Geo in SD r.e. Ford Sickle Mower

I think I got it all hooked up and working now. It responds to commands quite well, lifts the cutter bar up parallel to the ground and when stored is right behind me (kinda scarey having those guides.....spikes...right behind you). I like it though because I trashed out an antique pitman arm type one time. After finishing a leased field (not familiar with the pitfals)I erected the bar (full vertical was store pos)and proceeded to motor down the fence row. You guessed it..... low hanging branch wiped out the gear box. Didn't know cast iron could split like that. LOL.

FYI :While servicing after the fact yesterday, I kept looking at the wobble box. I finally realized that even though there were 2 zerks associated with it, I was mechanically going from horizontal rotation to vertical. That meant a gear box. So I removed one of 2 screws holding a cover on the top of the wobble box casting and lo and behold, the threads were open to a cavity. Sticking a swab down there I found gear oil. I added some more and replaced the screw.

Thanks again,

Mark

I have the sheet metal snap in cover also, but I ONLY FOUND 1 zerk and had to rotate the shaft to "feel" it. I feel that it is to lube the sickle bar fitting to the wobblebox drive shaft. Then there is another zerk on the back side lubricating the v belt drive shaft/bearings.

Looking at the way the thing is built and considering functionality, I'd say that the vertical part of the drive mechanism is supported within the casting with a lower bearing (cone roller I'd bet) and an upper bearing, the outer race being installed in the underside of the 3" cover. I suspect that would be a cone roller also.

Now, when I said it had gear lube, that may have been 30 years ago. What I got out of the screwhole was more like black mud.

The drive shaft/bearings for my NH rake are set up similar where the lid comes off with the outer race and undoing a nut on the shaft allows the assy to be removed.

You might want to look at yours a little closer as a right angle turn in a gear box spells oil to me....I can see greasing bushings, or shaft ball/roller bearings, but not gears.

Mark

It is a model 515 but what I thought was a casting (for the second time) does not hold oil/grease. It is open at the bottom and all my grease (Lubriplate 105) ran out.

I'm going to go to the NH dealer and get a print out of the parts breakdown picture and understand this thing.

See ya,

Mark