the better grease and were told to grease it once a year that the grease will stay in for along time and perform like steve said.

 

[glsahl]

they have a good product.the sales pitch used to involve a spring loaded mechanism,a dab of the customer's product was placed on the device,and the device was tripped.after cleaning,schaeffer's grease was placed in the device,and the process was repeated.schaeffer's always left a film between the spring loaded plates,which demonstrated the "tackiness" of their product.this particular salesman pushed the "STAYING" ability of the product,giving a margin of error to the lubeman.unfortunately,i discovered it had poor flow charateristics,at low temps,in a Lincoln autolube system.to be fair,this all took place in 1987,at a gold mine in the Ivanpah valley,at 7K ft,in november.the machine was a koehring,1255 front shovel,that was basically a prototype,we found numerous other "bugs",that made the autolube system the least of our worries.

 

[Bob Horrell]

Steve, I use a Lubrication Engineers grease that has very similar properties and the only thing I didn't like was it stuck to everything and you could never really wipe it clean. Then I discovered you could cut it with Simple Green. Just wet a cloth with Simple Green and it would wipe right off. You might try it on yours to see if it works. It also works real good to clean it off your hands.

 

[salesrep]

gasahl
"unfortunately,i discovered it had poor flow charateristics,at low temps,in a Lincoln autolube system.to be fair...."
Our greases tend to be on the heavier side of the NLGI scale and would reccommend switching to nlgi #1 ( with other grease as well generally) during colder temps.

 

[Kevin]

Steve,

I have been off line for a while. I am glad to hear that you are trying this grease and anxious to hear what you think of it.

Kevin

 

[Steve Frazier]

OK, here's another update.

I put one of those airless tires on my wheelbarrow the other day and it had a grease fitting so I decided to try the Schaeffers on it. I'll bet most of you have spun a wheelbarrow wheel in your day and heard the noise a sloppy bearing makes, this was no different. After pumping in the Schaeffers though, the wheel went absolutely silent! I gave it a "Wheel of Fortune" spin and it rotated for nearly 3 minutes!!!

I ran my backhoe yesterday, the first time since greasing it with the Schaeffers. I knew something was different, but I was having a hard time identifying it. After about 1/2 hour, I finally realized the hoe was much quieter than usual. I wasn't getting the rattling that I usually do when changing directions with the swing. Same thing when I shook the bucket, it was only about 1/2 as noisy as in the past.

I was pretty skeptical when salesrep spoke of the attributes of this grease, but I'm beginning to take notice of something here. I'm by no means an engineering expert, nor are my findings scientific in nature, but I have noticed that my equipment is quieter with the Schaeffers grease. It would make sense to me to believe that there is more grease sticking to the bushings and bearings to accomplish this.

I'll bring back more as I observe .........

 

[salesrep]

Great to hear Steve. I receive feedback similar to yours on a regular basis. We are proud o a lot of our products but none more than our greases. We have been making grease for over 165 years. The big boys make their's in a day. It takes Schaeffer's 3 days (curing,hot, cold etc.)

As I have stated before all oils and greases come down to is base stock, additive packages, and blending techniques. With greases the thickener comes into play as well and blending is even more important.

Schaeffer's takes the time to make a very high quality lubricant.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I ordered a case of this grease. I was convinced by the use on my skid steer that it was protecting better than what I had been using before. Upon my second application of the grease, the machine got even quieter. I attribute this to less metal to metal contact, and that equals less wear.

This grease will also work well in my trucks, I'm heavily involved in snow removal and I expect my front end components will last longer with this grease keeping the salt water solution out.

Something else I noticed, when this grease gets hot, it smells just like gear oil. Other greases I've used haven't, they must use different lubricants than Schaeffers.

 

[glsahl]

So what is the cost difference between this product,and your previous brand?Do you buy it by the cartridge,or in a 400 lb drum?Will your pin and bushing repairs drop,significantly,over the next year?How will the product perform this winter?
I've got 6 water trucks,2 dump trucks,5 backhoes,8 loaders,7 excavators,and 2 trenchers.All are greased daily,a 400 lb drum rarely lasts a month.The majority of my pin and bushing problems are due to causes,other than wear.I've replaced more pins in the last year because of retainer loss,or damage,than I have due to wear.All of last year's driveline problems were due to not getting greased,mostly in my water trucks,PTO's,etc.
If I tell the owner of my outfit I want to change to buying just our grease,to a seperate vendor,I'll be asked to justify the new account,especially is there is a considerable increase in the product's cost,over a current vendor,who supplies all our fuel and lube products.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I'm buying tubes by the case, my operation is not large by any means. The number of hours I put on my machines is limited as well, my 2000 248 has about 1300 hours on it, I can't really say how much of that was with the backhoe on it.

I can't offer hard data here, I don't have engineering test equipment on hand. I do have a working knowlege of mechanics and have some engineering education. My observations have been that this grease sticks more and lessens metal on metal contact. This has to equate to less wear. How much I can't say.

Schaeffers costs me 1/3 to 1/2 more than what I was buying. Time will tell if it's worth while. Like I said, I'm a small operation and have no backup equipment, if a machine goes down I'm out of business until it's repaired. I look at it as not only avoiding repair costs, but also minimizing lost income to down time.

Most of my equipment is idle during winter months, but my trucks and skid steer are involved in snow removal. I'll give an update when colder weather comes in, but that's a ways off.

salesrep, do you have any test data comparing shear strength of your grease to others?

One thing I can add, Schaeffers has not changed color when exposed to rain like my other greases have, I believe the water resistance claim to be true from this observation.

 

[salesrep]

"Will your pin and bushing repairs drop,significantly,over the next year?
Yes.

"All are greased daily,a 400 lb drum rarely lasts a month."
Schaeffer's will cut your consumption in HALF. Thus costing you less.

"All of last year's driveline problems were due to not getting greased,mostly in my water trucks,PTO's,etc."
Generally we will help with this problem because the grease lasts longer.

"If I tell the owner of my outfit I want to change to buying just our grease,to a seperate vendor,I'll be asked to justify the new account,especially is there is a considerable increase in the product's cost,over a current vendor,who supplies all our fuel and lube products."

Because you will use less we become less expensive on the surface and if failures are reduce savings is even greater.
If you are using that much product may will buy a 120lb keg or a couple of cases. Then diligently test on specified equipment to prove it to yourself.
If Schaeffer's works out your company will realize significant cost savings and less downtime. If it doesn't it cost you a very small amount of your budget to find out.

http://www.schaefferoil.com:55555/Sales Literature SLs/SL1245K.doc
http://www.schaefferoil.com/datapdf/238.pdf

 

[glsahl]

your first link asked me for a user name and password,the second gave me a site not found message.
do you have a number or site for a local rep.
Gary Sahl- Maintenence Mngr
K.W.Pipeline,Inc.
680 Professional Ave.
Suite # 101
Henderson,NV 89015

 

[MSC]

If this grease performs as well as Steve says, I would like to try some to see for myself.

salesrep, check your messages.

Rich

 

[Kevin]

Hello All,

Call me old fashioned but a person that uses a product and braggs it up means more to me than all the technical data in China. I hope Salesrep hasn't been greasing any palms.LOL When I did a search for a retail dealer in this area I noticed they were all Napa stores but the Napa store in my area has never heard of Schaeffers grease. Salesrep should I be able to order this product from my local Napa store or is your product carried only by the Napa stores listed on your website? I am looking forward to not hearing my machine rattle and clank like it has been doing with last two brands of grease that I have tried since running out of the no longer available good gulf grease. Thanks all for your input!!


Kevin

 

[digger242j]

I hope Salesrep hasn't been greasing any palms.LOL

Well if he were, they'd have a heckuva time washing it off, wouldn't they?

 

[salesrep]

No palm greasing

No palm greasing.... Other than my own. :bouncegri

Kevin. Napa's that are owned individually may choose to carry our products. They are sold to by reps such as myself not by the manufacturer ( schaeffer)
Obviously they will also have a mark-up. I sell at one price to all. Wholesale.
You can contact me thru my wesbsite,email,pm or call direct.

 

[Steve Frazier]

I hope Salesrep hasn't been greasing any palms.

Kevin, you raise an issue that was a fear of mine when I started this thread. I know you said it in jest, but I had concerns my post might be seen as buttering up the sponsor's product. I think it was you who suggested he send me a sample to try.

There are several members here who have known me for a few years and can vouch for my integrity. I wouldn't risk compromising that for the sake of promoting a sponsor's product. salesrep took a risk, sent me a product he believed in to test and report back on. For me, it has done as he promised.

Those of you who decide to try it, let me suggest this: If you have any small equipment elevate a wheel and spin it. Note how fast it's turning and the noise it makes. Then pump in the Schaeffers and spin it again in comparison, I think you'll find there's less friction and the wheel is quieter.

I've since lubricated my mowers with the Schaeffers and have found the wheels spin much quieter with it in. To me this translates to less wear. I'm still impressed with how much quieter my backhoe is using this grease, I don't know, I may not be saving on maintenance costs but I sure have peace of mind knowing my equipment is better lubricated than it was. Anything I can do to avoid down time with my machines helps me maintain production and thus income. I look at it as cheap insurance.

 

[glsahl]

Just so there's no misunderstanding,I do have personal experience with this brand of grease.I was purchasing agent,and second shift mechanic at a mine in the Ivanpah valley,just west of the NV/CA border.It's good product,pricy,in my opinion,but,it lives up to it's claims.I would stop short of calling it a "wonder" grease,and would offer no negative feedback to anyone using it.
In fact,salesrep,I'm looking foreward to getting more info,but,making no promises.

 

[Kevin]

Sorry guys, I was just having a little fun with the palm greasing thing. I didn't mean to rock anyone's boat. I talked with Salesrep today and have a case of grease on the way. I will admit that in the 11 years that I owned a marine business I dealt with many company reps that were less than honest about the products they sold to me. This has caused me to be a weary consumer. The case of grease sent to Steve by Salesrep and the honest reporting by Steve and other satisfied users gave me the confidence to shell out the bucks for a case of grease. When I receive this grease it will be pumped into my excavator and hauled to the shale pit where I have been digging in the past. As promised to Salesrep I will provide feedback to you all good, bad, or otherwise. Sorry guys I don't have a wheel barrow to test on.

Kevin