ZD18 mower 90W gear box oil compatibility

eglaude

New member

Equipment
ZD18 Mower W/54" Deck, L3400 Tractor, JD Gator 4X2, and chainsaw/tracto addict
Jun 14, 2011
10
0
1
Richmond, TX
Howdy y'all, it's been some time since I've been in to the forum and I have a question about gear oil specifications that is hard to find an answer for since it always "depends". I didn't even bother to call Kubota Support line since I most likely would have just wasted a lot of my time and becoming more and more confused.

My old trusted ZD18 has been a family member since 2001 and I have always used the best oils I could purchase as this little tank had to last me a lifetime when I first bought her. In fact that got me a few nights of sleeping with it in the shop when my wife found out what it cost us! She was wrong and knows it now as it has paid for itself so many times over that I will never not take care of it the right way.

The mower is the stamped RCK54-18Z version, it was all I could afford back then but would have loved the 60" fabricated one but there was just nothing left but selling my old truck for it. I have used the AMSoil Transmission/Transaxle gear lube oil GL-4 spec oil since at the time the manual called for "API spec "more than GL-3" which is tricky since there are many gear oils now that have a GL-4/GL-5 spec and I am aware of the "soft metal" corrosion issues that the additives in the GL-5 gear oils have caused historically. I have always been avoiding that like the plague.

I called AMSoil Tech Support on this as now 25 years later now they would be aware of more confident with the information about their gear oils for use in the Kubotas that would either support of debunk this myth. Well apparently they have a statement from Kubota that it is safe to use a API GL-5 gear oil in Kubota tractor gear boxes that call for a SAE90 gear oil.

Long way around to ask if it's still an issue to use a API GL-5 or should I just stick with the API GL-4 only? I have my L3400 front axle gear oil change out coming up in the fall and was going to standardize the gear oil with the ZD and get a case of the AMSoil 75W-90 GL-4, but it's quite a bit more expensive than their Severe gear oil that is 75W-90 with the GL-5 additive package. I can't say for sure if there are any "soft" metal bushings in either the tractor front axle or the ZD mower gear box, and to be honest I don't want to find out the hard way if it means "just try it". That is an awful lot of beer fund money down the drain!

Thanks y'all for your help, I appreciate it, and hope this can be a problem solved finally for the next 25 years as that ZD sill be right alongside me in that 6 ft hole when the time comes with a perfect gearbox! LOL!
 

GeoHorn

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4700DT, LA1002FEL, Ferguson5-8B Compactor-Roller, 10KDumpTrailer, RTV-X900
May 18, 2018
6,848
4,196
113
Texas


I called AMSoil Tech Support on this as now 25 years later now they would be aware of more confident with the information about their gear oils for use in the Kubotas that would either support of debunk this myth. Well apparently they have a statement from Kubota that it is safe to use a API GL-5 gear oil in Kubota tractor gear boxes that call for a SAE90 gear oil.
Since Amsoil sells GL-5 gear oils ONLY…. I would EXPECT them to safe it’s “safe” to use GL-5 oils in…Kubota… or any other oem that call for …gear oil.

Did they offer to forward the entire/complete Kubota statement to you? (Our family has two Ford tractors… a late 70s model and an old 9N… the Latter should not use GL5…it calls for GL-1…. But I’m pretty certain Amsoil would be happy to report that they have a “statement…that would say …it is safe to use a GL-5 gear oil in Fords that specify SAE90 gear oil….. because none of the Fords we own say that….and they likely do not actually have any document that transfers liability to anyone that uses a GL-5 oil in their equipt… In other words….what Amsoil has done is give you something for which you’ll Never be capable of holding Amsoil responsible.

(I don’t know what you mean exactly…by “soft” metals…. but I suspect you mean brass, bronze, or copper… and the “heavy duty” Extreme Pressure additives in GL-5 gear oil has a reputation of injuring those so-called “yellow” metals.)

Hope this helps.

(If you‘ve been reluctant to use GL-5 oils in equpt that specifies an earlier GL oil….and if that earlier oil is available on the common market…. I don’t know why anyone would take a Specialty-Marketer’s word for their product by them simply transferring responsibility on a third-party such a “statement” from an OEM ….which cannot be confirmed directly by that OEM.

But that’s just me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Howdy y'all, it's been some time since I've been in to the forum and I have a question about gear oil specifications that is hard to find an answer for since it always "depends". I didn't even bother to call Kubota Support line since I most likely would have just wasted a lot of my time and becoming more and more confused.

My old trusted ZD18 has been a family member since 2001 and I have always used the best oils I could purchase as this little tank had to last me a lifetime when I first bought her. In fact that got me a few nights of sleeping with it in the shop when my wife found out what it cost us! She was wrong and knows it now as it has paid for itself so many times over that I will never not take care of it the right way.

The mower is the stamped RCK54-18Z version, it was all I could afford back then but would have loved the 60" fabricated one but there was just nothing left but selling my old truck for it. I have used the AMSoil Transmission/Transaxle gear lube oil GL-4 spec oil since at the time the manual called for "API spec "more than GL-3" which is tricky since there are many gear oils now that have a GL-4/GL-5 spec and I am aware of the "soft metal" corrosion issues that the additives in the GL-5 gear oils have caused historically. I have always been avoiding that like the plague.

I called AMSoil Tech Support on this as now 25 years later now they would be aware of more confident with the information about their gear oils for use in the Kubotas that would either support of debunk this myth. Well apparently they have a statement from Kubota that it is safe to use a API GL-5 gear oil in Kubota tractor gear boxes that call for a SAE90 gear oil.

Long way around to ask if it's still an issue to use a API GL-5 or should I just stick with the API GL-4 only? I have my L3400 front axle gear oil change out coming up in the fall and was going to standardize the gear oil with the ZD and get a case of the AMSoil 75W-90 GL-4, but it's quite a bit more expensive than their Severe gear oil that is 75W-90 with the GL-5 additive package. I can't say for sure if there are any "soft" metal bushings in either the tractor front axle or the ZD mower gear box, and to be honest I don't want to find out the hard way if it means "just try it". That is an awful lot of beer fund money down the drain!

Thanks y'all for your help, I appreciate it, and hope this can be a problem solved finally for the next 25 years as that ZD sill be right alongside me in that 6 ft hole when the time comes with a perfect gearbox! LOL!
The notion that a modern GL-5 formulation is overly corrosive is a myth. With a few exceptions (esp. Royal Purple) modern formulations use inactive/buffered sulfur compounds and are 100% yellow metal safe. The GL-4 specification is OFFICIALLY obsolete effective 8/2015 and has been for 20 years.

Nobody has been able to actually test an oil to the GL-4 specification for decades. Claims of GL-4 conformance are purely made up but API tolerated it based on a EP treat rate of 50% of the corresponding GL-5 formulation. Plus the GL-4 specification actually allowed more corroision in the yellow metal test.

This and reduced phosphorus (zinc) are the two biggest oil lies on the internet.

Dan
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Since Amsoil sells GL-5 gear oils ONLY…. I would EXPECT them to safe it’s “safe” to use GL-5 oils in…Kubota… or any other oem that call for …gear oil.

Did they offer to forward the entire/complete Kubota statement to you? (Our family has two Ford tractors… a late 70s model and an old 9N… the Latter should not use GL5…it calls for GL-1…. But I’m pretty certain Amsoil would be happy to report that they have a “statement…that would say …it is safe to use a GL-5 gear oil in Fords that specify SAE90 gear oil….. because none of the Fords we own say that….and they likely do not actually have any document that transfers liability to anyone that uses a GL-5 oil in their equipt… In other words….what Amsoil has done is give you something for which you’ll Never be capable of holding Amsoil responsible.

(I don’t know what you mean exactly…by “soft” metals…. but I suspect you mean brass, bronze, or copper… and the “heavy duty” Extreme Pressure additives in GL-5 gear oil has a reputation of injuring those so-called “yellow” metals.)

Hope this helps.

(If you‘ve been reluctant to use GL-5 oils in equpt that specifies an earlier GL oil….and if that earlier oil is available on the common market…. I don’t know why anyone would take a Specialty-Marketer’s word for their product by them simply transferring responsibility on a third-party such a “statement” from an OEM ….which cannot be confirmed directly by that OEM.

But that’s just me.
This is another myth that has been roundly debunked. Ford NEVER specified GL-1 in any N-series tractor. The specification didn't even exist.

Beginning with the 9N FORD specified a "mild EP" gear oil in viscosity grades SAE 80 (M4864A below freezing) and SAE 90 (M4864B above freezing). The sole exception was the wartime 2N manual which specified "straight mineral oil" in those viscosities because EP gear oils were rationed and only available to the military.

Dan
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

GeoHorn

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4700DT, LA1002FEL, Ferguson5-8B Compactor-Roller, 10KDumpTrailer, RTV-X900
May 18, 2018
6,848
4,196
113
Texas
This is another myth that has been roundly debunked. Ford NEVER specified GL-1 in any N-series tractor. The specification didn't even exist.

Beginning with the 9N FORD specified a "mild EP" gear oil in viscosity grades SAE 80 (M4864A below freezing) and SAE 90 (M4864B above freezing). The sole exception was the wartime 2N manual which specified "straight mineral oil" in those viscosities because EP gear oils were rationed and only available to the military.

Dan
Well…your reply is correct…but a technicality….because the specifications which were later developed….assigned “GL-1” to mineral oil sans additives. Therefore, it is correct “current references” to discuss it as GL-1.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Well…your reply is correct…but a technicality….because the specifications which were later developed….assigned “GL-1” to mineral oil sans additives. Therefore, it is correct “current references” to discuss it as GL-1.
There is no "technicality" here. From day one Ford specified a "mild EP gear oil conformimg to M4864A or M4864B.". That is not "mineral oil sans additives" by any name.

Dan
 

GeoHorn

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4700DT, LA1002FEL, Ferguson5-8B Compactor-Roller, 10KDumpTrailer, RTV-X900
May 18, 2018
6,848
4,196
113
Texas
There is no "technicality" here. From day one Ford specified a "mild EP gear oil conformimg to M4864A or M4864B.". That is not "mineral oil sans additives" by any name.

Dan
Well…not to get into “tit for tat”….the Point was that the Term ”GL-1” became known later, in-reference to the oil recommended previously…. Therefore it is germane to use that term.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 users

hagrid

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
K1600GTL, ZX-14R
Jun 11, 2018
1,180
1,785
113
Pittsburgh
"The goddamned germans ain't got nothin' to do with it!"

- Sheriff Buford T. Justice
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

eglaude

New member

Equipment
ZD18 Mower W/54" Deck, L3400 Tractor, JD Gator 4X2, and chainsaw/tracto addict
Jun 14, 2011
10
0
1
Richmond, TX
Since Amsoil sells GL-5 gear oils ONLY…. I would EXPECT them to safe it’s “safe” to use GL-5 oils in…Kubota… or any other oem that call for …gear oil.

Did they offer to forward the entire/complete Kubota statement to you? (Our family has two Ford tractors… a late 70s model and an old 9N… the Latter should not use GL5…it calls for GL-1…. But I’m pretty certain Amsoil would be happy to report that they have a “statement…that would say …it is safe to use a GL-5 gear oil in Fords that specify SAE90 gear oil….. because none of the Fords we own say that….and they likely do not actually have any document that transfers liability to anyone that uses a GL-5 oil in their equipt… In other words….what Amsoil has done is give you something for which you’ll Never be capable of holding Amsoil responsible.

(I don’t know what you mean exactly…by “soft” metals…. but I suspect you mean brass, bronze, or copper… and the “heavy duty” Extreme Pressure additives in GL-5 gear oil has a reputation of injuring those so-called “yellow” metals.)

Hope this helps.

(If you‘ve been reluctant to use GL-5 oils in equpt that specifies an earlier GL oil….and if that earlier oil is available on the common market…. I don’t know why anyone would take a Specialty-Marketer’s word for their product by them simply transferring responsibility on a third-party such a “statement” from an OEM ….which cannot be confirmed directly by that OEM.

But that’s just me.
Howdy my freind @GeoHorn, and for starters thank you for the reply. I am not an expert in oil classification or hydrodynamics for various types machinery and applications, however I have worked my entire career, 35 years last year, in the the O&G exploration and product manufacturing and learned a thing or two about getting the right lubrication in a wide variety of extreme applications. It was always fascinating to work the huge aeroderivative turbo power generators that rely on such a thin film of oil to operate under the extreme speeds and temps that they were subjected to. Always a huge debate between "us" and the equipment manufacturer when it came to the lubricant brands during turnaround maintenance. I completely agree that there is a lot of talk by the manufacturers of these "boutique" oils but it always boils down to the owner to make the decision. In these cases, the equipment was in the tens of millions, and even with a whole bunch of paperwork and statements it was our company that paid the price one way or another.

I apply that same decision logic to most of my own equipment, e.g., tractors, mowers, chainsaws, and have done the research to make an informed decision when I totally change from the manufacturer's recommended product to something better that I know woks better. Classic example is 2-cycle oil, and unless the saw is under warranty, that "cheap" oil is the first thing that I change and the ratio as well.

Your comment on AMSOIL making GL-5 only is interesting, since I have used their products for tractor transaxles and gear lube for years now, and they definitely do have a "GL-4" classified product, i.e., MTGQT, and nowhere on the bottle does it mention GL-5 or lower. I really hate statements like that, "or better, or lower, since it's more of less legal jargon at that point. You are right, they[AMSOIL] did not come right out and offer the statement that Kubota endorses the use of GL-5 in their gear boxes and yes what I mean by the "soft" metals is perhaps more appropriate called "yellow" metals like brass bushings that are common in gear boxes. I have had experience in the effects of corrosive oils on these "yellow" or softer metals and it is a real problem if you get the oil wrong.

@TheOldHokie puts straight out on Gl-4 being obsolete for over 20 years now, and that is about as long as I have been using it now in my equipment. There is another brand of "speciality" oil that I use too, TRIAX, and they too have a GL-4 only gear lube AND a "severe gear" GL-5 for the off-road trucks. It still seems to be around, but I agree that the games played in marketing are made to make money and guess who pays no matter what!

I think that it's time for me "man-up" and switch to the GL-5 formulation since this is likely the same product that is in bottle that is for API GL-4 just with another additive. Hopefully it is "better" and perhaps I can put an end to my debates. Not only that but it's about 5 bucks a quart cheaper too!

Thank you for the discussion and if you do have any more experiences with this, or others that you know, please post them up here as this was a great discussion and perhaps shed the most light on this very ambiguous topic. Perhaps I can get the YT guy, "TheOilGeek", who I really admire, do a comparison test. Now that would go viral don't y'all think!

Take care,

Eric
 

eglaude

New member

Equipment
ZD18 Mower W/54" Deck, L3400 Tractor, JD Gator 4X2, and chainsaw/tracto addict
Jun 14, 2011
10
0
1
Richmond, TX
I just had a look at the latest (9th) edition of API 1560. Very interesting


3. Service Designations in Current Use

API GL-5

4. Service Designations not in Current Use

API GL-1
API GL-2
API GL-3
API GL-4
API GL-6
API MT-1
Howdy @TheOldHokie , I just replied too, and I thank you for shooting straight to the point and I appreciate the link to the API publication. Knowing API too well, I sat on many API committees over my career, and they too have mastered the "legal language" on how to make a requirements and a suggestion one in the same thing.

It's high time for me to just change to the GL-5, and not only that but it's 5 buck cheaper than the GL-4 bottle!

Conserve for beer!

Thanks again for your help, I appreciate you digging in the weeds a bit and I feel a lot better now.

Eric
 

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Howdy my freind @GeoHorn, and for starters thank you for the reply. I am not an expert in oil classification or hydrodynamics for various types machinery and applications, however I have worked my entire career, 35 years last year, in the the O&G exploration and product manufacturing and learned a thing or two about getting the right lubrication in a wide variety of extreme applications. It was always fascinating to work the huge aeroderivative turbo power generators that rely on such a thin film of oil to operate under the extreme speeds and temps that they were subjected to. Always a huge debate between "us" and the equipment manufacturer when it came to the lubricant brands during turnaround maintenance. I completely agree that there is a lot of talk by the manufacturers of these "boutique" oils but it always boils down to the owner to make the decision. In these cases, the equipment was in the tens of millions, and even with a whole bunch of paperwork and statements it was our company that paid the price one way or another.

I apply that same decision logic to most of my own equipment, e.g., tractors, mowers, chainsaws, and have done the research to make an informed decision when I totally change from the manufacturer's recommended product to something better that I know woks better. Classic example is 2-cycle oil, and unless the saw is under warranty, that "cheap" oil is the first thing that I change and the ratio as well.

Your comment on AMSOIL making GL-5 only is interesting, since I have used their products for tractor transaxles and gear lube for years now, and they definitely do have a "GL-4" classified product, i.e., MTGQT, and nowhere on the bottle does it mention GL-5 or lower. I really hate statements like that, "or better, or lower, since it's more of less legal jargon at that point. You are right, they[AMSOIL] did not come right out and offer the statement that Kubota endorses the use of GL-5 in their gear boxes and yes what I mean by the "soft" metals is perhaps more appropriate called "yellow" metals like brass bushings that are common in gear boxes. I have had experience in the effects of corrosive oils on these "yellow" or softer metals and it is a real problem if you get the oil wrong.

@TheOldHokie puts straight out on Gl-4 being obsolete for over 20 years now, and that is about as long as I have been using it now in my equipment. There is another brand of "speciality" oil that I use too, TRIAX, and they too have a GL-4 only gear lube AND a "severe gear" GL-5 for the off-road trucks. It still seems to be around, but I agree that the games played in marketing are made to make money and guess who pays no matter what!

I think that it's time for me "man-up" and switch to the GL-5 formulation since this is likely the same product that is in bottle that is for API GL-4 just with another additive. Hopefully it is "better" and perhaps I can put an end to my debates. Not only that but it's about 5 bucks a quart cheaper too!

Thank you for the discussion and if you do have any more experiences with this, or others that you know, please post them up here as this was a great discussion and perhaps shed the most light on this very ambiguous topic. Perhaps I can get the YT guy, "TheOilGeek", who I really admire, do a comparison test. Now that would go viral don't y'all think!

Take care,

Eric
This topic has been beat to death. Keep in mind these classifications are all performance based. They don't specify a chenistry. Overvtime the requirenents change to keep pace with chemistry and vice versa. For current performance requirements read these



For some insight into gear oil chemistry you might want to read this.


And lastly, your mower gear box oil might be better classifued as an industrial gear oil (IGO) rather than an automotive gear oil (AGO)

Dan
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

GeoHorn

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4700DT, LA1002FEL, Ferguson5-8B Compactor-Roller, 10KDumpTrailer, RTV-X900
May 18, 2018
6,848
4,196
113
Texas
The typical rotary cutter (and similar) gearbox is straight-tooth gears…not the “hypoid” gears commonly found in automotive differentials.

The difference is the “sliding” surface characteristics of the gear-mesh.

I’m not an engineer with gearbox-design specific knowledge … but it doesn’t take much imagination to recognize there are likely different requirements to deal with friction, wear, and heat …depending upon the gear design.

”Second-guessing” which oil is “better” …according to the imaginative mindset of the owner…. may not… probably Does Not…. suit the gearbox better than what the designers/mfr’s of the gearbox specify.

If the mfr specifies GL4…then GL5 is Not Likely “better”…. just because the mind of the owner thinks the number 5 supersedes the number 4 ….

Use what the mfr’r specifies…is what I feel is best.

[Spoiler: My Rhino shredder ”specifies” a particular Esso lube oil…which I cannot locate anywhere. So it has ordinary NAPA GL5 80W90 in it. So much for my advice.) :geek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

eglaude

New member

Equipment
ZD18 Mower W/54" Deck, L3400 Tractor, JD Gator 4X2, and chainsaw/tracto addict
Jun 14, 2011
10
0
1
Richmond, TX
This topic has been beat to death. Keep in mind these classifications are all performance based. They don't specify a chenistry. Overvtime the requirenents change to keep pace with chemistry and vice versa. For current performance requirements read these



For some insight into gear oil chemistry you might want to read this.


And lastly, your mower gear box oil might be better classifued as an industrial gear oil (IGO) rather than an automotive gear oil (AGO)

Dan
Howdy Dan, thanks ro attaching that slide deck on the oil chemistries. I agree that the manufacturer's recommendations are there for a reason, BUT, like you and a many others who are part of this forum, we have a combined knowledge base that needs has the practical "in the field" experience that manufacturers "optimize" out as that is the reason that you don't see the quality and "over built" quality anymore. Not that they don't care, their reputations depend on that, but in reality their boundary conditions are different that what the users are over time. As a heavy industrial equipment engineer myself, I now the value of listening and learning from the experiences of those that live it first hand. There have been failure analysis cases never quite resolved until many years later when just the right information was finally gathered and in my spare time I would try to connect the dots. I guess that AI can and will do that now, but for the those following this thread, this is invaluable information to make that informed decision on the type of oil or grease to use.

I have to respectfully push back a little on the notion that the manufacturer's recommendation is what is best when it comes to lubricants. I recall all too well the design limitations and the limitations we used to impose on possible failure mechanisms for the equipment we used which served to convince ourselves this should never really happen. Most manufacturers are always quick to deny any kind of responsibility for warranty service if you didn't use their specific brand of oils or any replacement parts I might add. If you every tried to battle Stihl on a warranty claim, it's a better use of your time to take it home and do what we just did here, learn as much as you can about it, and try to fix it yourself.

Thanks again for the knowledge you provided here and I very much appreciate the discussion with you my friend. This would have been a great conversation between us on a porch somewhere with a cold one.

Eric
 

hedgerow

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2015
472
459
63
Malcolm NE
I grew up in the retail end of the oil business. My folks had a truck stop and bulk fuel business and also had semi trucks running the road. Our flagship oil was Mobil and we did some testing with Mobil One when it came out in trucks. We also sold all major brands and some not so major. Oil brand is a Ford and Chevy thing with people. I have work on all kinds of equipment all my life and I don't care what brand of oil you use but you better kept oil in your equipment. I have seen far more pieces of equipment ruin from lack of lubricants than from using the wrong type. Not that I haven't seen the wrong oil ruin parts but mostly I have seen more damage from lack of lubrication. I never talk oil brands with any one.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 1 users

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Howdy Dan, thanks ro attaching that slide deck on the oil chemistries. I agree that the manufacturer's recommendations are there for a reason, BUT, like you and a many others who are part of this forum, we have a combined knowledge base that needs has the practical "in the field" experience that manufacturers "optimize" out as that is the reason that you don't see the quality and "over built" quality anymore. Not that they don't care, their reputations depend on that, but in reality their boundary conditions are different that what the users are over time. As a heavy industrial equipment engineer myself, I now the value of listening and learning from the experiences of those that live it first hand. There have been failure analysis cases never quite resolved until many years later when just the right information was finally gathered and in my spare time I would try to connect the dots. I guess that AI can and will do that now, but for the those following this thread, this is invaluable information to make that informed decision on the type of oil or grease to use.

I have to respectfully push back a little on the notion that the manufacturer's recommendation is what is best when it comes to lubricants. I recall all too well the design limitations and the limitations we used to impose on possible failure mechanisms for the equipment we used which served to convince ourselves this should never really happen. Most manufacturers are always quick to deny any kind of responsibility for warranty service if you didn't use their specific brand of oils or any replacement parts I might add. If you every tried to battle Stihl on a warranty claim, it's a better use of your time to take it home and do what we just did here, learn as much as you can about it, and try to fix it yourself.

Thanks again for the knowledge you provided here and I very much appreciate the discussion with you my friend. This would have been a great conversation between us on a porch somewhere with a cold one.

Eric
My point is much simpler than that.

The GL-4 service category is OBSOLETE and for all practical purposes has been for over 30 years. In just about all cases the GL-5 category covers equipment that originally specified GL-4. I would put your mower gearbox in that category.

The only notable exception would be SOME synchronized manual transmissions. For those applications a whole new category of lubricants has emerged - Manual Transmission Lubricants (MTL) MTL's are characterized by the use of friction modifiers that are tailored to synchronized manual transmissions and often to specific OEM requirements. A Getrag MTL formulation is different from a ZF MTL formulation and you probably wont like the result if you switch one for the other.

Dan
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

GeoHorn

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4700DT, LA1002FEL, Ferguson5-8B Compactor-Roller, 10KDumpTrailer, RTV-X900
May 18, 2018
6,848
4,196
113
Texas
And a CC diesel engine oil for the tracks that has been obsolete since 1990 :devilish:

Dan
Hokie… What responsibility … Exactly…are you willing to take upon yourself…for telling an owner that YOUR opinion is better and supersedes the OEM’s Specification….and and Owner’s Judgement that he will follow the OEM specification.. ? YOU gonna fix it for ‘em when it goes badly…?

In the above posts…one poster “e”…. put a “like” on My post that recommends using what the OEM specifies… then “e” subsequently (and self-contradictorily) states that he has to “push back…on the notion that…...manufacturer's recommendation is what is best when it comes to lubricants.”

Then along-comes-yourself…. with verbiage intended to persuade us that you know more about oil-chemistry than anyone-else-present… and declare “obsolete”… the Very Oil Specified by an OEM…. and recommend using an Unspecified oil instead…. and THEN Contradict Yourself subsequent to your previous advice, … and state that if one should use something other than that specified…… ..”you probably wont like the result if you switch one for the other.”

You two should run for public office. 🤣

I believe it’s Best to use what the OEM recommends, and owners avoid “self-prescribing” what they don’t know-about based on internet B.S.

But, if it’s Your Own Machine…. You Get What You Deserve.

IMO
 

TheOldHokie

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3901/LA525, G2160/RCK60, G2460/RCK60
Apr 6, 2021
12,713
7,231
113
Myersville, MD
windyridgefarm.us
Hokie… What responsibility … Exactly…are you willing to take upon yourself…for telling an owner that YOUR opinion is better and supersedes the OEM’s Specification….and and Owner’s Judgement that he will follow the OEM specification.. ? YOU gonna fix it for ‘em when it goes badly…?

In the above posts…one poster “e”…. put a “like” on My post that recommends using what the OEM specifies… then “e” subsequently (and self-contradictorily) states that he has to “push back…on the notion that…...manufacturer's recommendation is what is best when it comes to lubricants.”

Then along-comes-yourself…. with verbiage intended to persuade us that you know more about oil-chemistry than anyone-else-present… and declare “obsolete”… the Very Oil Specified by an OEM…. and recommend using an Unspecified oil instead…. and THEN Contradict Yourself subsequent to your previous advice, … and state that if one should use something other than that specified…… ..”you probably wont like the result if you switch one for the other.”

You two should run for public office. 🤣

I believe it’s Best to use what the OEM recommends, and owners avoid “self-prescribing” what they don’t know-about based on internet B.S.

But, if it’s Your Own Machine…. You Get What You Deserve.

IMO
You lik we to create and fight straw men

Tell me where you can get the recommendecd CC diesel engine oil.

NOWHERE

Tell me where you can get a certified GL-4 gear oil

NOWHERE.

So what you do is use the CURRENT standards. Is that too complex for you to grasp?

Dan
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user