Environmentally friendly grease is used in the place of conventional cutter bar oil.
The Komatsu Forest Eco-GLS is an environmentally friendly lubrication system for harvester heads. The chain and bar are lubricated with eco-friendly grease instead of oil. The grease has better adhesion, which minimises the amount of lubrication consumed and reduces the amount of waste. The traditional chain saw oil used for chains and bars has a relatively high surface adhesion. However, despite this, oil is wasted when the chain turns at the top roller, due to the force created by the speed of the chain. When the oil is thrown from the chain, it creates an oil mist that also covers the machine, and can result in various consequences such as dirty windows and clogged cooling units.
The Eco-GLS is a system that lubricates the chain and bar with grease instead of oil. Grease offers better surface adhesion than oil, which means it more easily remains on the chain. Komatsu Forest claims that the new chainsaw greasing system can reduce the cost of ownership, result in reduced environmental impact, and decrease the downtime needed to top up the grease. The heads that can be equipped with Eco-GLS are the Komatsu C93 and the Komatsu C144. It will go into production in the fall of 2015. Source: http://www.komatsuforest.com/default.aspx?id=1848&newsid=142372