Gearbox on old Craftsman Snowblowers

[Snagglefoot]

There was discussion in adding lubricant to the gearbox of old snow blowers. Some gearboxes have fill plug. Some have a fill and drain plug. Some just have an inspection port with a small plastic plus.

The Craftsman snow blowers have no such thing. The factory fill was Exxon Ronex ED 1 ( Extra Duty). It was an orange colored thick grease with 460 cSt at 40 deg C. It would have been placed in half of the clam shell prior with the gears in place prior to bolting the other half together.

Here are some pics of the twenty year old setup. While the gasket is stained there is no obvious leakage. Here are some pic and specs.

 

[Snagglefoot]

The red grease at the axles is from Motomaster Synthetic applied at the zerks on the hollow axle.

 

[Snagglefoot]

There is a Mobil Ronex M but it’s a much thinner grease. One grease that Mobil makes that might be similar to the old Exxon Ronex is Mobil SCH 460. It’s orange and the added bonus is it’s synthetic. Getting fresh grease in would involve splitting the case. It is not that easy since both gears are locked on with a woodruff key and splitting the case risks damaging the axle seals. Maybe there is a U Tube video out there.

 

[Lubener]

If it's not leaking, why do you want to mess with it? Trying to find that exact lubricant can be a challenge.

If you insist on splitting the case, I have used this for small gearboxes. I have also used it in my brush hog's gear box and that's a lot more stressful than a snow thrower.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/super-s-cotton-picker-spindle-grease-00

 

[Snagglefoot]

For the Amsoil lovers there is a 00 made from ISO 460 base oil. It can be had in pails but I bet @Pablo could get a quart bottle of it.

 

[Opelman]

Possibly with some judicious drilling and tapping one could install a zerk fitting in the case and top it off as needed.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I took some photos of the gearboxes in the modern snowblowers at Cambodian Tire. The lower lines use a similar design to the 20 year old craftsman but they have a plastic plug at the top of the gear case to check the level and maybe add a bit. The award for the most heavy duty gear case goes to Club Cadet. They have a removable top so that heavy grease can go in. One machine was a three stage with a front cutter. Ho Ho Ho. Enjoy the pics.

 

[Snagglefoot]

The front blade on the picture above has its own shear pin. Also it’s important to lube the shaft underneath each blade between the blade and the shaft. That is to make sure the shear pin sees the full load and will let go instead of over torquing the gear box.

 

[JC1]

I've seen a few posts online with people adding zerk fittings. I was able to get 00 grease from Napa (in GTA)

I sold my Craftsman and picked up an Ariens 926LE from 2003. It's a tank and better designed for maintenence.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Incidentally, in this grouping of snow blowers they all had what looked like made in China Powermore engines. Here are the photos. There were a few with no throttle, a few with a throttle and one ( with a track instead of wheels) with a different throttle.

 

[Opelman]

Incidentally, in this grouping of snow blowers they all had what looked like made in China Powermore engines. Here are the photos. There were a few with no throttle, a few with a throttle and one ( with a track instead of wheels) with a different throttle.

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I see a lot that look the same badged LCT. Liquid Combustion Technology.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I see a lot that look the same badged LCT. Liquid Combustion Technology.

From their website LCT is owned, managed and operated in the USA. But the engines are manufactured in China.

 

[nbpt100]

I have used Mobil 1 grease in those MTD gearboxes. No issues. It is a good low temp grease.
The 00 grease should be good to use too. The only reason they do not use a gear oil like a 75w-90 is to prevent leaks and not have to use expensive seals. The better quality snow blowers use gear oil. Like Ariens and Honda.

 

[nbpt100]

What brand of snow blower is that Green One. I do not recognize the gear box and I have not seen a new green snow blower in years. It looks like JD green but they have stopped making snow blowers over 10 years ago. Also could be a Lawn Boy Green. I am not sure if Toro makes any Lawn boy snow blowers any longer. I know they did a long time ago.

 

[Snagglefoot]

What brand of snow blower is that Green One. I do not recognize the gear box and I have not seen a new green snow blower in years. It looks like JD green but they have stopped making snow blowers over 10 years ago. Also could be a Lawn Boy Green. I am not sure if Toro makes any Lawn boy snow blowers any longer. I know they did a long time ago.

It turns out the green one was a battery Electric 60 V Green Works unit.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here are some of the sizes of the engines in the grouping at Canadian tire.

 

[nbpt100]

A Greenworks! That was a curve ball. Ha!