Soaking gathering chains for a corn picker

Jason S.

Well-known Member
I got started tearing down the Ford 601 corn picker I got from the scrap yard the other day. Most of the bearings and belts are good but the gathering chains are very rusty and stiff. I thought about soaking them in kerosene or something for a while. Anybody have a better idea or solution? Thanks for your help.
 
I'll second that .I don't know how big they are , but maybe clean them with electrolysis (tank & Battery Charger ) first ? That can free them up too....
 

When you get them clean and loosened up, heat equal parts 90 Wt gear oil and Petroleum Jelly together (150 Deg approx.) and soak your chains it that. Agitate well and hang them up to cool and drain off.
Stays in a chain much longer.
I use this on Motorcycle chains also..
Really stays in them in the Winter..!
Ron.
 
(quoted from post at 18:19:07 02/16/14)
When you get them clean and loosened up, heat equal parts 90 Wt gear oil and Petroleum Jelly together (150 Deg approx.) and soak your chains it that. Agitate well and hang them up to cool and drain off.
Stays in a chain much longer.
I use this on Motorcycle chains also..
Really stays in them in the Winter..!
Ron.

Papa, I used to use that recipe and procedure when I was competing. I was trying to remember it recently. Thanks!
 
A couple of tubes of cheap grease heated up in a deep fryer works, as well. I just found my so-purposed fryer and added a tube of grease and "restored" some chains, just a few days ago.
 
your chains may be too big for this trick

I have had good luck getting rusted items apart by soaking them in:

50/50 percent solution of acetone and Automatic transmission fluid.

but, you would need a container that had a sealable top (5 gal bucket) as the acetone will evaporate off in time.

also this solution is very flammable!!!!

it will work in time on some of those things that just, must come apart and you can not put heat on them.

as others have said: soaking them in oil, maybe with a little graphite added for extra measure.
 
Any corn picker gathering chains I ever saw were link chains. Even on the new, New Idea pickers popular here in my younger years.
From the extravagant mixtures and advice here, I'm wondering if most everyone else knows something I don't, and these are roller chains?
I spent enough time hauling around a clanging NI picker that I know any lube on those old link type gathering chains is a waste, except for rust prevention during storage, or in this case, fighting years of rust.
 
A lot of the later corn picker chains were roller chains same as the combine corn heads and some of them could be converted to the newer style with just the new chain on the old sprockets.
 
I have seen plenty of roller chains that oil WILL NOT soak in being in the oil for 2 years and still as stiff as when put in and kerosine will work a lot better on loosening up roller chains and I think that picker should have roller chain type gathering chains. Flat link would be easy to loosen up but not roller type.
 

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