Shearing | 6th August 2021
What Shearing Oil Should I Use?
Whether you own a small flock, a farmer or a professional shearer, you’ll know that investing in the right gear is important, and has huge benefits to your trade. If maintained in the right way, your gear should last you a long time.
One aspect of maintaining your handpiece is oiling, which is highly important in keeping your handpiece well lubricated. As the cutter moves side to side against the comb, this creates metal to metal friction, increasing the heat of your gear, which when shearing for long periods of time can become uncomfortable for both you and your animal/s.
The use of oil is a must. If your handpiece is run for long periods of time without oil, you’ll soon notice that your gear will loose its edge. So save yourself some time and money, and get oiling!
Oil the following areas:
- Comb and Cutter
- Prong swivel joints
- Crank roller
- Both ends of the tension pin (via the front oil hole)
- Fulcrum post (via the top oil hole)
- Cogs and drive spindle
What oil should I use?
When in use, we recommend oiling every 5-10 minutes, using our R30 shear oil or any other good quality engine oil.
Avoid oil such as chainsaw oil and WD-40, which tends to be volatile when used for shearing purposes. Take into account that some engine oils can be too thick, and therefore will not allow you to shear with ease.
When deciding on your desired shearing oil, consider your environment. Shearing in a drier, dusty place? Then it’s likely the flock you are about to shear will pick this up in their wool. Sometimes, this binds with certain oil types, especially thicker oil, to create an almost paste-like substance that is difficult to shear with. If this is the case, use a thin, well-formulated oil, like our R30 shearing oil.
Want to find out more about shearing? We have plenty of useful information on our website for all shearing abilities. You can view these here.