What grease for winches

Stu Jackson · Jun 24, 2009

I couldn't help myself...

you use winch grease.

Seriously, don't go to a hardware store, it ain't worth skimpin' Buy Lewmar or Hardken winch grease made especially for those pesky and expensive boat winches.

Really.

sfgary · Jun 24, 2009

Very good Stu

Do you use chrome grease for chrome ones and black grease for black ones.:dance:

Gary

Rick I · Jun 24, 2009

white lithium grease. and 3 in 1 oil on the pawls.

RichH · Jun 24, 2009

Harken winch grease !!!!!
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|3071|773796&id=773219

Warren · Jun 24, 2009

Winch grease....

Since I assume that Lewmar and Harken, et al, make winches but do not manufacture winch grease, much the same way that Yanmar does not make Yanmar filters/belts, etc., who do you suppose does makes these products that they put their names on and charge a fortune for?

In my case, I bought a tub of common white lithium grease about 10 years ago for a few bucks. I use it for lubing just about everything on the boat that needs lubing, from seacocks, to furler bearings, to winches, and everything in between. The stuff has never let me down and that tub will last a number of years into the future. It's like a bottle of dry vermouth: you never use it up.

Jim Kolstoe · Jun 24, 2009

There's a nice article on maintaining your winches in this month's Cruising World. Worth looking at. I'd vote for winch grease, since its formulated for the conditions a winch lives in.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

Ross · Jun 24, 2009

What are the demands on a winch?
1. Speed is less than 100 rpm.
2. Load is less than 2000 pounds.
3. Environment is wet and corrosive.
So the lubricant should be water proof and moderalely high
pressure . That sounds like wheel bearing grease for a boat trailer to me.

Prime Time · Jun 24, 2009

Lubriplate

Water proof white lithium grease on the bearings. Have used it for 37 yrs on a set of Lewmar 40s without any failure. Light oil on Pawls. Light oil on the gears 3:1 oil is ok as long as it is not the vegetable kind.

Maine Sail · Jun 24, 2009

For my $$$$ Lewmar Winches

For my expensive $$$$ Lewmar winches I use, what else, Lewmar grease. I still have the same tube I bought about six years ago for about $12.00.

I suppose if you could find a calcium sulphonate grease for less money it would work but it seems foolish to even search for it when I know the Lewmar grease works so well. So far it has cost me $2.00 per year for winch maintenance and my tube is still about a third full... If I had Harken winches I'd buy Harken grease.

When my bell hosing cracked at 2800 hours on my Westerbeke, and I was trying to figure out why, their first question was "are the motor mounts Westerbeke?" to which I replied "yes". Long story short is they sent me a brand new bell housing, at no charge, because they decided it was an underlying manufacturing defect. I am going to guess that if I had skimped and saved a few bucks on aftermarket motor mounts Westerbeke never would have sent me this very expensive part at no charge.

Despite the price I like to stick with what the manufacturer recommends. I also use 303 Fabric Guard on Sunbrella and IMAR products on my Strataglass and AwlCare on my Awlgrip. These are all manufacturer recommended products that have proven themselves to me over the long haul.

Stu Jackson · Jun 24, 2009

"Despite the price"

I don't understand the "don't buy the right grease" crowd.

I would suggest that they price the difference between white lithium, bearing grease and the Lewmar or Harken stuff.

Save $2? Huh, show me...and I'm not even from that "Show Me" state.

My winch grease has been with us for quite some time, too Maine Sail. I agree.

C'mon, really....

Steve Dion · Jun 24, 2009

Stu: Don't get me started. I am with you & Maine Sail. They do the same thing with filters, motor mounts etc. and some of them are not even saving any money. This is especially true with they end up having to swap their "cheap" aftermarket stuff for the real thing when things get screwed up.

PS: are you and yours coming up river this year?

jibes138 · Jun 25, 2009

Winch Removal

I also need to remove my winches and service them. I have two speed winches for the jib sheets and a single speed for the main sheet. Is it better to just remove the whole winch take it to a workbench and rebuild it or is it ok to rebuild in place? I worry I'll be dropping parts in the water along with tools.
The tools I can get at a Harbor Freight Store right down at the end of my street, they have almost anything you can imagine in the place, I was hoping they had a Bridgeport and a lathe but they stop at a drill press.
Removing the winches seems like a good option that also allows me to rebed the winches while I'm at it. How do the rest of you perform this work?

jibes138 · Jun 25, 2009

Regarding Grease

I doubt it matters much. As noted before you need a grease that will stand up to the environment. My maintenance department services hundreds of different machines and they don't run to every machine tool manufacturer to get their oil or their grease.
What are you trying to lubricate? Bearings. What else has bearings in a wet salty environment? Cars, bicycles, maybe 4 wheel vehicles, snowmobiles, farm equipment. Not everyone has a WM nearby and in my case the Boaters World in town is closed. I'll probably go to a Tractor Supply Company down the street and see what they have. If not then across the street is Lowes and Home Depot that share a parking lot.
Another source of grease is used on outboard motors to lubricate where the lower unit shaft inserts into the crankshaft. I have a tube from both OMC and Mercury, about 25 years old, verydifferent properties, one is like glue and I wouldn't use it for a winch, the OMC stuff is lower viscosity, that would probably work fine too.

jibes138 · Jun 25, 2009

From tractor supply web site

Sounds like this stuff would work well....

Traveller Moly Lithium Grease

PRICE: $2.59

SKU Number: 0804967
Moly Lithium Grease; Gray Color; 0 to 250 Deg F

Detail Description
Technical Specifications

Detail Description

Automotive applications, backing plates, ball joints, chassis points, construction ball & roller bearings, idler bearings, industrial applications, mining applications, pillow block bearings, sprocket bearings, U-joints, water pumps, wheel bearings. Operating temperature range is 0 to 250 Deg F. Traveller moly special purpose is a lithium-12 hydroxy lubricating grease formulated with the highest quality base oils available, and is fortified with rust and oxidation inhibitors as well as extreme pressure additives. This product has also been formulated with a special additive package which insures high film strength, extreme pressure (EP) and anti-wear properties.

sailingdog · Jun 25, 2009

considering what winches cost, and what the parts for one cost, why would you use something other than the manufacturer recommended grease. As things go, yes, it is more expensive than generic automotive or trailer grease, but how much of it do you use a year?

seadaddler · Jun 25, 2009

Internet

There is not much that you can not get shipped to you if you can not get locally.
I usually try the local guys first and if that does not work i get it shipped to me from the internet.
I have never taken apart a winch to grease but thinking maybe its a good idea to learn with my 2007 H-36,any suggestions on a good book,I do have the paper work from Lewmar but would like more.
nick
Nick

Maine Sail · Jun 25, 2009

Cpt' Jon

Cpt. Jon said:
Stu, I almost shat myself on this one... ffs, I KNEW from you I would get the canned "Have you tried using the Gooogle Machine" for your internet search as you must be a complete mooron .... so touche...

Cpt. Jon,

I have just finished re-reading this thread and don't see the "canned" google reference you speak of? I have seen it before but not here..?

Cpt. Jon said:
most of all it's about availability to me...

sorry Stu, you gotta ease up on people that post questions on here. I was contemplating trying to do one of the worthless searches through this forums just to see how many times you told people to try "Google"... well, no shit... why would I try google when I 'might' get an honest response from someone on here... just because you post a lot, doesn't mean you contribute... sorry for the harshness

Please re-read the forum guidelines.... If you have problems with the "worthless searches on this forum" please send us a note or post a question and perhaps we can guide you and help you with more efficient searching of the SBO forums.

Stating that Stu does not contribute is in just poor taste as he has contributed LOTS of great information to this forum over the years.

Stu,

Despite how frustrating it can be when someone post a question, that can be easily answered via a google search, referring someone to google, who came here for an answer, can come across as poor taste.

Please remember that we have all levels of sailors and computer skills here. Perhaps some post here instead of google because it leads to a lengthy diatribe answering their question with very in-depth responses.

I have read your "google" response a number of times and am asking you to try and avoid those types of answers. They don't generally lead to a productive outcome and only serve to tick posters off or rub them the wrong way. If you don't like the question asked I would simply move on to the next thread..

Thanks to both of you in advance for your cooperation in keeping this place civil!!

What grease for winches

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