OP
johnrex62
Veteran Member
Hi Guys, back with the update. The manual calls for SAE80W-90EP lube. The mower was purchased new, so I was surprised to see grease in the gearbox. I recall someone saying their mower was shipped dry, so maybe the dealer put the grease in it. I called the manufacturer and asked about the grease and was told they are shipped with 000 grease. It is a "flowable" grease that sticks to the gears better.
They told me to use a wire to check the grease level, and if it was at or slightly above the check hole I was okay and not to worry about it. If the level was significantly higher, then water had floated the grease and I would need to empty the gearbox and replace the grease after rinsing out any contaminants. They did not provide any procedure for cleaning it up, but I figured the advice I got here was plenty good.
I checked and the level was exactly where they said it should be, so I fired up the mower to see how it acted. There was a good deal of vibration that was not there the last time I used it, so I shut it down after a few seconds. I figured something may have washed into the blades or jumper and wrapped around it, or maybe the jumper could have a void or something holding water. I checked and could not find anything underneath or wrapped around anything, also could not see anyplace that would hold water. I decided to empty the gearbox and clean it out anyway just to be safe.
I could not get the mower tilted to a sufficient angle for the grease or water to flow out, so I used a suction pump and got as much as possible out. I filled it with diesel and ATF a few times, spinning the gears by hand to agitate the contents, and sucked that out as well. Lastly I filled it with 91% alcohol and agitated it until only clear alcohol was coming back out when sucked out. With the mower tilted as much as I could get it, I blew air in the fill hole until nothing came out of the check hole for several moments. I figure this is as clean as I would be able to get it without completely tearing it apart and wiping the inside with a cloth.
I had not found any 000 grease anywhere yet, so I filled it with the gear oil recommended in the manual that I was able to find at TSC. I spun it up by hand and checked the level to be sure I did not drop the level when any voids or air pockets filled or worked out when the gears turned. Everything seemed good, so I was able to mow for a couple hours yesterday with no issues. Everything looks good now and no more vibrations. Must have been the grease, even though it appeared to be okay visually and by level.
To answer the question as to why I did not move it to higher ground......1) water has never risen that high in the last 50 years according to the long term residents, 2) The water had not reached it when I looked outside at 8am, and I thought it had already risen to it's high point, and 3) the tractor was not hooked up to it and when I saw the water had reached it, I would have had to drive it across a field under several feet of water to reach the mower to hook it up. I would rather risk the mower than the tractor.
They told me to use a wire to check the grease level, and if it was at or slightly above the check hole I was okay and not to worry about it. If the level was significantly higher, then water had floated the grease and I would need to empty the gearbox and replace the grease after rinsing out any contaminants. They did not provide any procedure for cleaning it up, but I figured the advice I got here was plenty good.
I checked and the level was exactly where they said it should be, so I fired up the mower to see how it acted. There was a good deal of vibration that was not there the last time I used it, so I shut it down after a few seconds. I figured something may have washed into the blades or jumper and wrapped around it, or maybe the jumper could have a void or something holding water. I checked and could not find anything underneath or wrapped around anything, also could not see anyplace that would hold water. I decided to empty the gearbox and clean it out anyway just to be safe.
I could not get the mower tilted to a sufficient angle for the grease or water to flow out, so I used a suction pump and got as much as possible out. I filled it with diesel and ATF a few times, spinning the gears by hand to agitate the contents, and sucked that out as well. Lastly I filled it with 91% alcohol and agitated it until only clear alcohol was coming back out when sucked out. With the mower tilted as much as I could get it, I blew air in the fill hole until nothing came out of the check hole for several moments. I figure this is as clean as I would be able to get it without completely tearing it apart and wiping the inside with a cloth.
I had not found any 000 grease anywhere yet, so I filled it with the gear oil recommended in the manual that I was able to find at TSC. I spun it up by hand and checked the level to be sure I did not drop the level when any voids or air pockets filled or worked out when the gears turned. Everything seemed good, so I was able to mow for a couple hours yesterday with no issues. Everything looks good now and no more vibrations. Must have been the grease, even though it appeared to be okay visually and by level.
To answer the question as to why I did not move it to higher ground......1) water has never risen that high in the last 50 years according to the long term residents, 2) The water had not reached it when I looked outside at 8am, and I thought it had already risen to it's high point, and 3) the tractor was not hooked up to it and when I saw the water had reached it, I would have had to drive it across a field under several feet of water to reach the mower to hook it up. I would rather risk the mower than the tractor.
