I was keeping this video as private till I had all 3 parts edited as I planned on making 3 videos in total, about this transmission. Unfortunately, I lots all the footage after editing part 1. I apologize.
Hi Joel from New Zealand, Thanks for your fantastic video part one ,We have have just broken a rear axle from our GRILLO 7.16 with mower with K 46 gear box and wanted to see what was inside before removing the cover,Your Video made my day,As video producer it is tops ,good sound and well explained the working of all parts and things to look for . ONE BIG THANK YOU.
I work in residential renovations and, off course I see a lot of old riding mowers, collecting dust. Over the years, I accumulated 14 riding mowers. 12 of them are manual transmission and works. Guess what is the problems with the 2 other ones ( Hydrostatic transmissions) ? YES, The 1989 Noma and 1998 John Deere have the same transmission failures. Mind you, they were also used like garden tractors, not mowers. Thank you very much for taking the time, to produce a very good video.
Great video. Good job explaining what each part does and how it works. However you do need better lighting and better sound. You voice sounded like it was coming from the other side of the room.
I was goign to reply that this is an old video, but I am still struggling with these issues, most of the time. I have a silly amount of lighting in my garage, 24 H8 4 foot bulbs (I think) and to the human eye, it is very well lit. Filming requires either intense lighting or a lot of time setting up a work area and "the shot". Using an action cam (GoPro) for shooting in shop footage also isn't the best. I have been looking for a reasonable lighting and sound solution, but the bottom line is, it's already really difficult to film and get work done. The only reason it gets done at all is because the GoPro is durable enough to handle shop use (greasy hands, chemicals, being dropped and knocked over) tho the sealed buttons as swelling on my Hero 10 from chemicals... It also requires the push of a button to capture video and audio... and even now, a lot of what I do doesn't get recorded, as the battery is dead, the lense is dirty, the shot has a window in the background and the lighting is horrible etc. Always trying to get better tho.
Great explanation! Would have like to see parts 2&3. I have lost hours of footage myself while doing several videos at a time. Waiting for parts & so on. Sometimes I would get to the final part only to find the first part corrupted, missing or otherwise not usable. It gets real frustrating but we make the best of it & move on. ..👍 # 337 Keep up the good work & stay safe, Joe Z
Thank you Joe for this great video. It is one of the most informative ones Ive seen. My issue is the opposite of one would expect. You would think after a K46 warms up you would have issues but mine is the opposite. I start up my tractor of level ground and drive it about 100' ( No issues and moves fine on level ground) to a 30 degree hill side and the tractor flies down the hill like its in neutral. Then I have to sit at the bottom of the hill for about 2 minutes before the K46 will even try to start moving. After some cavitation noise it will start to move and finally a minute later I can proceeded back up the hill and I am usually good to go back down and up as needed. If I run my tractor on level ground for the fist 10 minutes, I can then travel up and down hills with now problem at all. Any suggestions would be great and maybe you can add the most common parts that need to be replaced in these units.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid Thank and Yes, Its a hell of a ride, lol. I guess it would be best to pull it, drain it and put the recommended oil in it before opening it up or do you think while its out go ahead and pop the cover off to take a quick look? I didn't see a gasket in one the cover?
Piss on all the removal, if i have secondary problems, im draining engine oil and flipping the whole lawnmower upside down and work on it that way. Maybe on a bunch of insulation tarps for keeping hood safe, and pop the bottom pan off
Joel , I know you have already answered this question but for some reason I can’t see when you reply to others. Can you please tell me what oil you used? I have seen a lot of talk about 20/50 but is not clear if it’s engine oil or HST oil. TIA
I used a full synthetic 15/40 engine oil, I believe. As long as you are using a good synthetic oil, the viscosity rating can be determined by two things. If your transmission has fairly low hours and doesn't have any issues with slipping you can use a thinner oil like 5W30 ... I have done this a few times. However, if the transmission had high hours or seems to have an issue with slipping, is being used for higher loads than normal (towing a trailer, tiller or climbing hills for example) it is a good idea to use a thicker oil. I have used up to 20W60 Harley Davidson oil. The reason you would not want to just put thick oil in is because it causes more strain on the transmission unless it is running hot. So if your transmission will be used for plowing snow, pushing a snowblower or you live in a colder climate you need to be careful how think you go and also to make sure to allow the transmission to warm up slowly before trying to force it to move. I know this isn't a direct answer but.i hope it helps.
How do I get the brake shaft out of the top cover without damaging the cover? I banged on it lightly with a hammer, but something seems to be holding it or causing it to spring back.
They use a few different ways to hold them in. This particular one uses the roll pin that engages with the brake arm, on the outside. knock the roll pin out, the arm and spring come off and then you push the shaft in. made sure that the shaft is not rusty or damaged around the roll pin hole.
Please consider cloud based backup software for your video. My main job is working on PCs. All drives fail eventually and stuff happens. These two universal laws will eventually cost you data. The likelihood is directly proportionate to value and irreplaceability. Flash drives and external hard drives are only acceptable when you have at least three copies of data stored. Cloud storage takes these factors into consideration.
Just wanted to say thank you for this video. I took my k46 out to repair a broken mounting bracket and sheared 2 front mounting bolts. I bought my husqvarna used many years ago and never had a bypass lever, so I discovered the lever had snapped near the rollpin. Ordered replacement parts and changed the oil. Despite hearing the click over with my new lever, it still does not disengage the drive for some reason. Any thoughts?
Sorry for the late reply. Not sure what all of the surrounding circumstances are... The release is a simple mechanical mechanism that moves the motor body and allows fluid to bypass instead of creating pressure. There can really only be two explanations. 1. Despite the movement of the lever the mechanism is not actually moving the pump body. There is no simple way to examine these parts, unfortunately. 2. If a really thick oil is used, the gap created by the motor body moving may not be enough to allow sufficient bypass. I would try to remove all linkages and move the lever by hand, and if possible, try to roll the machine while moving the lever around. The explanation of how this actually works is at 10:12 in the video.
I replaced a trans from a foot petal husqvarna to a lever type an it runs backward . If I put lever forward it go backward fast ir I put in reverse it goes forward slow .why help please
Where did you get this information, because I have to assume you either misinterpreted it, or it was an unreliable source? I will assume that the information you got about the gears was that they were "powder sintered metal" gears, that being the method used to make the gears. Unlike casting, forging or machining, this process uses powder metal (fine metal dust) that is compressed at extreme high pressures into a die, to form the part. Powder coating is a process of coating the exterior of a part in plastic powder, and is used as an alternative to paint. There is no benefit to powder coating gears and it would cause the transmission to fail as the coating fell off and contaminated the oil. K46 transmissions have always had sintered metal gears, because it is a cost effective way to make parts, but this is not at all the best or strongest way to make gears. The k46 is and always has been a decent transmission when used as it was intended. The weaknesses of the transmission has nothing to do with the gears, as I have never seen a gear fail. The weakness is that it is a small transmission that does not have great cooling capabilities, it has a small oil volume it does not have any filtration system and there is no reasonable way to change the oil. It is almost always the case that the pump and or motor wear out as a result of this.
what sizes and pitches are the clamshell bolts? It appears that a friend has one thats missing one bolt and this is resulting in a fluid leak in storage. The front facing center bolt (12mm?) looks like its missing. I notice there is fresh fluid in this hole when I put some fluid into the case and ran the mower. This is the outer center bolt you can see at 2:18 (bottom center of 2:54) where you ahave the unit on the table. Also, would you think there could be any harm using 20w50? Most of the hydrostatic oils at local shops are 20w instead of 5w. It doesnt need to cut 10 acres...just basic duties in a small lawn.
Thanks for the reply. The diagrams I've found show this bolt being a specific named "tapping screw", part 22 on the diagram: www.husqvarna.com/ddoc/HUSI/HUSI2009_AAaa/HUSI2009_AAaa_K46AW_.pdf Unlike the other bolts, it appears to be threaded all the way. I dont think this is the exact transmission, but similar enough to be the same part. I'm not sure what the 8 * 30 refers to unless that is 8mm x 30mm, which seems probable. I suspect that a previous owner or service place looked at this transmission and may have removed this bolt. When I put new fluid in through the breather hole, I was able to silence the grind and get good movement. There is fluid dripping from somewhere, but not any of the typical seal points. I noticed there is fresh fluid in the hole itself. I'm assuming its leaking from within that perhaps where sealant isnt completely applied. I'll probably have to try a few bolts.
Also, as for the 20w50, I suppose I'll have to find some other oil. The local Tractor Supply had 20w50 for bad boys, 20w50 in the auto section (much cheaper) and cub cadet hydrostatic oil (which I used) but it doesnt tell you the viscosity. I think its ok for now, but I'll have to find proper weight.
I thought that would be a "tap" itself. I dont know why the diagram shows that bolt, but the location has a hole, and its got a specific part number for that one location. It may be due to the transmission being older than the one in the diagram, etc. making the part an enhancement in newer models. Dunno. I've ordered the part number and will see if that sucker threads in and seals up the problem and update here.
Great video. I used it to change the left axle which snapped. I hooked everything back up and now it doesn't want to drive forward or reverse. Neutral lever is in the drive position. I can hear it trying to go but nothing happens. Any idea?
That sucks! Once you have had your transmission off apart and reinstalled, there are a lot of things that you could have missed. I will try to make a quick list of things to check first. Don't assume that the issue is in the transmission. If you didn't get the belt on correctly or if it has oil on it, it could be slipping. Check to make sure that the belt is on correctly and that the belt is tight when the clutch is released. Make sure that the transmission is bolted in securely. If the transmission can move, the belt will slip. Some people forget the front mount or forget to tighten it. The next step would be to verify what part is slipping. Have someone watch the pulley / fan on the top of the transmission. Park the tractor against something that will not move. I often use my truck tire. Start the tractor and try to drive forward. If the pulley / fan stops spinning or slows way down, it means that you have a belt slippage issue. If it continues to spin fast then the issue is beyond the pulley/ fan. Check to see that the hub keys are installed in the keyways. If you forgot to put them back in, or they sheared off, the tractor will not move under it's own power but should roll freely. Make sure that you have enough oil in the transmission. Even if you filled it, the oil could have dropped as soon as you ran the engine as the pump and motor fill with oil. Even once you get the oil level full, you may also have to bleed the trans. Pull the bypass / neutral lever. Start the engine and release the clutch. Speed the engine up to about half speed. Slowly move the drive selector forward all the way and hold it there for about 5 seconds. Repeat the same step for reverse. Do this 3-4 times for forward and reverse. If you still have issues after that it may be something internal.
Thank you for this gerat Video ! Tomorrow i will pickup a Husquvarna Pro 15 that will not move, i hoop i can change it ... Regards frome Germany Stephan
Cool. Cheers from Canada ! I believe your transmission is a K62 . Similar to the K46. Make sure you check simple things before replacing. Make sure the clutch is tensioning the belt, the belt is not slipping and the axle keys are in place and not sheared.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid Gearbox is a K66D !, The pump shaft on the outside of the gearbox, the toothing is broken, the belt pulley is loose, a new pump shaft must be installed and the mower should run again, is that easy? are the parts available? what do you think? A cheap solution would be to weld the whole thing, but I'm not sure if that will hold and it mustn't get too much heat into the gearbox? What do you think? Regards Stephan
@@StephanPluemer Changing an input shaft is fairly difficult, as you have to remove the pump / motor assembly along with all of the pistons it it usually falls apart. You have to be sure to be VERY clean and it is tricky to get the motor and pump back in place as the pistons are spring loaded. I wouldn't be worried about getting heat into the transmission, other than ruining the seal on the shaft. I would personally give that a try. Put a bunch of wet rags under the pulley around the shaft and on the seal, weld the pulley on quickly and it should be okay.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid I've watched a few suitable videos and with the simple gearboxes you can simply pull out the shaft from above and replace it without opening the gearbox, but especially with the K66 there is a small pin at the bottom that drives the pre-feed pump and you can't pull the axle through with it , I will turn a small cone into the top of the V-belt pulley tomorrow and carefully put a night of welding there, if that doesn't work I'll have to replace the shaft anyway. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Qwo0VzGzY-o.html
Hi Joel! Great video! I'm disassembling mine right now. It's on a John Deere D160. Tractor won't climb a hill anymore. It started at 130 hrs. My 10 year old Husqvarna tractor goes up any hill with 975 hrs. The transmission on the JD gets so hot that you can get a nice burn from it. Any ideas? Too bad part 2 is not available. Thanks! Rob
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid I added some Lucas Oil Stabilizer with 5w50 synthetic oil and it seems to work much better. I figured, I had nothing to loose. Lol. Thanks again!
I have a John Deere Sabre 17.542HS with the exact same transmission. Don't you love how they tell you that it's NOT a serviceable item lol !!! If the damn thing has oil in it, it will have to be serviced at some point. I'm ready to do mine because I'd like my mower to last a long time so I don't have to fork out money unnecessarily just like the dealers want you too. Shame on the industry !
When I looked in the tranny on a JD D110 I bought used and not running, I found half the fluid was gone and the tranny was covered with oil soaked dirt. I notice mine has a vent on top. Where did the fluid go. Is there an overflow?
The vent is the only way in or out, unless there is a leak. They usually leak around the seams a little, but it cal also leak out any one of the shafts. My only advice is to clean it up and add some ... then check to see where it leaks from.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid We may have found an easy way to drain this tranny without a drain plug. Now just need a way to fill it while in the tractor. If there was a way to fill it while in the tractor I would drill and tap for a pipe plug to drain it.
There is no true reverse in these transmissions.... they use all of the same components for forward and reverse. The same pump supplies pressure to the drive motor and the motor just turns in the opposite direction due to the angle of the swash plate. If you have a drive system that is working in forward but not reverse, it could be that there is a problem with the belt slipping due to a broken mount or some other factor. It could also be a linkage issue, the more you adjust for forward, the less reverse gear you have, or it could be that the internals are wore, but forward has more range. Meaning that the tractor will only go 3 mph in reverse, but say 12 in forward ... if it gets wore, you may still get 10 in forward but it won't move in reverse.
hey Joel, i've watched your K46 vids and they are very informative, thank you! I used my 2009 Husq 20/42LS once for harrowing some soil before i put down top soil and seed and this is where my tranny started having problems. Dealt with slow moving, no moving then fast moving lawn mowing for two years till i got sick of it. changing the drive belt would solve the problem for a very short time, then back to the same garbage again. i stumble across your vids and being quite mechanical, dropped the tranny and replaced the oil with 5w50 syn. Bled the system and now it works pretty good, just not as fast as it used to be and i lose power turning right only. Then when i go straight it starts picking up speed and when i turn left, i get super speed like it used to be brand new. Thoughts?
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid thanks for the reply, when bleeding the trans on my bench with a drill i noticed that the one shaft would spin, but not the other when put in forward and then when i moved the lever to reverse to do the same thing, both shafts would spin. Weird, i know as it makes little sense that i turn left i get full power, keep straight i get 80% power and then turn right and i get 10% power till i straighten it out again. I'll pull the trans again and check fluid level, but i think it's something internal which i'll have to dig into. The oil i dumped out, looked half decently clean. All shaft keys for the wheels are in and everything else is bang on when reassembled. It was easy in and out.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid its bizarre as you say. Now it does work albeit a bit different than i'm used to, lol. I'll pull it again and check levels and if level is okay. When i drained it, i was only able to put back about 1.75L so i may be short on fluid even though i had to siphon some out to get it at the 3/4" level from top of fill hole. i'll crack it open and see what's up with it if the fluid level is still on par with what i put in. I'll for sure keep you posted so that we both have a handle on this for any odd future repair that you may come across yourself. I'd do it today, but have to get ready to head to Regina from Winnipeg for the Labour Day Classic! Go Bombers!
how many hours ( typically / average ) are these machines running before something like this ? i was looking at the husqvarnas but after watching this .......???????
leading me to : what is the real time performance / longevity difference between the Y, T and G series of huskq riding mowers. i see a lot of y series for sale. i see almost ZERO G series for sale. i see as few T series for sale. why ? primary economics dictates when people like something - they don't sell the opposite is equally true. what do you think ?
thanks - did more reading today and found out the differences. fyi long and short the Y series is a yard mower series. it's the cheapest. the G series is a garden tractor series. it's more sturdily built. the new g series has a welded plate steel deck and numerous other beefy features that make it more sturdy than a lawn mower. the T series is essentially a hybrid between the 2. it has the g series rear wheels and transmission as well as a few other beefy g series features. my old rider is gonna die and i'm simply trying to inform myself before i need to make a purchase. thanks for your help.
Very good explanation but what tractors take this K46 transmission. I have a 2006 John Deere L110 lawn tractor and I think this is my transmission or very similar.
Hundreds of different tractors use this transmission, JD, craftsman, toro, ariens, MTD ...and the list goes on. I'm not sure about the L110, but you should be able to find this out with a Google search or part number from a parts list or diagram.
joel arseneault thanks for the information, it's a customer's transmission and the complaint is after about 30 minutes the tractor stops moving so this points me towards wear out transmission. apreciate it.
It's jds oil they put in so the trans fails prematurely so you buy parts, the company that builds them recommended putting in 50 weight oil jd doesn't follow directions they put in 30 weight so your trans burns up quickly, cheaper oil for them also, I'm going through this now putting in new trans in now just because of oil, and I've got pretty low hrs, just like all the rest of poor sad saps, never buy this garbage crap again.
Sorry. I didn't not see your question until now. I used a full synthetic 15/40 engine oil, I believe. As long as you are using a good synthetic oil, the viscosity rating can be determined by two things. If your transmission has fairly low hours and doesn't have any issues with slipping you can use a thinner oil like 5W30 ... I have done this a few times. However, if the transmission had high hours or seems to have an issue with slipping, is being used for higher loads than normal (towing a trailer, tiller or climbing hills for example) it is a good idea to use a thicker oil. I have used up to 20W60 Harley Davidson oil. The reason you would not want to just put thick oil in is because it causes more strain on the transmission unless it is running hot. So if your transmission will be used for plowing snow, pushing a snowblower or you live in a colder climate you need to be careful how think you go and also to make sure to allow the transmission to warm up slowly before trying to force it to move. I know this isn't a direct answer but.i hope it helps.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid Thank you Joel. My Sabre has just over 400 hrs on it and it runs just fine. I bought it new in 2003. I was thinking about doing an oil change on the transmission just from a preventative maintenance perspective. I'm in Sydney, Australia and we don't mow our lawn in the winter, mainly Spring, Summer and a bit in Autumn so it's never used in cold conditions really. We can get down to zero very rarely but our winters are quite mild. Summers get hot and can get to 44 degrees C. But I won't mow in that temperature. I usually do it early in the morning or when it starts to cool down. Our property is flat, a little bumpy here and there, but mainly good and we never use it to tow. So I could confidently say the transmission has had a an easy life. Thanks for getting back to me.
@@tonymontana897 I suspect, in your case a full synthetic 10W40 0r 15W40 would be perfect. If you happen to have a cool day when you are using the tractor, just make sure to drive around slowly for a few minutes before trying to force it to go full speed. Cheers.
Yes, lighting is always an issue when filming. I have 24 T8 2 foot fluorescent bulbs in my garage as basic lighting and an additional 4 over my work area but there's never enough. To get studio quality lighting you literally need studio lighting, and even then, filming the inside of a transmission and making it well lit would require specialty lights that are just not practical or durable enough for my work situation.
@Joel Arseneault Nah. I work on mowers too. I dont need special lighting. A single drop light with a 100 watt bulb provides enough light for the task. I have 3 tripod work light stands each with two lights that have 500 watt bulbs that put out enough light for concert and enough heat to litterly keep you warm on a cold day. Seriously dude even a flashlight beats nothing. You dont need photo studio lights and I appreciate the fact that good lighting in a shop is hard to come by. I also appreciate the videos, very informative but I can't ignore the inability to see inside the casing. Again like the videos....your good at it but set up decent lighting. Your subscribers will appreciate it
@@davidstill754 I have used those 500W lights in the past and man are you right...and you are right about this not being as big of a deal as I made it out to be. I'm a bit of a head case, and while I love doing the work and enjoy .... making videos.... I consider filming and lighting to be a real pain in the ass. Yes, I know that doesn't make sense. I have 3. main issues with lighting. 1. Filming a shot is secondary to getting the job done, I tend to do things at the last minute and I get annoyed with camera batteries going dead, cameras seizing, trying to place a camera where it's not in my way etc. This leads to more of a generalized shot of what I'm doing, instead of a focused shot. That's totally on me. 2. My work areas, where I film, are usually in front of the windows in my garage, so that I get natural lighting. This works well for my eyes, but the cameras don't like it at all as they will adjust to the intensity of the sun, and then the rest of the area is dark. 3. Basically the same issue with the natural light, but as I mentioned before with my 24 general lights... My garage is VERY bright and the camera adjusts to that level. For my eyes, it's not a problem at all. In the end, what it comes down to is I'm a mental case ... I spend all day in my garage, most days, I work non stop, but I can't stand certain things. I'm currently rebuilding a crankshaft for a JetSki and I've been trying really hard to get all of the relevant shots... You'd think building a crank would be the tricky part, but filming is way harder.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid your doing two jobs at one time. Remember that. Both can be a pain in the butt. Test your lighting by filming a few short clips and then review them. Once you have the lighting in your work area to your camera is happy wit it. Once that's done hopefully your just down to fixing the project at hand
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid According to this I would think differently PREMAC BRAND THESE ARE CUSTOM MADE HIGH STRENGTH AXLES WITH SEALS. REPLACE YOUR BROKEN AXLES WITH THESE THAT ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN ORIGINAL. SET COMES WITH WHAT YOU SEE, 1 RIGHT, 1 LEFT AXLE, 2 SEALS. 3/4 INCH DIA. 17-1/4 LONG, 11-7/8 LONG FITS LOTS OF BRAND RIDING MOWERS. HUSQVARNA, SIMPLICITY, JOHN DEERE, AMONG MANY OTHER BRANDS HAVE THESE. FITS K46AW, K46BN WE MAKE WHAT WE SELL. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL 815-469-0670 TUFF TORQ AXLES K46BN THAT DON'T BREAK K46 MADE IN USA
@@jeffarmer4428 I have the same mower with the same failure. This is a known issue if you are on any kind of hilly terrain. I just ordered the axles listed above. Hopefully they will help me manage the bumps on my property without randomly loosing a wheel again.
I believe the lever is held onto the shaft with a roll pin. To remove it, you need the right size punch, and drive the pin out with a hammer. To get the shaft out you need to disassemble the transmission.
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid thats why i bought a john deere l105,only one they offer with a manual,you only get a 42 inch cut but i've been using it for at least 10 years,never did any maint except oil change,i hate those auto where u have to set there and hold down that pedal,just put mine in gear and ride and enjoy my coffee,i will never own a hydrostatic,my neighbor bought one and it only lasted 3 years
@@JoelArseneaultRU-vid Only some are plastic cased General Transmission models. The MTD made "Automatic Shift on the Go" (w F-N-D) lever left fender are Transmatic CVT models that are simpler & just wear out a matched $ 100 belt set every 3 seasons. Being you can't really find a manual gear lawn garden tractor (Perrless type) anymore the MTD CVT might just be best option. I can't stomach idea of an Hydro rebuild every 4th year !
Ok FWIW here are 2 vids showing "MTD Varidrive" variable speed tractor operating: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KFar2Ez10Wk.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n-ukW3UFs68.html
Amen. Hydrostatics leave a lot to be desired. Took 2 mowers / 3 hydros to TN. Somewhat inclined lawn. 2 weeks , all three hydrostatics were shot. ~ 3,000.00 to replace. OUCH. Gotta be a reasonable solution or better residential equipment.😭
