Maintenane for geared head

[Helene Adler]

Hi.

 

I recently purchased a MOY geared head. It is cog driven (with brass cogs) not belt driven. It is in remarkably good shape and I'd like to keep it that way. Does anyone out there have any info regarding the maintenance of this kind of geared head.

 

Thanks

[Chris Keth]

A true gear driven gearhead can easily get by with the occasional cleaning and greasing of the gears. Over time the grease will get thick and can get dirt stuck in it so you need to get that crud out and replace it with fresh grease.

[John Sprung]

I have a Worrall, not a Moy, but there may be similarities.

 

The important thing on the Worrall is to keep the gears from wearing in place during transport. The tilt worm can be disengaged and dropped down for shipping, and both pan and tilt should be left fully locked.

 

As for service, it's basically just like any other gearbox, only the stresses involved are very much lower. So, take it apart, wash the parts out in mineral spirits, never blow dry any ball bearings, and put it back together with new grease. Generic moly wheel bearing grease from an auto parts store will be more than good enough for the internal parts. I'd try a teflon spray such as Triflon for any exposed gears, as it dries and doesn't capture dust and dirt. You'll want to wipe and re-spray them from time to time. See how the various backlash and tension adjustments work on a known good one, and adjust yours to match as you put it back together.

 

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.