Escalator Lubrication Systems
An escalator is a chain machine that never stops: step chains, a main drive chain and handrail drives, all needing a thin, continuous oil film to run quietly and pass inspection. We build the automatic lubrication systems that keep that film in place — timed oil pumps, volumetric distributors and alarms — supplied factory-fit to escalator manufacturers in India and as retrofit kits for maintenance teams.
The lubrication points
What an escalator lubrication system feeds
A typical escalator or travelator carries between 8 and 20 oil points, spread along the truss. Each circuit needs a metered feed, not a splash.
Circuit 1
Step chains
The two roller chains that carry the steps — the longest and most loaded chains on the machine. Oil is dripped or brushed onto each chain at the return run, on a timed cycle while the escalator is moving, so the film renews without ever flooding the pin and bush.
Circuit 2
Main drive chain
The chain linking the drive machine to the main shaft. Short, fast and highly loaded, it takes a small metered dose per cycle. Too little shows up as noise and elongation; too much drips into the pit.
Circuit 3
Handrail drive chains
The chains that turn the handrail drive sheaves on both balustrades. Light duty compared to the step chain, so they sit on the smallest metered outlets of the same distributor network.
Circuit 4
Auxiliary points & elevator guide rails
Bearing points and tension carriage pins where fitted — and on elevators, the guide rails and door gear, fed by the same class of pump and resist-type distributor as a separate small system.
The architecture
How the automatic system goes together
One pump, one distributor network, one alarm loop — sized for a machine that runs 16 hours a day.
A motor-driven gear pump with a 2 L or 4 L reservoir sits in the machine room or upper truss. On a timed cycle — from the pump's own built-in timer or from the escalator controller — it delivers oil through volumetric or resist-type distributors, which split the flow into fixed doses for each nozzle or brush regardless of pipe run length. A level indicator and pressure switch close the loop back to the controller, so a low reservoir or a blocked line raises a fault instead of running a chain dry. The result is chain lubrication that happens automatically, in service, with no shutdown and no one climbing into the truss with an oil can.
| Circuit | Feed | Metering | Herg components |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step chains | Timed oil, in service | Volumetric, fixed dose per cycle | TZ pump (timer version) + 35 type distributor |
| Main drive chain | Timed oil, in service | Volumetric, small dose | HL pump + 34 type distributor |
| Handrail drives | Timed oil, light duty | Resist type, by flow resistance | TCJ / TCZ resist distributor |
| Elevator guide rails & door gear | Periodic oil or grease | Resist type or manual | GM grease pump or NKHY manual pump |
| Monitoring | — | — | Level indicator, pressure switch, filter |
Pumps are available with 12/24 V DC, 110/220 V AC and 415 V 3-phase supplies, with or without built-in timers, and are customisable to the escalator builder's electrical and mounting requirements. The system meters whatever chain oil the escalator manufacturer's manual specifies.
Who we supply
Factory-fit for OEMs, retrofit for maintenance teams
Escalator manufacturers
OEM production-line supply
Our lubrication systems are already fitted on the production line of one of India's largest escalator manufacturers. We supply against OEM production schedules — consistent specification, batch documentation and manuals for every unit — and we have the capacity to take on additional OEM programmes. If you build escalators, travelators or elevators and need a lubrication package engineered to your machine, start with the pump and distributor range and we'll match it to your drawing.
Discuss an OEM programme →Metro stations, malls & airports
Retrofit & AMC replacement
Escalators in metro stations, airports and malls run long hours in dusty air — exactly the conditions where manual oiling gets skipped and chains wear early. An automatic system retrofits onto an existing machine: pump, distributors, tubing and nozzles, wired to the controller or run from the pump's own timer. We also supply drop-in replacement pumps and distributors for systems already in service, with installation manuals and troubleshooting guides online.
Ask about a retrofit →Common questions
Escalator lubrication, answered
What does an escalator lubrication system lubricate?
The step chains, the main drive chain and the handrail drive chains, plus auxiliary bearing points where fitted. These are the wearing chain drives on the machine; the system delivers a metered oil dose to each of them on a timed cycle while the escalator runs.
How often does an escalator step chain need lubrication?
Continuously, in small doses. Rather than a monthly manual oiling, an automatic system runs the pump for a short period on a repeating cycle set to the manufacturer's manual and the machine's duty — heavier traffic, shorter cycle. The chain always carries a fresh film and is never flooded.
Can an automatic lubrication system be retrofitted to an existing escalator?
Yes. A retrofit is a pump with reservoir, distributors, tubing and chain nozzles, mounted in the upper truss or machine room. It can run from the pump's built-in timer, or be wired to the escalator controller so it only cycles while the machine is moving.
Why is metered lubrication better than oiling chains by hand?
Hand oiling swings between too little and too much. Too little means noise, chain elongation and early replacement; too much means oil dripping through the truss, where oil-soaked dust is a cleaning burden and a fire risk. A volumetric distributor delivers the same small dose every cycle, so the chain gets exactly what the manual specifies.
Which oil does the system use?
Whatever the escalator manufacturer specifies — the system is a metering system, not an oil. The pumps and distributors handle the standard chain oils called for in escalator manuals; tell us the specified grade and duty and we'll size the doses to it.
Do you supply escalator manufacturers in India?
Yes. Herg lubrication systems are factory-fitted by one of India's largest escalator manufacturers, and we supply OEMs, contractors and maintenance companies across India. For OEM programmes we work to your production schedule and specification; send us an enquiry with your requirement.
Building or maintaining escalators?
Tell us the machine, the number of oil points and the specified chain oil, and we'll come back with the pump, distributor and alarm package that fits — for one retrofit or a production line.