Powermatic PM 15 Planer Gear Box Question

[Ronald Blue]

Does anyone have a PM 15 planer and has changed the gear box oil? I bought this planer a couple weeks ago and upgraded it to a Byrd Shelix head. This planer is unique. Nothing in the Grizzly line up is the same as far as I can tell. As with most the gear box has to come off for the removal and install of the cutter head. The gear box doesn't have to come apart on the PM 15. However this is a great opportunity to change the gear lube. So here is the rub. There is a bottom drain plug and a fill plug on top. NO where in the book does it indicate how full to fill it. It only says to change about every 2500 hours and refill with 80/90 gear lube. The oil that came out was definitely not gear lube. All other planers with similar gear boxes have a fill plug on the side which is the level as well. No where on this one is there a plug, bolt, or anything to go by. I used a make shift dip stick and filled it about 2/3 full. So probably about 4" of depth in a roughly 6" tall gear box. Should I fill it until the level is up to the input shaft level? There should be significant oil "wash" occurring from the slinging action.

On a side note the Byrd head is a delight. Super quiet and excellent finish. Only negative I see and it's minor is the smaller chips/shavings don't seem to be collected as well. It's possible it was the board I ran through as well.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Does anyone have a PM 15 planer and has changed the gear box oil? I bought this planer a couple weeks ago and upgraded it to a Byrd Shelix head. This planer is unique. Nothing in the Grizzly line up is the same as far as I can tell. As with most the gear box has to come off for the removal and install of the cutter head. The gear box doesn't have to come apart on the PM 15. However this is a great opportunity to change the gear lube. So here is the rub. There is a bottom drain plug and a fill plug on top. NO where in the book does it indicate how full to fill it. It only says to change about every 2500 hours and refill with 80/90 gear lube. The oil that came out was definitely not gear lube. All other planers with similar gear boxes have a fill plug on the side which is the level as well. No where on this one is there a plug, bolt, or anything to go by. I used a make shift dip stick and filled it about 2/3 full. So probably about 4" of depth in a roughly 6" tall gear box. Should I fill it until the level is up to the input shaft level? There should be significant oil "wash" occurring from the slinging action.

On a side note the Byrd head is a delight. Super quiet and excellent finish. Only negative I see and it's minor is the smaller chips/shavings don't seem to be collected as well. It's possible it was the board I ran through as well.

Monday, contact PM and find out how much gear lube is needed. Hint -take an empty bottle and put that amount into it. Then you will know exactly how much you put in gear box, minus what clings to the bottle. An old thread here at SMC says gearbox takes 20-24 oz on grease, along with a tip on how to actually get grease into gearbox.

[Brian Runau]

I used to be a factory rep for Chicago Rawhide and I was taught oil seals should never be flooded with oil. Brian

[Mel Fulks]

The ones I’ve used had a hole with a screw-in plug . I’ve only changed the oil once ,many years ago . Boss kinda went nuts and insisted
”you never change it” ! You just test with a finger to see if it’s still full to the top ! That was the last time I ever changed gear oil on
woodworking machine. But once I put new oil in a 1969 Pontiac Firebird differential….Dad just said “ Don’t spill it on the ground !”

[Ronald Blue]

The ones I’ve used had a hole with a screw-in plug . I’ve only changed the oil once ,many years ago . Boss kinda went nuts and insisted
”you never change it” ! You just test with a finger to see if it’s still full to the top ! That was the last time I ever changed gear oil on
woodworking machine. But once I put new oil in a 1969 Pontiac Firebird differential….Dad just said “ Don’t spill it on the ground !”

Yeah the other brands seem to use a plug on the side. It's not that it really needed it but I was there and I just did it. I could measure how much came out I suppose since I still have it.

[Paul Haus]

When checking the oil to use, I don't have that machine, but I did find out something in the past. If there are bronze or brass parts in the gearbox, watch the type of lube you use. Some of the gear lube on the market will chew up the bronze gears so you need to ensure the lube you get is good. It's been a long time since I emailed Valvoline, but IIRC it's standard GL5 lube that affects bronze gears. The had a 85W-90 gear lube that was a reformulated GL5 that didn't affect bronze. I've been using it for a long time with no negative effects.
My suggestion would be to check with the type lube you need and check with the oil companies to see what they have that won't negatively affect your machine.
Hood luck.

[Bill Dufour]

Gl5 and above have high pressure additives that will attack yellow metal. Verify from lube maker.. Non detergent is best. Note that 90 weight gear oil is very different then 90 weight engine oil.
Bill D