I have been repairing mowers of all sizes for years and the very 1st thing I do on any greasy machine is pressure wash it. I own the same mower as in this video and thank you for the amazing walk through here. That was the only fault I saw. Love the way you used the drill to drop the oil level. I use the same trick to check mowers for spark.
I have a L130 2004 looks brand new. I bought it used. The guy took incredible care of it. I replace all the spindles and pulleys with John Deere Oem parts. New blades. No rust . The deck was cleaned off after every use. That’s how you prevent rust on your deck. The new spindles have grease fittings so they get greased every season. Oil changes and belts replaced if needed every year. The mower is always garaged. If you don’t take care of the tractor, I promise it won’t take care of you.😄
Thanks. Great video. Unfortunately may have waited too late to see this. When I dropped mine the fan was missing all blades. 571 hours. Went ahead and gave it a try. Drained the tar and filled with Bad Boy fluid. Did the drill test and still barely moving forward. Hardly a turn in reverse. Sure it had to over heat if that fan is critical. Now to decide if I want to drop the $ for new. Appreciate you folks that go to the trouble to post these "help the diy'ers" videos though. Very helpful.
Just did this procedure on my L120. Mine would barely move after a short time mowing and forget reverse completely. Well, after draining the old fluid and replacing it with Castrol 5w50 Synthetic, it did make an improvement, but I haven’t completely mowed my 3 acres of grass yet, so the jury is out as to what will happen when it really heats up. It’s definitely better though and I’m happy about that. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be, so I would definitely recommend doing it to anyone who is having issues with their K46 transmission. Sure beats the cost of a replacement unit, or worse yet, having to junk the whole tractor. Thanks to you and all the others that have posted similar videos!
@udahman2 how did this work out for you? We have a JD 265 that lost reverse so we took it to a service place and they changed the fluid and now reverse works great but we have no forward gear now 😏 trying to find ideas as to why that would happen
@@lh98 well, I still haven’t had a chance to mow the whole lot yet, but it definitely is better, but like I said, I’m not sure it won’t act up as the transmission heats up. Not sure about your issue though. That’s a puzzler.
The shaft seal on top was the more likely culprit for the oil on the cooling fins. The unit should have been thoroughly cleaned before removing the plug and tipping it, I saw crud falling into the opening it may not have gotten inside but why risk it.
Top tip...............Clean the unit first before doing any kind of draining of oil that way you would reduce the probability of introducing any dirt / contaminantes into the system after all there is a piston pump arrangement inside the case and these types are very very susceptible to dirt and debris. If you clean up after you change the oil you risk introducing crap via the breather.............
Great vid my friend, they build them intensely like that so we have to drop about another $800 plus labor down the road. You proved that DIY is the best fix. I can hear my 31/2 yr old D140 with 280hrs calling to me to start pulling out her tranny. I will fallow your lead Thankyou very much.
Just wanted to take a minute to say ‘thank-you’, for this video - and for not taking it down after you heard everyone pile on about a power washer… Even after (I’m sure) they read where you explained why you hadn’t done that. I don’t own a pressure washer, and I’m certainly nowhere near mechanically inclined enough for the project… But I’m going to give it a shot anyway. Our L120 is absolutely necessary for us… Through winter -snowblower- and summer. First thing I’m going to try though, is the belt/fan/pulleys-because, even though it gets VERY ‘tired’- very, very, quickly - the most pressing thing for *now*, is the terrible noise it makes when we release the brake. Wish me luck! And, thank-you again, for taking the time (& trouble) to try and help other folks.🫶
Nice sentiment for real, but I could not help but wonder why, somebody with such a nice shop and tools would not at least use an air gun, hose pipe, or any kind of spray cleaner to get the mess out of the way
Followed this video step by step for my L118 that couldn’t make it up a hill. Everything is working when done. Few things to point out that wasn’t obvious, when filling back up you need to let it overflow into the hole on the right... almost missed this trying to be careful not to spill or overflow but could have been a costly mistake. At the end I also needed to run the tractor up to full throttle and mash the forward pedal to actually get it to move. Tractor makes it up a hill now, I’ll post back next time I do a full mow to make sure it’s still stable.
Hey Patrick! Did the transmission oil replacement hold as a long term fix? I’ve read it’s only a bandaid and to get it running well again you need to send parts to a guy in Canada who refurbs some parts then sends them back to you. He claims it’s the only way to fix the issue completely.
Thank you for posting this. I have a cub cadet my neighbor gave me for this exact issue. Non serviceable hydro. I'm pulling it apart tonight. Great job.
Good video. But 2 things. 1. Clean the trans before opening so the junk doesn't get inside that hole when trying to drain it. 2. K46 uses 10w30 oil per tuff torque. 2.3 qts
I bought a L120 and the whole thing was as cruddy as the fins on yours. I just finished cleaning, scraping and sanding the deck, rebuilt complete. All new spindles, blades, pulleys and belts. Doing the hydrostatic oil change today and putting tubes in the dry rotted tires. It's been a great project.
K46 is fully serviceable TufTorq folks are good to deal with, service parts and rebuild kits are available from them. I have the K66AG, which uses the same instructions as the K46 transmission, and just did my 50 hour oil change. last month. first at 50 hours, then every 200 hours after.
These low end hydrostats and the tractors they are bolted to are designed to be throw-away items. When shopping for a garden tractor last year, I found even the X300 series of machines all use the K46 transmission. Stepping up to the X500 series finally got me into a user serviceable transmission with drain plugs and a filter.
The way to measure fluid is .75 to 1" from the topof cover. The void is so fluid can get to both piston pumps inside of unit both sides should be full.
Thank you For Awesome Video Well done, the video and the work on the tractor as well, it's very well explained. I have a JOHN DEERE D110, and it has the same problem it doesn't drive at all, neither forward nor backward, I guess either it's low in transmission fluid or needs service or both because it's wet on the right side wheel.. all over the transmission...
At 1:20, the bearings go bad in those. Then the pulley quits spinning and it smokes the belt and plastic pulley. Same thing happened to a JD lawn tractor that we had where I work.
great video, I purchase a d110 with low 80 hours from a private party, he said had no problems, only some rust her and there, arrived home did a cut before it started raining, pushed it inside the garage, like 10-15 ft. with out unhooking the L shaped hook in the back. the second day I found a spot of oil underneath, the light colored oil was dripping from the transaxal, back in the right side ( Hydraulic fluid - transaxle leak) as I'm not very handy but welling to try, I called and the well recommended guy said over the phone that this needs a new transmission!! and my idea of changing the gasket- o ring is not a good one!! your thoughts please , thank you !
A couple comments.. I dont think you could drain all and fill completely without opening the vent plug too or better yet, remove the bottom plate.. second..might have been worthwhile to clean more of the caked oil off the casing. Also realize there is a filter and another magnet in the unit that should be cleaned or replaced only accessible by removing the bottom plate too.. this would allow complete drainage of the old oil and cleaning of the filter and 2nd magnet. I have an older, 2005 Cub LT1050 with the 26hp Command, and I'm trying to find out what model hydro I have so I can order in the common replacement parts, but I might wait until fall. I'll try to look it up on the lawn tractor data website you mentioned
I would have loved to see you driving it afterwards. What if it did not fix it, then what. I'll take your word for it that it worked for you. I just need to break mine down and look at it also. Thanks for the video.
I could hug you... but we are social distancing so I'll just say thanks!!! Got my D170 back cutting like new with a couple quarts of oil and some wrenches!!!
sometimes it's just the drive belt has stretched a bit. Start with a new drive belt. I did mine today and it can now get up my hills again, which it had been failing at.
yea ima give it a try too mine same,gets worse longer it runs..also whines loudly when go pedal pressed.. i really believe more than drive belt especially with loud whine.
I think the drive belt is only like 9 bucks on amazon too. I think it's about 50 bucks at John Deere. It's not too bad to replace either. The little bolt by the fan on top of the transmission to keep the belt in contact with that pully is the really hardest thing but not too back, otherwise super simple.
@@sim7409 I have trouble goin uphill currently on steeper grade. Sometimes it wants to make it sound like the transmission is bad but I just remembered last year pickin up leaves, I had the drive belt come off and the belt was burning and I put the belt back on. Now I'm gonna replace the belt because I'm sure it's slipping going uphill and I think it's more common than not that a belt stretches even only after 5 years of use than a transmission going bad. I suppose look at your transmission and see if there is a bunch of gunk on the outside from the fluid first, then you might need a transmission fluid swap, but otherwise it will definitely most likely be the drive belt. I'm not an expert but that's just what I'm dealing with and my story. good luck! Wish it was easier to check your tranny fluid like on your truck with these John Deere's but they like when you come in and pay big bucks for them to fix it.
My dads John Deere is a l100 its 21 years old he’s never replaced the transmission oil or belt lol ... I bought it from him I’m thinking about changing the trans oil
I have a 2004 L130 still truckin along. Like anything , you take care of them mechanically they will last. Mine looks brand new. Deck looks new. Not bad for a 16 yr old mower. 😁
I would remove the fill plug without removing the transaxle if possible, clean the magnet, and use a hand pump to pump out as much fluid as I could, and replace the fluid with some Amsoil hydrostatic oil once a year. Kind of like how people do auto trans flushes in a series. Do you think this is possible on the newer mowers? Other than that, the drain plug kit is looking better every day.
The cast Aluminum housing is very strong and very durable I changed the oil I put in Castrol 15w50 full synthetic oil I should have no serious problems with the K46 Tuff torq for many years if at all
Yeah, I replaced one and they said it wasn’t serviceable. What a mechanic at the John Deere Dealer told me was that by the time the oil wears out most of what’s in their is worn down. These are kind of built like a disposable part. When you get out of the one series you get into the K66 transmission which is serviceable and built a lot better. You can buy conversion kits for these but it requires some more brackets to readjust your mower deck and bigger wheels, it will also make your mower a bit faster and last a lot longer but last I checked it was about $1000 for the whole kit with wheels and everything. I ended up buying one of these off of eBay for $450 a few years ago and just swapped it out and it’s been good sense. To me that was easier than saving a couple hundred bucks and trying to tear the whole thing apart anyway. I wanted to K66 upgrade kit but it was just too much. I think it’s the hills that kill these things or like you said towing something heavy. I think on a flat lawn these would last hundreds and hundreds of hours. I probably had 3 to 400 hours on my first one and probably close to two on the second one, But on the second one I’ve been using it on a new property with a lot flatter lawn and it still seems like brand new. To get the belt on or changed you don’t have to take the whole thing out there’s a 10 mm bolt on the frame that lifts that belt guide up so you can slide the new one in. It’s easier if you takeoff the right rear tire but you can get it without and you have to pull the steering column up there’s a nut and a gear on the bottom that slides off and you pull it up so you can get the belt around it. It was like 37 bucks for two new pulleys and a belt from John Deere. I bought the original John Deere because it’s a pain to get all the way up in there and I didn’t wanna mess with a cheap belt but the pulleys and belts are pretty easy to replace but it’s cool you were able to change the fluid. They told me that couldn’t be done this
Awesome thanks! When my L100 trans turns, I can hear the gears meshing inside. So I'll be doing this to mine ASAP but I would have used the the vac to try and get any fluid off the bottom of the case too!
My mower has over 500 hrs on it and is about done. So instead of removing transaxle, knowing I had a leak and lost fluid, I was able to pop fill cap off with a long screwdriver from underneath, access hole on top of transaxle with a hose attached to a long funnel through the height adjustment slots and refill with fresh fluid. Lasted another two years. Will do the same again within the next several weeks while I plan to do a restoration on it this winter. Just a trick to get by without disassembly!
@@ggtaruc2578 yes, only added. Note that I have a small axle leak. I now have 600 hours on it and just added a little more. The plug can be reached from under the fender right above the deck. I taped a hose to my funnel to reach fill hole through deck height selector opening.
1:05 Plastic Pulley failure. On my Ariens my pulley got ruined when I mowed over a green (wet) supple small branch that was down in the sod. The piece was about 2 ft long and 5/8 inch diameter. The piece somehow got stuck by/between the pulley/deck and friction of it rubbing heated up the pulley and melted it enough to warp it. On another mower I have seen where the ball bearing's grease in the pulley dried up and the pulley started to spin on the outside of the bearing. The ball bearings used are usually 6203 ball bearings which are used in high numbers. ie most car alternators, the model A generator , etc. In a professional mower the pulleys are often metal. Another thing that ruins plastic pulleys and gears in mowers and chain saws is green vines. A friend had a Remington electric consumer chain saw ruined with a small bunch of green vines. Some vine pieces sneaked into a gap and they warped the large white gear just by heat ie friction. Also a piece of scrap rope can be enough to somehow get wedged between the plastic pulley and deck cause enough heat to warp the pulley. On the Ariens here 2 plastic pulleys are easy to replace and another is on as spring loaded arm that causes one to really make new swear words. I bought 3 new plastic pulleys for my Ariens. One was toast, the other 3 fair so I replaced all 3 and the belt. The tough pulley took much time to get it back in place due to the spring loading.
My D130 was working fine, started first time. Had it parked up whilst getting a rear tire repaired and when I went to go mowing, nada. Started fine , would not move. No tell tale sounds, belt looks ok and any of the pulleys I could reach seemed ok. Starting to think electrical. Any ideas?
Great video on the servicing of a non-serviceable transaxle. I have a 12-year-old LA125 that I bought new to mow a 5 acre house block in the tropics of northern Australia. The fact you can buy a kit to install drain and fill points shows the need for servicing and highlights a blot on John Deere's integrity, by substituting quality with inferior components such as the transaxle, the pressed deck, and thickness of the deck material, self-tapping spindle bolts which are not effective after retightening resulting in splitting around the spindle mounting location. and welding/replacement of the deck 4 times since new. This after-sales strategy turns me away from an otherwise quality brand of mower. Please get out your pressure cleaner to teach DIYers the right way to prepare for repairs in your next videos.
this is absolutely helpful and excellent job too.My Toro gt 2000 just out the garage from winter wont move itself so i'm gonna check pulleys and belt .Then thats where this awesome video comes in Thank You so much. could you tell me when that belt and fan runs.I guess as soon as the engine starts for max cooling ? Mines not spinning at idle ?
On some hydrostatic mowers(including mine) in order to push it, you have to move a lever on the back that disconnects the hydrostatic drive from the wheels. When you push the tractor out after winter storage, it is easy to forget this step. The engine still starts, but it will not move under its own power until you flip the lever back to the running position. Check your Owners Manual, or download one from the Internet and check out this process.
My Tractor has been running on 1 cylinder and it finally stopped working until not to long ago after my son fix it right up but its still really loud running on its lowest power
Now that's what I call a backyard job, crazy not cleaning it properly before playing with it! My K46 is crap! I've changed the oil once and it went better for about 5 hrs then back to crawling slower than a snail up a pole!
great video a couple of things i don't understand is why are you taking fluid back out, did i miss something? at the 7:30 sec mark you are having a hard time filling and at the 8:20 mark your taking some out? and where did you get that big mityvac? i have had my hand held mityvac pump since the 90s... thanks for your time showing it can be done and i bet your friend got off cheap...
It's been working great. Alot of ZTR's take 20W50 which is why I chose it. Plus I figured since it's worn and slipping a "thicker" fluid might do it some good.
Any idea why a JD 265 would have no reverse then we took it to a service department and they changed the fluid and now reverse works great and there’s no forward gear now? We are baffled and the service place closed down now.
@@SkylarHillShop that’s what I’m thinking now too but what makes no sense to me is all they did was replace the hygard fluid and filter. Odd that would happen just while they had it for that
@@SkylarHillShop I have the tractor at my house now and what’s actually happening is weak forward and weak reverse. I jacked up the rear end put it in forward/reverse and I can stop both wheels with my hands 😳 how is that possible? There’s gotta be a leaking seal or something inside the tranny right?
nice video! my dad has a nice looking l120 probably about like that one there he got from a friend. same issues. replaced belt. goes a bit then gets hot and starts slipping. i'm going to take a whack at it and see if a clean up and new oil helps.
For what it is worth, i really enjoyed your video. The content and explanations were very good. BtW, thankz for not putting music in this video. I have a Deere L130 with 210 hours on it. Bought it new and it still runs great. How many houra are on this L120 as I want to know when my trans will need some work?
Have a L120 that stops moving after about an hour of mowing. Thinking I'll try this before I invest in new transmission or mower. Bought the mower used $50.
There are vids here that show how to take apart the trans, It is very easy, and you wont get all the oil out and there are other magnets. took me 2hrs to drop tran, thoroughly clean, and have ready to install(let stand for 24hrs for case hardener though), What you did is better than nothing but once taken out might as well do proper.
You are the first to point that out. That would have been a great time to do that. Once the wheels are sized onto the axle they're nearly impossible to get off!
The first rule of working on hydraulics is to clean everything thoroughly before opening it up so no dirt can get inside. If that thing had a second chance at life from the fluid change, the dirt that fell into it will certainly cut that short.
Mainly slippage. Ideally you have a dipstick where you can check both the level and color / smell of the fluid. However in this case you can either wait until you have a problem to change it. Or do it as preventive maintenance and you'll just have to decide how often you want to do it.
Take the Wheels off first, unbolt tranny and HP Wash unit, then drain oil and replace with new oil, Tuff Torq. makes a rebuild kit but in my opinion they are a little to high in price...
Good video. Very clever using impact wrench make tranny run. Good way to purge K46. Myself I've changed the fluid in 2002 Simplicity Broadmoor twice. It came with 2 drain plugs and 1fill plug.
Smiling! Got the same mower did pretty much the same thing 3 years ago, put 20 w 50 motor oil in it, believe that's what bad boy uses. Now it starting to not pull the hill at the last part of my mowing the yard, time to do it again. I turned it over on it's side and let the oil drain and suck the rest out with my shop vac and small hose. Kinda bad John Deere makes something that cost that much and not serviceable, turned me off hydrostatic drive mowers.
Don't let that turns you off on hydros. many zero turns have serviceable hydros. Much like the John Deere's of old. That's part of the reason I bought the zero-turn I did it has drains on each unit and external oil filters.
that is very rebuildable... and you should have opened it up as there is a screen filter in the bottom of it.. and cleaned it all out .. there is other magnets inside of it as will.. one should o never mind .. lol
Based on tractordata. One of them is a five-speed the other one has a CVT transmission. It may physically boltup. But it's going to be pretty involved making everything else work.
I have them both in my yard and you are correct on the five-speed with a good transmission and the D105 is bad tried to fix once and messed up again so I was going to try to switch them if possible so thanks for the information
I have been repairing mowers of all sizes for years and the very 1st thing I do on any greasy machine is pressure wash it. I own the same mower as in this video and thank you for the amazing walk through here. That was the only fault I saw. Love the way you used the drill to drop the oil level. I use the same trick to check mowers for spark.
I have a L130 2004 looks brand new. I bought it used. The guy took incredible care of it. I replace all the spindles and pulleys with John Deere Oem parts. New blades. No rust . The deck was cleaned off after every use. That’s how you prevent rust on your deck. The new spindles have grease fittings so they get greased every season. Oil changes and belts replaced if needed every year. The mower is always garaged. If you don’t take care of the tractor, I promise it won’t take care of you.😄
Thanks. Great video. Unfortunately may have waited too late to see this. When I dropped mine the fan was missing all blades. 571 hours. Went ahead and gave it a try. Drained the tar and filled with Bad Boy fluid. Did the drill test and still barely moving forward. Hardly a turn in reverse. Sure it had to over heat if that fan is critical. Now to decide if I want to drop the $ for new. Appreciate you folks that go to the trouble to post these "help the diy'ers" videos though. Very helpful.
Just did this procedure on my L120. Mine would barely move after a short time mowing and forget reverse completely. Well, after draining the old fluid and replacing it with Castrol 5w50 Synthetic, it did make an improvement, but I haven’t completely mowed my 3 acres of grass yet, so the jury is out as to what will happen when it really heats up. It’s definitely better though and I’m happy about that. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be, so I would definitely recommend doing it to anyone who is having issues with their K46 transmission. Sure beats the cost of a replacement unit, or worse yet, having to junk the whole tractor. Thanks to you and all the others that have posted similar videos!
I paid $2,750 for my Craftsman T240 I'll get about 20 years or more out of it just by changing the fluid to Castrol 15w50 full synthetic oil
@udahman2 how did this work out for you? We have a JD 265 that lost reverse so we took it to a service place and they changed the fluid and now reverse works great but we have no forward gear now 😏 trying to find ideas as to why that would happen
@@lh98 well, I still haven’t had a chance to mow the whole lot yet, but it definitely is better, but like I said, I’m not sure it won’t act up as the transmission heats up. Not sure about your issue though. That’s a puzzler.
Those oils you guys used do not seem to be transmission oil. Were you talking about engine oil?
The shaft seal on top was the more likely culprit for the oil on the cooling fins. The unit should have been thoroughly cleaned before removing the plug and tipping it, I saw crud falling into the opening it may not have gotten inside but why risk it.
I wonder why you didn't use Gunk Degreaser instead of scraping the crud., or brake parts cleaner spray can ? Just sayin'
Top tip...............Clean the unit first before doing any kind of draining of oil that way you would reduce the probability of introducing any dirt / contaminantes into the system after all there is a piston pump arrangement inside the case and these types are very very susceptible to dirt and debris. If you clean up after you change the oil you risk introducing crap via the breather.............
Good video I like how you were able to leave the tires on to move it and control draining the oil
Thanks!
Great vid my friend, they build them intensely like that so we have to drop about another $800 plus labor down the road. You proved that DIY is the best fix. I can hear my 31/2 yr old D140 with 280hrs calling to me to start pulling out her tranny. I will fallow your lead Thankyou very much.
Just wanted to take a minute to say ‘thank-you’, for this video - and for not taking it down after you heard everyone pile on about a power washer… Even after (I’m sure) they read where you explained why you hadn’t done that.
I don’t own a pressure washer, and I’m certainly nowhere near mechanically inclined enough for the project… But I’m going to give it a shot anyway. Our L120 is absolutely necessary for us… Through winter -snowblower- and summer.
First thing I’m going to try though, is the belt/fan/pulleys-because, even though it gets VERY ‘tired’- very, very, quickly - the most pressing thing for *now*, is the terrible noise it makes when we release the brake.
Wish me luck!
And, thank-you again, for taking the time (& trouble) to try and help other folks.🫶
Nice sentiment for real, but I could not help but wonder why, somebody with such a nice shop and tools would not at least use an air gun, hose pipe, or any kind of spray cleaner to get the mess out of the way
Followed this video step by step for my L118 that couldn’t make it up a hill. Everything is working when done. Few things to point out that wasn’t obvious, when filling back up you need to let it overflow into the hole on the right... almost missed this trying to be careful not to spill or overflow but could have been a costly mistake. At the end I also needed to run the tractor up to full throttle and mash the forward pedal to actually get it to move. Tractor makes it up a hill now, I’ll post back next time I do a full mow to make sure it’s still stable.
Should always drive the tracotr backwards first after refilling to allow the transmission to bleed through.
Hey Patrick! Did the transmission oil replacement hold as a long term fix? I’ve read it’s only a bandaid and to get it running well again you need to send parts to a guy in Canada who refurbs some parts then sends them back to you. He claims it’s the only way to fix the issue completely.
Thank you for posting this. I have a cub cadet my neighbor gave me for this exact issue. Non serviceable hydro. I'm pulling it apart tonight. Great job.
Good video. But 2 things.
1. Clean the trans before opening so the junk doesn't get inside that hole when trying to drain it.
2. K46 uses 10w30 oil per tuff torque. 2.3 qts
thank you! This was very helpful!!! My belt came off and was able to get it back on with your help.
Thank you so much this helped a lot now I know how to fix this problem and why I’ll never buy a John Deere
I work on lawnmowers all the time. My first go-to tool is my power washer!
I bought a L120 and the whole thing was as cruddy as the fins on yours. I just finished cleaning, scraping and sanding the deck, rebuilt complete. All new spindles, blades, pulleys and belts. Doing the hydrostatic oil change today and putting tubes in the dry rotted tires. It's been a great project.
Nice job. I had my replace at 620 hours. Now with another 200 hours on it we laid it to rest.
What a shame that's a lot of money for only 820 hours of use.
K46 is fully serviceable TufTorq folks are good to deal with, service parts and rebuild kits are available from them. I have the K66AG, which uses the same instructions as the K46 transmission, and just did my 50 hour oil change. last month. first at 50 hours, then every 200 hours after.
Rebuild kits for K46 from TT are $426 as of this writing.
Good video, no filter clean or replacement, I believe there is another magnet inside.
I did this too on mine but it only worked for a little while... I ended up upgrading and been happy for several more years....
My little LA115 is not having problems, but after watching this, I plan to clean off my fins as best I can without removing the axle.
Thanks for sharing .In my opinion .I would have washed the unit down before the repair started. And wearing rubber gloves could be very helpful .
A great, helpful, easy to listen to video! Thanks.
Thanks for demonstrating serviceability of JD transmissions! Much appreciated!
Was it too hard to give it a power wash while it's all off ? It might run cooler, what'ta you think ?
These low end hydrostats and the tractors they are bolted to are designed to be throw-away items. When shopping for a garden tractor last year, I found even the X300 series of machines all use the K46 transmission. Stepping up to the X500 series finally got me into a user serviceable transmission with drain plugs and a filter.
That was one of the biggest factors when I bought my zero turn. It had to have external filters so I could service it.
😅 I like your uncommon common sense shown-Bravo!!
The way to measure fluid is .75 to 1" from the topof cover. The void is so fluid can get to both piston pumps inside of unit both sides should be full.
Thank you For Awesome Video Well done, the video and the work on the tractor as well, it's very well explained.
I have a JOHN DEERE D110, and it has the same problem it doesn't drive at all, neither forward nor backward, I guess either it's low in transmission fluid or needs service or both because it's wet on the right side wheel.. all over the transmission...
so why again you didn't clean it off brake clean ? degreaser?
At 1:20, the bearings go bad in those. Then the pulley quits spinning and it smokes the belt and plastic pulley. Same thing happened to a JD lawn tractor that we had where I work.
great video, I purchase a d110 with low 80 hours from a private party, he said had no problems, only some rust her and there, arrived home did a cut before it started raining, pushed it inside the garage, like 10-15 ft. with out unhooking the L shaped hook in the back. the second day I found a spot of oil underneath, the light colored oil was dripping from the transaxal, back in the right side ( Hydraulic fluid - transaxle leak) as I'm not very handy but welling to try, I called and the well recommended guy said over the phone that this needs a new transmission!! and my idea of changing the gasket- o ring is not a good one!! your thoughts please , thank you !
A couple comments.. I dont think you could drain all and fill completely without opening the vent plug too or better yet, remove the bottom plate.. second..might have been worthwhile to clean more of the caked oil off the casing. Also realize there is a filter and another magnet in the unit that should be cleaned or replaced only accessible by removing the bottom plate too.. this would allow complete drainage of the old oil and cleaning of the filter and 2nd magnet. I have an older, 2005 Cub LT1050 with the 26hp Command, and I'm trying to find out what model hydro I have so I can order in the common replacement parts, but I might wait until fall. I'll try to look it up on the lawn tractor data website you mentioned
Off topic but does anyone know if the L120 has grease points on the spindles? I just greased mine and I don't see any. Thanks and great video!
I would have loved to see you driving it afterwards. What if it did not fix it, then what. I'll take your word for it that it worked for you. I just need to break mine down and look at it also. Thanks for the video.
I finished it up in a second video. Here's the link to see it in action! ua-cam.com/video/nDxT91a4LaU/v-deo.html
@@SkylarHillShopMINP 6
I could hug you... but we are social distancing so I'll just say thanks!!! Got my D170 back cutting like new with a couple quarts of oil and some wrenches!!!
Glad I could help! Have a great weekend!!
Great video, I have an L130 that's not moving that great. I'll take a look at doing this and see if it helps.
sometimes it's just the drive belt has stretched a bit. Start with a new drive belt. I did mine today and it can now get up my hills again, which it had been failing at.
yea ima give it a try too mine same,gets worse longer it runs..also whines loudly when go pedal pressed..
i really believe more than drive belt especially with loud whine.
how did it work out for ya?
I think the drive belt is only like 9 bucks on amazon too. I think it's about 50 bucks at John Deere. It's not too bad to replace either. The little bolt by the fan on top of the transmission to keep the belt in contact with that pully is the really hardest thing but not too back, otherwise super simple.
@@sim7409 I have trouble goin uphill currently on steeper grade. Sometimes it wants to make it sound like the transmission is bad but I just remembered last year pickin up leaves, I had the drive belt come off and the belt was burning and I put the belt back on. Now I'm gonna replace the belt because I'm sure it's slipping going uphill and I think it's more common than not that a belt stretches even only after 5 years of use than a transmission going bad. I suppose look at your transmission and see if there is a bunch of gunk on the outside from the fluid first, then you might need a transmission fluid swap, but otherwise it will definitely most likely be the drive belt. I'm not an expert but that's just what I'm dealing with and my story. good luck! Wish it was easier to check your tranny fluid like on your truck with these John Deere's but they like when you come in and pay big bucks for them to fix it.
I think you video was helpful and your awesome I have the JD 130 and used your guidance to fix mine. Thank you
My dads John Deere is a l100 its 21 years old he’s never replaced the transmission oil or belt lol ... I bought it from him I’m thinking about changing the trans oil
I have a 2004 L130 still truckin along. Like anything , you take care of them mechanically they will last. Mine looks brand new. Deck looks new. Not bad for a 16 yr old mower. 😁
What kind of oil do you use?
Bad Boy 20w50 hydro oil.
I would remove the fill plug without removing the transaxle if possible, clean the magnet, and use a hand pump to pump out as much fluid as I could, and replace the fluid with some Amsoil hydrostatic oil once a year. Kind of like how people do auto trans flushes in a series. Do you think this is possible on the newer mowers?
Other than that, the drain plug kit is looking better every day.
The cast Aluminum housing is very strong and very durable I changed the oil I put in Castrol 15w50 full synthetic oil I should have no serious problems with the K46 Tuff torq for many years if at all
How hard is it to disconnect the free wheel pull rod in back of frame. V I've ordered the gallon of. Hygard fluid.. good
Video
I honestly don't remember, which probably means it was fairly easy
Hi there is a clip on end of rod that has to be prayed off .
.thx for your reply ,
Yeah, I replaced one and they said it wasn’t serviceable. What a mechanic at the John Deere Dealer told me was that by the time the oil wears out most of what’s in their is worn down. These are kind of built like a disposable part. When you get out of the one series you get into the K66 transmission which is serviceable and built a lot better. You can buy conversion kits for these but it requires some more brackets to readjust your mower deck and bigger wheels, it will also make your mower a bit faster and last a lot longer but last I checked it was about $1000 for the whole kit with wheels and everything. I ended up buying one of these off of eBay for $450 a few years ago and just swapped it out and it’s been good sense. To me that was easier than saving a couple hundred bucks and trying to tear the whole thing apart anyway. I wanted to K66 upgrade kit but it was just too much. I think it’s the hills that kill these things or like you said towing something heavy. I think on a flat lawn these would last hundreds and hundreds of hours. I probably had 3 to 400 hours on my first one and probably close to two on the second one, But on the second one I’ve been using it on a new property with a lot flatter lawn and it still seems like brand new.
To get the belt on or changed you don’t have to take the whole thing out there’s a 10 mm bolt on the frame that lifts that belt guide up so you can slide the new one in. It’s easier if you takeoff the right rear tire but you can get it without and you have to pull the steering column up there’s a nut and a gear on the bottom that slides off and you pull it up so you can get the belt around it. It was like 37 bucks for two new pulleys and a belt from John Deere. I bought the original John Deere because it’s a pain to get all the way up in there and I didn’t wanna mess with a cheap belt but the pulleys and belts are pretty easy to replace but it’s cool you were able to change the fluid. They told me that couldn’t be done this
Way to go! Nice informative video I have the D 160 with 120hrs and have the “slippage” so looks like I’m fixing this too👍
Awesome thanks! When my L100 trans turns, I can hear the gears meshing inside. So I'll be doing this to mine ASAP but I would have used the the vac to try and get any fluid off the bottom of the case too!
Like to see how change oil lx 280 John Deere
A power washer should have used before you pulled the plug.
Or a lot of brake cleaner.
Keep the cooling fan and cooling fins in good condition and clean.
How you didn't power wash it first escapes me.
Taryl fixes all has a video of installing a drain plug in the same transmission..
Link ?
Why didn't you clean the rear axle that you just did all the work on? A clean machine is a happy machine
because john deere owners are hillbilly crud monsters who love rolling in the muck same as pigs.
??
@@mrbubetube LOLOLOL I can't even be mad at that.
he should have, Fins don't cool anything efficiently is they are caked with crud.
My mower has over 500 hrs on it and is about done. So instead of removing transaxle, knowing I had a leak and lost fluid, I was able to pop fill cap off with a long screwdriver from underneath, access hole on top of transaxle with a hose attached to a long funnel through the height adjustment slots and refill with fresh fluid. Lasted another two years. Will do the same again within the next several weeks while I plan to do a restoration on it this winter. Just a trick to get by without disassembly!
So you only added oil, right? Not drain?
@@ggtaruc2578 yes, only added. Note that I have a small axle leak. I now have 600 hours on it and just added a little more. The plug can be reached from under the fender right above the deck. I taped a hose to my funnel to reach fill hole through deck height selector opening.
Why not use the mityvac to suck all the oil out of differential and not take it apart so much?
Honestly I don't remember. But I don't believe there was enough room to get my fat hands in there with everything assembled.
1:05 Plastic Pulley failure. On my Ariens my pulley got ruined when I mowed over a green (wet) supple small branch that was down in the sod. The piece was about 2 ft long and 5/8 inch diameter. The piece somehow got stuck by/between the pulley/deck and friction of it rubbing heated up the pulley and melted it enough to warp it. On another mower I have seen where the ball bearing's grease in the pulley dried up and the pulley started to spin on the outside of the bearing. The ball bearings used are usually 6203 ball bearings which are used in high numbers. ie most car alternators, the model A generator , etc. In a professional mower the pulleys are often metal. Another thing that ruins plastic pulleys and gears in mowers and chain saws is green vines. A friend had a Remington electric consumer chain saw ruined with a small bunch of green vines. Some vine pieces sneaked into a gap and they warped the large white gear just by heat ie friction. Also a piece of scrap rope can be enough to somehow get wedged between the plastic pulley and deck cause enough heat to warp the pulley. On the Ariens here 2 plastic pulleys are easy to replace and another is on as spring loaded arm that causes one to really make new swear words. I bought 3 new plastic pulleys for my Ariens. One was toast, the other 3 fair so I replaced all 3 and the belt. The tough pulley took much time to get it back in place due to the spring loading.
My D130 was working fine, started first time. Had it parked up whilst getting a rear tire repaired and when I went to go mowing, nada. Started fine , would not move. No tell tale sounds, belt looks ok and any of the pulleys I could reach seemed ok. Starting to think electrical.
Any ideas?
Keyway fell off during tire change
Very likely, or someone pulled the hydro release rod.
Great video on the servicing of a non-serviceable transaxle. I have a 12-year-old LA125 that I bought new to mow a 5 acre house block in the tropics of northern Australia. The fact you can buy a kit to install drain and fill points shows the need for servicing and highlights a blot on John Deere's integrity, by substituting quality with inferior components such as the transaxle, the pressed deck, and thickness of the deck material, self-tapping spindle bolts which are not effective after retightening resulting in splitting around the spindle mounting location. and welding/replacement of the deck 4 times since new. This after-sales strategy turns me away from an otherwise quality brand of mower.
Please get out your pressure cleaner to teach DIYers the right way to prepare for repairs in your next videos.
Might be a good idea to pressure wash before you tear apart next time
I would definitely do that if I was splitting the case. Still probably would have been a good idea.
this is absolutely helpful and excellent job too.My Toro gt 2000 just out the garage from winter wont move itself so i'm gonna check pulleys and belt .Then thats where this awesome video comes in Thank You so much. could you tell me when that belt and fan runs.I guess as soon as the engine starts for max cooling ? Mines not spinning at idle ?
If it's a hydrostat it should be spinning whenever the engine is running.
On some hydrostatic mowers(including mine) in order to push it, you have to move a lever on the back that disconnects the hydrostatic drive from the wheels. When you push the tractor out after winter storage, it is easy to forget this step. The engine still starts, but it will not move under its own power until you flip the lever back to the running position. Check your Owners Manual, or download one from the Internet and check out this process.
My Tractor has been running on 1 cylinder and it finally stopped working until not to long ago after my son fix it right up but its still really loud running on its lowest power
Now that's what I call a backyard job, crazy not cleaning it properly before playing with it! My K46 is crap! I've changed the oil once and it went better for about 5 hrs then back to crawling slower than a snail up a pole!
great video. How did you remove the back end from the tractor? Also, why did you take new oil out of transaxle?
It was overfull.
f;uid level should be 3/4” below top of fill level. also, clean the fins on housing so it cools properly
Have you tried using the mityvac to remove the fluids without removing the transmission?
Not on this specific model, but it sure would simplify things. I can't remember if you can get the plug out
great video a couple of things i don't understand is why are you taking fluid back out, did i miss something? at the 7:30 sec mark you are having a hard time filling and at the 8:20 mark your taking some out? and where did you get that big mityvac? i have had my hand held mityvac pump since the 90s... thanks for your time showing it can be done and i bet your friend got off cheap...
Sorry I wasn't super clear about that. I decided I had over filled it and needed to remove some fluid. It's a mityvac fluid extractor mv7400
How many hours are on this machine?
How is that 20W 50 working in that transmission? Tuff Torqu told me that it was way to thick recommneded 5w-30
It's been working great. Alot of ZTR's take 20W50 which is why I chose it. Plus I figured since it's worn and slipping a "thicker" fluid might do it some good.
Tuff Torq recommends 10w50 full synthetic.
You should also pressure wash it.
Great content, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to do this on my 23 yr. old JD 335...
If u dont have a fluid extractor an old school turkey baster works great
Any idea why a JD 265 would have no reverse then we took it to a service department and they changed the fluid and now reverse works great and there’s no forward gear now? We are baffled and the service place closed down now.
Linkage adjustment?
@@SkylarHillShop that’s what I’m thinking now too but what makes no sense to me is all they did was replace the hygard fluid and filter. Odd that would happen just while they had it for that
@L H there's definitely something else going on here. W
@@SkylarHillShop I have the tractor at my house now and what’s actually happening is weak forward and weak reverse. I jacked up the rear end put it in forward/reverse and I can stop both wheels with my hands 😳 how is that possible? There’s gotta be a leaking seal or something inside the tranny right?
@@lh98 Usually the pump itself wears out.
Why not power wash trans.
I really should have. I was doing this after work and was in a hurry.
nice video! my dad has a nice looking l120 probably about like that one there he got from a friend. same issues. replaced belt. goes a bit then gets hot and starts slipping. i'm going to take a whack at it and see if a clean up and new oil helps.
It's worth trying, very inexpensive if it works!
Good information here, thank you sir!!
can u use it in a s 100 standard
For what it is worth, i really enjoyed your video. The content and explanations were very good. BtW, thankz for not putting music in this video.
I have a Deere L130 with 210 hours on it. Bought it new and it still runs great. How many houra are on this L120 as I want to know when my trans will need some work?
my 130 isnt moving rite..won't pull hills..the longer it runs the worse it gets & whines loudly when drive pedal pressed down...what shld i try???
Sounds like its worn out. See if you can change the hydro fluid. The longer you use it the warmer the fluid gets and it thins out making it"slip" more
Have a L120 that stops moving after about an hour of mowing. Thinking I'll try this before I invest in new transmission or mower. Bought the mower used $50.
Good Luck!
@@SkylarHillShop thank you
I agree Cleaning while unit is sealed is important
There are vids here that show how to take apart the trans, It is very easy, and you wont get all the oil out and there are other magnets. took me 2hrs to drop tran, thoroughly clean, and have ready to install(let stand for 24hrs for case hardener though), What you did is better than nothing but once taken out might as well do proper.
Should pull the wheels and clean n regrease the axles key and clips pack the plastic cap w grease and fit back on.
You are the first to point that out. That would have been a great time to do that. Once the wheels are sized onto the axle they're nearly impossible to get off!
The first rule of working on hydraulics is to clean everything thoroughly before opening it up so no dirt can get inside. If that thing had a second chance at life from the fluid change, the dirt that fell into it will certainly cut that short.
If you take the housing apart there are 2 more magnets inside . Then drill and tap the precasted drain holes.
This is one of the most serviceable transaxles ever designed for a lower-end mower . . . I don't know why people keep stating it isn't.
Why didn't you clean the darned thing?
What are some symptoms of needing to change out this fluid?
Mainly slippage. Ideally you have a dipstick where you can check both the level and color / smell of the fluid. However in this case you can either wait until you have a problem to change it. Or do it as preventive maintenance and you'll just have to decide how often you want to do it.
I would have sprayed degreaser and pressure washed it before changing the fluid. The cooling is reduced with all that caked crud on the outside.
Take the Wheels off first, unbolt tranny and HP Wash unit, then drain oil and replace with new oil, Tuff Torq. makes a rebuild kit but in my opinion they are a little to high in price...
Nice video though you should pressure wash clean first
Why wouldn't you clean it?
Tuff Torq recommends 5w-50 full synthetic in their transaxles.
@K MB I was gonna put mobil 1 15w50 in mine...
Good video. Very clever using impact wrench make tranny run. Good way to purge K46. Myself I've changed the fluid in 2002 Simplicity Broadmoor twice. It came with 2 drain plugs and 1fill plug.
Smiling!
Got the same mower did pretty much the same thing 3 years ago, put 20 w 50 motor oil in it, believe that's what bad boy uses. Now it starting to not pull the hill at the last part of my mowing the yard, time to do it again. I turned it over on it's side and let the oil drain and suck the rest out with my shop vac and small hose.
Kinda bad John Deere makes something that cost that much and not serviceable, turned me off hydrostatic drive mowers.
Don't let that turns you off on hydros. many zero turns have serviceable hydros. Much like the John Deere's of old. That's part of the reason I bought the zero-turn I did it has drains on each unit and external oil filters.
watch tayrl fixes all on youtube, he shows how to take these apart and repair them
He also has one on how to put drain plugs on them
that is very rebuildable... and you should have opened it up as there is a screen filter in the bottom of it.. and cleaned it all out .. there is other magnets inside of it as will.. one should o never mind .. lol
The reason they don't want you to service it is because you'll have to buy another Lawn Mover or Rear End!
Exactly, if you took this to the dealer, they'd charge you upwards of $1,500 to replace this transmission, or you could just buy a new mower.
Do you happen to know if the D110 is the same setup?
I do not know. But a lot of riding mowers are a similar setup.
Do you want to know that the fan goes on top of the pully
I just put it back the way I found it.
On this tractor the pulley goes on top
Timothy have you seen one where the fan is on the top? I've only ever seen them with the pulley on the top.
This video just saved me hundreds. Thank you so much.
The one on my x300r has a reservoir high up on the trans. I never see one like it in these videos. So far.
I have a D105 john deere that the transmission has its last day and I have a LA105 transmission can that be put in my D105
Based on tractordata. One of them is a five-speed the other one has a CVT transmission. It may physically boltup. But it's going to be pretty involved making everything else work.
I have them both in my yard and you are correct on the five-speed with a good transmission and the D105 is bad tried to fix once and messed up again so I was going to try to switch them if possible so thanks for the information
What's wrong with the one with the good transmission?