Gear Box leaking foaming

[wsamples]

Brand new Woods Rotary cutter that intermittently has lubricant coming out of the overflow on top, it always looks foamy.
It is NOT overfilled that was the first thing checked. Supplier I bought it from already replaced the little diaphragm seal thinking it may be bad but within 20 minutes of using it after that work, it started doing the same thing again.

 

[Coyote machine]

Water in the oil? Pull cover, inspect, drain it, and refill.

 

[wsamples]

Thanks Yote. It's brand new and was filled at shop by dealer and never rained on. Wondering if wrong lubricant may have been put in gear box. They have warranted it and refilled it again and still doing this.

 

[MF283]

It's got water in it, hence the color. If you run it & get it hot during cooler weather, it will cause condensation when cooling down, heck, they'll do that sitting.

Ronnie

 

[Egon]

Running for extended work time at loaded conditions may keep the water from forming. In this case change oil.

 

[Coyote machine]

Thanks Yote. It's brand new and was filled at shop by dealer and never rained on. Wondering if wrong lubricant may have been put in gear box. They have warranted it and refilled it again and still doing this.

What are you cutting with it, and at what RPMs? How long are you running it at a time?

 

[Leejohn]

What I found out was the check valve is to stiff in the breather cap. I was getting a lot of condensation and had to change the lube ever year I replaced it with a clear tube, ran it up the bars that go to the 3pt. Then let it loop down so the end would point down and filter on the end. I think one of the filters is a gas filter out of a weed eater or chain saw. No more condensation and been running the same oil for years now and it still looks good, just checked again this spring.

 

[Gator6x4]

What I found out was the check valve is to stiff in the breather cap. I was getting a lot of condensation and had to change the lube ever year I replaced it with a clear tube, ran it up the bars that go to the 3pt. Then let it loop down so the end would point down and filter on the end. I think one of the filters is a gas filter out of a weed eater or chain saw. No more condensation and been running the same oil for years now and it still looks good, just checked again this spring.

I also have switched from Dino to synthetic gear oil and stopped the problem. I agree with what other posters have already stated the color of the oil in the pictures indicates water in the oil.

 

[TomSeller]

And keep the gearbox covered from rain. Most dealers do not have the space to store brush hogs under cover and they can get water in them if they haven't been filled with oil or not. When they did fill it, the water would not necessarily be noticed and when they drained it, they may not have drained it adequately. Could be wrong, but that sure looks like oil contaminated with water. Woods is a good brand so once you figure this problem out, you are all set for many years.

 

[Stimw]

The fill level should be that plug on the side of the box less than half the way up.
Sure looks like water contaminated.

 

[ch1ch2]

The fill level should be that plug on the side of the box less than half the way up.
Sure looks like water contaminated.

I agree!
And you can take that to the bank.
Don't over complicate things.

 

[Coyote machine]

If you can't figure out what is going on, I'd pull the top cover plate and drain ALL the oil, look for water in the gearbox, then refill it to the plug on the side of the gearbox with the appropriate grade/brand oil. Reinstall the top plate with a new gasket as needed. Done.

 

[IndustrialMech]

I would have to agree with everyone who said waterm in there gear oil from the color.