Milky Gear Oil

[Susquatch]

You gotta stop unhitching it in the ditch.

Is this a Bush Hog brand or John Deere rotary mower? There is no drain. You need to turn the mower on its side. If it's a John Deere, you have likely reached the end of warranty and it's time to purchase a new one

I usually throw a bucket over the gearbox for the winter, if I remember. Funny how the Bush Hog can never find room at the inn under cover.

It's a Deere MX7. Beautiful mower otherwise.

At first, I thought it was rain getting in the breather. So I tried a bucket. Nope, not rain.

Putting that mower on its side is easy enough but isn't enough. It has to be upside down. I did that a few times. It's one very heavy, very awkward beast. Getting a drain pan in the right place is a fiasco. May do that yet again to get all the old oil out. If only Deere did a drain.

 

[Downwindtracker2]

What good would that be, it would last forever.

 

[Brent H]

I have a Deer Frontier 72” and the GXB has a vented fill plug.

 

[Susquatch]

I have a Deer Frontier 72” and the GXB has a vented fill plug.

Yup. That's the problem. The gear box is double chambered, the vent is on top, and the stupid thing makes a but of water almost every day as the temperature goes down at night. If there is dew on the grass, the gear box made some water. The water sinks to the bottom of the oil which prevents it from evaporating. When the gear box runs, the oil turns to milk.

Might be worth running yours up to temp and then check the oil to see if it's milky. If so, it's better to fix it now than wait for winter to pop the bottom shaft seal.

When I get back from up north next week, I'm gunna order a few different bladders (all seem to be cheap - maybe too cheap. I'm really looking forward to nailing this problem down.

 

[FatherWes]

Can you drill and tap a drain in the housing?

How does the lube get from the upper chamber to the lower one? Draining through a bearing? Or is there a gallery? Just wondering if one drain would suffice or if two would be necessary.

A friend has a KTM motorbike. Oil change involves removing the drain plug. Then reaching up through the drain hole with a long reach Torx bit to remove a second drain plug located up inside. Good luck if you drop that second one inside the housing…

 

[Susquatch]

Can you drill and tap a drain in the housing?

How does the lube get from the upper chamber to the lower one? Draining through a bearing? Or is there a gallery? Just wondering if one drain would suffice or if two would be necessary.

A friend has a KTM motorbike. Oil change involves removing the drain plug. Then reaching up through the drain hole with a long reach Torx bit to remove a second drain plug located up inside. Good luck if you drop that second one inside the housing…

A drain could be added but not at the very bottom where it is needed to drain water off. The best you could do is increase the amount of milky oil exchanged. I can siphon out about 60% (WAG). A drain might get that to 85% (Another WAG).

The top and bottom are separated by a bearing. The oil just runs through the bearing. There are no oil galleys or such. Only one would be needed. But I decided it isn't worth doing cuz you can't get it all anyway.

I always liked KTM Bikes. I think I just changed my mind!

 

[DPittman]

Surely they sell small bladders for outdoor Canadian weather....

A water pressure tank would work and be weatherproof to a certain extent.

 

[Susquatch]

A water pressure tank would work and be weatherproof to a certain extent.

Kinda overkill though. Do they make little tiny ones? I prolly only need half a litre.