Filling your gearbox with grease

RobJ · Aug 8, 2008

This came up in another thread and I was curious how many people do this with modern equipment. RC, FM, etc. Mine still has 90w but I haven't touched it in years. No leaks no problems. I should probably check it this weekend.

Rob

BTackett · Aug 8, 2008

I messed with the old Gravely 2 wheel tractors and it said to use 140w gear lube and you cannot find it any longer. I drained everything and filled with grease and used them for years . Lubrimatic makes gear lube for boat motors and bearing grease I believe still sells / makes 140w gear oil in qts but it is very hard to find a store that sells it.

Bill

JerryK · Aug 9, 2008

RobJ said:
This came up in another thread and I was curious how many people do this with modern equipment. RC, FM, etc. Mine still has 90w but I haven't touched it in years. No leaks no problems. I should probably check it this weekend.

Rob

i had an older rototiller that had a leaky two piece pressed metal drivecase, with an enclosed chain between the tiller shaft and the drive pulley shaft. I installed a zerk in the upper area of the case, and pumped the cavity full of about 4 tubes of cheap grease. It ran for years after that, with no problem.
I don't think I would use grease on a normal gearbox. I usually drain the old petrol based gearbox oil, and then fill with Mobile 1 90W. But I wouldn't put the expensive stuff into one that leaks.

zionview · Aug 9, 2008

We use a 50-50 mix of non-detergent engine oil and #2 lithium grease for old gearboxes-been doing it for years and haven't had a failure yet.

Glowplug · Aug 9, 2008

You can use a flowable grease such as a #00. It has the consistency of a slime. My Rhino 10' cutter has it in all 3 gear boxes.

HayDR · Aug 10, 2008

Glowplug said:
You can use a flowable grease such as a #00. It has the consistency of a slime. My Rhino 10' cutter has it in all 3 gear boxes.

Make sure you use EP-00. The EP designation matters.

HappyCPE · Aug 10, 2008

I run grease in my old 6' brush cutter. Works fine for the last 3 years. Then again, the machine came free with the farm... I wouldn't do that with anything that I actually had money invested in.

DrRick · Aug 11, 2008

John deere "corn head grease" works very well .
rick

Kays Supply · Aug 11, 2008

When I messed with the Grey Market tractors, some of the importers put Lucas additive ,full stength, in the front ends to replace 90 wt. It would make a grease slick around the joint but would stay in pretty good. I have a friend that has a mower that the gear box gets so hot you didn't want to touch it. It finally blew the seal out. He got a vent for the top and filled it with Lucas. It has done great since.

HayDR · Aug 11, 2008

Kays Supply said:
When I messed with the Grey Market tractors, some of the importers put Lucas additive, full strength, in the front ends to replace 90 wt. It would make a grease slick around the joint but would stay in pretty good. I have a friend that has a mower that the gear box gets so hot you didn't want to touch it. It finally blew the seal out. He got a vent for the top and filled it with Lucas. It has done great since.

A plugged vent will cause a gearbox to heat up and cause oil to be pushed by a seal.