Thread: Lucas Gearbox

Should we all fit these to our gearboxes? or is it a different casing?

Glenn I recall you have the model 6, so if my memory serves me correctly and you do have a model 6 it will fit on no problem, it just replaces the existing brass 'filler cap'

But having said this, my gearbox has run for nearly 5 years without one, I feel it just ended up being a combination of some heavy days right up until dusk just on the tail end of winter with some much cooler nights. More often than not I finish so I can drive home in daylight and the gearbox gets chance to cool down in daylight before the cold night temp's. I suppose it depends on how someone uses the mill. It could have been a coincidence and the seal on the input shaft was worn after 5 years of use and was on it's way out anyway.

But I figure the breather valve is great insurance.

Yes I have a model 6 No 375 so it's been around a lot longer than yours and had a lot colder nights. mine has a rubber hose and a plastic filler cap. Yours has probably done a lot more work though.

How cool!! mine is 1973. I've seen the rubber hose filler thingo in the manual, so they must have still been doing it not long before mine came out and still used the same pics in the manual.

Have you had to put a new box in?

What are your thoughts about the breather valve?

My gas strut poped off a few times shortly after I bought it so I tied it on with copper wire and it's still there, I bent the axel for the front wheel and made a new one, have snapped a few chains besides that no problems. I was thinking perhaps the rubber hose works as a pressure relief.

Wow copper wire I'd have thought that would never hold...

How do you squish your struts to fit in the tool? do you use the rails?

I forgot I had the tool and just pushed the thing straight back on the machine. Can't remember how but I remember we were off when I remembered what the tool was for.

And how much did that cost you?

to much.

It's fairly standard practice to have breathers on gearboxs in industry, seals can be pushed out or the lips turned inside out and oil ends up going everywhere
Peter

The gearbox/swingframe, is an exchange unit costs $752 for my model 6 but you get new pulley for the drive belts, new input shaft and input gear, new bearings/seals throughout the gearbox, new output gear and shaft. From the old unit Lucas use the green swingframe and sand blast them, inspect them for cracked welds/problems, then powder coat it and re-use it.

The breather is around $35, so to safeguard a new gearbox, I reckon it's cheap insurance. Admittedly, I may never cause the same problem to occur again, but at least this way if I do have circumstances which lead to the same outcome it won't cost me another gearbox.

Allan, did you have a blade on for that second sound recording? My 8-30 is heaps louder than that, it has quite a whine and I just assumed the noise was normal? Mybe I better go have a listed to Darren's 8 inch and see if mine is normal or whether it has a dodgy bearing. It has sounded the same since it was delivered and I figured Lucas do test cuts to set each saw up so just accepted it as the noise they make.

How do other people's 8 inch saws sound?

Originally Posted by Burnsy

Allan, did you have a blade on for that second sound recording? My 8-30 is heaps louder than that, it has quite a whine and I just assumed the noise was normal? Maybe I better go have a listed to Darren's 8 inch and see if mine is normal or whether it has a dodgy bearing. It has sounded the same since it was delivered and I figured Lucas do test cuts to set each saw up so just accepted it as the noise they make.

How do other people's 8 inch saws sound?

Mike if you get some time to talk to Warren Lucas, you'll find he has a real soft spot for the Model 6 mills, just loves 'em. Although he has mentioned he is a bit taken by the model 10's as they are very similar to the model 6's.

Apparently, I never knew it, but the model 8's have always been a bit 'gearboxy' (for want of a better word) also leave a bit of a rougher cut than the model 6's, but the cut isn't so bad as it is rough sawn timber right? but yeah the model 8's are a bit noisier in the gearbox.

As for the recording, both where taken with left hand holding the swing arm with my mobile phone, blade in horizontal pos, both in full battle gear. In the 'after' recording, wind blew from my right to my left while recording, so hence a noticeable drop in volume. But having said this, at home the mill gets set up less than 20m from the neighbours house, although we have 6 ac, it's the only spot I could get allocated for milling after the animals where given their share the neighbours apparently (so they say) don't even know when the mill is on, they work nights and I reckon if I was keeping them awake during the day they'd be letting me know quick smart. I only use ear muffs for the cutting part of milling, the engine alone isn't loud enough to give me any worries, it's when the blade starts cutting that I need the muffs.

Yep it is "gearboxy", motor is pretty quite. My closest neigbours are only 15 metres away from where the mill is and we get along well so they let me know when they are both out or at work and that is when I mill.