Greasing Telescopic Crane Booms Without Aerosol Cans
A telescopic crane boom extends and retracts on sliding wear pads. Those glide surfaces need a steady film of lubricant, or the sections end up metal on metal. On many crews the usual fix is a case of aerosol spray lubricant: point, spray and hope it covers the full length of each section.
It works, up to a point. The cans run out quickly, a lot of the spray drifts away instead of landing on the boom, and each type of lubricant needs its own can.
The problem with aerosols on a boom
AET Systems sums up the drawbacks of aerosol lubricants as expensive, hazardous, hard to dispose of and limited in application. On a long boom you also have the coverage problem: you need an even coat along every extending section, applied without overspray running onto everything nearby.
A spray greaser fed from a cartridge
AET's answer is the LubeJET-ECO, a compressed-air grease applicator that sprays lubricant straight from a Lube-Shuttle cartridge. AET describes it as built for clean, even lubrication of extending crane booms, and it's also used on wear pads, glide surfaces, crane rails and sliding sections.
How AET says it works:
- Thread in a Lube-Shuttle cartridge of the lubricant you need.
- Connect compressed air.
- Adjust the spray pattern and volume.
- Apply along the boom sections.
According to AET, it uses no propellant gas, solvents or chemical additives. Because the lubricant comes from a cartridge, you change lubricant by changing cartridges, with no flushing or clean-up between them. AET says the cartridges are reusable and recyclable, and that the LubeJET-ECO is made and assembled in Germany.
To reach along long sections, AET sells a LubeJET-ECO Lance Kit with a safety quick-coupler, three straight stainless steel spray lances (500, 750 and 1,200 mm) and one bent lance.
Choosing a grease for the boom
The applicator is only half the job. AET also sells Berulub PAL 1 from Bechem in Lube-Shuttle cartridges, described as a grease for telescopic crane booms. From AET's listing:
- NLGI grade 1, contains PTFE
- described as having low-temperature fluidity, strong adhesion and high chemical resistance
- AET says it won't drip or melt off, and in many cases extends lubrication intervals
- rated for metal/elastomer, metal/plastic, non-ferrous/non-ferrous and plastic/plastic material combinations
As with any boom lubricant, check what your crane manufacturer specifies before switching.
Is it worth changing how you grease the boom?
If you service one crane occasionally, a can of spray may be enough. If you look after a fleet, or grease booms every week, the cost of cans, the wasted overspray and the time spent on uneven coverage add up. A cartridge-fed sprayer with the right boom grease gives you more control over where the lubricant goes.
AET's crane products, including the LubeJET-ECO, the lance kit and Berulub PAL 1, are on its crane boom greasing collection.
By the AET Technical Team, AET Systems, Inc.