JD 272 finish mower; gear box leaks

[ny_grass]

Greetings all,

Thinking that it would do a better job on my 2 acres or so of lawn than my Bush Hog, I bought a 1980s model John Deere 272 finish mower. It's a pretty big unit (for my lawn which has lots of obstacles) but, if I drive slow and keep the deck height right, it does a pretty good job.

Today though I go out to tackle part of the lawn which hasn't been mowed since early summer (pretty high and very thick); it's hard work with the 272 actually getting clogged up and the blade not turning! It's then that I notice that gear oil is leaking out of the TOP of the gearbox through the fill plug. The plug has a ventilation hole from which the oil is being thrown out in significant amounts (probably a couple of ounces).

Now why, I wonder, is the oil being forced out of the top? I don't think I've got too much oil in there. Can I replace the plug with a non-ventilating one? Is this indicative of something going wrong with the gearbox itself?

Why does it seem like every third time I go to use my tractor that something is broken! ;-)

JR

 

[dun]

2 things contribute to leakage from a vent. Overfull and/or the oil is really hot. If you replace it with a nonevented one you'll need to replace seals. Your choice

 

[ny_grass]

2 things contribute to leakage from a vent. Overfull and/or the oil is really hot. If you replace it with a nonevented one you'll need to replace seals. Your choice

Thanks, Dun. I'm not sure I understand, though. Why would you need to replace seals if you put a non-ventilated plug in?

 

[jedstivers]

2 things contribute to leakage from a vent. Overfull and/or the oil is really hot. If you replace it with a nonevented one you'll need to replace seals. Your choice

Thanks, Dun. I'm not sure I understand, though. Why would you need to replace seals if you put a non-ventilated plug in?

What does oil do when it gets hot? (It expands) where will it expand to? Out the seals.
As old as it is drain the oil that might be the right oil and might not. Refill with the correct oil ( and Lucus oil treatment if you want to) to the correct level.