Whether you operate machinery or vehicles, or repair or maintain them, keep parts moving freely longer with military specification lubes. No one operates more complex systems under harsher conditions than the military. Thoroughly trained soldiers operate among the most technologically advanced machinery and tools, from hand weapons to huge transport systems, in the world. Operations extend from equatorial desert to Arctic blizzard conditions, under life and death circumstances. Equipment failure simply is not an option.

Benefit from the exhaustive research and development of military specifications for lubricants for your own equipment. Avail yourself of three broad classes of military lubrication:

1. Lubricating bearings or electric motors with grease;

2. Lubricating internal combustion engines or meshing gears with oil;

3. Spraying solid film military specification lube on exposed parts to reduce friction and inhibit corrosion.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Spread military standard lubricants for freely-spinning bearings

Military lubricant specs require greases to operate without breakdown under harsher conditions, such as a more drastic temperature range, higher altitude and even under saltwater. Grease that can make that grade easily lubricates your load-bearing and friction-prone components.

I recommend: A subsidiary of Castrol, LubeCon provides a line of lubricants and applicators to help you build your own in-house lubrication system. Accro-Seal’s ACCROLUBE line of grease products are custom formulated for a wide variety of applications.

Operate smoother running engines with oil lubrications for the military

Military standards for oils and lubricants used in drivetrains must tolerate extreme temperatures, fine dust or dry air, or excessive humidity or salt spray in the course of operation without seizure or premature teardowns. Use oils that pass military muster to lubricate your engines and gearboxes.

I recommend: DuPont offers online presentations and webinars to show how their Krytox line meets or exceeds military specifications. Royal Purple produces a range of high-performance synthetic oil for consumer and commercial applications, including military grade Max-Gear transmission fluid.

Coat a solid military specification lubricant to parts operating under special conditions

There are specifications for lubricants applied directly to moving or meshing parts that operate where grease or oil are prohibited, such as clean rooms or food processing, or where they are ineffective, such as under water or within electrical or electronic paraphernalia. Solid-state coatings both reduce friction between moving parts and protect the part from corrosion. The film can work equally well on metals and plastics.

I recommend: Established in 1957, Donwell Company is a licensed Teflon applicator, applying coatings to metal and plastic parts and surfaces for military, medical and industrial applications. F&L Petroleum Products supplies dry film military-spec lubricants with no minimum order, even providing labeling and packaging services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The federal government is starting to coordinate with, if not defer to, non-government standards-setting organizations such as ASTM, ANSI or SAE. Check with a local chapter of these organizations to simplify your efforts to comply with military standards for lubricants, rather than reproducing someone else's efforts.