Having the right grease in the older Ross cam-and-lever steering boxes is important. Gear oil is wrong because it leaks out the gaps. Regular chassis lube grease is wrong because it is too stiff and won't redistribute itself on the worm. The right stuff is semi-fluid grease that is self-leveling; that is, if some of it is moved, it flows just enough to fill in the space but not enough to leak out of the case. It turns out this kind of grease has an NLGI number of 00 (two zeros). It's consistency is described in the Wikipedia article on NLGI as being like applesauce and regular chassis grease is like peanut butter.
In the midst of rebuilding an old Ross box from 1929, I went looking for the right grease. As impatient as I am, I didn't want to wait for something special I could buy on line, like the Australian stuff. John Deere sells the right stuff as "corn head oil", but the area I live in is a little short on John Deere large tractor and harvesting equipment dealers. I was happy to find that Tractor Supply Co. carries "Super S cotton picker spindle grease 00". Now, we are also slim in having any cotton pickers here, but Tractor Supply has the grease for $4.99 a quart bottle and their store is only a few miles from my house. Their SKU is 105682899. They had it in stock, and you can check their web site to see if your local store has it. Joy for only $4.99! By golly, I think it is even the right stuff to use in my Gravely mower gear head.
Here's a photo of one of the two identical Ross boxes I have. The worm and cups from the other box were in much better condition than the ones in the photo. I got new 5/16" bearing balls at the local industrial supply house. Amazingly, the pin on the lever in the photo was only slightly worn, so I won't have to grind out the pin and rotate it. Oh, and the old grease(s) that had been in the boxes since 1929 was about like tar, though there wasn't much left in the box in the photo. I think my next Harbor Freight/TSC purchase will be a recirculating parts washer.
In the midst of rebuilding an old Ross box from 1929, I went looking for the right grease. As impatient as I am, I didn't want to wait for something special I could buy on line, like the Australian stuff. John Deere sells the right stuff as "corn head oil", but the area I live in is a little short on John Deere large tractor and harvesting equipment dealers. I was happy to find that Tractor Supply Co. carries "Super S cotton picker spindle grease 00". Now, we are also slim in having any cotton pickers here, but Tractor Supply has the grease for $4.99 a quart bottle and their store is only a few miles from my house. Their SKU is 105682899. They had it in stock, and you can check their web site to see if your local store has it. Joy for only $4.99! By golly, I think it is even the right stuff to use in my Gravely mower gear head.
Here's a photo of one of the two identical Ross boxes I have. The worm and cups from the other box were in much better condition than the ones in the photo. I got new 5/16" bearing balls at the local industrial supply house. Amazingly, the pin on the lever in the photo was only slightly worn, so I won't have to grind out the pin and rotate it. Oh, and the old grease(s) that had been in the boxes since 1929 was about like tar, though there wasn't much left in the box in the photo. I think my next Harbor Freight/TSC purchase will be a recirculating parts washer.
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