JHZR2
Staff member
1986 or 87 Ariens.
Looks like this:
Manual says this:
What's the best product to use in the gear?
Looks like this:
Manual says this:
What's the best product to use in the gear?
Riding mower steering gear lubrication
- Thread starter JHZR2
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I've used lithium grease, and I've used motor oil. Didn't seem to make much difference either way, really. I'd just clean it up some and put on whatever was handy.
While I do not have a riding mower , if I had that one , I agree 100% .
Clean it up very good then maybe thick gear lube ( like in a diff ) or wheel bearing grease . Maybe with molly and / or graphite .
Clean it up very good then maybe thick gear lube ( like in a diff ) or wheel bearing grease . Maybe with molly and / or graphite .
Your lawn sandy? If so I'd be temped to leave the exposed rack and pinion dry, or wax bike chain lube since this is BITOG. Lube the bushings still though whatever is in the gun.
On such an unprotected, low load mechanism, I’d be tempted to clean it up and spray it with a graphite lube that dries, like Jig a Loo Graphite Extreme.
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ditto on a quality dry lube...I've used one of the LPS dry lubes in similar exposed rack applications.
Leave it dry, look at the surrounding metal. Any grease or oil will attract dirt and grime and cause it to stick in between the gears, which will cause wear.
Kestas
Staff member
Tough call. Lubricating the area would attract and retain abrasive contaminant.
Clean the gear up and apply Door-Ease stick lubricant. I've had a tube for forty five years. Originally made to lube hood and door latch strikers but good for other application too. I think I saw it at Ace Hardware.
Yep. That's been my experience. These exposed sector and pinion steering gears get dirty with use no matter what you do or put on them. Just a bit of oil or a tiny bit of grease goes a long way.
I had some moly paste, something like 60% moly that I used to put on open steering gears. It's not quite as bad as grease at attracting dirt, and excellent for lube. I just cleaned it up real good and lubed it and wiped off the excess. I'd do it a couple times a year, and those gears were still in great shape when I got rid of the tractors. No matter what you do, it'll get dirty, so the only thing you can shoot for is some lube.
WD-40. If your hung up on the fact that it's not technically a lubricant, use 3 in 1 oil. The WD-40 works for me for the season.
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