01/09/2026
11 Years. 550 Litres of Oil Saved. One Gearbox Protected.
The Challenge
A Rexnord Drum Drive gearbox at an asphalt plant required replacement following a failure while operating with a conventional commercial gear oil. With the replacement gearbox costing approximately $60,000, protecting the new asset from premature wear and maximising its service life became a priority.
Historically, the company had carried out annual oil changes, replacing approximately 50 litres of commercial gear oil every year.
The LE Solution
After reviewing the application, Chris recommended LE Duolec® Industrial Gear Lubricant LE1605 for the new gearbox to provide outstanding wear protection and help maximise gearbox reliability and service life.
Rather than continuing with time-based annual oil changes, Chris recommended a condition-based lubrication and monitoring programme, including:
• Duolec® LE1605 high-performance gear lubricant
• Annual oil analysis to monitor lubricant and gearbox condition
• Xclude™ Desiccant Breather to help prevent moisture and airborne contaminants from entering the gearbox
• Xtract™ Oil Sight Glass to allow easy visual monitoring of oil condition
Together, these measures help keep the lubricant clean, dry and fit for service while providing ongoing insight into the condition of the gearbox.
The Results
Through the use of Duolec® LE1605, contamination control and annual oil analysis, the lubricant has remained suitable for continued service.
The oil drain interval has now been extended to an impressive:
11 YEARS AND COUNTING
Previously, approximately 50 litres of oil was replaced every year. Over 11 years, extending the oil drain interval has avoided approximately:
550 LITRES OF REPLACEMENT OIL
The result is significantly reduced lubricant consumption, oil disposal requirements, maintenance labour and servicing costs, while helping protect a critical and expensive gearbox.
From Annual Oil Changes to Condition-Based Maintenance
This application demonstrates how the right lubricant, effective contamination control and regular oil analysis can deliver significant improvements in equipment reliability, maintenance costs and environmental sustainability.