According to David Spainhour of Midco Demolition Tool Co. in Dallas, TX, a new, highly-effective lubricant has been developed for use in hydraulic hammers.

These rugged attachments operate in one of the worst construction environments imaginable, and anyone who has ever operated or supervised the usage of hydraulic hammers for any length of time knows that keeping the hammer lubricated is of utmost importance.

Even with only one grease fitting lubricating the lower unit, it is often overlooked during regular maintenance. The results are devastating to the wear parts including all the bushings.

Even those individuals and companies that maintain regularly scheduled lubrication intervals that include the lower unit grease fitting still have problems when working in areas that experience high environmental heat.

According to Spainhour, during a tolerance test where a hammer was operated in an actual work environment with temperatures surpassing 100 degrees, and regular lubrication was performed on two hour intervals, the viscosity of the grease deteriorated and leaked from the hammer.

Having operated and repaired hydraulic hammers for more than 20 years, Spainhour has encountered nearly every problem that can plague a hammer. With this wealth of knowledge, he set out to develop a product that, if used properly, would lubricate and protect the bushings and other wear parts of hydraulic hammers, even in temperatures exceeding 120 degrees.

“Given all the problems that I have observed with operating and repairing hydraulic hammers over the years, I decided that there had to be a better way of maintaining the hammers,” said Spainhour. “For two years, I mixed and matched all the ingredients necessary to formulate a lubricating grease that would perform as it is expected and stay in the hammer.

“As it states in the story books, suddenly one day the formula hit me and Hydraulic Hammer Grease came into existence,” he added.

According to Spainhour, the product was tested on multiple hammers. The formal testing was performed using a Kent KF 45 over a four month period. With a lubrication schedule set for every two hours, the hammer experienced one-thousandths-of-an-inch wear on the bit and tool bushings.

After one year of use, the hammer was still using the lower and upper bushings. The bit was changed as needed and the retainer bars were changed once a year. After two years, all the bushings were changed.

“Hydraulic Hammer Grease is a synthetic blended grease that is made specifically for hydraulic and air hammers and specially formulated to withstand extremely high temperatures and high pressures,” said Spainhour.

In these tests, the Hydraulic Hammer Grease outlasted regular lubricants and performed at up to 600 degrees, as well as maintained high shock and impact resistance while also resisting water, acid, dust, dirt and oxidation.

“Even though I am in the business to repair hydraulic and air hammers, I would recommend anyone in the industry that uses a hammer on a daily basis to make sure that their hammers are lubricated properly on a two hour schedule with Hydraulic Hammer Grease and their repair and wear item costs would be cut in half,” said Spainhour.

For more information, call 214/688-0444.

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