Substitute for Corn Head grease ????

[Crazy Horse]

I've have the lower end chain case apart on my older 5 hp MTD front tine garden tiller. I noticed the online manual specifies to use some brand of special oil/grease (forget the exact name) but I've been told it is the same/similar to JD Corn Head grease. I believe corn head grease is a very sticky heavy oil OR a very sticky light grease compound.

The online cost is outrageous for that stuff, I haven't even checked around to see if anybody has it for sale locally. Obviously I want to use something in its place at a lesser cost. This tiller gets used once every year for about an hour. Is there something else I can buy .... or even make up myself .... that would serve my purpose in this situation?

Regular gear lube I don't think would work very well. While the case itself and main perimeter gasket is relatively leak proof, there are some spots where inner shafts are mounted in the housing that aren't exactly "oil tight" and they were that way from the factory. Hence the need for something of heavier viscosity.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[da.bees]

How bout wheel bearing grease mixed with STP. Remember the plexiglass box with gears and crank sitting on parts counters?

 

[Fixingfarmer]

You probably only need one 7 dollar tube for the little tiller?
Even if it was 12 bucks from the dealer the amount of time you spend trying to mix your own is worth something

 

[Crazy Horse]

You probably only need one 7 dollar tube for the little tiller?
Even if it was 12 bucks from the dealer the amount of time you spend trying to mix your own is worth something

Actually FF, you'd be surprised at how pricey it is up here. But yes, if a guy could get it for the prices you mention I would go for it..... some prices are off the charts. The stuff the manual recommends is called Plastilube #0 grease, it's $50 CDN on Amazon.ca for one tube (14 oz .... the amount I need). I'll check around locally a bit and see what there is available.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

If you don’t like the John Deere type 135374 into ASAP search bar and you can have the cenex flavor. And support the YT forum. $5.63. Plus shipping so if you have other stuff I’d order it with something.

 

[M-MAN]

John Deere cornhead grease is reasonable here.

 

[Crazy Horse]

John Deere cornhead grease is reasonable here.

Actually, not too bad here either .... $11 CDN at a dealership for a 14 oz tube which I think is OK. I saw some prices online that were crazy.

 

[Non-farmer]

Actually, not too bad here either .... $11 CDN at a dealership for a 14 oz tube which I think is OK. I saw some prices online that were crazy.

Contrary to what some believe, the internet is not the be-all and end-all for everything. Glad you found it with a reasonable price.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Priced cornhead grease from my local fuel /oil supplier and The grease was cheaper from Deere than him. this was a per tube price probably times the ten for a box. I just looked up Deere cornhead grease for Alberta CA and Doggett your Deere dealer. has it for about 7.13 per tube. It comes in tubes by the single or box. I buy it by the box for the cornhead we use a couple tubes a year with an 843 head.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Cornhead grease melts to a semi liquid in use then sets up like a grease when cooled so that is why it has such a slow seep to it when not in use. Probably due to a lower melting temp than most grease.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Cornhead grease melts to a semi liquid in use then sets up like a grease when cooled so that is why it has such a slow seep to it when not in use. Probably due to a lower melting temp than most grease.

Cat Guy .... I bought at tube at a dealer not too far away, just over $11 CDN so that's not too bad. Will use it when I get the two halves of this tiller chain case back together. My chain case is now apart into two halves, I guess you just add it into the side that has the sprockets and gears in place (laying flat), then put the gasket in place, install the opposite chain case side on, bolt it up and that's it. The manual calls for 14 oz of grease, the same amount as the grease tube. There is no provision on those chain cases to add, remove or check the grease level. Well, checking grease level wouldn't be possible anyways like it would if there was oil in there.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Often on the newer cornhead gearcases you warm them up for 15 minutes then there’s a dipstick for the level. I usually do it annually they don’t leak as much as the old ones. The older ones didn’t have a dipstick dad would just pump till I saw grease move up top so it’s essentially somewhat packed full and then about half full of oil when it’s going that’s 2 ways to check. One other thing that’s kinda cool about the grease is normally if nothings overheating only the center gets hot enough to melt so the outside keeps the oil from leaking out. It’s good stuff.


So you could heat it and check the level like you used to with oil

 

[Ray,IN]

Consider using bar chain oil. That's what I have in my 6' bush hog gearbox for 5 years so far, never had to add any during those 5 years.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We just grease the head about twice a year with about 20 squirts each time. I've never had the top plugs out in the 10 plus years we have had it. Never had a problem and now I just jinxed myself. I do have to add oil to the chain boxes on the ends each year as they leak a bit. I have had to adjust that chain once or twice in the we have had it.

 

[caterpillar guy]

You could just drill and tp for a grease zerk and then pump it in to fill it after assembly then you could pull the zerk out to check level of grease in there since it will settle to the level of the grease from the warming. Of put it in the top and use a wire to check.

 

[Crazy Horse]

You could just drill and tp for a grease zerk and then pump it in to fill it after assembly then you could pull the zerk out to check level of grease in there since it will settle to the level of the grease from the warming. Of put it in the top and use a wire to check.

I thought of that but once I get through this little tiller project (if I do), it'll be used about 20 minutes every spring and if I don't see lube leaking out quite a bit, the level probably isn't going to change very much. Good idea though if it were a machine or a gearbox or whatever in constant use. Fall time I usually spade the vegetable garden over. I've often thought that even spring tilling (when I have done it) ends up with the garden walkways between the rows compacting harder since it's being tilled into such fine particles. Not sure if that theory holds any truth or not.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I would hazard a guess that it has more to do with moisture level than time of tilling.

 

[Crazy Horse]

I would hazard a guess that it has more to do with moisture level than time of tilling.

I guess what I'm saying is that when spring time comes (after spading the garden over in the fall), just preparing the soil by hand with a garden fork and planting seems to end up being less compacted come fall time if it were tilled in the spring. I'm referring to the walk areas between rows, not the seeded areas themselves. I believe that tilling breaks up the soil into far finer particles and they compact more from walking than soil prepared with a garden fork which is not broken up as fine. Just my 2 cents ....

 

[caterpillar guy]

I chisel plow our garden then disk it and finlly run a spring tooth over it. All spread out so it can dry on top some between tools so I don't get the compation. then I till between the rows with the tiller for weed control and keeping the dirt loose for water infiltration through the summer and yes it will pack some later in summer as we pick items as they ripen and walk in it more than tiling at that point. This year there was not much of a garden since I didn't do much with it. Dad plants as he sees fit with little concern for what is next to what and a few other things.

 

[Crazy Horse]

I chisel plow our garden then disk it and finlly run a spring tooth over it. All spread out so it can dry on top some between tools so I don't get the compation. then I till between the rows with the tiller for weed control and keeping the dirt loose for water infiltration through the summer and yes it will pack some later in summer as we pick items as they ripen and walk in it more than tiling at that point. This year there was not much of a garden since I didn't do much with it. Dad plants as he sees fit with little concern for what is next to what and a few other things.

I forgot to mention that when I prepare the rows themselves for planting in the spring, I just prepare the seed row itself and work it up, not the walking area beside. I just break the spaded lumps down a bit where we walk. I probably imagine the benefits of all this, not sure.