Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

My manual says to apply 5W-50 motor oil to the friction disk drive hex shaft.Is this what I should use or are there other lubricants I can apply?

You can apply oil but must be careful how it's applied.  I put oil on mine.   I just put some oil on a rag and put a thin film on the hex shaft.   They don't recommend grease because they probably think it will be scraped off with the movement of the mechanism as speeds are changed. 

borat wrote:
Borat
I take it back. Oil is the way to go !

If you read the JD 1130 Se thread, this is the exact cause of the drive issues according the B&S.  It is more likely the issue than snow between the cover.  The covers have been like the current design for a couple of years, but B&S recently went to oil instead of grease.  The B&S tech said that this oil was meant for extreme cold, like negative 20 F.  Even though they did not have an issue using grease they were trying to avoid any potential problems when they went to the oil.  Many of us probably throw snow more in plus 25 F than in negative 25 F.  The John Deere techs on the advice of B&S technical services removed the oil from my hex shaft just today and replace that with a VERY light coat of grease that would stay put better. 

Your results may vary.

Rick

Either oil or grease will work provided it's applied properly.  My Simplicity manual said to use engine oil.  As previously stated, I just wiped on a thin coat of synthetic motor oil.  I assume grease is not usually recommended due to the possibility of too much being applied and gobs dropping off onto the friction disk as the friction wheel moves across the shaft accumulating grease.   I don't have any drive issues until snow falls onto the engine, melts and drips onto the drive mechanism below.  Even then, it would reduce forward thrust but not stop the wheels from turning unless up against an immovable object.  Additional pull on the drive cable would overcome that problem immediately.   I have since sealed the belt cover and will have to test it out next snow fall.