Hydrostatic oil for 2017-model XT1 LT46” Cub Cadet riding mower.

Joined
Mar 26, 2022
Messages
103
Location
Oklahoma
I’ve found all sorts of differing information for what fluid that goes in there and the owner’s manual that came with the tractor is no help as it says the transaxle isn’t user serviceable and that it’s supposedly sealed so it doesn’t even tell you what’s in it.

The other day I looked into checking it and found a video that showed how to check the oil level and fill it but I don’t know what oil is supposed to go in there, if it really matters within reason. My local tractor supply had a Cub Cadet brand bottle of fluid that said it was a semi-synthetic drive axle fluid but when I went on cub cadets website and looked the product up, it said it wasn’t compatible with my tractor which is a 13APA1CT009. The fluid I bought has a number which is 737-3120 or 490-000-C051 which wasn’t exactly the same as the oil the guy used in the video I watched.

I only ended up adding about an eighth of a quart bottle so hopefully I didn’t screw anything up but for whatever it’s worth, we just got done mowing the yard for the first time this year and it ran just as it did when it was new.
 
Tuff Torq K46? They now recommend their own 'secret sauce' but prior to that it was 5W50 motor oil. I've used everything from 15W40 Delvac to Mobil1 5W50 which is what is currently in there.

To change it, you need to unbolt the whole thing to drain it. You can't get a hose down in it to vacuum out the oil
 
According to the model number, your tractor has the Tuff Torq K46 trans which specifies Tuff Torq part number 187Q0899000 (a.k.a. 5w-50 weight oil). Pick up 3 quarts of Mobil 5w-50 at your local NAPA and be done with it. Newer models of the XT1 LT46 have the Tuff Torq LT200, and it specifies the same oil.

@JTK has a few posts from years ago on Cub Cadet Drive System Fluid. As near as I can tell, it's more of a replacement for Hy-Gard. That being said, many of the Tuff Torq trans that called for Hy-Gard (both Low and High Vis), now spec 5w-50. In a nutshell, using the Cub Cadet fluid isn't the end of the world, but 5w-50 is what TT wants you to use.

Click here for a PDF of recommended Tuff-Torq fluids.
 
According to the model number, your tractor has the Tuff Torq K46 trans which specifies Tuff Torq part number 187Q0899000 (a.k.a. 5w-50 weight oil). Pick up 3 quarts of Mobil 5w-50 at your local NAPA and be done with it. Newer models of the XT1 LT46 have the Tuff Torq LT200, and it specifies the same oil.

@JTK has a few posts from years ago on Cub Cadet Drive System Fluid. As near as I can tell, it's more of a replacement for Hy-Gard. That being said, many of the Tuff Torq trans that called for Hy-Gard (both Low and High Vis), now spec 5w-50. In a nutshell, using the Cub Cadet fluid isn't the end of the world, but 5w-50 is what TT wants you to use.

Click here for a PDF of recommended Tuff-Torq fluids.
Wish I knew what that CC stuff was I used but is this what you’re saying to use?
Mobil 1 106035 5W-50 Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil - 1 Quart (Pack of 6) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009IE2K34/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_B2YH9EB3VRKBW9FS3SVM
 
According to the model number, your tractor has the Tuff Torq K46 trans which specifies Tuff Torq part number 187Q0899000 (a.k.a. 5w-50 weight oil). Pick up 3 quarts of Mobil 5w-50 at your local NAPA and be done with it. Newer models of the XT1 LT46 have the Tuff Torq LT200, and it specifies the same oil.

@JTK has a few posts from years ago on Cub Cadet Drive System Fluid. As near as I can tell, it's more of a replacement for Hy-Gard. That being said, many of the Tuff Torq trans that called for Hy-Gard (both Low and High Vis), now spec 5w-50. In a nutshell, using the Cub Cadet fluid isn't the end of the world, but 5w-50 is what TT wants you to use.

Click here for a PDF of recommended Tuff-Torq fluids.
I just now realized the PDF link you posted and after I looked at it, they put in basically the same 10w30 engine oil that the motor takes? I read where it said that if you’re just topping off the oil level to use whey they put in it but it said that if you ever drain it and go to refill it to use the stuff you recommended. I guess I just find it odd that they didn’t fill with the fluid the transaxle manufacturer calls for it but thanks for that information. It’s good to know that I didn’t ruin anything with the very small amount of wrong fluid I topped it off with….lol.
 
Do you use your tractor in the winter month when it is below 30 degree?
It’s a JD LX188 with the 17 hp Kawasaki 501V and stored in a basement garage that rarely gets below 60 degrees F but I don’t use it for snow removal. I do pull a Cyclone Rake Pro in the fall on my fairly “hilly” property and it does get heavy with a full bag of mulched leaves and have had no problems with the K61 after 15 years of doing so. I change the oil in the K61 every 5 years or so with Mobil1 15w50.
 
It’s a JD LX188 with the 17 hp Kawasaki 501V and stored in a basement garage that rarely gets below 60 degrees F but I don’t use it for snow removal. I do pull a Cyclone Rake Pro in the fall on my fairly “hilly” property and it does get heavy with a full bag of mulched leaves and have had no problems with the K61 after 15 years of doing so. I change the oil in the K61 every 5 years or so with Mobil1 15w50.
Thanks for sharing this. From what I have recently read from various posts here and else where the K46 is a light duty transaxle. I am sure the K61 is a more robutst transaxle. Good luck with it all.
 
Back
Top