The balance-weight steel wire ropes of the three gorges ship-lift feature a complex operating environment, long length, large quantity, and high usage frequency. The existing lubrication method for these steel wire ropes poses high safety risks, consumes a long time, and leads to waste of human resources and materials. Based on the analysis of previous operation and maintenance experience, an optimization plan for the lubrication method of the steel wire ropes is proposed. The new lubrication method can effectively meet the lubrication process requirements of the balance-weight steel wire ropes at the ship-lift site, improve the lubrication efficiency, enhance the safety of lubricating the dead-rope section, and increase the service life, reliability, and maintenance economy of the balance-weight steel wire ropes.