JD 660 tiller

jfay · Sep 19, 2009

OK, so I just bought a used Deere 660 tiller. The price was right, and it is in great shape. I sent away for the owners manual and service manual, but would like to get it up and running. Does anyone know what weight gear oil to use, how full to fill the gear box and the chain drive. Also, it looks like the drain plug on the chain drive isn't at the bottom and won't drain out completely. Any tricks to getting all the old oil out?

Many thanks for your help.

J.

JFS2295 · Sep 19, 2009

I just happen to have my manual right here.

Here's the Lube Schedule:

Drive U-Joints, 10 hours
End Bearings for Tiller Tine Shaft - 50 hours
Chaincase and Gearcase use JD GL-5 (No spec on wt in manual, but it's SAE 85W-140)
Check levels every 8 hours & replace oil at 1000 hours or end of season.

On the 660 Gearbox, the fill plug has a dipstick. Drain plug is to the side (gets messy).

On the chaindrive, the plug you saw is the check level when the tiller is level (i.e., top of shield is parallel to ground). To drain the oil, you have to rotate the tiller itself backwards until the check level port is the lowest point. Helps to have an FEL at that point.

jfay · Sep 20, 2009

Jack:
Thanks very much. Any tricks on how to drain the gear box without making a mess?
Jamie

JFS2295 · Sep 20, 2009

A: Have lots of rags.
B: Use a suction gun to take out as much of the oil as you can.
C: Have lots of rags.

It's not a pretty layout. The gearbox is surrounded with it's reinforcement. You could get a little aluminum tray and fit it in there, but it will not hold the capacity of the gearbox.

The 660 is a good unit. I've had it for maybe 10 years, enough to where I need to change the outer, highest wearing tines. The South Jersey shore is all sand so I've never hit a rock, but it has gone over some old branches and rotted Christmas tree stumps without issues. It's larger then what I should have on the 1710, large enough to fit all the way across the tire paths.