John Deere XUV550 Gator transmission failure

Joined
Jul 23, 2005
Messages
371
Location
ohio
I have a an XUV550 Gator with 410 hours on it. It is my personal machine and i have maintained it religiously and It has not been abused. It is used on our family farm for transportation around the farm, fence repairs, etc. One day it got stuck in 4 wheel drive and would not come out...The lever was jammed. I tried to move it on the trans case but it was solid so I took it back to the dealer who informed me that the trans was "totaled" and filled with savings and gear pieces. I had them replace the trans to the tune of $7100...now of course I'm concerned that this trans is poorly designed and may fail again. A new gator is well north of $16K so we had to fix this one of course. Do you think there may be a better fluid to use in this trans than the recommended John Deere Hygard ? Any suggestions are appreciated !
 
do you know what type or model transmission it is? I looked up what i could on JD's website, it only specifies a B&S engine and that its a CVT.
 
I have a an XUV550 Gator with 410 hours on it. It is my personal machine and i have maintained it religiously and It has not been abused. It is used on our family farm for transportation around the farm, fence repairs, etc. One day it got stuck in 4 wheel drive and would not come out...The lever was jammed. I tried to move it on the trans case but it was solid so I took it back to the dealer who informed me that the trans was "totaled" and filled with savings and gear pieces. I had them replace the trans to the tune of $7100...now of course I'm concerned that this trans is poorly designed and may fail again. A new gator is well north of $16K so we had to fix this one of course. Do you think there may be a better fluid to use in this trans than the recommended John Deere Hygard ? Any suggestions are appreciated !
I want to help you out here, can you tell us how this Gator was used, meaning what did you haul in it and what the weight of what you were hauling if you can answer that. Is there certain hour time that the Trans Fluid needs to be changed? How many ounces of fluid does this Trans Hold in it?
 
It hauled 200-300 pounds maybe ?? It was not worked very hard...Primarily hauling me and a dog around the acreage checking on fence, equipment, etc. It is a Briggs&Stratton engine and CVT, yes.
 
Trans fluid spec is JD Hygard 500 hours I believe ? I changed it 3 times in 400 hours as I over maintained this piece of equipment.
 
Trans fluid spec is JD Hygard 500 hours I believe ? I changed it 3 times in 400 hours as I over maintained this piece of equipment.
I don't mean to rub salt in the wounds, but $7100 for that CVT is obscene. No second opinion or second quote? In looking on U tube it appears that it is easily accessible. Was self install an option IF JD would sell you the parts?

Is there a breakdown of parts and labor?

In my state at least the owner has the right to retain the used parts replaced. Check your state.

Extended warranty?

I am far from being a JD expert, but there are some here on this forum. Hopefully they will chime in.
 
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The transmission itself is $4300 and it is a transaxle so the total install isn't too far out but on the high side. Don't know who makes it but I doubt Deere does on that one.
 
I don't mean to rub salt in the wounds, but $7100 for that CVT is obscene. No second opinion or second quote? In looking on U tube it appears that it is easily accessible. Was self install an option IF JD would sell you the parts?

Is there a breakdown of parts and labor?

In my state at least the owner has the right to retain the used parts replaced. Check your state.

Extended warranty?

I am far from being a JD expert, but there are some here on this forum. Hopefully they will chime in.
Totally agree however we did not have time to mess around with it ! Busy season here so we left it up to the dealer to fix...I did try to find a used CVT trans but none available at the moment. Parts were approx $6000 !!
 
The transmission itself is $4300 and it is a transaxle so the total install isn't too far out but on the high side. Don't know who makes it but I doubt Deere does on that one.
It was $5100 plus the left axle had grenades as well bring our total parts to approx $6K
 
Totally agree however we did not have time to mess around with it ! Busy season here so we left it up to the dealer to fix...I did try to find a used CVT trans but none available at the moment. Parts were approx $6000 !!
Sorry I missed the family farm part. I have many idyllic memories growing up in WI spending summers on a dairy farm (30 miles west of Green Bay). Many decades ago. So I see your point exactly. (y) :)
 
Frequent oil changes allow the longest possible life of the component and but will not prevent broken parts/ quality.
 
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