Front axle gear oil

[Alan57]

Is Lucas 80w-90 Heavy Duty Gear oil a good choice for front axle?

 

[Mrsig]

I use synthetic 85W 120 in mine.

 

[Cycledude]

Any brand 80-90 will work just fine, high priced Lucas will just make your wallet thinner

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I used the 85w140 in mine. Usually this weight is full synthetic. Any brand will do.... it's not a " high speed axle". The synthetic 140 wt has very high sheer rating

 

[Texasmark]

Is Lucas 80w-90 Heavy Duty Gear oil a good choice for front axle?

My 2007 Branson 6530 came with THD fluid specified for the front axle. After some embarrassing actions, I tore up the front bearings. I decided to use 85W-140 (living in Texas) for the fluid after I repaired it and that was the end of that.

Fast forward: I buy a 2016 Branson 2400.......I later traded for my current LS MT225s. The fill cap/dipstick on the front axle had stamped 80W-90 as was specified in the OM, not THD fluid.......... So here is a case where somebody realized that THD isn't necessarily what you use in your front axle when you work your machine really hard. So, what did I do with my 225 as soon as the dealer delivered it? You guessed it...... in with the gear oil brand new tractor. Haven't been sorry with over a year's usage now.

Yeah I know the yackety yack exceptions where you went to the moon with your THD but this is my story....and I'm not planning any trips to the moon. Grin.

Additionally, I had a Tough Torque hydro riding mower not survive an impact with a rigid object. Tore into it, found the bad part and ordered from TT. When I got the parts I had the parts I ordered, a gimmie cap, and a note that said basically, up the viscosity of your fluid!

 

[tomplum]

What's the spec? My LS specs GL4 in the front axle. GL5 or it being synthetic is not an automatic substitute.

 

[Alan57]

Good point, the specs call for GL4 in front axle. The Lucas I used is rated at GL5 and is a non synthetic. I wonder if using the Lucas will do any harm? When I got the tractor back from a dealer after some warranty work and the front axle was 2 qts low so I used the Lucas to top it off.

 

[Cycledude]

Good point, the specs call for GL4 in front axle. The Lucas I used is rated at GL5 and is a non synthetic. I wonder if using the Lucas will do any harm? When I got the tractor back from a dealer after some warranty work and the front axle was 2 qts low so I used the Lucas to top it off.

Any idea why it was 2 quarts low ?

 

[Alan57]

Any idea why it was 2 quarts low ?

I park it inside on new concrete floor and there are no signs of leaking so I’m assuming the dealer didn’t fill it completely after repairing a front axle leak.

 

[Cycledude]

Hopefully you didn’t somehow over fill it