# Bush Hog gearbox grease



## Shagbark

So.. I buy a CL special Bush Hog Squealer 5'. Pretty much hammered but the gearbox feels sound. My plan was to install gearbox seal and fill with 85-140 lube. The more I looked at it the more I thought "$300 throw away", so I shot a full tube of Rotella Grease and about 8oz of diesel into the gearbox. It will get about 8-10hrs per year of boxelder stump sucker killing per year. Will my first year be the only one? Has anyone done like wise?


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## Sawyer Rob

Why add the diesel?? So the grease will run out faster??

My HD Woods cutter has been running on grease for years now, lubes just fine, and pure grease goes through it too, just takes longer than gear oil.

SR


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## HuskStihl

Just take time and layer it in. The cornhead grease is basically designed for this purpose


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## Shagbark

Diesel was to get some of the grease to the bottom of the gearbox.


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## Sawyer Rob

Just don't need the diesel, the box warms up, and the grease runs down... ANY cheap grease works just fine too...

SR


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## littlejohn

Ive done the same on mine as well, never used diesel, just grease and ive done that for about 5 years now without any problems


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## TheLazyBFarm

Why grease and not gear oil, if I may ask? For those gearboxes that leak?

I checked my Bushhog 286 when I bought it and the gear oil looked clean and almost unused. I added a bit of synthetic to fill it up and ran it like I stole it. So fr, there hasn't been any leaks that I can see. Should I add grease?

Thanks,


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## Sawyer Rob

TheLazyBFarm said:


> Why grease and not gear oil, if I may ask? For those gearboxes that leak?
> 
> I checked my Bushhog 286 when I bought it and the gear oil looked clean and almost unused. I added a bit of synthetic to fill it up and ran it like I stole it. So fr, there hasn't been any leaks that I can see. Should I add grease?
> 
> Thanks,



The ones that leak, loose all the gear oil in about 30 mins of run time! IF yours don't leak out, then you have nothing to worry about using gear oil.

Personally, I would either run reg gear oil OR synthetic, I would NOT mix it...

SR


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## Marco

gear oil with the grease


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## littlejohn

Sawyer Rob said:


> The ones that leak, loose all the gear oil in about 30 mins of run time! IF yours don't leak out, then you have nothing to worry about using gear oil.
> 
> Personally, I would either run reg gear oil OR synthetic, I would NOT mix it...
> 
> SR



Xx2


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## Marshy

Seems foolish to add diesel to the grease IMO, I would drain that out before running it. You run the risk of washing the grease off the bearings once its runing IMO. If you wanted to thin out the grease why not just add gear oil to the grease? Essentially thats what grease is but with a thickner. Get it hot enough and the oil runs out of it...


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## olyman

there is a grease,,called 00..its was used in the chain drive case of snapper,,and other brands lawn mowers....


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## fubar2

Off the wall grease will dry out, harden and turn into chunks of asphalt, need something with Moly as in Cornhead.


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## fubar2

Molybdenum Disulfide as it were.


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## Sawyer Rob

fubar2 said:


> Off the wall grease will dry out, harden and turn into chunks of asphalt, need something with Moly as in Cornhead.


 HUH??? I've been using the so called, "off the wall grease" in my BH for years now, NEVER has it turned into anything, it has kept the box lubed and as it heats up, it leaks out the bottom just like the gear oil did, just not near as fast!

SR


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## chuckwood

Sawyer Rob said:


> HUH??? I've been using the so called, "off the wall grease" in my BH for years now, NEVER has it turned into anything, it has kept the box lubed and as it heats up, it leaks out the bottom just like the gear oil did, just not near as fast!
> SR



I've been reading all this with interest. I have a 3 point hitch finish mower that has been sitting around for years unused with a bad gasket. You pour the oil in and it's all on the ground in about 10 minutes. Replacing the gasket is yet another one of those things that first needs a round tuit before it gets done. I don't need the mower and am planning on selling it once it gets back in useable condition. So perhaps I can just fill the gearbox with moly grease and call it a runner? How much hassle is it in the first place to change gaskets? One reason this situation developed is I just wasn't looking forward to the work involved in finding another gasket, then the cussing involved in trying to loosen up rusted nuts and bolts, etc.


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## littlejohn

Sawyer Rob said:


> HUH??? I've been using the so called, "off the wall grease" in my BH for years now, NEVER has it turned into anything, it has kept the box lubed and as it heats up, it leaks out the bottom just like the gear oil did, just not near as fast!
> 
> SR


X2 ive also used just grease for years with no problems at all. Never once had it turn into "asphalt"


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## fubar2

I use off the wall brand in a sickle bar mower too but it's shot anyways and leaks like a sieve. Trust me the cheapo brand gets thrown up out of the mainstream and does dry out and gets hard after a time. Ever wonder why they bother to make Cornhead grease out of Moly? Moly is the base for Neverseize, you may want to give that some thought too.


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## Shagbark

My moly grease is for low speed high pressure applications and fully synthetic. I use it for FE loader and ball joints, steering linkage and such. Not sure why I would want expensive synthetic moly grease in a leaky bush hog gearbox.


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## fubar2

Shagbark said:


> My moly grease is for low speed high pressure applications and fully synthetic. I use it for FE loader and ball joints, steering linkage and such. Not sure why I would want expensive synthetic moly grease in a leaky bush hog gearbox.


I got no preferences if you add Yak urine to your gearbox, it is after all your gearbox. All I know is how I treat mine just in case I want to use it again.


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## Marco

Some hard maple sawdust in the mix would take up some backlash and it would run quieter.


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## Marshy

Marco said:


> Some hard maple sawdust in the mix would take up some backlash and it would run quieter.


 
Thats only compatible with the synthetic 80W-90 maple syrup gear lube and that stuff is expensive by the gallon.


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## olyman

Marshy said:


> Thats only compatible with the synthetic 80W-90 maple syrup gear lube and that stuff is expensive by the gallon.


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