Mower Grease

[josolar]

I picked up some Lucas Red N' Tacky, which I plan on using for the slow moving parts (loader etc), and I got Coastal hi-temp grease which I plan to use on the mower spindles and the PTO. Both have a drop point of 540f. Do I need to use different grease for different application? Or will either grease be fine for both the loader and mower spindles?

 

[gwdixon]

I'll go with the "anything will do" crowd. Any grease is better than no grease.

However, different greases are made for different applications...otherwise there would only be one kind.

 

[KennyV]

Use something with molly in it for Both loader & spindles...
Amsoil has a good one... AMSOIL vs Lucas Grease Test - YouTube

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I know there are different grades of grease and different prices. Some greases are 10 times or more higher priced than others. My own personal opinion which isn't based on ANY form of mechanical education, maintenance job for pay experience or any side by side lab tests is that ANY grease from the $1 a tube to the $15 a tube will meet any and all of the requirements for a tractor used for normal home user.
There are people that never grease their equipment and after 50 to 75 years it may freeze up and can be blamed on not being greased, ever.
There are those that have theirs greased at the 50 then 200 then the 400 and then evry 200 hours after that when they take it to the dealer for service and theirs never tear up.
There are those who grease theirs every time they get on/off of it and some of them use the $1 grease and some of them use the $15 tube. Most of these also don't tear up.
There are those who grease theirs every 10 hours and theirs also usually don't tear up.
There are the stories about those who let theirs get 11 hours and the whole tractor disintegrated but I've never actually known personally any of those people only the rumors.
Some businesses grease theirs regularly, whatever that it based on the owners opinion, and some businesses never grease theirs and trade often or figure the cost of repairs are cheaper than paying a mechanic many extra hours of pay for greasing instead of operating the piece of equipment.
Some people grease some fittings but not all grease fittings. Some grease them all and some add more fittings.
I fit in here some where in the middle. I buy the Tractor Supply/Rural King on sale 10 for $10 tubes and when I can't remember when I greased last and have a few extra minutes I fire up the compressor, attach the grease gun (have a second $18 from Amazon air powered grease gun arriving today from Amazon so I'll have one at home and one at rental property) and start greasing.
If I had something besides a tractor that ran at a couple zillions turns per second or minute, I'd probably get a more specific grease for that piece of equipment but nothing on a tractor turns or moves at those speeds.
Keep it greased with new grease on some schedule and you'll die before it tears up is my opinion. Spend more money if it will let you sleep better knowing you gave it your best. Some people pick the in between price so they can feel good knowing they did better (loved it more) than just the cheapest grade but not so much as to appear foolish buying the one NASA and the ones the race car drivers use that have company sponsers that make the grease giving it to them for no cost.

 

[Ken45101]

I use Deere multipurpose poly urea grease for everything. I prefer not to need different grease guns for different fittings. They use it for extended (50 hour) use on skid steer pins and buckets, and use it for factory lube of u-joints and wheel bearings.

Multi-Purpose SD Polyurea Grease (TY6341, TY24421, TY24422, TY26982, CXTY24419)

Applications
ｷ Ideal in rolling-contact applications
ｷ -15 to 350ｰF (-26 to 177ｰC)
ｷ For high-temperature, extreme-pressure conditions
ｷ Used for initial lubrication at the factory in U-joints and axle bearings
ｷ For excellent protection in corrosive and wet conditions
ｷ Compatible with most other types of grease
ｷ Excellent for all-purpose applications, especially those requiring a severe-duty grease
ｷ Our best multi-purpose grease

Service rating
ｷ Equipment manufacturers' extended service intervals
ｷ NLGI grade 2

It's about $4 a tube.
If someone can tell me where it's deficient for overall use, please do!

 

[Turbys_1700]

My son works at a golf course in maintenance...
They grease all equipment daily...
They use the less expensive grease...
They have very few failures...

 

[Tollster]

Any grease is better than none.
However, all grease has specific uses, such as a general Lithium EP Multipurpose grease intended for operating at moderate speeds , such as your pulley's on the mower deck.
I typically use a lithium EP grease for the deck pulleys as straight lithium will not stand up to any temp over 275F, I doubt they get that hot, but who knows.

Other grease's use various stiffeners and additives for their intended purpose. Like the BH and FEL tend to be thicker to withstand shear force you would find in high load joints, so the grease is retained between the mating surfaces under load and not easily squished out of the joint.

I try to always use the specified grease for the intended use, otherwise, you may very well have to grease more than the maintenance schedule, or suffer premature failure.

 

[sixdogs]

For me it's a lithium grease for basic things and a lithium-moly blend for things like mower spindles and loaders. Deere grease if it matters. My opinion was formed over decades of reading owner's manuals that suggested the above. I grease frequently and have never had any sort of failure. Seems to me if you were grease at the required frequency, any grease would suffice and there would be no failures from lack of grease.

Ken45101 has a point in using Deere poly urea for everything. I thought of doing that.
JohnThomas makes sense on the act of greasing actially being more important than what you grease with.