Shredder question

[bird dog]

When looking at a used shredder like a batwing, how do you tell if the gearboxes are okay? Can it be done if not hooked up to a tractor?
Thanks

 

[Atimm693]

Can always pull an oil sample and look for metal glitter, water, whether it even has oil, etc. That will tell you a lot. Bring a syringe with a pretty long hose on the end.

It's not unusual for the gearbox oil to be a little murky from condensation, but it shouldn't be frothy.

 

[BFE]

Check for play on the drum underneath. Don't mistake a loose castle nut for slop, make sure the nut is tight and see if you can get any play. Easy to do on the wings since they fold up.

 

[damengineer]

just a note... I use 00 grease or what Mystic calls Central Lube in my bush hog gearboxes. It stays in there instead of leaking. I have even used it on truck transmissions that have a leaking PTO shaft. In fact it is in a RT913 Road Ranger. On the trucks, it is better if you let them run a few minutes in the winter before driving... When I bought a 5 gal bucket of Central Lube and put it in the old caterpillar grease pump bucket, I quit buying so much expensive gear lube...

 

[Ky hills]

just a note... I use 00 grease or what Mystic calls Central Lube in my bush hog gearboxes. It stays in there instead of leaking. I have even used it on truck transmissions that have a leaking PTO shaft. In fact it is in a RT913 Road Ranger. On the trucks, it is better if you let them run a few minutes in the winter before driving... When I bought a 5 gal bucket of Central Lube and put it in the old caterpillar grease pump bucket, I quit buying so much expensive gear lube...

We had an old Woods 315 batwing, finally got to where, I ran grease in the side gearboxes. Used it that way for years

 

[bird dog]

The Rhino I am referring to calls for 000 grease for reasons damegineer reffed to or at least that is the way I understand it.

 

[damengineer]

I think the Hesston rotary swathers use the 00 grease. I s tarted getting it from the Hesston dealer but I go tired of paying $7 a qt for it.. I found Mystic had it for $45 a 5 gal bucket..

 

[greybeard]

000 is still pretty much liquid.

This isn't the 1st lube chart I've seen where they equate the thickness to something we are more familiar with.

https://www.amsoil.com/newsstand/auto-and-light-truck/articles/a-closer-look-at-grease/

If the wings are folded up in the straight vertical position, firmly pull OUT on the blade rotating assy and rock it back and forth gently. That puts the meshing gears closer to the same position they would be if the wing was down and allows you to feel how much backlash (wear) may be in the gears.

If the castlenut has been loose for any length of time, you will probably encounter worn splines later down the road and you can't always just tighten the nut up enough to take the slack out.

When we took in mowers/shredders/bushhogs as trade at the Kubota dealership, the very first thing we did was drain flush and refill the gearboxes. Did one, and the 'stuff' that came out was a mix of heavy wt lube and sawdust. An old trick to quieten a gb just long enough to get rid of it. Didn't look like it had been leaking underneath, but the box was trashed with way too much backlash.

I've had 2 of the smaller Rhinos and they used to be really good mowers.

 

[sstterry]

just a note... I use 00 grease or what Mystic calls Central Lube in my bush hog gearboxes. It stays in there instead of leaking. I have even used it on truck transmissions that have a leaking PTO shaft. In fact it is in a RT913 Road Ranger. On the trucks, it is better if you let them run a few minutes in the winter before driving... When I bought a 5 gal bucket of Central Lube and put it in the old caterpillar grease pump bucket, I quit buying so much expensive gear lube...

But it does leak when it emulsifies (when it gets warm from use) correct? And then it goes back to a more solid state when not in use?
Around here we call it "Corn Head grease"

 

[bird dog]

Graybeard, Is there anyway to drain the gearbox's besides taking them off and turning them upside down?

 

[greybeard]

Most don't and the few that do, it is obscured by the stumpjumper/rotating hub underneath. We pulled the fluid out with a vacuum pump, refilled with a solvent, pumped it out again then refilled with the right lube.

 

[BFE]

If we get leaking seals we use corn head grease. Thinner than gun grease but doesn't run out like gear oil.