Does SAE 90 = 80W90?

   / Does SAE 90 = 80W90? #1  

sqdqo

Silver Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2009
Messages
237
Location
Marquette Michigan
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 492 w/Quicke Q750 loader
My tractor manual specifies SAE 90 for my front diff & finals. Is 80W90 the same? I don't see straight 90 anywhere. Any brands better than others?
 
   / Does SAE 90 = 80W90? #2  
80w90 is the new 90w. Pick whatever brand you like.
 
   / Does SAE 90 = 80W90? #3  
80W90 means the oil flows like a 80 weight oil cold, yet lubricates like a 90 weight oil when hot as defined by the SAE test procedure. Use it when SAE 90 is specified.
 
   / Does SAE 90 = 80W90? #4  
My tractor manual specifies SAE 90 for my front diff & finals. Is 80W90 the same? I don't see straight 90 anywhere. Any brands better than others?

Yes it is the same...close enough anyway. SAE 90 gear oil is equivalent to 50wt engine oil (SAE 80 = 30wt), so you could always dump that in instead if you want. 15W40 diesel oil is close enough to dump in there.
 
   / Does SAE 90 = 80W90? #5  
Please don't use anything but gear oil, like 80W-90 in a gearbox or axle that specifies it. Gear oils have viscosities similar to engine, hydraulic, and power train oils but those oils do not have the EP (Extreme Pressure) additives found in gear oil. Some gears have sliding contact or extremely high contact pressures and gear lubes have additives containing chlorine, sulfur, or phosphorous phosphates that make it work. Conversely, some of these EP additives will erode clutch packs - power train or hydraulic oils are used in those applications. Hydraulic, power train and engine oils have anti-wear additives that are good for low pressures but they can't compare with EP additives. Along with 80W-90, there are alternatives that probable weren't available when your machine was built like 75W-90 synthetic, 85W-140 and 80W-140 that will suit your need. My predecessor made the mistake of specifying a gear oil in an axle with bronze faced friction disks got the brake and I had to write a multi-million dollar program to replace all the brakes and fill with a synthetic. Likewise he also specified a hydraulic oil where a gear oil was needed and as a resulted in wiping out several hundred limited slip differentials that needed the EP additive.
 
 
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