John Deere mower deck gearbox oil

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I have a John Deere 455 garden tractor with a 60" mowing deck. The deck has a gearbox which needs to be checked and topped off regularly. Deere makes two different gear oils. Not sure which I am using, but I think it's 85w-140. What oil brand and grade would you guys suggest for a deck gearbox running off the PTO?

Thanks,
segfault

edit: Mods, please move this to "Lawn and small engine" if you feel it would be more appropriate there.

[ May 10, 2003, 04:33 PM: Message edited by: segfault ]
 
segfault

I would not suggest using a weight different from what JD wants in that gear box. I can tell you about my experiences with gear box oils.

I hobby farm and use a Woods 6ft shredder to mow pulled behind a JD 790.

Every season I had to flush and change the oil in the Woods gear box due to emulsification that occurred over the winter. It did not matter what oil I used. John Deere, Pennzoil what ever was on sale. Always the same routine. Suck the oil out refill with new oil and then change again after a few hours of operation to insure I got all the water out.

Last year I switched to Schaeffer's #267 80W-90 gear lube. No sign of emulsification this year. Even after three hours of mowing.

Now I changed it anyway because I know the water is in there. But the water separation abilities of the Schaeffer's is great. Plus less gearbox whine.
 
Neil, thanks for sharing your experiences. Sorry I wasn't clearer - I am wondering if I have the correct weight of Deere oil for this application, or if I should be using a different weight. I guess I will call the Deere dealer next week.
 
I have never changed the gearbox oil is my 445. It is a 98 with 450 hours on it. Am I overdue?

I'm open to suggestions. I don't know what emulsification is, and had to cut and paste because I can't even spell it.
 
Unfortunately the 455 manual isn't online yet, and the only deck manuals I could find on the homeowner's site were for belt-driven ones (with no gearbox). I hopped onto the commercial site and found a 60-inch deck with similar gearbox, for which Deere says:

quote:

IMPORTANT: Avoid damage! ONLY use a quality oil in this gear case. Do not mix any other oils in this gear case. Do not use BIO-HY-GARD® in this gear case.

Then:
quote:

The following John Deere gear case oil is PREFERRED:
· GL-5 GEAR LUBRICANT®-SAE 80W-90.

Then:
quote:

The following John Deere gear case oil is also recommended if above preferred oil is not available:
· GL-5 GEAR LUBRICANT®-SAE 85W-140.

And finally:
quote:


Other gear case oils may be used if above recommended John Deere gear case oils are not available, provided they meet the following specification:
· API Service Classification GL-5.

This is a confusing way for them to say you can use anything you want, as long as it's GL-5. Sheesh!
 
The mower deck on my JD455 requires a change every 200 hrs and the gear oil recommended is GL-5. The weight depends on temp. 85W-140 or 80W-90 cover most normal operating temps.

quote:

Originally posted by greencrew:
I have never changed the gearbox oil is my 445. It is a 98 with 450 hours on it. Am I overdue?

I'm open to suggestions. I don't know what emulsification is, and had to cut and paste because I can't even spell it.


 
Do you recall how many quarts? I'm ordering some AMSoil this weekend, and I may be able to add a quart to the order. I think one will do the job.
 
4.6 oz is all it holds.

quote:

Originally posted by greencrew:
Do you recall how many quarts? I'm ordering some AMSoil this weekend, and I may be able to add a quart to the order. I think one will do the job.

 
quote:

Originally posted by greencrew:
Thanks. It doesn't look like it holds a lot.

A 98 with 450 hours? If it's like mine, you'll find that it's empty. Whoops on my part! I believe mine leaks enough that "changing" the oil is accomplished just by topping it off.
 
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