Reviews

Kirkpatrick Wire Rope Lubrication Systems are excellent for Wire Rope & Cable Lubrication and Cleaning. In only one application, wire rope can have its surface and groove pattern scraped clean of product build-up and grit, while at the same time new lubricant is uniformly applied to the newly-cleaned surface. Coating product then fills any open spaces within the groove pattern, and internal strands open to receive it. This is accomplished as the wire rope passes through a controlled, 100% pressurized, immersion within the Internal Seal Lubrication Chamber. Surface moisture trapped within the internal strands is displaced and replaced with the newly applied wire rope coating product. Kirkpatrick Systems are functional with both low and high viscosity coatings. They can be incorporated as a Grease Applicator for tough applications where higher viscosity coatings are required to fight friction wear due to strand rubbing, as well as a low viscosity oiling system required for certain Cable Cleaning & Lubrication applications.

I have been inspecting wire rope used for a variety of industrial applications now for over 18 years. The bulk of my work and the most critical is electromagnetic testing of personnel and haulage ropes in the mining industry. A majority of these ropes are in operation 24 hours per day. As such, they are exposed to extreme environmental and chemical wear that greatly detract from their overall service life. Lives and profitability depend on the reliability of these hoist ropes.
 
Several years ago, one of my clients, Morton Salt in Weeks Island Louisiana began using your wire rope lubrication system and Dynagard™ wire rope lubricants. I inspect Morton’s hoist ropes approximately every 6 months according to Federal guidelines. Prior to Morton’s use of your products, they were replacing their ropes about every 9-12 months. This is not good wire rope life for any application. These ropes were being retired because of excessive corrosion within the internal strands. Salt as well as potash mines have extremely corrosive environments and as a result their rope life is measurably shorter than other types of mining operations. It was discovered that the Dynagard™ Blue wire rope lubricant had significantly restricted internal corrosion over the competitive product previously used for the Morton ropes. In fact, in my opinion it had eliminated the corrosion according to my nondestructive testing of the ropes during the first 12 months it had been tracked. Given these initial test results, I anticipate that the rope life on Morton’s hoist ropes will go from a 9-month life to several years.
 
I have recommended your wire rope lubrication system to all of my clients. Most are now using your system, and I can categorically say that all but one of those customers have experienced a better life span incorporating your system into their maintenance programs. The one mine that hasn’t, have not used their wire rope lubrication system according to operating instructions supplied with the system or on a regular basis. I have discussed this with them on numerous occasions and have come to the conclusion that they probably never will. Therefore, there is no way to evaluate their program on the same level as the other mines who are successfully increasing their wire rope life in conjunction with Dynagard™ Wire Rope Lubricants and Kirkpatrick Systems.
 
I shall continue to recommend your products to any clients that I encounter. My job has been made much easier if the mine ropes are properly lubricated and maintained. Once again, thanks. Keep up the fine work. You have my permission to use this letter as a testimonial of a fine product and caring company who takes pride in customer support.

Originally got 7 or 8 months out of his ropes. The last rope he took out of service: 26 Months. He says this is because of the impoved program they developed around the use of our Dynagard™ Blue and the Jumbo Model JU400 Wire Rope Lubricator.

The Kirkpatrick Model SU35B Wire Rope Lubricator evaluated during the project appears to have significant potential for reducing material usage and waste disposal costs. Significant labor savings are possible due to the reduced labor required to perform cable cleaning and lubricating events. Of equal importance, the wire rope lubrication system is a safer alternative than the previous method used because it does not require personnel to place grease on their gloves and wipe the crane cable. The cost analysis showed a 10-year ROI of approximately $ 135,900.60 and a breakeven point of .41 years.

USS Hancock: The Kirkpatrick Wire Rope Lubricator / Cable Cleaner: The Wire Rope Lubricator / Cable Cleaner has eliminated the need for two people and 3 hours to complete this Preventative Maintenance Schedule (PMS). Now one maintenance man can clean and lubricate a cable in less than 30 minutes.
 
Kirkpatrick Wire Rope Lubricator / Cable Cleaner

• Procurement Cost: $ 6,100
• Installation Cost: $ 610
• 10-Year Cost Savings: $ 652,320
• Labor Reduction: 75%
• Breakeven Point (Years) .10

The automated wire rope lubrication system extends the life span of wire rope, reducing the costs of removing and disposing of worn out wire rope and the purchase and installation of replacement rope. Operating costs are also reduced, because cranes are less frequently taken out of service to be refitted with new wire rope. The automated system cleans and lubricates wire rope at a rate of 100 feet per minute as compared to the manual rate of approximately one foot per minute. Cleaning and lubricating wire ropes on cranes using the old manual method took approximately five eight-hour workdays per crane. Using the automated system, wire rope on a crane can now be cleaned and lubricated in one eight-hour day. This represents significant savings in labor costs.
 
The automated wire rope lubricator has reduced PWC San Diego’s annual cost of cleaning cables from about $320,000.00 a year to approximately $34,000.00, a yearly generating savings of approximately $286,000.00.

Kirkpatrick Model SU35B Wire Rope Lubricator USS Wasp (LHD-1): 400′ of 1 1/8″ load line lubricated. 75% of 35-pound pail of QPL Approved Dynagard™ Blue™ wire rope lubricant used. 21 pounds of previously applied MIL-G-18458B lubricant removed.
 
Time from set up to completion of clean-up; 2 hours. Previous time frame to accomplish same project using manual methods: I full day, three men. One rag used for clean-up. (U.S.S. Wasp (LHD-1), Training session incorporating hangar deck crane. (1997))
 
“The USS Wasp has always been proactive in its approach to environmental protection and was working toward a goal of zero discharge even prior to receiving the equipment.”
 
USS Wasps opinion as provided to the P2 Group After Use Shipboard later:
 
The equipment and processes are now part of WASP’s way of doing business and we feel strongly that all large deck amphibs should be similarly outfitted.” “The bottom line … How did we ever do without this gear?”
 
“Paint dispensers: An obvious solution to problems associated with the old way the navy did business… Waste is eliminated and the potential cost savings are enormous.”
 
“Cable cleaner/lubricator: This has eliminated the need for two people and 3 hours to complete this PMS. Now the maintenance man can clean and lubricate a cable in less than thirty minutes.”

Mr. Raymond Beaudreau, a civilian consultant for Military Sealift Command, requested that the vessels 2-1/4” rusty and kinked Tow Wire be used for the operation. The wire was respooled at approx. 150’ per minute through the Jumbo Lubrication Collar (Wire Rope Lubricator).
 
Results: “Examined 2-1/4” Tow Wire and found it to be scraped clean of rust and old lubricant. New lubricant had penetrated every visible part of the wire.” “The system worked well and performed well and achieved good results on substantially degraded rope (2-1/4” Tow Wire).”
 
Job that took days was complete in a few hours.
 
Letter from Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command to Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic and U.S. Pacific Fleets after completion of Navy tests of The Kirkpatrick Wire Rope Lubrication System. Subject: Wire Rope Lubrication System Evaluation. (1988)
 
“The results of the evaluation and demonstrations were highly successful. The wire ropes were opened, exposing the inner surfaces of the wire strands, which were found to be as well lubricated as the external surface of the wire rope. The use of wire rope lubricators will contribute to a longer service life of wire rope and reduce the man-hours required to accomplish PMS.”
 
Letter from Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command to Commander In Chief, U.S. Atlantic and U.S. Pacific Fleets after completion of Navy tests of The Kirkpatrick Wire Rope Lubrication System. Subject: Wire Rope Lubrication System Evaluation. (1988)

Manual Wire Rope Preventative Maintenance of all of the ship’s wires was taking a week to complete. Now, since receiving the Model SU35B Wire Rope Lubricator, the time to complete the project has been reduced to 1 day with fewer shipboard personnel involved.

Using the Kirkpatrick Model SU35B Wire Rope Lubricator and Dynagard™ Environmental Wire Rope Lubricants has increased rope their rope life from 2 – 3 years to 8 or 9 years. The job is now performed in one day over the 2 or 3 days it took previously.

Hello Bob, I tried your wire rope lubricator today for the first time and I can only say wonders about it. It has cut by 90% the time we have to spend on lubricating our skip hoist and it does a much better job than our old method of using rags. I am attaching some photos. Please feel free to use them as you wish.

Dynagard™ “E” Environmental Wire Rope Lubricant is still protecting his 3/4″ ropes after 6 years.

Brad used to be with the United States Coast Guard in Key West, Florida and used the Kirkpatrick SU35B Wire Rope Lubricator there. He said his crew used to laugh at other sources on the base who continued with hand maintenance for their wire ropes. They would take 10 hours to complete what he and his crew could do in 2 or 3 using the Kirkpatrick System.

Have had a Kirkpatrick Model JU120 Wire Rope Lubricator since 1996 (9 years). It has done a good job for us over the last 9 years.

I have just witnessed the best Kirkpatrick crew lubricate well over a kilometer of wire rope in 6 hours. Our personnel are really getting the program down. The guys are getting used to adjusting the air pressure and wire rope travel speed. The SU35B Wire Rope Lubricator and Dynagard™ Blue look pretty good. My Maintenance Division Head said he ordered more Dynagard™ Blue.

We really like the Dynagard™ “E” as used on our Dam Gate Hoist Ropes. It Holds Up Really well. Applied to some old cable by hand. After a couple of months, it had worked its way in.

This evaluation was an unqualified success as the equipment exceeded our expectations in performance and reliability. The collective effect of these reduced waste streams saved funds in tri walls, 55 gal drums and disposal costs ashore. The equipment and processes are now part of WASP’s way of doing business and we feel strongly that all large deck amphibs should be similarly outfitted.”
 
“The bottom line … How did we ever do without this gear?”
 
“Paint dispensers: An obvious solution to problems associated with the old way the navy did business… Waste is eliminated and the potential cost savings are enormous.”
 
“Cable cleaner/lubricator: This has eliminated the need for two people and 3 hours to complete this PMS. Now the maintenance man can clean and lubricate a cable in less than thirty minutes.”

Purchased their system in 1982 for use on over 23 miles of 1 1/2″ conveyor cable. This wire rope’s replacement cost is in the one-million-dollar range. Subsequent to incorporating their wire rope lubrication system, their replacement schedule was every 5 to 6 years. They have now gone eight years without replacement.

We were rewarded by a system that not only lubricated the wire rope uniformly; it cleaned the surface and removed the moisture. An additional benefit was the tension it sets up on the wire rope while lubricating.

If each district purchased a system for its individual sizes of wire rope, we could all have safer, easier, and most important, quality maintenance of wire rope.

I am writing this letter to tell you how impressed we are with the longevity and durability of your seal and scraper plates. We used a 3/4″ set on 60,000 ft. of 3/4″ 6 x 19 class IWRC that made up the topping, purchase and vang wires of deck mounted cargo booms on the Naval Reserve Ship USS Comet. We fully expected to replace this 3/4″ seal and scraper plate kit after this job. This has not been the case. These seals and scraper plates have given us years and approximately I00,000 ft. of extra service.

The use of the Kirkpatrick System has shown that tower guy wire maintenance jobs, which normally take a week to complete, can now be accomplished in three days or less. As we travel up the guy wire during the lubrication/coating process, we can see water being forced out of the wire 3 to 4 feet in front of our basket due to the pressure being exerted internally by the lubricant/coating our system is forcing into the internal strands.

Wire rope life has increased by at least 30% due to the use of the Kirkpatrick System. This is based on Magma’s findings that wire rope expectancy was only about 600 to 700 hundred thousand tons prior to incorporating the Kirkpatrick System into their maintenance program. The goal was 1,000,000 tons after purchase. They are now getting 1,300,000 tons before wire rope replacement according to my personnel.

Wire rope tensile strength loss has gone from 10% to 2% using their Kirkpatrick System. A reduction of 60% in lubricant consumption was also reported. Braniff Inspection Systems, Bill Braniff

Installation and use of the Kirkpatrick Model JU120 System has cut wire rope cleaning and lubrication time by 5O%, freeing up vital man hours to be used in other areas of necessity. Periodic maintenance requirements call for a specified section of wire rope to be cut back for external and internal inspection. The latest inspections have shown complete lubrication to the wire rope’s core.

Over the last few years, at my recommendation, numerous systems have been purchased by our mining customers to be used in conjunction with our lubricants. Kirkpatrick Systems thoroughly coat and lubricate. I have always been impressed with the amount of trapped water seen pouring from the rope as it exits the lubrication collar due to pressure being exerted in the Internal strands as the lubricant is being applied. One of our customers in particular has saved several hundred thousand dollars in wire rope replacement.

We used it for the first time this year and estimate that it has cut our maintenance time by 50%. It has also significantly reduced several safety hazards associated with our previous cleaning methods.

Wire Rope used in up shaft ventilation was being lubricated at 50 ft. to 60 ft. per minute using a grease funnel installation. Since purchasing their Kirkpatrick System, lubrication speed has been increased by 100%. Mine personnel estimates the life of their wire rope has been increased by 50% to 90%.