What is the proper way to grease a gear-drive deck?

[rmaynard 15,428]

I know how to grease the bearings via the zerk fittings, what what type and how much grease do you pack around the gears without have it run out and go all over the top of the deck?

 

 

 

 

 

[Pullstart 62,807]

I’ve been told, the grease zerks simply make a mess.  Coat the gears with grease yourself and save a lot of time and mess.  

[peter lena 8,587]

@rmarnard, if you use a polyurea based grease like the lucas extra heavy duty , with anti sling additives , available at wallmart for $5 , it will stay with the gear unit . this grease retracts on itself after use , insuring its gear protection . use in all my bearing areas , with  no noise or bearing failures. just slapping on any grease will make a mess , as it has no anti sling additives . also a 560 drop point just my own experience , pete 

[rmaynard 15,428]

Is this what you are recommending?

[ri702bill 8,294]

All:

Each of you are correct. You still need to lube the needle bearing via the zerk - 2 or 3 pumps with the hand grease gun until you feel resistance. I prefer to remove the covers - it is easier to locate the zerk fittings and gives me an opportunity to inspect, clean, and relube the gears. Then the covers go back on ...

Bill

[JoeM 7,871]

Polyurea grease is excellent stuff for the application.

One word of caution. Polyurea grease and lithium greases don't mix all the time or well. A lot of the common high temp bearing greases today are lithium based grease. 

If using lithium based grease in the past the lithium grease should be cleaned out before installing the polyurea grease. If not a chance of mal lubricating ability may happen.

 

[squonk 41,040]

Just for the Halibut, I take off the covers, go through a half case of rags and clean everything. Then a couple of pumps on the zerk and good coating on the gears. Then red silicone on the covers install and trim away access silicone. Start up the mower and the gears bang away like the last 5 decks that I have had. 

 

(If doing a belt change, A case and a half of rags!)

[rmaynard 15,428]

It's funny what you find from previous owners. Left side was filled with something that looked like gray jello. The others side looked like regular amber wheel bearing grease. The gray stuff did not run out all over the deck, but the amber stuff made a mess. 

Me getting ready to clean the grease out

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Hi Bob, 

i dismounted the Gearbox completely, while i changed the Bearings and seals,

while i do this i degrease it completely and regreased it.

A thin cardboard as Seal ( made of a cornflakes box) under the Gearbox covers keeps the Grease on mine very well,

so absolute no signs of loosing grease.

 

I grease the Gears directly with a heavy duty high Temp Grease with PTFE indegrents.

I do this last year when i got the Horse with this mowerdeck and it appears to be a good solution.

the spindles works very gently since with less force except i cut higher grass ( over 10cm) height at once.

The deck can handle it, but it wears massively the Belt.

Since the Engineswap to a 9HP Predator and a changed Pulley +5mm in diameter it works at 2600RPM perfect.

 

In the Zerks i give them 1 press of grease after each Month in Season use and after last Mowing before Winter.

 

If i feel a resistance on the Greasegun in the zerks i stop immediately and don‘t use any force to prevent blasting the Seals.

That reduces a little the Sirring noise and make not that mess of grease arround the mowerdeck Top.

 

It cut‘s like a champ each 1-2 Weeks 1500sqm at once.

[peter lena 8,587]

@RMARNARD, yes that is the stuff, since converting over to it on all my bearing , and lubrication areas , its been bombproof . it stays with just about anything , its got a similar rating to the john deere polyurea grease above , that polyurea rating is terrific. when I do over my bearings , simply pop off the side rubber shields , carefully wipe out existing grease , and refill with the hi temp. no whining bearing noise just solid quiet bearing performance , no failures since change over , pete

[peter lena 8,587]

@RMARNARD, most important thing about a re grease , is the width of the bearing side shield , if the bearing is small and the side shield very narrow , its simply not worth it . but having done a number of these , even on new bearings its easy. on my drive belt flat idler pulley , the original bearing is very small , took that to a local bearing distributor , wall match up board , found the same size pulley with a 5/8" bearing , wide side shields . also picked up a bronze  5/8x 3/8 bushing . popped of the shields , total clean out , lucas h/d grease , press in the bushing, reinstall shields , that pulley is solid /  smooth and runs with zero effort . this is just my own experience , but if you are at the opportunity point to improve something , why not do it ?  pete