[wayne miller]

The manual says: "There must be enough lubricant in the gear box so that the teeth on the bottom of the large gear are completely in grease and the teeth on the bottom of the small gear are in contact with the grease". "IF the gear box should require service and lubricant must be added or replaced, use IH 251H EP grease or equivalent #2 multi-purpose lithium grease". "NOTE: Never completely fill the gear box with lubricant". I followed the instructions in the manual and didn't try to get the IH grease,but used multi-purpose lithium grease,which I took to mean the stuff you use in a grease gun. When the gear box warms up during use, you risk blowing out the seals if it's too full. The interval for lubrication is stated as: At the begining of every other operating season or at any time leakage is noted, remove the gear box cover and cover gasket". I did mine 5-6 years ago,it doesn't leak and i haven't opened it up since. Our snow fall amounts in eastern Nebraska vary a lot from year to year,some years I use it several times, sometimes hardly at all. My run time per use is usually about 1-1 1/2 hours. What the manufacturer figured was a typical seasons run time is anybodys guess. The operators manual that I have shows the thrower mounted on a Quiet Line so they had been at it for quite a while.

 

[wayne miller]

cvcman, You are correct those as built with a fill plug were intended to be oil filled those without the plug were grease filled. They were apparently supplied both ways,for example, My 1970(yr) tiller that came with my 126 when my dad bought it new in 1970 (the tillers used basically the same gear box) has a grease filled gear box and the original tiller operators manual shows only the oil filled version. The oil filled gear box on the tiller has a different style cover with a level and filler plug (the tiller gear box mounts with one shaft pointed down and one horizontal),the two gearboxes that I have look indentical,but the gear ratio may be different. The tiller was not used after about 1975 so the gear box is most likely original. The wide frame tractors came out about 1971 so the QA42A thrower is from some time after that. I got it used from a not original owner,but know it was on an early wide frame the guy kept. The thrower manual is an original and not a reprint titled "QA36A and QA42A Snow Throwers" if I am translating the manual ID number correctly, 1 096 137 R4 5-79, it was printed in 1979. This subject was much discussed on another forum a while back,with varied opinions. On the oil filled tiller gear box in the illustration I have,the level plug would have the gear box about half full of oil.