This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill

Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40 that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40 that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

WD40 really isn't a very good lubricant, when the volatile bit goes
then what's left is distinctly sticky. It's not really designed to
lubricate long term, it's for water dispersal.

After using WD40 to unsieze/free something (if you have to) then clean
it off and put some proper long term treatment there, depends on the
application whether that will be light oil, thick oil, grease or
something else (e.g. copaslip).

--
Chris Green
·

On 08/03/2018 12:52, Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.


Even basic scooters these days have to be designed to carry heavy users
(often 300 lb or so). Solution may be for user to eat more pies



--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Not sure, I see this issue starting on a record deck I have here, and that
parallel tracking device has never had any squirty stuff near it. Not
looking forward to having to get it taken apart, cleaned and relubricated,
but I think its just dust and time which has caused the degeneration.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Tim+" wrote in message
...
Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40
that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

On 08/03/2018 13:59, Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40 that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

Possibly. The machine was bought new by us though and has never had any
maintenance. I wondered if the factory had used the wrong sort of grease.

Bill

On Thursday, 8 March 2018 18:29:17 UTC, Bill Wright wrote:
On 08/03/2018 13:59, Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:

This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40 that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

Possibly. The machine was bought new by us though and has never had any
maintenance. I wondered if the factory had used the wrong sort of grease.

Bill

or a suboptimal spring.

On 08/03/2018 18:29, Bill Wright wrote:
On 08/03/2018 13:59, Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40
that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

Possibly. The machine was bought new by us though and has never had any
maintenance. I wondered if the factory had used the wrong sort of grease.

Bill

Most greases will "dry out" over time, but I'm inclined to agree with
you that it sounds like a poor choice (too hard, rather than too soft).
You don't say whether there was much dirt or wear debris present. Sounds
like they may have gone for something waxy to avoid oil bleeding out on
to the stem (sounds like there is no seal). Any sign of "scoring" on the
sliding parts? That could also cause them to seize.

On Friday, 9 March 2018 10:39:51 UTC, newshound wrote:
On 08/03/2018 18:29, Bill Wright wrote:
On 08/03/2018 13:59, Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40
that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

Possibly. The machine was bought new by us though and has never had any
maintenance. I wondered if the factory had used the wrong sort of grease.

Bill

Most greases will "dry out" over time, but I'm inclined to agree with
you that it sounds like a poor choice (too hard, rather than too soft).
You don't say whether there was much dirt or wear debris present. Sounds
like they may have gone for something waxy to avoid oil bleeding out on
to the stem (sounds like there is no seal). Any sign of "scoring" on the
sliding parts? That could also cause them to seize.

Waxy grease would add damping to springing, much improving the suspension, as long as not too hard of course.


NT

Bill Wright wrote:

On 08/03/2018 13:59, Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
This is a Pride Gogo traveller.The ride was very hard, It turned out
that the buggy was fitted with seat suspension (the instructions said
'where fitted', but it was completely seized up. One tube was meant to
slide inside another but it was rigidly stuck. It took a big hammer to
free it. The grease had solidified into a waxy substance. I cleaned it
all up and adjusted the suspension to 'softest'. The spring appears to
be a valve spring out of a big diesel or something similar; a very very
strong compression spring. The suspension now works but it is still
quite hard.

Bill


I wonder whether someone has been using a volatile lubricant like WD40 that
washed out the original lube and then evaporated?

Tim

Possibly. The machine was bought new by us though and has never had any
maintenance. I wondered if the factory had used the wrong sort of grease.

Bill

I have recently replaced a small motor/gearbox (from a biodisc sewage
unit not that it matter). The gearbox was made in China and by the
condition of the gears could have gone on for another fifty years or so.
But all twenty or so tiny ball races had disintegrated to various
extents. The only visible lubrication was a wodge of stuff that looked
like the old plastic wood (after setting) and was equally dry and firm.
If this was once grease, it seems to have actively taken up and absorbed
any oily substance there may once have been. So my bet is that your
shock absorber used an inappropriate but cheap Chinese grease
substitute. My theory is that it was made from a mixture of soap and
sawdust.

--

Roger Hayter