Comparison of Selected EP Lubricants to U.S.S. 224 and AGMA 9005-D94 standards and other test criteria.  Includes the evaluation of Selected EP Gear Lubricant overall performance.

Industrial gear oils encounter many types of conditions such as: heat that can cause oil oxidation, cold temperatures that can cause oil thickening, gear loading that can cause wear, water that can cause emulsification, corrosion or rust, and gear churning that can cause foaming. The following table offers an eye-opening look into six oils and their performance by specific category, based on industry standards.

Oil formulations can easily be manipulated to perform well in a single specific category, only to fail in another. The very best industrial gear oil will perform well in all categories, making it versatile for all temperatures as well as offering long oil, gear, and bearing life.  

The U.S. Steel 224 and AGMA 9005-D94 standards were developed to assure minimum industry standard performance qualities for industrial oils to meet. Oils that do not meet these standards should not be considered for use in industrial applications, and will not be a consideration based on our selection guidelines. As shown on the EP Gear Oil Performance table (pages 3 & 4), of the six synthetic industrial oils tested, only AMSOIL SGO and Mobilgear SHC 460 pass all of the performance standards. 

Selection of the best oil that passes both the U.S. Steel 224 and AGMA 9005-D94 is now narrowed down to AMSOIL SGO and Mobilgear SHC 460. Each oil will be evaluated using five of the most important performance categories related to good anti-wear, extreme wear, and water separation properties (see the simplified table below).  

For actual test values see EP Gear Oil Performance table below.

As the EP Gear Oil Performance table below demonstrates, AMSOIL SGO is the overall top performing synthetic industrial gear oil. AMSOIL SGO will provide better extreme pressure and anti-wear capabilities, without sacrificing protection from corrosion or rust, demulsibility, anti-foaming, or oxidation stability. 

To further aid in the selection of the best oil, an oxidation test was performed on both AMSOIL SGO and Mobilgear SHC 460. While both of these oils passed the test Mobilgear SHC 460 darkened considerably. The pictures on page 5 show that Mobilgear SHC 460 turned dark from oxidation. The superior anti-oxidation additives used in AMSOIL SGO kept oxidation and color change to a minimum. 

The last category is price. AMSOIL SGO not only passes all the performance criteria and outperforms Mobilgear SHC 460, it also costs less than Mobilgear SHC 460.