corn head grease

j32 said:
Hi , can someone explain what corn head grease is and what it's uses are.

Thanks
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I think there is a link to a u tube video posted on this thread, and/or definitely on other threads on this same subject, that can be found by doing a quick search. Viewing that video will tell you anything/everything you ever wanted to know about JD Corn Head Grease.
 
I have seen everybody saying corn head grease is the best lubricant for steering boxes. Do you guys use it for other applications on old Fords, or just for the steering box?
 
JimG said:
I have seen everybody saying corn head grease is the best lubricant for steering boxes. Do you guys use it for other applications on old Fords, or just for the steering box?
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U-joint and clamshell, also! You must understand the Corn Head Grease's particular properties as a grease....to understand WHY it is so good with certain pieces of equipment. DD
 
FWIW, the internal John Deere lubricant recommendation standard denotes a grease meeting the following may be used as a substitute for its Corn Head Grease: "SAE Multipurpose Grease with Extreme Pressure (EP) Performance and meeting NLGI Consistency Number 0".

I imagine that Case, CAT, Claas, Massey Ferguson, and others all have something similar for the gearboxes in the headers for their combines that would meet the demands for a Ford steering gear.

If you want to use the official Deere grease, the part number for a cartridge would be AN102562.


Disclosure: I work for Deere, but have no involvement with the harvesters or lubricants.
 
All of the combine harvester manufacturers make a similar product but they all have there own designs. The corn header has chains with fingers that draw the corn stalks into the cutters and first stage of the threshing process inside the machine. John Deere's gearbox has shafts coming out multiple ways to function several operations all at once. It's quite a piece of engineering. I bet replacing one would be a b!tch.

The sickle bar gearbox on the old Massey Harris combines with wheat & milo headers could use that type of lube in it too.
 
I work for a local farmer who has a Case/Inter combine. I was going to ask him if I could buy a tube of his corn-head grease for my steering box but after reading all the posts here on the Barn I thought I'd go with the John Deere. It's probably the same anyway but I was passing a J.D. dealership the other day so I stopped in and bought a tube.
Question; I bought it for my steering box but would it be good for the rear wheel bearings as well? I'm in the process of changing the grease seals and would like to know if the JDCHG would be good to pack the bearings.
Thanks, Doug.
 
Works great for rear wheel axle bearings. I have used it for that purpose and a friend that runs an independent garage found that it quiets noisy Ford pickup truck rears.
 
I figure if it has been working OK for 65 to 80 + years then its still good to go. There are exceptions though such as gear lubes with too much EP additive for transmissions that have phosphor bronze bushings and brass blocker rings. Wheel bearings can be subject to extreme temperatures due to the close proximity to the brake drums. High temp wheel bearing grease is still relatively inexpensive but there are some more expensive modern synthetic alternatives to the wheel bearing grease. Not necessarily better but will work and last well by comparison. The Corn Head grease has a polyurea thickener that can take higher heat but I don't know how it compares with a high temp wheel bearing grease. Using corn head grease for u-joints is better than trying to mix up some kind of soda soap and gear lube concoction.

A rear axle needs to have the lube drained fairly regularly due to the microscopic metal particles that are generated by normal wear & tear. 85/140 gear lubes with GL-5 rating can be used in them no problem and you can get the stuff anywhere plus it can be drained out of the axle housing very easily. Corn Head grease, not so much. It's great for U-joint lube though and is a decent alternative for steering gears as long as you don't change the lube in it every year.
 
j32 said:
Hi , can someone explain what corn head grease is and what it's uses are.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Cornhead grease is used in John Deere corn pickers in the gear boxes. It is in a solid state but when it gets moving it becomes somewhat fluid and is good for slow moving gear boxes. It is an excellent grease for our old Ford steering boxes.
 
Another, and probably the main advantage; it does not readily leak out of the steering box and still provides the proper lubrication.
 
It is used to grease the corn head that goes on the combine to harvest corn. A grain head is used to harvest other grains like soybeans and wheat. You put the grease in a plunger and when the handle it pushed it grease multiple fittings at the same time.
 
SuperDave said:
Works great for rear wheel axle bearings. I have used it for that purpose and a friend that runs an independent garage found that it quiets noisy Ford pickup truck rears.
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I would not suggest using JDCHG in early Ford rear wheel bearings. A fiber filled grease like Sta Lube SL3131 is a heavy duty drum brake, bearing grease, that's much better suited for that application.
 
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