Oil for bandaw gear box?

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Cleaning up my 4x6 HF bandsaw today I popped the gear box cover and... ew.  It smells terrible, looks like used oil and has junk in it (could be sand from casting or grit from running, unsure).Anyway - I read to use 90wt gear oil GL-1/MT-1 spec.  So I went out to Advanced Auto and Pepboys and did not find anything indicating it meets that spec.  Apparently you want that spec because of the brass/bronze gear.So, what are people using in their saws?  Anything that I can buy locally this weekend?Thanks,JonMiller Diversion 180Hobart Handler 140 (Soon to be replaced with Miller 211?)Miller Spectrum 625 Extreme
Reply:From what I understand, any kind of brass-friendly gear oil, which would be anything GL4 and below (I'm pretty sure the GL5 is the one that eats brass, my Nissans couldn't use GL5 due to brass synchros)Hobart EZ-Tig newbie.
Reply:Myself?I would just use any 'ol gear oilo and call it a day.For the amount of actual use you will put it thru it's a non issue....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterMyself?I would just use any 'ol gear oilo and call it a day.For the amount of actual use you will put it thru it's a non issue....zap!
Reply:Regular gear oil is fine & lots of people have used it for years this way.
Reply:Originally Posted by chimmikeFrom what I understand, any kind of brass-friendly gear oil, which would be anything GL4 and below (I'm pretty sure the GL5 is the one that eats brass, my Nissans couldn't use GL5 due to brass synchros)
Reply:Usually the oil is supposed to be 140wt.,when I drained and cleaned mine out I used 90wt.Seems to have worked fine so far.
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldiron2That is correct; the EP additives in GL5 and higher aren't good for brass, at least in truck/car transmissions. Zap may be right; I have no idea how long it would take to do any damage in a saw gearbox where the temperatures and pressures are much lower, but if one doesn't want to experiment, all one needs to do is buy some 50wt oil instead; it's generally available anywhere motor oil is sold. I suppose even 30wt might work fine too, but I won't recommend it here since I don't know all the OP's 'particulars'.
Reply:http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/EXX...778?Pid=searchhttp://www.grainger.com/Grainger/EXX...F30?Pid=searchhttp://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...l_SHC_600.aspxTxDoc's Photos Lincoln SP175 PlusLincoln Power Mig 256Lincoln 250 LX Spool Gun Lincoln Precision Tig 225 Hypertherm 600 KMG 2x72 Belt GrinderBaldor 812RE Grinder
Reply:The oil that was in my gearbox was more like the old STP oil additive ,thick like cold molasses.It didn't resemble any car oil that I had ever seen.
Reply:Originally Posted by TxDochttp://www.grainger.com/Grainger/EXX...778?Pid=searchhttp://www.grainger.com/Grainger/EXX...F30?Pid=searchhttp://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...l_SHC_600.aspx
Reply:Bah... just pack it with Crisco and call it a day.  It's gotta be 10x better than the crud they pour in it.  As far as the smell goes... all gear oil stinks.  Try not to get it on your skin.  It doesn't really wash out.
Reply:I would recommend running Royal Purple Max Gear. Rumor has it the Chicoms put whale oil in the HF gear boxes. I snapped a single page for reference, but if you require additional testing data, you will have to drill down into their site. I run Royal Purple in all of my small engines. Remember, you get what you pay for.Timken Load gear test:http://www.boattest.com/resources/vi...px?newsid=3511Good luck! Attached ImagesLast edited by yakdung; 04-30-2012 at 05:02 PM.
Reply:you would want a gl-4 rated gear oil because it doesnt contain reactive sulfurs like gl-5 rated oils have.. for instance: gl-4 gear oil you would use in a manual transmission because of the synchronizers, gl-5 rated gear oil would go into a rearend because there are no brass parts in a rear end.. most manual transmissions nowadays use automatic transmission fluid.. I would never buy a $15-$20 quart of royal purple gear oil to put in a harbor freight bandsaw.. I wouldnt even buy a quart of royal purple to put in my vehicle..  I prefer mobile one.. I would bet a qt of straight 40wt or 50wt non-detergent motor oil would work just fine, it doesnt eat up bronze distributor gears.Last edited by brucer; 04-30-2012 at 04:48 PM.tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Jeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz its a bandsaw not a transmission!!!In the old days we would grind out every other tooth on the brass rings..Fill it with 50 weight and a BANNANA...Put the cover back on and now you had what was called a "Crash Box" and you did not need the clutch after the starting line..Just put some gear oil in it and be done with it!...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.