Tiller gear oil for tiller

[Anonymous Poster]

I just bought a King Kutter TG-60 Tiller from Quality Farm and Fleet. It has a large sticker on the side saying that it was shipped without gear oil. So, I checked the manual, which is poorly written, and on page 1 of the manual it states "90W-140W" for the oil and that the top gear box should be "1/3 full". Later in the manual, Figure 11 also says "1/3 full" and it shows a check plug on the side. Since it was unclear to me if there was supposed to be a check plug on the top gear box, I sent and email to King Kutter and here's what I got:

There is not a check plug for the top gear, it is suppose to be filled 2/3 full. It holds approx. 1 quart of 40 weight gearoil. The side gearbox will hold approx. 2 quarts.

Now what do I do? The manual and the guy at King Kutter (the email didn't give a name) disagree on what weight oil to use and how much to put in the top gear box. What would some of you do? Taking it back and getting my money back has crossed my mind!

 

[RobS]

Danny, that is a conundrum, isn't it? (Harv used that word first on this board /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif ) If you're like me, you bought King Kutter for the price. If you can afford more, I'd suggest taking it back and getting a "better" brand such as Bush Hog. On the other hand, gearboxes like these are fairly forgiving as they operate at relatively low speeds and low stress levels (not much heat generated). As long as there is "some" lube in there, or has been in the recent past, it'll probably be fine. If it were me, I'd use whichever spec that puts more lube in as long as there is some airspace for expansion and run with it. I'd also save both specs in the unlikely event of a problem /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Sounds good, I'll fill it to 2/3 full. Which weight would you use, the 40 or the 90W-140? Can't afford more, so I would like to make this one work. Thanks.

 

[Bird]

Danny, I'd probably send him another e-mail and ask, but I wonder whether he said "40" when he meant "140"? Anyway, I'd use the 90W-140 (I can't remember for sure whether they have such a number, but know there is 85W-140).

By the way, Danny, I assume you have checked to see whether there is already oil in it. When I bought my Howse brush hog, I bought it just the way it came off the truck (got it cheaper if I didn't mind doing the assembly) and the dealer warned me that they are shipped without oil in the gearbox, so be sure and fill it before use. Well, when I started to do that I found it was already full and a year and a half later, I've still never had to add any.

Bird<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Bird on 03/08/01 03:17 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[RobS]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the oil weight part of the question. Here's what I'd do: Wait for a member of the forum who actually owns a tiller to respond /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Like the fill level, it probably doesn't matter much in this application. Might as well use the same weight that the the higher line manufacturers recommend.

Anyone out there with a tiller manual to help /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Rob, I have a manual for my Bush Hog tiller and it calls for 27 oz. of EP80W-90 gear oil in the "Input gearbox" (in other words the PTO gearbox. But I don't have a side gearbox with oil in it. Mine is chain drive on the side and holds about two pounds of "multi-purpose grease."

Bird

 

[TraderMark]

Danny Y...
A lot of manufacturers are going to lighter weight oils these days. If you have a standard transmission in your pick-up, chances are it has ATF in it instead of 90wt, althought I've never heard a manufacturer specify 40wt... it's usually 30wt or lighter they specify, but if I were you I would email King Kutter again and make sure of the spec. The printed manual could easily be outdated but still in print.

 

[blair]

Kuhn calls for SAE 90 in their tillers.

 

[Scaper]

Hey Danny, I have a Befco 66" tiller that I use on a TC33D New Holland. Bought mine at CT Farm and Tractor before they started selling the King Kutter. My unit states in the book that I should use 90W or 140W in the box. I use 90-140 in my machine. It gets alot of tough use and it has been a joy to have. So go for it and put in the 90-140 and be done with it. I looked at the King Kutter two weekends ago and found them to be a HD looking machine. The gear drive from what I have been told is very strong and lasts alittle longer in the end. The one thing I didn't like was that the machine had no side shift to it. I use this feature alot when working a fence line so that I have a better field of view. As long as you can see the outside edge of the machine while sitting on your seat your ok. Never,never stand while tilling, had a friend fall off his tractor due to wet feet and mud , damn near got tilled under and run over to boot. Be careful especially if you till with the cruise on if you have that feature on your tractor. Remember that 1-2 mph is a good pace to till at, the slower the better.

Scaper

 

[DavidH]

Danny: I have a Sovema tiller with top oil fill and side chain drive. It uses 80w-90 gear oil in both. It is to be filled to 1/2 due to expansion. Any more and it could blow the seals.

DaveH