JD Corn Head grease for steering

fftoddster

fftoddster

Senior Member
Does anybody have an extra tube of grease they are willing to sell and ship to me?

My closest dealers don't carry it and say I have to buy a whole case of 30.

The other dealers that are farther away have it but won't ship grease.

I'm in Huntington Beach CA 92649

Also what is involved to put the grease in the steering gear box?
Hope it's ok to post this here.
 
I bought mine on line and got 4 tubes. It is the best for U-joints too. Regular chassis grease doesn't get into where it needs to on the U-joint bushings.
 
Stick with John Deere cornhead grease. The others may be as good but the John Deere definitely does the job.
 
CSArno said:
Drain out the old oil if there is any left. Maybe fill the box with kero or gas and let it set (work the steering back and forth) then drain to get some of the crud out. Put the CHG in a regular grease gun and fill up the steering box.
Looks like this place sells it by the tube.
http://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Special-Purpose-Corn-Head-Gun-Grease-AN102562.html
Click to expand...

Thanks. 2 tubes ordered.

Excuse my ignorance. I have not thoroughly examined the gear box. Is there a drain?

Where do you add the grease? Have to remove a cover?
 
Any local parts store has CV joint grease which is also heavy-bodied but flows instead of packing up away from the gears (or u-joint) like gun grease. No need to chase all over for corn picker grease.
 
There is not a drain, you remove the lower cover. It is filled through the removable fill plug/cover. There are diagrams and rebuild information online, should help you identify how to fill. This one is from VanPelt's site.
 

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fftoddster said:
Thanks. 2 tubes ordered.

Excuse my ignorance. I have not thoroughly examined the gear box. Is there a drain?

Where do you add the grease? Have to remove a cover?
Click to expand...
I took an extra plug from another steering box and installed a grease fitting to it. When I fill my steering gears, I temporarily install that modified fitting. This way, I am confident the gear box is packed.
 
Using a reg grease in steering boxes runs the risk the top bearing does not get greased sooner or later. As the head gradually causes grease level to drop, all it takes is a very slight drop and the top worm bearing goes. Would think that is what is good about the CH grease cause it nearly goes liquid when warmed. It will run cause I have a bushog with a bad seal I got thru last summer's season with using CH grease and would find a small blob on the ground under it after use, just kept filling it to get by.
 
Semi-fluid grease is not limited to the John Deere combine corn head gearboxes. Others use the Cenex corn head grease and there are more available. The key is the NGLI #0 rating on these types of thixotropic grease and a polyurea thickener. The polyurea thickener is a complex to produce due to the materials it is sythesized from. Isosyanate is not popular with the EPA so it is not widely used hear in the US.

Heat doesn't affect the fluidity as much as movement. The stuff turns to fluid as soon as there is movement and turns back to non fluid when movement stops. I doubt if a steering box generates much heat unless it happens to be right next to the engine exhaust pipe.
 
fftoddster said:
Thanks. 2 tubes ordered.

Excuse my ignorance. I have not thoroughly examined the gear box. Is there a drain?

Where do you add the grease? Have to remove a cover?
Click to expand...

My experience has been that Ford steering boxes are "self draining".. sorry.. I couldn't resist!:rolleyes:
 
To Andy & JSeery
If the box is in good shape, adjusted well, etc, how do you drain the old stuff out?
I understand the kerosene trick for flushing, but am unclear on the drain proceedure.
Thanks
Jim
 
.Unless you fill your box right to the top once in a while the top bearing will not get lubed ,that means any type of lube ,some boxes came with a hole drilled in the Colom tube to add a drop .I don't recommend straight grease in a box but if the Corn head is not available you can make a mix up of 3 to one of engine oil ,This mix I would think is simler to semi liquid grease and that they have less thickeners . Ted

jimTN said:
Using a reg grease in steering boxes runs the risk the top bearing does not get greased sooner or later. As the head gradually causes grease level to drop, all it takes is a very slight drop and the top worm bearing goes. Would think that is what is good about the CH grease cause it nearly goes liquid when warmed. It will run cause I have a bushog with a bad seal I got thru last summer's season with using CH grease and would find a small blob on the ground under it after use, just kept filling it to get by.
Click to expand...
 
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