7-1252 tiller gear oil drain and fill, does this make sense?

[unsub 0]

I tacked this same question on the end of an older thread, but didn't get any feedback.

Ok, so I recently acquired a 36" tiller model 7-1252 and after a few modifications have it installed and working on my 314-8. I decided to change out the gear oil before doing any real tilling since I have no idea when the PO did it. After finding this thread and searching out the owner’s manual online (mine said only ¾ qt to fill) I drained the old and put in the new. I don’t know if it’s different on other models, but mine has an upper pipe plug for filling and a lower pipe plug for draining, no dipstick. I removed the lower plug and then raised the tiller to drain it, put the plug back in, lowered it and added the new from the upper plug. The manual says that if you remove the lower pipe plug and fluid comes out then there is enough, but it seems to me that with the tiller in the “operating position†(which I'm assuming means with the tines against the floor) that after filling with the recommended amount, that the fluid level would be higher than the drain plug. Also, that leaves the housing area to the tractor end of the tiller empty between the fill and drain plugs. Does that sound right? I just want to be sure before I wreck this thing that I spent a year looking for, especially since I'm pretty sure close to 1-1/2 qts drained out of it.

Thanks!

[dennist 139]

This is the correct way to check the tiller fill level. My book says 1-QT. It may not make sense, but it is the way it works.

[pfrederi 17,182]

I would think the heavy roller chain would spread the gear oil all over the insides

[ce318 13]

I change mine the same way I do my outboard motors. Open the top, drain out the bottom. Refill from bottom, leave oil jug in and seal the top then remove the oil jug and replace the plug.. Hope that this may help you. Chris