How To Lubricate A Lawn Mower Shaft

Rating of the best lawn mowers selection of a quality trimmer Selection of the best lawn mowers for mowing lawn in your garden. Rating of petrol trimmers for use in the country or at home. Technical descriptions of popular models and helpful expert advice.

Lawn mower classification

Among the extensive line of lawn mowers, the trimmer is distinguished by high power parameters and performance. This was primarily achieved through the use of two-stroke or four-stroke engine high power.

If we consider the disadvantages of two-stroke lawn mowers, then there are not so many of them and they are enclosed in the intricacies of maintenance: fuel preparation, replacing filters and planned technical activities for service.

Models with a four-stroke engine are the most modern and powerful equipment for mowing lawns. Thanks to the powerful motor, long-term continuous operation is ensured, while the noise level is less than that of a two-stroke analogue.

The disadvantages can be credited impressive dimensions and the weight of the tool, therefore this parameter is very important when choosing a lawn mower.

Basic parameters and features of choice

A powerful lawn mower requires a large fuel tank, which together affects the weight of the device. But even considering these not entirely pleasant circumstances, a liquid fuel tool more practical and convenient for use in the country or in a private household.

The absence of the need to connect to a stationary power source using cables makes the lawn mower as mobile as possible, and the relatively small size of the unit allows it to be transported in the luggage compartment of the car.

When choosing a quality lawn mower, it is important to pay attention to the following characteristics:

  1. The performance of a lawn mower depends on its working equipment. The main difference between a gasoline scythe and an electric trimmer is the use of steel blades rather than fishing line or plastic knives. Due to this, the cut of the grass is smoother and of better quality, due to which plants of great height and even young shrubs are better removed.
  2. Depending on the equipment used on the lawnmower, the working width parameters of the main working area change. The small diameter blades sharpened on both sides are perfect for mowing grass on uneven terrain. For large areas, it is better to give preference to tools with cutting discs or triangular blades.
  3. The comfort of using the tool is influenced by its ergonomics. On all models of lawn mowers, the handle is different in shape, which determines the load on the hands and the principle of equipment control. Powerful models with heavy weight are additionally equipped with a comfortable belt that is worn over the shoulder.

Rating of the best lawn mowers choosing a quality trimmer

Every year more and more summer residents and owners of personal plots use a trimmer or lawn mower to restore order on the lawn. Such a device allows you to efficiently cut the grass even in places where it is not easy to do it manually.

With lawn mowers, you can easily get rid of weeds under trees, trim the grass on the lawn, or do hay making. Every year, more and more new models of trimmers appear on the market of garden equipment, and therefore the choice of a quality device that meets all the requirements of a summer resident is very difficult.

Lubrication of the shafts of lawn mowers, trimmers

Dismantling the lawn mower bar (gasoline trimmer) for shaft lubrication using the example of the PRORAB-8406 lawn mower. Removing the shaft from the rod is slightly different than shown in some on the internet. Consider when disassembling such devices.

Removing and Lubricating the Upper Trimmer Shaft

First of all, we remove the lower part of the rod from the coupling, and then disconnect the coupling from the upper part of the rod (here we are talking about the coupling that connects the two halves of the rod).

how to lubricate a lawn mower shaft

Trimmer PRORAB-8406 with disconnected clutch and lower part of the bar

Now the most interesting thing: on some, like this one, holding the shaft coupling sticking out of the upper part of the rod from below with pliers, they knock it out of the rod with pliers along with the rolling bearing (here we are talking about the coupling connecting the upper and lower shafts). On some lawn mowers with a collapsible bar, like on, the coupling connecting the upper and lower shafts is pressed into the rolling bearing.

With our PRORAB-8406 trimmer and others like it, this number will not work. They do not have a rolling bearing, and the coupling (sleeve) is an extension of the upper rod shaft. A retaining ring is installed in the upper part of this shaft, which must first be removed.

The place of attachment of the upper part of the rod to the clutch housing

  1. Unscrew the central screw completely. It fixes the top of the rod by partially entering the hole drilled in it. Loosen the side clamping screws and remove the rod from the clutch housing.
  2. We push the shaft out of the upper part of the rod towards ourselves, as far as play allows, to get to the retaining ring and remove it. A special puller may be needed. We remove the retaining ring.

Retaining ring on the upper shaft of the lawn mower

  1. Without the circlip, the upper shaft can be easily removed from the shaft from the opposite side. Lubricate it, not forgetting about the slots in the bushings (couplings) on the rod shaft and on the clutch shaft.
  2. Put the oiled shaft in place in the upper part of the rod and fix it with a retaining ring. Insert the rod into the hole in the clutch cover and align the hole on the rod with the threaded hole of the fixing screw.
  3. Screw in the retaining screw and secure the upper part of the trimmer bar with the side screws in the clutch cover.
  4. We clean the rod connector from debris and install it from below on the upper part of the rod.

I don’t have a puller, but I use two large paper clips to remove the locking ring. First, they need to be straightened, on the one hand, make half rings for the fingers, and on the other, bend small hooks.

Hooks grab the holes in the retaining ring and try to push them apart. With difficulty, but it turns out, and the ring starts out of place. If you know another way to remove the circlip without a puller, share in the comments.

Many craftsmen recommend using grease for CV joints, this is the best option. If it is absent, litol-24 can be used to lubricate the shaft of the lawn mowers, which is oriented to temperatures up to 130C. But the grease, which has the worst lubricating properties and works at temperatures up to 70C, is not recommended.

However, if you urgently need to lubricate the shaft of the lawn mower, and there are no suitable materials, then grease or even ordinary motor oil will be better than nothing at all.

Removing and lubricating the lawn mower’s lower shaft

To remove the shaft from the lower part of the rod, first remove the coil reducer.

Lower trimmer gearbox PRORAB-8406

  1. Unscrew the fully central locking screw. On the reverse side of the lower clamping screw, unscrew the nut and unscrew the screw completely in order to disconnect the coil gearbox from the protective cover.
  2. Loosen the upper clamping screw and remove the lower part of the rod from the coil gearbox housing. We take out the lower shaft from the shaft from the side of the gearbox.
  3. We clean the shaft from dirt and lubricate it with grease for CV joints or lithol-24, not forgetting to clean and lubricate the coupling (sleeve) with splines in the gearbox.
  4. We install the shaft in the bar, and the bar in the lower gear of the lawn mowers and align the hole on the bar with the hole for the central screw. Screw in the central screw. Next, we wrap the lower screw, clamp the lower part of the rod in the gear case with the upper and lower screws and tighten the nut on the back of the lower screw.
  5. Add 20-30 ml of grease to the coil reducer through the hole closed with the screw located in the photo on the right.

In the operating instructions for the petrol trimmer PRORAB 8405M, 8406M, it is recommended to lubricate the gearbox with grease or its analogues, in extreme cases, fill in liquid engine oil. Excess oil will leak out as the gearbox has no seals.

The user’s manual for the petrol trimmer PRORAB 8402P, 8403P, 8405P, 8406P says that it is allowed to use engine oil for two-stroke engines as a lubricant for the gearbox. There is no mention of solid oil and its analogues.

To avoid bothering yourself, lubricate the lower gear of your lawn mowers with the same grease as the boom shaft, or fill in engine oil.

Lubricant for trimmer gear. How and how to lubricate?

Occasionally, in the midst of an intense mowing operation, your trimmer will make an unpleasant grinding noise. This complains about the lack of lubrication, the gearbox is the most heavily loaded unit of the device. And soon, these warnings can be followed by a jammed drive.

What kind of lubricant should I use for the trimmer gear?

In the process of operation, the mechanical part of the trimmer is loaded by contact forces on the teeth, resistance reactions from adhering grass (sometimes with dirt), dynamic, shock loads due to constantly changing torque. Lubrication for the trimmer gearbox must fully take into account these features, so the selection of the brand must be strictly individual.

The following factors are taken into account:

  1. Manufacturer’s brand. Each brand reasonably focuses on its own lubricants (you can talk about cheap Chinese products later). This applies to manufacturers such as Husqvarna, Stihl, Huter, Makita, etc. The only exceptions are trimmers of domestic production: for example, the Caliber in the user manual does not indicate the brand of lubricant at all
  2. The viscosity of the lubricant. As you know, all lubricants are divided into three groups of high-viscosity (colloidal systems containing various additives), plastic compounds for universal use and solid lubricants that soften during operation.
  3. Good adhesion to the surface of the gearbox parts, as a result of which the grease is not squeezed out into the gaps or out of the unit.
  4. The rate of grease consumption by the gearbox. Here you have to rely on your own experience and the recommendations of specialists, since some trimmer manufacturers, relying on their own service centers, do not give clear recommendations at all regarding the period of operation of the gearbox between two lubrications.

Lubricant consumption also depends on the temperature at which it retains its lubricity. When the gearbox is heated to 40C, it is considered that its operating conditions are satisfactory, and there is sufficient lubrication.

It is believed that there is no universal lubricant for the trimmer gearbox, but this is not entirely true. In fact, a suitable lubricant will be one that contains the following components:

  • Lead-free antiwear additives;
  • Solid lubricants with the presence of graphite or molybdenum disulfide (the latter is preferable, since in this case the lubricity is fully retained for a wide range of shaft revolutions);
  • Only mineral (inorganic!) Oils, highly refined.

These requirements are fully met by Gear Grease OREGON or Champion EP-0 lithium greases, domestic compositions Oleo-Mas, Litol.24, or Azmol 158, as well as those recommended by the manufacturer of a particular trimmer model.

How to lubricate the trimmer gearbox?

In the upper part of the body, where the gear unit is installed, there is a technological hole, which is plugged with a screw during trimmer operation. This screw is unscrewed, and 1.52 ml of lubricant is injected into the hole using the spout on the tube. If the lubricant was purchased in a different package, then an ordinary disposable medical syringe is also suitable for this operation.

After that, the screw is installed in its original place. This procedure, regardless of the user’s recommendations, should be performed every 1015 hours of operation of the trimmer in working mode. Other reasons for updating or replacing the gearbox lubricant are the independent performance of minor routine maintenance (for example, cleaning and flushing the gears of the gearbox before the start of the summer season), repairing the unit, preserving the trimmer for the winter, etc.

If the gear unit is disassembled, it is recommended to completely remove the remnants of the old grease from the surface of the parts, even if it does not show any signs of oxidation and contamination. And only then apply new lubricant. After applying the lubricant, it is recommended to rotate the shaft several times by hand, and make sure that the lubricant is evenly distributed over all parts of the gearbox.

When lubricating, pay particular attention to the following elements:

  1. Flywheel: as a rule, grass remnants stick to its surface intensively, and thickening grass juice creates additional resistance.
  2. Pawl of the starter coil, which in the process of turning on the drive constantly contacts the grooves on the flywheel. In this case, not only mechanical wear occurs, but also mechanochemical corrosion of the flywheel-dog connection, since the materials of this pair are different (the flywheel is aluminum, and the dog is steel).
  3. Bearings, if their seals are worn out, and through them, the remaining grease is squeezed out. In this case, the unit begins to vibrate intensively when loaded. This happens with Chinese-made trimmers, so in the long run it is worth thinking about replacing the bearing assembly with a better one, for example, from the Swedish company SKF.

Lubricant for trimmer gear. How and how to lubricate?

Occasionally, in the midst of an intense mowing operation, your trimmer will make an unpleasant grinding noise. This complains about the lack of lubrication, the gearbox is the most heavily loaded unit of the device. And soon, these warnings can be followed by a jammed drive.

What kind of lubricant should I use for the trimmer gear?

In the process of operation, the mechanical part of the trimmer is loaded by contact forces on the teeth, resistance reactions from adhering grass (sometimes with dirt), dynamic, shock loads due to constantly changing torque. Lubrication for the trimmer gearbox must fully take into account these features, so the selection of the brand must be strictly individual.

The following factors are taken into account:

  1. Manufacturer’s brand. Each brand reasonably focuses on its own lubricants (you can talk about cheap Chinese products later). This applies to manufacturers such as Husqvarna, Stihl, Huter, Makita, etc. The only exceptions are trimmers of domestic production: for example, the Caliber in the user manual does not indicate the brand of lubricant at all
  2. The viscosity of the lubricant. As you know, all lubricants are divided into three groups of high-viscosity (colloidal systems containing various additives), plastic compounds for universal use and solid lubricants that soften during operation.
  3. Good adhesion to the surface of the gearbox parts, as a result of which the grease is not squeezed out into the gaps or out of the unit.
  4. The rate of grease consumption by the gearbox. Here you have to rely on your own experience and the recommendations of specialists, since some trimmer manufacturers, relying on their own service centers, do not give clear recommendations at all regarding the period of operation of the gearbox between two lubrications.

Lubricant consumption also depends on the temperature at which it retains its lubricity. When the gearbox is heated to 40C, it is considered that its operating conditions are satisfactory, and there is sufficient lubrication.

It is believed that there is no universal lubricant for the trimmer gearbox, but this is not entirely true. In fact, a suitable lubricant will be one that contains the following components:

  • Lead-free antiwear additives;
  • Solid lubricants with the presence of graphite or molybdenum disulfide (the latter is preferable, since in this case the lubricity is fully retained for a wide range of shaft revolutions);
  • Only mineral (inorganic!) Oils, highly refined.

These requirements are fully met by Gear Grease OREGON or Champion EP-0 lithium greases, domestic compositions Oleo-Mas, Litol.24, or Azmol 158, as well as those recommended by the manufacturer of a particular trimmer model.

How to lubricate the trimmer gearbox?

In the upper part of the body, where the gear unit is installed, there is a technological hole, which is plugged with a screw during trimmer operation. This screw is unscrewed, and 1.52 ml of lubricant is injected into the hole using the spout on the tube. If the lubricant was purchased in a different package, then an ordinary disposable medical syringe is also suitable for this operation.

After that, the screw is installed in its original place. This procedure, regardless of the user’s recommendations, should be performed every 1015 hours of operation of the trimmer in working mode. Other reasons for updating or replacing the gearbox lubricant are the independent performance of minor routine maintenance (for example, cleaning and flushing the gears of the gearbox before the start of the summer season), repairing the unit, preserving the trimmer for the winter, etc.

If the gear unit is disassembled, it is recommended to completely remove the remnants of the old grease from the surface of the parts, even if it does not show any signs of oxidation and contamination. And only then apply new lubricant. After applying the lubricant, it is recommended to rotate the shaft several times by hand, and make sure that the lubricant is evenly distributed over all parts of the gearbox.

When lubricating, pay particular attention to the following elements:

  1. Flywheel: as a rule, grass remnants stick to its surface intensively, and thickening grass juice creates additional resistance.
  2. Pawl of the starter coil, which in the process of turning on the drive constantly contacts the grooves on the flywheel. In this case, not only mechanical wear occurs, but also mechanochemical corrosion of the flywheel-dog connection, since the materials of this pair are different (the flywheel is aluminum, and the dog is steel).
  3. Bearings, if their seals are worn out, and through them, the remaining grease is squeezed out. In this case, the unit begins to vibrate intensively when loaded. This happens with Chinese-made trimmers, so in the long run it is worth thinking about replacing the bearing assembly with a better one, for example, from the Swedish company SKF.

Petrol trimmer grease

Correctly selected lawn mower care guarantees the durability and quality of the equipment. Manufacturers try to take into account all the nuances and prescribe what materials to use for maintenance. Usually, a specific type of lubricant is not specified, it is simply given generally known standards that lubricants must comply with.

The lubricant must be selected in such a way as to take into account temperature conditions, rotational speed, load dynamics and vibration. The main requirement is that this mixture remains in the zone of maximum friction.

Based on the above information, it should be noted that lawn mowers manufacturers are developing universal additional tools for their equipment. It can be served with general industrial compounds. The main condition is compliance with the operating conditions, namely, the presence in the composition of a substance against rust and lime, as well as a filler, which consists of a solid lubricant. Grease is poured into the gearbox through a special hole, the unit is not dismantled.

Replacement is done quickly enough.

  1. First, turn off the device from the network. Devices using gasoline must be drained of gasoline.
  2. If the lubricant changes completely, then be sure to flush the gearbox. To do this, first fill in the cleaner, then rinse the gearbox well, then drain. It is important to clean the entire case.
  3. Use the special tool that comes with the trimmer to unscrew the gearbox plug.
  4. Apply new grease: insert a syringe with a tube into the hole and squeeze out the grease (2-5 ml).
  5. We turn the shaft manually, turn on the scythe at low speed without load. This is necessary in order for the lubricant to be efficiently distributed in places subject to maximum friction.

Lower and upper gear lubrication

There are tips that recommend lubrication at the end of the season. However, most people find it best to do this at the beginning of each season. When we repair a unit, as well as carry out any disassembly, it is necessary to use lubricants. The gearbox must be additionally lubricated when the old trimmer is inserted.

Modern trimmers are equipped with a gearbox that measures the angle of transmission of mechanical energy between two components: the shaft and the head. Bevel gears are considered common, they can easily withstand high speeds, are equipped with smooth engagement, as well as an increased level of bearing capacity. The housing includes a shaft, a gear wheel, which is pressed onto the driven shaft. In order to reduce friction, bearings are installed on the bearing points of the shaft.

How and how to lubricate the lawn mowers gearbox?

Responsible maintenance is the key to a long tool life. One of the requirements in the operation of a lawn mower is timely lubrication of the gearbox, as well as cleaning the filters. Every user of such a unit knows what composition to lubricate the gearbox with. First, it is cleaned in several stages, then the element is removed from the casing. It is cleaned with gasoline and dried. The place for the filter is prepared carefully, cleaning it from dust and old oil. The main signal for lubricating the lawn mowers gearbox is extraneous noise and rapid heating of the equipment. This means that it is necessary to lubricate the spare part as soon as possible. For lubrication intervals, refer to the instruction manual for your lawn mower. The experts say that gearbox maintenance should be done every 15 hours.