Gearbox 00 Grease?

[jayfrank5074]

I have several Kubota mowers, they all have a deck gearbox. 2 i know have gear oil in them. Kubota says SAE80-SAE90 OR UDT or SUDT2, I put 75-90 synthetic in one and 80w90 in the other. Gearbox 3, i do not know what is in it. I just acquired it.

Multiple people tell me to put 00 grease in.


Some guys at work use semi fluid for semi trailer wheel bearings. While i feel it is good, it is also $30 for 28oz. It is matrix 460 by Neo brake.

I also have some 00 grease from Tractor Supply, it was $5.

Recommendations?

Is the Tractor supply grease ok? And change it every other year?
Find a better 00 grease?

Spend $100 every othe year on new seals and run UDT? I don’t want to do this, one its expensive, two its labor intensive.

B7500 w 60” belly mower
ZD21 w 60” mower
ZG20 w 48” mower—do not know what is in this one, but it was cool to the touch after cutting.

 

[rjcorazza]

I’ve read about using grease in gearboxes with leaking seals, but not as a first choice in a gearbox. I personally run 75w140 in my zd gearboxes. One is about 13 years old with 1600 hours on the original gearbox.


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[jayfrank5074]

I’ve read about using grease in gearboxes with leaking seals, but not as a first choice in a gearbox. I personally run 75w140 in my zd gearboxes. One is about 13 years old with 1600 hours on the original gearbox.


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I do not have any leaks at this time, BUT, I’ve heard too many horror stories from people I know, so I am being cautious.

Friend at work had a G2160 box go out, $800 later he runs the semi fluid I talked about.

 

[SDT]

I have several Kubota mowers, they all have a deck gearbox. 2 i know have gear oil in them. Kubota says SAE80-SAE90 OR UDT or SUDT2, I put 75-90 synthetic in one and 80w90 in the other. Gearbox 3, i do not know what is in it. I just acquired it.

Multiple people tell me to put 00 grease in.


Some guys at work use semi fluid for semi trailer wheel bearings. While i feel it is good, it is also $30 for 28oz. It is matrix 460 by Neo brake.

I also have some 00 grease from Tractor Supply, it was $5.

Recommendations?

Is the Tractor supply grease ok? And change it every other year?
Find a better 00 grease?

Spend $100 every othe year on new seals and run UDT? I don’t want to do this, one its expensive, two its labor intensive.

B7500 w 60” belly mower
ZD21 w 60” mower
ZG20 w 48” mower—do not know what is in this one, but it was cool to the touch after cutting.

Why would you consider using anything but the manufacturer recommended lubricant?

SDT

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Why would you consider using anything but the manufacturer recommended lubricant?

SDT

Because sometimes things that are different than the manufacturer recommended product just work better, and this is one of those cases.

There are several long time kubota techs that say their shops just automatically do it because it does work that much better.

 

[jayfrank5074]

Because sometimes things that are different than the manufacturer recommended product just work better, and this is one of those cases.

There are several long time kubota techs that say their shops just automatically do it because it does work that much better.

SDT————because as I said, I have heard a lot of horror stories from folks I know personally. I don’t want to have to go in or replace a box. AND I came here asking advice/experience.

Wolfman———so you say use the 00? Any brand? Tractor supply? Or another? Reviews are good on it.

 

[In Utopia]

If you're going the grease route, use one called Corn Head grease.
John Deere dealers sell it, and it's made for gear boxes.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Wolfman———so you say use the 00? Any brand? Tractor supply? Or another? Reviews are good on it.

I think just about any brand would do the trick.

If you were using it in a really warm climate I would agree with In Utopia, and go corn head grease.

 

[jayfrank5074]

I think just about any brand would do the trick.

If you were using it in a really warm climate I would agree with In Utopia, and go corn head grease.

I live in mid Mississippi, I cut at night sometimes. But in the day it can reach high 90’s. In the deep summer it’ll be mid 80’s at night.

I will sell the ZG20 eventually. Until then I will use it.

 

[SDT]

If you're going the grease route, use one called Corn Head grease.
John Deere dealers sell it, and it's made for gear boxes.

Premise: Any lube is better than no lube.

That said, I would certainly not recommend corn head grease in any gearbox other than a slow speed unit such as a steering gearbox except in a short term "emergency." It simply does not flow properly and does not have needed EP additives. A much better alternative for such short-term situations is CNH pourable High EP oil.

That said, corn head grease is commonly used in steering gearboxes of vintage tractors with worn sector shaft bushings resulting in leaking sector shaft seals even after replacement of such seals (but not the bushings). Again, CNH high EP grease/oil is a better alternative, though more likely to leak than corn head grease but much less likely to leak than is the recommended 90W.

One must ask why Kubota, or any other manufacturer, would recommend a lubricant less suitable for an application than another lubricant. One must also question why any professional mechanic would so recommend such lubricant against the recommendations of the manufacturer.

BTDT.

SDT

 

[jayfrank5074]

I think udt or gear oil is fine, unless something happens. I’m sure I’m paranoid enough I’ll be fine. If anything I probably do way more maintenance than is necessary.

 

[SDT]

I have several Kubota mowers, they all have a deck gearbox. 2 i know have gear oil in them. Kubota says SAE80-SAE90 OR UDT or SUDT2, I put 75-90 synthetic in one and 80w90 in the other. Gearbox 3, i do not know what is in it. I just acquired it.

Multiple people tell me to put 00 grease in.


Some guys at work use semi fluid for semi trailer wheel bearings. While i feel it is good, it is also $30 for 28oz. It is matrix 460 by Neo brake.

I also have some 00 grease from Tractor Supply, it was $5.

Recommendations?

Is the Tractor supply grease ok? And change it every other year?
Find a better 00 grease?

Spend $100 every othe year on new seals and run UDT? I don’t want to do this, one its expensive, two its labor intensive.

B7500 w 60” belly mower
ZD21 w 60” mower
ZG20 w 48” mower—do not know what is in this one, but it was cool to the touch after cutting.

Additional comments:

Corn head grease (available from many AG equipment manufacturers, not just JD) is not 00 lube but CNH pourable High EP lube is.

Corn head grease does not pour at temperatures tolerable by humans but CNH High EP grease does. Corn head grease comes in a paper tube as does chassis lube and must be installed with a grease gun.

Please explain how you plan to "change it every other year[?]" It will not flow out of the drain plug, requiring disassembly of the gearbox to remove it.

BTDT.

SDT

 

[jayfrank5074]

Additional comments:

Corn head grease (available from many AG equipment manufacturers, not just JD) is not 00 lube but CNH pourable High EP lube is.

Corn head grease does not pour at temperatures tolerable by humans but CNH High EP grease does. Corn head grease comes in a paper tube as does chassis lube and must be installed with a grease gun.

Please explain how you plan to "change it every other year[?]" It will not flow out of the drain plug, requiring disassembly of the gearbox to remove it.

BTDT.

SDT

I hadn’t planned on corn head. As stated, tractor supply sells “00” grease made by super s. It comes in a plastic quart bottle like gear oil.
I’m sure if I cut grass then pulled the plug it would run out. “00” is supposed to flow, I haven’t tried it.

Do you have anything with a mid mount mower gear box?

 

[SDT]

I hadn’t planned on corn head. As stated, tractor supply sells “00” grease made by super s. It comes in a plastic quart bottle like gear oil.
I’m sure if I cut grass then pulled the plug it would run out. “00” is supposed to flow, I haven’t tried it.

Do you have anything with a mid mount mower gear box?

Yes. I have 6 rotary cutters, including a 60" MMM bought new in 1993 with my B1750HSD.

The MMM has both center PTO driven gearbox and right side, powered grass catcher gearbox. Both have been lubed with "90W," actually 85W90 gear oil since 1993. I change both on occasion (not often enough) and have had no issues with either.

I also use the recommended 85W90 gear oil in my 5', 6', and 7' rotary cutters as well as my recently sold 10.5' mounted rotary cutter. No issues with any.

FWIW, My Father bought a used 1951 Ford 8N with Dunham HD rotary cutter in 1974. The rotary cutter gearbox leaked and 90W would not stay in. As recommended by the local IH dealer (remember, this was mid 1970s), he installed 00 oil (without the required EP (extreme pressure) additive). The cutter was used in this way for 25+ years without leak issues but gearbox noise became more and more evident over time.

For the engineers among you, most gearbox gears are case hardened. Such gears have a hardened surface that is designed to mesh with a similar surface on the meshing gear. The hardened surface is quite thin. EP additives in the lubricant protect the hardened surfaces from premature wear. The use of lubricants without such necessary EP additive, results in rapid wear of the gears. Once the thin case hardened layer is worn away, rapid wear of the non hardened metal results and gearbox failure is imminent.

About 20 years ago, I disassembled the gearbox of the Dunham cutter to replace the seals and, possibly, bearings. Upon inspection, I found that the bevel gears had worn approximately 1/3 - 1/2 way through the teeth. Replacement parts were not available, and such repair would not have been cost effective even if they were. I junked the mower (FWIW, this was the best 5' cutter that I ever owned) and bought another.

It's your gearbox. Do what you like.

SDT

 

[mattwithcats]

First, you need to determine if you need GL-4 or GL-5 gear oil.

GL-4 does not form a protective layer on the gears, but it does not eat yellow metals either.

Second is viscosity. 75W-90 is SAE 50W motor oil, so a heavier oil is 60W.

Presto, Final Drive Gear oil, SAE 60W...
Chevron, Delvac, Caterpillar, etc...

https://cglapps.chevron.com/sdspds/PDSDetailPage.aspx?docDataId=477506&docFormat=PDF

Getting a gallon or two may be a problem, however. Looks like it***8217;s sold in 55 gallon drums...

 

[mattwithcats]

Another choice is 140 gear oil

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/SLCSL24238

 

[jayfrank5074]

Another choice is 140 gear oil

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/SLCSL24238

Well udt is like a 20w and sudt2 is a 10w

Hmm we sell 50w synthetic at work....


Sdt——does udt or sudt2 have ep properties? I didnt know of a hydro oil that did, but could learn something today....