Grease vs Gear Oil

[Rockin' G Ranch]

My Agric tiller gear box leaks so bad that I can't keep it full for long jobs. I don't want to tear it apart to change all of the gaskets and oil seal. What do ya'll think about just filling the gear box with grease?

[Mighty Dodge]

Grease being thick wont flow to the bearings or other internal parts, gears, chain, etc. It's best to fix replace the seals, gaskets etc. That way you can also check the other internal parts to make sure the parts are in good order and show no unusual wear.

M.D.

[ampsucker]

yeah, i would skip on the grease. too thick.

if you just want to get through the season, i would get something like STP motor honey or equivalent. it is thick as molasses but still flows and flows better when hot. it will still lube but won't leak as bad.

work it through the summer, then rip it apart and fix the seals this winter when you have some down time and want to work next to the wood stove in the shop....

amp

[Kays Supply]

Lucas additive straight, is what they put in leaky 4x4 front ends and tillers etc. It is a patch like mentioned above.

[SPYDERLK]

My Agric tiller gear box leaks so bad that I can't keep it full for long jobs. I don't want to tear it apart to change all of the gaskets and oil seal. What do ya'll think about just filling the gear box with grease?

NLGI#2 has worked well for me for many years in a bushog in heavy use that shakes it a bit. NLGI1 would probably be fluid enuf for a tiller to shake it into the bearings. Maybe mix in a little gearoil occasionaly
larry

[Bird]

I, too, would be reluctant to use grease instead of gear oil, but I had a neighbor who said he filled his with grease when the gear oil leaked out and that he'd been using it that way for 10 years.

[Jimbrown]

How about some of the grease they put in the bottom end of outboard motors. Ought to work just fine.

[Bird]

How about some of the grease they put in the bottom end of outboard motors. Ought to work just fine.

Jim, I've changed the oil in the lower unit of Evinrude, Johnson, and Mercury outboard engines and none used a thicker oil than the 80W-90 gear lube. In fact, I think they were all considerably thinner.

[madpogue]

What do folks think of that Farm Oyl brand "Fluid Gear Grease" for gearboxes and the like? Comes in a bottle like 90w, but it's thicker, more like grease. Seems to be a good compromise combination, flowing like 90w-ish oil, but thick enough not to leak past housing gaskets and shaft seals. We bought a used 5' KK rotary cutter last year, and the gearbox content looked something like Kahlua (obviously mixed with water). Replaced it with that Farm Oyl stuff, and have run it for 50 hours, so far so good.

[Glowplug]

There is a such thing as NLGI #00 grease. It's sort of a semi-liquid state, like a slime. It will flow like an oil but is much more viscous. It's basically what they put in the Rhino mower gearboxes. Works really well for leaky gearboxes. I know that Texas Refinery Corp. makes some that looks to be a superior product. It is called Millenium 2200. I actually had thought about getting some and replacing all my gear oil with it.