What lube in front axle?

BJN644 · Oct 1, 2008

Some of the recent post have made me think about my front axle a little more. It's almost first service time, the manual says to use hydraulic or gear oil in the front axle. There is quite a viscosity difference between hydraulic and gear lube, just wondering what everyone is using in their tractor.

contdevelop · Oct 1, 2008

my dealer told me to use 5 quarts of 90W.

ToadHill · Oct 1, 2008

When I did my first service the dealer told me to use the same fluid in the front end that I used in the rear. So for the last 700 hours I've used trans/hyd fluid in the front axel as well as the rest of the tractor.

IslandTractor · Oct 1, 2008

90W is I believe what is called for. That's what I have been using and it is what my dealer provided when I asked.

Patches · Oct 1, 2008

I use Mobil 1, 75/90W synthetic in mine. I use my tractor for snow removal and want lubricants with the lowest available pour points, so as to get the maximum lubricity possible. The little extra it costs for the drain intervals involved is of no significant consequence and if you've ever seen someone attempt to pour 90W gear lube at -10*F

, you know what I mean

kentrodngun · Oct 1, 2008

Figured I'd harp in here too. My front end was leaking and I use it too much to lay it up during the season. I was putting in 90 weight gear oil but it would leak out and stain the garage floor and the trailer deck.

I spoke with the John Deere dealer and he suggested (as a interim fix) to fill it with corn head grease. It liquefies under extreme hot conditions and stays like loose grease when cool. I pumped it into the front end and have used it for the past two years

.

Maybe I'll get around to replacing the seals next year or maybe not

.

BJN644 · Oct 1, 2008

Patches said:
I use Mobil 1, 75/90W synthetic in mine. I use my tractor for snow removal and want lubricants with the lowest available pour points, so as to get the maximum lubricity possible. The little extra it costs for the drain intervals involved is of no significant consequence and if you've ever seen someone attempt to pour 90W gear lube at -10*F, you know what I mean

The cold temps. here in Maine is one reason I was leaning towards the hydraulic fluid, just wanted to hear what others were using. Hoping one of the dealers would chime in and say what they use, like I said originally the manual says gear or hydraulic, unless I'm reading it wrong.

Patches · Oct 1, 2008

There's no question a universal tractor fluid will work and maintain the warranty, but I'm looking for something more substantial in an area that is subject to significant stress(turning and driving). The UTF works in the(common sump) transmission/differential/hydraulic area quite well, but if I could upgrade the performance in that area significantly with a synthetic at a reasonable cost, I would. The small investment in the front end involving a synthetic lubricant is a "no-brainer" IMHO.

BJN644 · Oct 2, 2008

ToadHill said:
When I did my first service the dealer told me to use the same fluid in the front end that I used in the rear. So for the last 700 hours I've used trans/hyd fluid in the front axel as well as the rest of the tractor.

Stopped by my dealer today, this is exactly what they told me. They said the thinner hydraulic oil lubricates better in cold weather than the thicker gear oil, which is what I was thinking too.