Register now to get rid of these ads!

Gear lube question

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Andrew DeLong, Jun 10, 2023.

  1. Hi Mike ,
    Yeah,,,,you’re right,,,,,,that’s not a lot of miles for a road tractor .
    But,,,like you said,,,,he was using 90 wt gear oil .
    The EP additive in gear oil makes a big reduction in wear .

    And I’m not saying the other doesn’t work well either,,,,,,but I would love to see some pics to prove this out .

    The EP,,,( extreme pressure),,,additive in gear oil is very helpful for long gear life,,,,bearings as well .

    Tommy
     
    Budget36 likes this.
  2. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 15,459

    Budget36
    Member

    Ya, that’s why I mentioned I wasn’t comparing lubes, road tractors can and do haul 80k (more in other states, Nevada I recall seeing 3 trailers being pulled) but “dirt trucks” are a stop and go thing, transmission is subjected to as many shifts in a month that a road tractor will see in a year, plus the constant loading on the transmission and rearend(s). I sure @Truckdoctor Andy can elaborate, heck, I was always my dads wrench and “yard driver”, wouldn’t make a wart on a truck drivers ****;)
     
  3. Once again I’m very confused and yet enlightened by the HAMB! Went out into my shop and looked at my gear oil selection and this is what I found…
    Pennzoil purchased a couple years ago for the Richmond 5 speed in my Bonneville car…
    86025D71-F9DE-4654-AC72-270B7588C93D.jpeg
    49CDF3D1-3132-4D01-90BB-0997A9BCD0F7.jpeg
    A jug of Valvoline gear oil from probably 25 years ago when I rebuilt the TopLoader in my Ford horsey thingie… B519E3E0-FDBE-4ED3-90D4-58E73384A074.jpeg
    8136BC42-13BC-4C9D-8C34-50248C337AB5.jpeg
    And then this bottle of stuff marketed for two wheelers but still rated as gear oil…
    584F25F2-9088-445B-860E-AC64F413AA79.jpeg
    4CE23F94-A438-4B7D-839B-CA5AEE16EDF6.jpeg
    Only the Pennzoil is strictly GL-3, the other two seem to have the ability to self decide how much -3, -4, -5, or even -6 to put into use. And they all three are for transmission and rear differential use. Thanks guys, now I have another thing I have to learn about!
     
    Chucky, Budget36 and Desoto291Hemi like this.
  4. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 8,185

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    Hehe, you guys are funny. Sometimes these threads just make you shake your head...
     
    bchctybob and SilverJimmy like this.
  5. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 60,330

    squirrel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    yup. Still haven't answered any questions, have we.
     
  6. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 8,185

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    I thought we did back on the 1st page
     
    gimpyshotrods and Budget36 like this.
  7. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 60,330

    squirrel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Yeah, you're right. There it is in one of the first posts. Before we got sidetracked with the white metal urban legend.

     
    427 sleeper and SilverJimmy like this.
  8. scrappybunch
    Joined: Nov 16, 2011
    Posts: 441

    scrappybunch
    Member
    from nj

    Blues4U likes this.
  9. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 8,185

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    I was thinking the answer was to use a GL-4 spec gear oil as that is the modern gear lube that supersedes the GL-3 or GL-2 spec that was the original recommendations; and that GL-5 is not recommended by the OEM's because the EP additives can be aggressive against the soft metals in the transmission; but that several people have successfully used GL-5 and not noticed any unusual wear patterns. Oh, and some loon suggested you could use a straight grade SAE 50 engine oil, or even a Cat TO-4 spec oil in SAE 50 viscosity grade, but that guy's crazy and you probably shouldn't listen to him. ;)
     
  10. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 60,330

    squirrel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I expect you could use a lot of different oils and it would work just fine.

    btw where do you find SAE 50 engine oil?
     
    427 sleeper likes this.
  11. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,969

    BamaMav
    Member Emeritus
    from Berry, AL

    I’m sure lots of people have gotten by not following standards. Some have had better luck than others, and some have followed manufacturers guidelines with bad results. Some of us have had good results with products some call snake oil. With a large enough sample of users, there will always be mixed results.
     
  12. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 8,185

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    Probably at any commercial truck dealership, or any parts store that has parts for trucks.
     
    gimpyshotrods likes this.
  13. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 24,585

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Yup.

    It would appear that some still insist on remaining on their "chose your own reality" adventure.
     
    Blues4U and Truckdoctor Andy like this.
  14. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,196

    spanners
    Member

    I hope the poor ******* that started this thread is sitting back with a beer watching the **** show. :D
     
    427 sleeper and Blues4U like this.
  15. X38
    Joined: Feb 27, 2005
    Posts: 17,498

    X38
    Member

    On the contrary, I'd say he's used us and disappeared. He hasn't been around since the day he started the thread.
     
    XXL__ likes this.
  16. I’m not saying there won’t be any wear in a transmission at a million miles. Most transmission problems are caused by driver error. Rear drive axles get Synthetic Gear oil. The maximum weight trucks are allowed to be is 80,000 without permits. Obviously not all tractors go a million miles without problems, but it’s not uncommon for them to. It all depends on the driver and the maintenance program. 50 weight oil is what is normally specified by Eaton Fuller or Meritor.
     
    Blues4U likes this.
  17. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 60,330

    squirrel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Apparently no one knows?

    https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/non-california/pure-guard-motor-oil-50w-5-gallon/pgdn/nd505gal/v/a/14074/

    From the description in the link....

    "Motor Oil; SAE 50W Non-Detergent; 5 Gallon;

    Non-Detergent oil is a pure mineral-based lubricant with no detergent or oxidation inhibitor additives. Blended with premium blend stocks to provide lubrication and to help prevent rust and wear.

    Non-Detergent oil is recommended for use as a general purpose lubricant. Suitable for compressors and hydraulic systems which require non-detergent oil. Can be used in manual transmissions and gear boxes where an extreme pressure gear lubricant is not required. Non-Detergent oil is not intended for use in on-highway vehicles."
     
  18. Ebbsspeed
    Joined: Nov 11, 2005
    Posts: 6,515

    Ebbsspeed
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I carry gear oil in my bone stock '37 Buick Special, as the cluster gear shaft is a little loose and lube leaks out the front of the trans. Maybe some day I'll run out of things to do and blow it apart to fix it, but for now those bolts that haven't been touched for 86 years will remain untouched.

    You can get straight weight 50 at a lot of motorcycle shops. You can even get SAE 60 at shops that cater to those of us who ride ancient V-Twins in hot weather. A bonus is that it leaks out slower.

    And you can always go to the Store of Satan and order it from your phone.
     
  19. jaracer
    Joined: Oct 4, 2008
    Posts: 3,117

    jaracer
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Back in the mid 80's the leasing company I worked for ran a lube test for Fuller. We took about 20 road tractors and Fuller used different lube in transmissions in groups of maybe 4. They also shipped barrels of the correct lube to each service location that would be servicing the trucks. This would be used in the event of a leak. Failures were sent to Fuller. They had various weights of gear oil or motor oil. The results of this test convinced Fuller to change their fluid recommendation to synthetic motor oil. If I remember correctly, the only failure was due to a seal leak and total lack of lube.

    In our lease fleet we had about 6000 tractors that hauled things that ranged from steel at over 80K gross to empty beer cans for Anheuser Busch. Yes it is possible for heavy duty transmissions filled with motor oil to go a million miles. However, at this mileage there is probably quite a bit of wear. Back in the 80's our average trade cycle was around 500K miles. With the engines of the day it was more economical to trade the truck as engine repairs started to be required.

    Differentials require gear lube due to the "wiping" or sliding effect of the gear mesh.
     
  20. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 6,284

    bchctybob
    Member

    You used to be able to buy 50 wt Valvoline Racing Oil at your local speed shop or auto parts store but I haven’t gone looking for it for a very long time now.
     
  21. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 60,330

    squirrel
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I went to Tucson today for several things including a stop at Don's hot rod shop. They have red line MT90 in stock.
     
    427 sleeper likes this.
  22. Amazon has 50 weight Valvoline racing oil for sale. Old Harleys like heavy, straight weight engine oil, which is why I try to keep on top of availability.
     
    427 sleeper and Desoto291Hemi like this.
  23. The last manual transmission I rebuilt was a '64 Ford 3.03 Toploader. I used Valvoline Syncromesh Manual Transmission Fluid. It's not specifically rated for use in this transmission, but after reading and researching, that was the oil I decided to use. Two years later it's still working well. :) With all the testimonials I've seen in this thread, it seems you can use just about any oil in an automotive manual transmission and have no issues. Good luck to us all. :)
     
    X38 likes this.
  24. 427 sleeper
    Joined: Mar 8, 2017
    Posts: 3,399

    427 sleeper
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Just to lighten the mood... I like to equate lubrication to a piece of ***... Sometime's something is better than nothing... ;):D:rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2023
  25. I'm a cream puff :). I can get a gallon container easily at Napa of GL-1 90W goes in the trans and the o/d unit, I have to shift a little slower until the end of the block (on cold mornings) and after that it's normal. I found some GL-4 140w at the local hazmat drop off, they put stuff that's sealed back out for the public to use (You can get up to 5 things free). I've gotten oil, wax, detail products, cleaning products and paint for the house...........what can I say I'm a recycler at heart :D:D.
     
  26. X38
    Joined: Feb 27, 2005
    Posts: 17,498

    X38
    Member

    That would require lubrication.
     
  27. 427 sleeper
    Joined: Mar 8, 2017
    Posts: 3,399

    427 sleeper
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Something's better than nothing... :rolleyes:
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.