B&S Micromaster requires Mobil Vaculine 1405 hydraulic/way oil

[Janderso]

Hey all,
When I bought my surface grinder I went through it to make sure all oil lines weren't plugged, changed the filters, cleaned everything and replaced the 15 gallons of hydraulic fluid. This was in 2019. The manual says to change filters and oil every year. Now, I don't run this more than a couple times a month for less than an hour each event.
On the lubrication label they say to use one of the following;

Mobil Vaculine 1405

Sun Oil Co., Sun Lubeway #1405

Standard oil Co., Stanway #15H

The only original oil still available is the Mobil product. The best price I found was through PSC @ $161 for a 5 gallon drum. I need 15 gallons as I mentioned.
That puts this job at around $650 delivered.

Should I keep running the oil?
Should I do what the book says?
Is there a better/cheaper source?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[woodchucker]

My opinion you are not running it as frequently as they had planned. So not the same use/abuse.
On the other hand, how dusty is your shop. Dust and oxidation can contribute to the decline of the oil.
Are you getting water in the oil?
when you pull some oil out in a clear cup, what does it look like?

Do I think you need to spend that much to replace the oil of a machine you occasionally use? It's hard to answer how hard, how much contaminants you have in the oil. I don't know what it costs to send a sample out for analysis.

There are factors that only you can answer. If you can pump the oil through a filter then replace the filter.. that might be a good idea.

 

[Ischgl99]

Oil can degrade over time due to the contaminants, even without much use, but it might still be fine. A year is most likely way too soon with your usuage. At that replacement cost, I would do an oil analysis and see what the condition is. I did analysis on many machines during my industrial career, and it saved a lot of unnecessary oil changes. I haven’t used the Napa service, but it would be worth looking into. There are probably other providers in your area that could do it as well.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/FIL4220

 

[benmychree]

I used Mobil Vactra #2 on my Micromaster; it qualifies as a combination hydraulic and way oil and is the correct viscosity, also it seems to me that I shorted the amount to only 10 gallons, and it works just fine. Personally, I would not change it, as the others said above, it it was run quite a lot , as in a industrial situation, it might be different.

 

[Janderso]

I used Mobil Vactra #2 on my Micromaster; it qualifies as a combination hydraulic and way oil and is the correct viscosity, also it seems to me that I shorted the amount to only 10 gallons, and it works just fine. Personally, I would not change it, as the others said above, it it was run quite a lot , as in a industrial situation, it might be different.

Vactra #2 is what I use on the lathe and mill for the ways/apron
I'll price it but I don't think it's as high as Vaculine

 

[benmychree]

Vactra #2 is what I use on the lathe and mill for the ways/apron
I'll price it but I don't think it's as high as Vaculine

Vactra #2 is good for nearly every machine in the shop, I also use it for my shaper.

 

[GeneT45]

I use Vactra #2 for most of my machines, but it seems more viscous than Vacuoline 1405, by quite a bit. I'm in need of a full Micromaster re-lube, so very interested in this thread...

GsT

 

[jwmelvin]

Vacuoline 1405 is an ISO 32 oil.

Product-Series

Mobil Vacuoline™ 1400 Series oils are extra high performance lubricants specifically designed to satisfy the requirements of machine tools that use one oil for both hydraulic systems and way lubrication

www.mobil.com

Vactra No. 2 is an ISO 68 oil.

PdsDetailsPage

The Mobil Vactra™ Oil Numbered Series are premium-quality slideway lubricants specifically designed to meet the requirements for accuracy, aqueous coolant separability, and equipment protection of precision machine tools.

www.mobil.com

When I got my Micromaster, I followed the manual and ordered Vacuoline 1405. It wasn’t in stock so I changed my order to Phillips 66 Multi-Way Oil HD, ISO 32.

MULTI-WAY OIL HD - Phillips 66 Lubricants

Phillips 66® Multi-Way Oil HD is a circulating oil developed for the lubrication of lathes and heavily loaded machine tool slideways. It is specially formulated to prevent stick-slip problems to ensure good surface finish on the machined part.

phillips66lubricants.com

I purchased from PSC and changing to Phillips 66 cut the price from $506 to $331 for three buckets shipped.

Petroleum Service Company | The Pioneer of Online Petroleum Sales

Petroleum Service Company offers lubricants for industrial, manufacturing, automotive, fleet and aviation applications, as well as greases, race fuels, coatings, fuel additives, and more.

petroleumservicecompany.com

-Jason

 

[benmychree]

I have had no problems with Vactra #2 on my Micromaster; it feeds nicely through the lube system and hydraulics.

 

[Janderso]

Vacuoline 1405 is an ISO 32 oil.

Product-Series

Mobil Vacuoline™ 1400 Series oils are extra high performance lubricants specifically designed to satisfy the requirements of machine tools that use one oil for both hydraulic systems and way lubrication

www.mobil.com

Vactra No. 2 is an ISO 68 oil.

PdsDetailsPage

The Mobil Vactra™ Oil Numbered Series are premium-quality slideway lubricants specifically designed to meet the requirements for accuracy, aqueous coolant separability, and equipment protection of precision machine tools.

www.mobil.com

When I got my Micromaster, I followed the manual and ordered Vacuoline 1405. It wasn’t in stock so I changed my order to Phillips 66 Multi-Way Oil HD, ISO 32.

MULTI-WAY OIL HD - Phillips 66 Lubricants

Phillips 66® Multi-Way Oil HD is a circulating oil developed for the lubrication of lathes and heavily loaded machine tool slideways. It is specially formulated to prevent stick-slip problems to ensure good surface finish on the machined part.

phillips66lubricants.com

I purchased from PSC and changing to Phillips 66 cut the price from $506 to $331 for three buckets shipped.

Petroleum Service Company | The Pioneer of Online Petroleum Sales

Petroleum Service Company offers lubricants for industrial, manufacturing, automotive, fleet and aviation applications, as well as greases, race fuels, coatings, fuel additives, and more.

petroleumservicecompany.com

-Jason

I was concerned about the ISO 32and 68 also.

Before I retired I did business with a local petroleum distributor. They are a Chevron product franchise but they sell everything.
I have them working on this issue.
Today I was asked about, Chevron Way Lubricant 68. Again, it’s an ISO 68.
Still working on it.