hydrostatic transmission oil change

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I used Castrol 5w50 in my K66 a year ago and it has been working great. The tractor sees lots of mowing, snow blowing, and some trailer pulling.
 
Originally Posted by PeterPolyol
Interesting the engine oil recommendation, anything from SAE30 to 20W50? Why not a nice ISO68 AW?


I have answered this before...it is simply easier to recommend something that is easy for their customers to acquire. An ISO hydraulic fluid is perfectly acceptable in this application.
 
I have the k57 tuff torq in my snapper rider. Very similar and have successfully used mobil1 15w50. I have a large hill and must change fluid once or twice a year when mower quits climbing the hill. I use a mity-vac type unit to suck out old fluid that gets pretty nasty looking. Putting it back in is actually harder than taking it out. Cold oil does not flow back in so well under gravity feed. Very slow going in same hole it came out on top of the hydro unit. Definitely use synthetic as those hydros get real hot and break that oil down fast especially if you have hills. some poeple have recommended oils that have higher zddp are better. i have not looked into that very much yet.
 
I just did the K46 for the first time in my 2015 Crasftman Pro rider. I just watch a couple of Youtube vids first and it was pretty straight forward and not difficult to do. I ended up using the Amsoil Hydrostatic fluid as they recommended it as a better app than regular motor oil.

It made a world of difference afterwords. The rider feels like it is putting a lot more power to the wheels and doesn't whine anymore (it would whine horribly in reverse or once warmed up). The FF came out real thin compared to what went in. I am guessing the FF was just 10W-30 conventional and it likely had sheared down a bit.

Highly recommend changing the fluid as it does seem to make a difference. Especially if the FF is a 30 and you move to a 50 grade.
 
On my Exmark it specifies Mobil 1 15W50 with a 10micron filter for summer and 25 micron for winter.
The new Exmark use there proprietary hydraulic oil.
 
Originally Posted by 2K2AcuraTL
Husqy YTH24k48 lawn tractor;

Manual says the hydrostatic transmission oil is life time. wellllll .... thats just not me... LOL


Also, all the OEM seem say the fluid is lifetime on the K46 but Tuff Torq says change after first 50 hours then every 200 after that. I had 60 hours on my FF and it was due for sure. I will just play it by ear and feel to see when it will be due for another change. Definitely don't agree that it is lifetime unless that means buying a new rider every 7-10 years.
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I drilled/tapped my case, and installed a ball valve and hose fitting. I fill mine by pumping oil through the bottom, like a marine outdrive. Super easy. Open valve and drain, hook up hose and pump oil in. Close valve, disconnect hose, and walk away.

Lifetime? Bull.

I used synthetic because of the fan. If they are trying to keep it cool with a fan, that oil temp must get up there and syn is always best for high temps.
 
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
I drilled/tapped my case, and installed a ball valve and hose fitting. I fill mine by pumping oil through the bottom, like a marine outdrive. Super easy. Open valve and drain, hook up hose and pump oil in. Close valve, disconnect hose, and walk away.

Lifetime? Bull.

I used synthetic because of the fan. If they are trying to keep it cool with a fan, that oil temp must get up there and syn is always best for high temps.


Great idea on the ball valve..
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no issues getting caught or dragging on uneven ground / brush etc..??
but i do have easy access to a vent hole at the top, from under the seat.

Do you have the K46 ?? Planning to drill both A and B spots as shown in pic, any procedure recommendations?
Thx

drain ports.jpg
 
Yes, but mine didn't look to be in a place where anything hard can get at it. I 90'd mine off to the side with an elbow.

No rocket science for drilling or tapping. Just use new or freshly sharpened bits and it goes through like butter. I'm real good at controlling a drill, but you might want to use a stop to make sure your bit does not go too far. Use a good punch to start, then go in with a small bit and work your way up.
 
Well I just changed the oil on my "non-serviceable" K51a unit. I had to pull the transaxle off to change the input shaft that the splines had worn down....changed the pulley and spacer as well.....

I will attest to the ruggedness of the tuff torq K51 as this is the 1st time I've done ANYTHING with it and it is 19-years old! My lot is right under an acre and I'm in SE Louisiana so we mow year round. I also have another lot I cut time to time that is a little over 2 acres. Mind you this is all extremely flat land.

SO, before I did the shaft change I removed the top cap and drained the old oil over a 5 gallon bucket. Surprisingly for 19-year old oil it didn't look that bad but more important I didn't see anything shiny!

Replaced the shaft (there is a good youtube video out there) and filled the transaxle back up with Mobil Synthetic 15W-50. Should be good for at least another 19 years? hahaha
 
Well the time came to try and assess the situation and attempt this trans OCI.
My good friend [metallurgist, machinist ] and I inspect the underside of said trans... confidence is good...looks like we can drop the bottom pan, catch as much oil as possible, drill / tap the proper spots, re-apply gasket sealer and reinstall.... bingo-boom....!!

Ha... not so fast Kemosabe..!!

We dropped the pan...spill gobs of fluid on the ramp...
and start cleaning procedure, start inspecting trans from underneath, remove lone magnet, and then................. one horseshoe style clip drops ...
Uh-oh...!!
Ok so we decide to move the tractor back in the shed...........
>> then half the trans falls to the floor...................

O_O

time for lunch and a break... drill / tap the lower pan - install new drain plugs..
watch YouTube videos and identify all parts that dropped..... and quickly realize that nothing will happen with the tractor on all 4 wheels..... this trans needs to be upside-down in order to reassemble,,,, Oy..!!!

Best and quick /simple option; grab the tractor by the front bumper bar... raise tractor to a SpaceShuttle launch position and stabilize... i wish I took pics.. but stress level were predominant, shall we say...

Observe and reassemble trans..... and reinstall lower pan..
Let set gasket sealer..add oil, purge trans [ which took longer than i expected..]
test drive.....
All is good...........!!

Then a few beers were consumed...
Phew..!!

Cheers
J.
 
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