Does anyone know what grease type Stihl’s Superlube FS is that they call out for their gear boxes? I’d like to find something similar like from Lucas Oil or someone who sells a tube. I’d rather just use a grease zerk than buy the little bottle.
Stihl Superlube FS
- Thread starter HoosierEngineer
- Start date
Why would you want to do that? You don't want to stuff the gear box full of grease or it will run very hot. Honda did that with a trimmer I got after 15 min running the gear box was extremely hot. I had to fish a bunch of grease out of it with a pick the best I could. Those gear boxes need a fair amount of air in them to help dissipate heat.
Good luck on finding info on grade and composition. I went down a rabbit hole on greases and when it comes to power tool greases of any kind, info is almost non-existent. Corn-head grease (EP-0) or angle grinder grease might be close. Why don't you like the Stihl product?
I am getting into the repair business. I feel that it is silly to have a little tube of the stuff when I can get a cartridge of a like grease. As part of my tune up package I would like to offer trimmer gear box greasing as an option. A tube of grease will be more economical.
Based on their SDS, it looks like a simple lithium soap grease with ZDDP. Probably a GC-LB grease will get the job done in terms of stability and wear protection. If the Stihl grease is a thinner consistency than a typical NLGI #2 GC-LB, you may have to cut back with some oil to match the feel.
https://www.stihlusa.com/en/support-events/safety/data-sheets
https://www.stihlusa.com/en/support-events/safety/data-sheets
The thickness is what I am concerned about. I have read some comments that the grease needs to "thin" out during operations but then thicken afterwards. I am not sure what type of grease that would be either. I am thinking about reaching out to some oil companies. I talked with Lucas Oil already and they suggested Red N Tacky grease. However I feel like the dropping point is way too high for a trimmer application?
There's really no disadvantage to a high dropping point. If your application is reaching the dropping point, it means your grease is losing structure and oil. It's not going to reform properly upon cooling.
All greases will thin out somewhat during operation and thicken when they aren't under shear. Some types do this more than others. Lithium greases don't tend to thin very much, so if Stihl is using lithium grease currently, it's probably not a critical parameter to have it thinning under operation. It sounds more like you just need to have it soft enough to get distributed in the gearbox and not stay caked up on the walls. And to Hirev's point, making sure not to overfill.
I use Lucas red and tacky or sta plex red.
Be careful those run hot amd fast if you had to get something readily available john deere corn head grease would be good choice thats readily available.
It is a nlgi 2 grease you may be able to use squeeze tube white lithium but I read the Stihl lube is brown colored maybe an additive or dye. this could be a good alternative if the stihl stuff is not available
https://www.amazon.com/Liqui-Moly-2...rds=nlgi+2+grease&qid=1776082675&sr=8-49&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Liqui-Moly-2...rds=nlgi+2+grease&qid=1776082675&sr=8-49&th=1
Isn't the Superlub FS something like an EP0 or EP00? Seems tough to find in homeowner sized quantities outside of the over prices big-brand micro tubes.
I wonder how well a good NLGI 1 polyurea would function....
I wonder how well a good NLGI 1 polyurea would function....
I rebuilt the head on a seriously abused Shindaiwa straight shaft that's been used heavily for cutting poplar saplings for years and finally blew the teeth off the pinion. I used aeroshell 33 and it's been smooth and quiet and seems to run cooler. Not sure what the factory stuff was but it looked like a fairly generic lithium grease that was white with no discernable odor. That aeroshell stinks worse than old gear lube but seems to cling well and doesn't wash out easily.
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