Mowing oil seepage beneath bush hog gear box

[amarlow]

Hey, folks! Long time reader/studier. This is my first question.

I finally bought my first tractor, two weeks ago tomorrow (back on 02 July), a four year old New Holland TC34DA with 95 hrs on it. I promptly (same day) went out and purchased a brand new, though I think a couple years old, Woods Heritage HSS60 rotary mower with the slip clutch.

I brought it back to the property, hooked it up to the tractor, and mowed for three or four hours. No seriously thick tree trunks, but some very dense weeds. In the "lawn" area, I also scalped a half dozen little hillets, and though I don't know how I would know, I wouldn't be surprised to learn I had already slipped that clutch a couple times.

I parked the Woods mower, disconnected the PTO, and let it sit. It was tilted forward, away from the laminated wheel, and a day or two later (wasn't really paying attention to it), there began a slow seepage/leakage of oil from the underside of the gear box. It's not from the PTO shaft, not from higher up on the gear box, it's from the "seam" where the gear box sits on the mower deck. The leak is from about 8 o'clock around to 4 o'clock, where the laminated wheel is at 12 o'clock.

(Can you tell I'm an engineer?)

This is my first tractor, and certainly my first rotary mower. I did not check the gear oil level in the gear box because when I asked the implement dealer about it, he said it had just been checked.

Any ideas what this oil leak might be?

~Allen

 

[Kubota 2350]

They should do something for you where you bought the mower, if they sold it as new.

 

[Soundguy]

sounds like the output shaft seal is leaking.

it may have been low on oil and ruined the seal .. many units are shipped without oil.

it may have bene overfull of oil or had water in the oil from setting, and the vent, if it has one was plugged and the expanded fluid pushed the seal out or made it weep.

if it's new and leaking.. i'd take it back...

soundguy

Hey, folks! Long time reader/studier. This is my first question.

I finally bought my first tractor, two weeks ago tomorrow (back on 02 July), a four year old New Holland TC34DA with 95 hrs on it. I promptly (same day) went out and purchased a brand new, though I think a couple years old, Woods Heritage HSS60 rotary mower with the slip clutch.

I brought it back to the property, hooked it up to the tractor, and mowed for three or four hours. No seriously thick tree trunks, but some very dense weeds. In the "lawn" area, I also scalped a half dozen little hillets, and though I don't know how I would know, I wouldn't be surprised to learn I had already slipped that clutch a couple times.

I parked the Woods mower, disconnected the PTO, and let it sit. It was tilted forward, away from the laminated wheel, and a day or two later (wasn't really paying attention to it), there began a slow seepage/leakage of oil from the underside of the gear box. It's not from the PTO shaft, not from higher up on the gear box, it's from the "seam" where the gear box sits on the mower deck. The leak is from about 8 o'clock around to 4 o'clock, where the laminated wheel is at 12 o'clock.

(Can you tell I'm an engineer?)

This is my first tractor, and certainly my first rotary mower. I did not check the gear oil level in the gear box because when I asked the implement dealer about it, he said it had just been checked.

Any ideas what this oil leak might be?

~Allen

 

[doall]

No question, take it back to dealer. but I agree output shaft seal.

 

[amarlow]

Thanks folks. Your advice is consistent. The painful thing is the dealer from whom I purchased the mower is 80 miles from my house. There are two other Woods Mower dealers within about 10 miles of home who will do warranty (and non-warranty) work. Should I suck it up and drive (minimum one more time) to the original dealer? That would be painful (not so much the distance, but navigating highways thru Detroit).

I have called all three dealers. Each one said the same: "Sounds like you got into some wire or string and damaged the seal. That's misuse, and not covered by warranty."

1. I used it a very short time, and know (or am pretty dang sure) I wasn't in any wire or string. It was "virgin" weeds & grass & tree-lets the size of my thumb.

2. Is this just the standard answer?

3. Coincidentally, "Bill" at the local Tractor Supply is a retired mechanical engineer who spent much of his career working on..... wait for it..... SEALS! on rotating shafts! His comment was, "Something is wrong. Bad seal to begin with, or maybe the bearings were put in wrong."


So back to my original question: Do I take it back to the original dealer where I purchased it? Or does it not matter, and I can take it 2 miles over country roads to the nearby Woods dealer?

~Allen

 

[brin]

I would take it to the closest Woods dealer..he has to horor the warranty if he is selling Woods products and is a dealer for them and then I would call Woods corporate office and expalain your situation to them if the dealer gives you any problem...

 

[Soundguy]

if you got into wire or string.. it will still be there. IE.. wrapped around the shaft and damaging the seal area. take a look.. if now wire or string.. then......

soundguy

 

[Dead Horse]

Got a picture of that mower? How much oil is in the gear case now?

 

[Heavyduty]

I would try and use the warranty.

When your warranty runs out, you could put 00 grease in it. A lot of new hogs are shipped from the factory with 00 grease.

 

[amarlow]

I hoisted the mower onto my trailer last night, then raised one side almost vertical so I could look at the spindle/shaft. That's easier said than done. The "stump jumper" feature is a huge disk, I'm guessing 18 inches in diameter, and the blades (is that the right word) are pinned to that disk. There is only small gap, perhaps 3 inches between that disk and the underside of the mower deck; the stump jumper does a fairly good job of making visibility into the shaft a challenge. And if anything WAS wrapped around the shaft, it would be nigh on impossible to get to it.

@Soundguy-- Even while hampered by the limited visibility, and lack of flashlight, I really don't think there is anything at all wrapped around the shaft. In fact, it looked purty darn clean.

@DeadHorse-- I don't have a picture, can get one tonight. You mean of just the oil seeping area? Or the entire mower? To post a picture here, do I have to get a photobucket or picassa or something account to actually host the pix?

@Heavyduty-- What is 00 grease? Never heard that term (though this is not a surprise). Is it something heavy, like plain lithium grease? Why use that over 80/90 weight? Thicker and less likely to run out?

I stopped by a local farm last night and purchased (CraigsList ad) a couple of log chains for lifting the mower. I got to talking to this guy, and among other things chatted about the seeping mower. He said to call Woods directly, that they are very good about taking care of customers. I wonder if I should do that anyway, in addition to taking it to the local dealer.

Thanks for all the help, y'all.

~Allen