When the boxes are serviced, #2 lithium is used in consumer WPMS and no, aren't typically opened up during regular PM.

That's what I've been adding. But the original stuff seems something different.

Not sure what the purpose of the original lube is. Gears are usually dry and lube hard. Maybe just a surface coating ???

Best just to scrape out what you can and fill w/ new. I don't think they are that critical- they just need lube and to keep water etc out. I can see why you thought bentonite when the grease was hard. Lithium blended w/ dirt and water? Just opened my Toro drive manual and I don't see the original lube referenced. Fortunately, I don't see many fail at all. I used to open the 3 speeds when they became problematic to shift etc. Are you primarily talking about the tin lizzy's from depot? Does the gasket come off in one piece and do you reuse it or have a supply of new?

It's rare that I see a gasket and haven't had one tear...yet. Usually metal to metal.

Brand new, there is a measured amount of grease in them and it doesn't fill the reservoir, so it's like they want to initially lube the gears and fugetaboutit.

I think baymee has it right -- I was just at the shop and was told that lithium grease (e.g. the kind for a grease gun) would be fine, and that the chamber only needed to be filled up about half way.

Thanks guys

On my Toro Variable Speed boxes (plastic case) i will hand drill a 1/8" hole in a particular spot where it can't hit anything - the bit pulls the plastic cuttings out as you go. Then I take a quart bottle of Sten's #0 semi-fluid grease with the nozzle cap and put some in the box. I seal the hole with a hex-head machine screw that I have shortened. I have done the same on many mowers including a Honda (old, junky but still serviceable). The only time I messed up was on my LB 22271 (2007). This is a premium mower, commercial grade, with Honda GSV 190, aluminum deck and ball-bearing wheels. It also has Variable Speed, and after 14 years, I thought it might need some grease, so I did the same thing. Right off the bat, it didn't want to engage the drive. I went ahead and used it like this because I just had to give it a forward shove and the drive would engage. Finally I had to admit I had put grease either where it shouldn't go, or I used way too much. So, I accessed with the same hole and really shot a lot of Sea Foam 'Deep Creep' penetrant into it, washing out some of the grease. This resulted in immediate improvement but I need to keep working on it in this way. This box is different from the others - there are no clutches or ratchets at the wheels - everything is inside the box. IOW, either or both wheels can drive, and no ratchets at the spur gears, so that means the axle is two piece.

This same set-up would have appeared on the Toro 22156 which was the same thing, painted red and white.

Good thread. Have to replace the bearing in the gearbox of my Toro Recycler (20064). Threw the inner seal into the gear box. Luckily I discovered it before the gears got chewed up (stopped as soon as the FWD stopped spinning), so needed to know what grease to replace it all with. Thanks!!!

I'm still using mine as-is and it actually is working a little better now. 15 years and still the best mower ever made. I think they only made a Lawn-Boy 22271 for one year, but they made the Toro version 22156 for several more years. All I know is when I saw a close-out deal on one I jumped on and have not regretted it. The mower MSRP was something like $1100 in 2007. My other Lawn-Boy 'Insight' 10684 from 2004 is now in its 19th year of use. I haven't put a spark plug or belt on either one although the 10684 uses up those cheap plastic wheels every five years or so.