The manual for my rowing machine tells me I need to lubricate the chain every 600 miles with "20 weight" oil. I've never heard this term before but Google tells me (not surprisingly) it's a grading relating to viscosity.
I've got two containers of oil in the garage - one's a can of motor oil, rated 10W40 (for which the "W" refers to "Winter" not "Weight") and the other is a small can of thin oil branded "Woolworths", bicycles and sewing machines for the lubrication of. Neither label has any indication as to the content's "weight".
Experience suggests to me that my Woolie's can will do the trick, but can anyone shed any light on this?
At a guess as I worked for rolls royce oiling machines for a couple of years around 40 years ago. We used various oils for different machines. They (from memory) used a numbering system from 10 (very thin) up to 80 (very thick) and the 10 was very light, I recall guys asking for a 30 to use in their cars so I reckon you are looking for something below that so I reckon the Woolie one is about right.
Just don't get it on any kind of friction pads that may be in use. Is it not about time that exercise machines replaced friction pads with a device for generating power charge you phone or some such? Brian
Quite a few exercise machines don't use friction pads, but have a magnet which is moved closer/further from a rotating iron flywheel, generating resistance by the eddy currents.
I know some motorcycle chain lubes are very sticky so as you say, they don't get thrown off and I thought some cycle chain lubes were 'dry' (waxy?) so that the didn't attract dust and dirt (turning the oil into a grinding paste), not that that should be an issue in the OP's case. ;-)
So, I would say, if the chain is covered and you are looking for 'exercise' [1], a bit of extra drag from some motorcycle chain lube might be worth it, should also be offering better protection against wear (the main idea after all) and not end up all over the place.
I'm also guessing this wouldn't be an 'o-ring' chain so it might benefit for a good cleaning before a good re-lubing. If you can get it off easily (joining link?) soak / wash it in some suitable de-greaser (that would have been petrol in 'my day' ), allow to dry and then I'd put it in my tin of 'Linklife' on the stove. ;-)
I think this is the nearest current equivalent that I have found:
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And remember there are two main areas you are trying to lubricate, the pins, rollers and side plates of the chain itself and the sprocket teeth where the chain is joining (under load).
Cheers, T i m
1] We generally fit heavier / puncture resistant tyres on our cycles and tandem because we are looking to use them partly for (fun / interesting) exercise and partly because we want that exercise to be from cycling, not repairing punctures or pushing the bikes home. ;-)
Weight is an old fashioned or out of date term, but is indeed the W in your 10W40. The number before the W indicates how thin or 'runny' the oil is when cold. The number after the W indicates how runny the same oil is when hot. Given that the oil on your chain is unlikely to get hot, you can safely ignore the second number.
Your 10W40 is likely to be a little too thin, or runny, but the only practical consequence is that it is slightly more likely to splatter in use, and therefore not last as long. I would either use the 10W40 or possibly find 20Wanything. If using the 10W40, check after, say, 400 miles and reapply if necessary.
The sewing machine oil will be even thinner than the 10W40, I would imagine.
Weight is as you say related to viscosity and relate to the SAE designations. SAE 20 (single grade oil) is a 20 weight oil. Modern vehicle oils are usually dual designation as your 10W40 where it behaves as a 10 weight oil at low temperature and as a 40 weight oil at 100degC.
At room temperature 10W30 is pretty close to SAE20 single grade oil. For a rowing machine chain, as others have said, almost anything will do.
Ah, that takes me back 30 years! My mum really used to love it when I boiled up my motorbike chain on her cooker. (Hey, I never did actually spill it though, mum...!). Actually, I've very recently come back to motorbikes again after a long layoff, and it seems that method is now out of favour (I suppose probably because you don't get many non-O-ring chains these days). Anyway, I don't think it would be appropriate for my rowing machine, which has a very lightweight chain in comparison to a motorbike (and it's not done 'de rigeur' for bicycle chains either), and it could be awful messy in my spare bedroom!
As there seemed to be a lot of disagreement here, I've done some more digging. Seems that 20-weight oil is what's usually used inside motorcycle forks or shock absorbers (eg
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As it's 30+ years since I last played with that stuff I can't remember what it was like (though I expect Mum still has half a can in her garage somewhere!); however I had a look on the website of the rowing machine manufacturer and found a how-to-do-it maintenance video. This has a bloke using 3-in-1 (ie, the same as my Woolie's oil as far as I'm concerned!) See
It's not here, on my basic bikes (and I still have my tin of Linklife ) and all my bigger bikes are shaft drive anyway. ;-)
Quite.
Ah, now that's more like a jewellery 'chain' than anything typically transmission orientated so yes, all you would need is for it to be given a light oiling to ensure oil gets inside the rollers and a very light surface coating to prevent rust.
In this case it's not necessarily what's bet for the chain but what is the best compromise for a chain being used in that environment (more like a tension / recoil starter cord than a chain as such.
Our Tunturi exercise cycle uses an enclosed toothed belt that is both maintenance free and silent and you can get them quite fine and endless so I'm surprised they aren't used for things like your rowing machine?
Looking at the parts diagram it seems the chain is retracted by a compound pulley system and some shock cord. It would be easier with a tooth belt as they can be 'coiled up' around a tension pulley etc.
Have you tried one of the water rowers (and I don't mean 'a boat'). ;-)?
Surely it's not the operator they care about, it's the 'environment'. Chainsaw oil is organic/vegetable oil that won't do any harm when sprayed atound the woods/garden etc.
All that you need for oiling a bike is a strip drawn along the top of the c hain to where you are put off by the rear fork. If you do this before a war m up and then get off and run the chain through a rag, all the excess will come off.
The gentle warm up will have run the oil into where it is needed and should be adequate for 500 miles of regular use. I doubt anyone rows for miles at any one time, possibly half an hour -which would take you a couple of mile s down hill on a real river, half a mile back up.
You are not going to stress any moving parts at that rate for some consider able time.
ld be adequate for 500 miles of regular use. I doubt anyone rows for miles at any one time, possibly half an hour -which would take you a couple of mi les down hill on a real river, half a mile back up.
Rowing's a good bit faster than that. Unless you're a kid not paying attent ion and paddling Donald Duck.
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