series 600 made to die

[gj]

just traded for a MTD Yard machine,about 5 years old.it has a V twin 18 hp briggs "I-C engine.runs real good,no leaks in trans or engine.the engine oil is not filtered, dissapointed in that.changed oil using GTX 30 WT.is that ok?
anyone have any advice on removing the deck?could use blades sharpened,also anyone have any advice on what to do,if anything maintanece wise to the hydro trans.thanks,George

 

[GrtArtiste]

My first question would be...was it cared for by the previous owner, or not? If not, first thing I'd do is run the new oil no more than 5 hours then dump it. If it comes out really dirty I'd flush it for another 5 hours and then dump that.I keep a clean fill of 5w30 in mine over the winter and then dump that before going back to 30 wt in the spring. I'll let others chime in on what else to do.

GrtArtiste

 

[gj]

thanks,the oil was kinda dirty,i may take your advice on the 5 hour thing.plugs were old but not carbon or oil fouled .air filter was dirty,replaced that.very impressed with the briggs engine on this thing.

 

[GrtArtiste]

I have 14.5 Briggs (461707 vertical opposed twin)in a 6 year old AYP lawn tractor. It's been a wonderful engine. Must be gettin' close to 400 hours by now. All I've ever had to do is change oil, change/clean air filiter and keep the engine clean of debris. It starts easily and runs well even with the original plugs.

GrtArtiste

 

[JTK]

gj, the MTD decks are not too bad to remove. You probably have a sealed hydrostatic transaxle made by hydro-gear. Some have a cap on the top you can drain and fill from. You can get a ops manual here: http://manuals.mtdproducts.com/mtd/public/list.jsp?BrandCode=10451

G/luck
Joel

 

[gj]

thanks.i still plan to get the cub caddett 2554,but it looks like it's gonna be fall before i get into the new place so i'll try getting one in the off season,or run this thing just to see how long it will go.oh and one more thing it is a twin cylinder engine,but not a v twin as i stated in my origanal post.thanks again,george

 

[gj]

Thought I would throw this in just for the heck of it.Went to MTD web site,added a new transmission to my shopping cart just to see how much it was ,can you believe $614! Tire $79.I think I can re-condition this mower for the price of a new Corvette.Just thought I would throw that around,thanks again ,George