grease in gear case

[Citydude]

i bought a used 6' Howse rotery cutter a couple of months ago. The weather warmed up and I thought I would go over the mechanics of the machine. I discovered that there is grease in the gearbox mixed in with the gear oil. Why would someone do that and should I clean it out and put fresh oil in it?

 

[Loadstar]

May have done it preventatively or because there was something going on. As long as it's grease it probably won't hurt a thing. Sometimes when I would rebuild gearboxes I would pack bearings with grease. They could not be stored full of oil and I figured some yo-yo would install one without filling it. Well sure enough they put one in and it went for a month before the gears chewed from no lube. Bearings still looked good though

 

[Citydude]

May have done it preventatively or because there was something going on. As long as it's grease it probably won't hurt a thing. Sometimes when I would rebuild gearboxes I would pack bearings with grease. They could not be stored full of oil and I figured some yo-yo would install one without filling it. Well sure enough they put one in and it went for a month before the gears chewed from no lube. Bearings still looked good though

OK, Thanks Loadstar. I'll leave the grease in there. It sounds fine when engaged and up to speed.

 

[lumberjack1986]

Sometimes people will pack them with grease when the seal goes out.

 

[sandman2234]

I think the best thing is corn head grease for a leaking seal...
David from jax

 

[tift104]

I bought a new Massey hay cutter 2 years ago and the gear box on it comes from the factory with grease. I had the same question because every other mower I own has gear oil in the gear box. Read the book and it said that the recommend lube for the gear box was that high heat grease. But as a general rule of thumb if there is grease in the gear box on a mower there is a good chance the seal is gone. Kinda like the old used car salesman trick of putting saw dust in the rear end of a car if it leaks. Does good if you test drive it but get down the road after you paid for it and the rear end locks up.

 

[Citydude]

I bought a new Massey hay cutter 2 years ago and the gear box on it comes from the factory with grease. I had the same question because every other mower I own has gear oil in the gear box. Read the book and it said that the recommend lube for the gear box was that high heat grease. But as a general rule of thumb if there is grease in the gear box on a mower there is a good chance the seal is gone. Kinda like the old used car salesman trick of putting saw dust in the rear end of a car if it leaks. Does good if you test drive it but get down the road after you paid for it and the rear end locks up.

Yep, I thought of that. There is no "oily" residue underneath it but that doesn't mean the seals still good. I guess I'll find out when I put it to work. Thanks

 

[Xfaxman]

i bought a used 6' Howse rotery cutter a couple of months ago. The weather warmed up and I thought I would go over the mechanics of the machine. I discovered that there is grease in the gearbox mixed in with the gear oil. Why would someone do that and should I clean it out and put fresh oil in it?

It may have come from the factory with grade 0 grease in it. Do a search for corn head grease, or NLGI grade 0 (zero).

Here is a thread on it: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/271324-grease-rotary-cutter-gear-box.html

 

[hhsco]

My 30 year old bushog had the seals go out and I was advised to simply replace the oil with cornhead grease. I did so a couple years ago and it seems to function flawlessly with no leakage or heat buildup. From what I understand it is very important to use this particular grade of grease or the gears will simply "throw" the grease to the sides of the housing and no longer be lubricated.

 

[RDrancher]

It may have come from the factory with grade 0 grease in it. Do a search for corn head grease, or NLGI grade 0 (zero).

Here is a thread on it: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/271324-grease-rotary-cutter-gear-box.html

Right after I bought it, my new-to-me ctl developed a leak in the cone seal between the final and drive motor. I'm trying to buy some time before the inevitable $3.5k fix. Straight 140w was a no go and even Lucas hub oil leaked out pretty good. I found the corn head grease searching for an answer. I filled it full of JD Corn Head Grease yesterday. After two full days of hogging out baseball to truck tire size rock it's still full. Checking it with a point and shoot laser t-meter, the grease filled side actually measured 5 degrees cooler. :thumbsup:

 

[Citydude]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll call around and get some corn head grease. I feel a lot better about the purchase now. Again, thanks for your input!

 

[pokerboy57]

What's so unique about corn head grease ?

 

[RDrancher]

What's so unique about corn head grease ?

It heats up and gets fluid around the gears, but keeps a heavier consistency elsewhere. Check out this video. JESCO/John Deere Corn Head Grease - YouTube

 

[hhsco]

That's basically how I understand it as well...it is sort of multi-viscosity. Looks like regular grease when you pump it in, but behaves like more of a fluid when the gears are hot.

Maybe regular ole grease would work just as well. I certainly thought about it. But I've been using the corn head for a while now and my experience says it does the trick. I'm not generally one to stick with the "but that's the way we've always done it" line....but **** if it doesn't do the trick. Sure beats actually fixing the gear box!

 

[Xfaxman]

What's so unique about corn head grease ?[

It is thixotropic! :thumbsup:

 

[McCaskey]

Good tip on the corn head grease.
The seals on my bush hog went years ago, filled it up with gear oil and a tube of grease, been fine for 15 years now.

 

[JWR]

Late comments: Yes, the typical "fix" for leaking mainshaft seal is to put in grease instead of gear oil. Yes, many dealers recommend cornhead grease. The reason is that cornhead grease is formulated to cling to the gears. But BY FAR the most common practice is to use "00 Grease." Your friendly Tractor Supply sells "double zero grease" in a squeeze bottle the same shape and size as 90 wt gear oil. I hear it is used all over the south for bush hogs and has been for years. It is a heavy lube somewhere between gear oil and much closer to grease gun grease. Not quite the same as "cornhead grease" but easier to put in using the squeeze bottle. In my view the "00 grease" is fine and unless the seal is so bad that it won't stay in the gearbox you'll be fine with it.