Gear oil question ZTU

[Alexander1997]

I'm replacing front wheels, radiator and radiator shell on my Z restoration, since I'm right there, I figured I'd check the gear oil in the front pedestal and replenish it. I see where someone had used grease in place of gear oil before. I'm guessing the gear oil was leaking (bad seals?) so they just used grease. What grease is best to use on this? Anyone else done this in place of gear oil?

 

[matthies]

Cornhead grease is what everybody uses, might have to go to JD or CaseIH to get.

 

[Alexander1997]

Cornhead grease is what everybody uses, might have to go to JD or CaseIH to get.

Thanks for the help! Must be common for those seals to go bad. The grease will work just as good as the gear oil? Thanks again

 

[T.R.K.]

I am not even sure there is an oil seal in there for the vertical shaft. There is a felt seal at the bottom. The worm shaft has an oil seal. I think the oil lays in a 'trough' around the shaft where the worm gear can pick it up. So if you over fill it, it runs down the shaft and out the bottom, through the felt. At least that is what happened on my ZTU.

 

[Alan K]

Thanks for the help! Must be common for those seals to go bad. The grease will work just as good as the gear oil? Thanks again

I think if you pack some of the cornhead grease in the top bearing on the vertical shaft it should be ok. It would be different if you were full time farming with it. The bottom bearing is greaseable. There were different types of cornhead grease. I was told by my oil supplier that one had a different "base" material that wasn't compatible with the other. I wanted to use it in my number 5 JD sickle mower. He said if I used the other one I would have to clean all the old grease out. If they mixed he said it would turn to a clay material. So I have one with one type and one with the other lol.
I think you should be ok if you clean out what is there and use the regular cornhead grease that John Deere sells. One that I used was double zero. If I remember right, that is the one that will turn to clay if mixed with regular cornhead grease.
Originally I think it was 140w in the front pedistal.

 

[Alexander1997]

I think if you pack some of the cornhead grease in the top bearing on the vertical shaft it should be ok. It would be different if you were full time farming with it. The bottom bearing is greaseable. There were different types of cornhead grease. I was told by my oil supplier that one had a different "base" material that wasn't compatible with the other. I wanted to use it in my number 5 JD sickle mower. He said if I used the other one I would have to clean all the old grease out. If they mixed he said it would turn to a clay material. So I have one with one type and one with the other lol.
I think you should be ok if you clean out what is there and use the regular cornhead grease that John Deere sells. One that I used was double zero. If I remember right, that is the one that will turn to clay if mixed with regular cornhead grease.
Originally I think it was 140w in the front pedistal.

Great information and very helpful. Thank you very much. So use the same corn head grease for the bottom bearing too?

 

[Alan K]

Great information and very helpful. Thank you very much. So use the same corn head grease for the bottom bearing too?

You can. It might be just as easy to use regular gun grease on that one. Then you can use grease from the same gun when you grease the rest of the tractor.

 

[Alexander1997]

You can. It might be just as easy to use regular gun grease on that one. Then you can use grease from the same gun when you grease the rest of the tractor.

Thanks so much. That’s why as a beginner I love this forum, ask a question and get great help and info. Thanks again !

 

[Dennis P]

If memory serves me, I measured the inner and outer dimensions Of the shaft and seal retainer at the bottom adjuster. Seems like there is room for two quarter inch lip seals. Mine holds 90wt and I did this 25 years ago. Don’t ask me what seals I used.

 

[Alan K]

Thanks so much. That’s why as a beginner I love this forum, ask a question and get great help and info. Thanks again !

We have all been there at one time or another.

 

[jnf]

Those front pedestals were of an interesting lubrication design. The lower bearing is greasable and has a felt seal. The upper bearing relies on the gear oil splashing out of the trough as the tractor bounces through the field. The oil is a consumable and needs replenished periodically. The oil drips through the upper and lower bearing and seeps through the felt seal and onto the ground, by design. Make a nice mark on a concrete floor. 140 wt. is good.