Grease

[Battis]

I replaced the worm gear on my snowblower. I have a new one on the shaft. Now I have to pack the housing with grease and snug it all back up.
The suggested grease is Stens 00.
Here's the problem - it's out of stock everywhere. NAPA, AutoZone, Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, Amazon, ...everywhere. Popular grease.
Never knew there were so many types of grease.
I'm thinking that any grease is better than no grease. Where does lithium grease sit on the scale?
Any suggestions?

[Winger Ed.]

Unless there is some magical property in the specified grease,
I'd think any quality grease that has the same specs. and that can take the cold without getting hard would be fine.

[alfadan]

Im assuming you're not specifically looking for Stens brand as any 00 should do. Maybe a 60:40 mixture of ordinary NLG2 lithium grease and gear oil would work. I wouldn't sweat it too much.

[rancher1913]

just find a grease rated to below your temperature conditions

[Battis]

So, the issue would be the grease freezing...that makes sense, as opposed to the protective quality of the grease.

[fixit]

Not specific to the application, but the most amazing, slickest and stickiest grease I've found is the stuff they put in CV joints.....don't think it's prone to freezing, either.

[Geezer in NH]

Lucas red and tacky is great. Or you want high end Mobile 1 synthetic

[Handloader109]

Any 00 grease.... plenty out there.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[redneck1]

the brand isn't important use the 00 grease unless you want to buy another worm .
While any grease is better then none worm gears are less tolerant to the wrong lubricant then most .

[Battis]

The Mobile 1 synthetic is 00?

I found a Tractor Supply with 1 bottle in stock.
Cotton Picker Spindle Grease 00

[metricmonkeywrench]

I’m with the crowd, the key point is the grade so long as you meet that you should be ok.

[BamaNapper]

The Mobile 1 synthetic is 00?

I found a Tractor Supply with 1 bottle in stock.
Cotton Picker Spindle Grease 00

Would not have guessed that would be available! Grease for a cotton picker in the northeast? :bigsmyl2:

I assume it's a brand name.

[metricmonkeywrench]

Would not have guessed that would be available! Grease for a cotton picker in the northeast? :bigsmyl2:

I assume it's a brand name.

It seems to be from the carpet bagger line of products:drinks:

[farmbif]

wonder if the out of stock situation is a result of that giant grease factory in Illinois that went up in flames a year or so ago.
as a general purpose low temp grease the blue stuff might be good. I think its a Kendall product and that red and tacky seems pretty good. but 00 is liquid grease. I knew a guy in the trailer business and he did a test burning different types of grease in a pie pan to see which breaks down first and swears by the lubramatic brand. but that's for high temp applications.
00 grease is pourable or semi fluid, a very different thing than the stuff that comes in tubes that you put in a grease gun.

[.429&H110]

I bent three worms on my Ariens
Cut one off and welded it back straight
weld didn't break, the worm gear bent again.
They take the gear with them, ($20 in the 90's)
once I even split the housing.

It's a snow thrower not a rock thrower...

I packed in gun grease
put it together
stood the blower on its side
poured in 90W through the plug hole
made goop soup.

None lasted long enough to show a lack of lubrication.
I could bend that shaft running finish nails for shear pins.
The augurs can rust weld to the shaft, grease the shaft, so the shear pins can break.

Ran that blower 22 years with minor repairs, then I broke my wrist.
Neighbor kid was glad to plow me out with his Dad's truck for small money.
Too soon old, too late smart.

[Battis]

It seems to be from the carpet bagger line of products

Now, that's funny.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/super-s-cotton-picker-spindle-grease-00

[GregLaROCHE]

If grease is called for, any grease rated for the temperatures you are in should work.

[jonp]

Red and Tacky is good. Any synthetic grease will work on that. I just got a giant bag of left over from our shop that was remains from the barrels. Full syn of Citgo, Mobil or Exxon all works for about everything including boolit lube

[JustinP]

00 is the grease viscosity, 00 being relatively thin.
I wouldn't worry about the brand, but I would find some 00.
Red and tacky is going to probably be a NLGI #2, which in my opinion is way too thick for this application if they are calling for 00.

[farmer66]

I have quite a bit of gear design experience and think worms are the most difficult to lubricate. This Tractor Supply offering looks good for your application.

Ken

[Battis]

I bought the TroyBilt snowblower in 2009. Other than the worm gear, it never failed me, and it got some serious use. New ones cost around $800 for that basic model. So far, I got about $50 in it (gear and grease). I'm getting rid of the exterior rust on various parts, and priming and painting the metal. It better friggin' snow.

[Soundguy]

JD cornhead grease should work.

[Screwbolts]

Soundguy is close with recommend of the JD cornhead grease. Cornhead grease is 0 grease, not 00.

If the Truth destroys something, then It needed destroying,

Ken

[Soundguy]

It will likely be available if others aren't.

I've rebuilt many a recirculating ball-nut steering gearbox with that stuff on antique tractors.

[Jeffrey]

Whatever grease you go with, stay with that. Otherwise check grease compatibility charts for what you use and what it will mix with. Modern greases have multiple components. Trying to mix two different greases can cause the lubricating component to drop out of the carrying component, and then you basically have no lubrication.

[Screwbolts]

It will likely be available if others aren't.

I've rebuilt many a recirculating ball-nut steering gearbox with that stuff on antique tractors.

Your application should be perfect for Cornhead grease. Here in the Northeast where OP and I live our winters are, lets just say, somewhat slightly cooler than N. Central Florida winter weather. I believe the OP has found his needed 00 grease but if nothing else was available then the flowable, 0 rated CH grease would defiantly be better than nothing. I do know that it works well in the snapper roll gear boxes it is spec for.

[jonp]

Unless there is some magical property in the specified grease,
I'd think any quality grease that has the same specs. and that can take the cold without getting hard would be fine.

I neglected to put that in my post about synthetic grease. You are exactly right. Grease is just like oil. The colder it gets, the "harder" it gets. For things that run in cold climates like snowblowers and automobiles, it can be critical to have the right grease for the temp and avoid mixing grease types up, some are not compatible with others.

[Battis]

I figured out, roughly, how much I've used this machine. In 13 years, probably an average of 5 times a year. So, 50 times total (approx). I paid $500 for it, which averages out to $10 each time I used it. That's why the engine is still peppy and strong. The rust on the metal is just surface rust. Heavy snow, ice, rocks, sticks, cats, etc bog it down, which is why the shear pins snap, and the worm gear strips.
If I buy a new, beautiful, shiny machine I'll pay at least $800 plus (damn, they are nice). Even if the new machine lasts 13 years, I doubt I'll be using it. The "home" that my family will stick me in probably has young studs to do that kind of work.
So, the fuzzy math that I'll present to Da Momma goes like this: I saved $1000 on a new machine, plus $400 or more on the repairs I'm doing now, which means that the M1 Garand I'm looking at is basically free.