Hydrostatic Transmission

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AH yes,Good ole Louisiana.I have some fond memories of it when I was their.I was in Fort Polk for 4 years,met a lot of good people down their.
 
While on tractor formus the consensus is to change the oil on a K-46 Tuff Torque over to synthetic and probably change it often. Like every season or 75 hrs ... It gets dark quickly. It may need seasonal changes due to it's 2 qt capacity and no filter.

These units are used on all tractors under $3,000 generally these and are "sealed".

Having said that these guys take the frame off..gas tank off...open the fill hole...seems to be tight...get a 12v oil pump with a narrow tube...(run the tractor first to get the oil hot)...suck it out...they usually get close to 2 quarts out. Then replace with a synthetic Diesel "CD" motor oil...10W-30. This unit would be perfect for Amsoil 10W-30 SAE 30 Diesel.
Put the traactor on a jack...after the refilling..to get the air out...run the gear shifter back and forth slowly with no weight on the rear end..then top off. They say it takes an hour.

Hope it helps. The unit will last a lot longer if you do this I read.
 
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Pete, I've been on lawn/garden tractor boards for years and that's the first I've heard of 'suctioning' out a K46 being successful. Glad to hear it works. Every other dump/fill I've read of required removing and inverting the unit.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
Pete, I've been on lawn/garden tractor boards for years and that's the first I've heard of 'suctioning' out a K46 being successful. Glad to hear it works. Every other dump/fill I've read of required removing and inverting the unit.

Joel


You can pump most of the fluid out..if it looks bad...fill with new oil...let it run for a while to do a "rinse" and repeat. A new K-46 goes for about $300 I understand. I dare say just getting the conventional diesel "CD" oil out and going to a Synthetic Diesel 10w-30 oil will make a big difference. I also understand that too thick of an oil decreases heat transfer...not a good thing with only 2 qts in the sump. Yearly changes also insure a good cleaning of cooling fins...with proper care they will last a while...these K-46's are not really for pulling loads...pushing snow etc.....just really "compact lawn mowers" that look like a tractor...and happen to have a seat on them.

Check out post #3

http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?p=687221
 
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I just changed the Hydro Torque K-46 oil in my Simplicity over to Amsoil ASE 10W-30 SAE 30 (it's also rated CF as the K-46 is supposed to have diesel oil). Wanted to get synthetic in there asap after all the stories I have been hearing about failures..

The tractor is a Simplicity Regent and is 3 months old with 20 hrs. I pumped the oil out from the fill port using a "topsider".

Sucked almost 2ts out.

Should look good right with only 20 hrs? Wrong.

The top of the oil had a milky swirl to it and perhaps a bit of sheen too. Not happy.

Got it back together and ran it. Even though it is "new" it's 50% quieter with Amsoil.

Now I will change it seasonally. It ought last a lot longer.
 
Bumping a Jurassic thread as is my wont.

In line with bumping an ancient thread, my Dad just gave me a 1968 (plus or minus) Sears Super HydroTrac 12 garden tractor. It is amazingly original and complete. It's been stored for about 10 years so I'm doing fluids, cleaning out fuel system etc.

This question is about hydrostatic drive and fluid:

JTK: Hoping you see this. Do you have a fluid recommendation for a 46 year old hydrostatic drive like this? Anyone?

I've looked all over and can't seem to find the capacity. Info on that appreciated as well.

Owner's manual says: "Type A Hydraulic Fluid". Tractor forums recommend everything from Dexron to Mercon to 30w non detergent oil. They advocate the 30w non-det opining that detergents might stir up contaminants layered on the pan. Many like 20w50 HDEO and fewer seem to suggest full synth 15w50 or 20w50 (I have some old Castrol 20w50 muscle car synth on the shelf but don't want to use it blindly).

The oil I drained LOOKS like ATF but smells like mint or something. Zero burnt smell, etc. Looks clean; crystal translucent red; no signs of water or other visible problems. Of course, that means not a lot.

(aside: the grungy diff gear oil (not red) also smelled like mint. not like typical ugly gear oil smell... anyway, back to topic)

Inverted J shaped dipstick doubles as vent tube and it was plugged. It is now unplugged.

Papa-san says it was working fine way back when; probably should've just left it alone. Anyway, the hydro oil is out now so... input would be much appreciated on best juice to use.

Thanks,

Micke
 
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BTW, yeah I read the thread before posting. Just want to confirm best recommendation(s) safe for a really old but good working hydro.

Likewise, Sears not mentioned yet so I'm wondering if that changes things. Not sure how good hydros were from Sears back then. Seems like they might be ok since the thing has worked right for a really long time.
 
Micke, the oldies I've seen that recommend hydraulic fluid, will generally work well with ATF or 20wt motor oil as well.

I'd run to Tractor Supply or the likes for some generic tractor hydraulic oil like "Traveller".

Your machine probably has a separate rear diff with gear oil. 75w90 gear oil.
 
My Sears TRACTOR - - MODEL NUMBER 917.273500 says, "The transaxle was sealed at the factory and fluid maintenance is not required for
the life of the transaxle." How long do you think the oil should lasts? I used it for 10 years now. There is no hours counter. I like to replace the oil but there is no drain or fill plug. Anybody out there have done fluid change on this model?
 
Originally Posted By: Tundragod
My Sears TRACTOR - - MODEL NUMBER 917.273500 says, "The transaxle was sealed at the factory and fluid maintenance is not required for
the life of the transaxle." How long do you think the oil should lasts? I used it for 10 years now. There is no hours counter. I like to replace the oil but there is no drain or fill plug. Anybody out there have done fluid change on this model?


Probably best to start a new thread for yourself, but first thing to do is determine what make/model transaxle you have. Look it over for nameplates/badges.

My guess is, it's a Hydrogear or Peerless LTH2000. Either would require removing the unit from the mower, inverting it, and draining the oil out the top breather hole.
 
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