Repair existing or buy new?

[davebic]

I have a Sears Craftsman 19.5 hp hydrostatic 42" lawn tractor that is 10 years old. Yesterday about one hour after using my Cyclone Leaf Machine for the first time, the Transaxle cracked. Do you think the extra stress from pulling this around my yard caused the problem or do you think it was just on its last legs anyway? I first did my front yard which is quite flat then was working on my asphalt drive which has a couple of hills. Coming down the drive all of a sudden it just broke. There is a crack on one side of the casing and oil began pouring out. Also, should I fix my existing Craftsman or simply buy a new lawn tractor? It looks like a new transaxle is around $500 plus labor from other posts that I have read. I also have a Kubota 3130 which I love and was considering the Kubota line again if I decide to go with a new lawn tractor. I do have hills on the rear of my property also, so if I do go with a new tractor I want it to be stable and have a good transaxle. Thanks.

 

[kennyd]

Welcome to TBN

I personally think putting $500+ dollars into a 10 year old Craftsman tractor is a bad idea. As to why your transaxle broke is anyone's guess, did it break near the hitch or at one of the axles?

 

[asylum575]

$500 for a transaxle on a 10 yr old tractor is way too much. I have a 15 yr old craftsman that needed a deck rebuild this season and I did it for about $100. I keep it around because of the 3 bin bagger it has. I would love a bagger for my BX, but at near $2000, I'll keep the craftsman going. It needs a carb rebuild, so that's the winter project.
I would look for a used or non running tractor on ebay and part it out. I've seen some on for about $100. Great way to get an extra deck and any other parts worth salvaging. A few years back I scored a homerun driving around my neighborhood. It was a couple of days before bulk waste pickup and someone threw out a craftsman that wasn't running. I got the deck off of it in about three minutes and saved myself a couple of hundred buck.

 

[LBrown59]

a used BX would be nice

 

[Willl]

I'm with the others. Too old and too much $.

 

[AKfish]

That's about 20-25% of a brand new machine, isn't it? Probably not a good investment of your $$$ on a 10-year old machine...

That said, I personally hate to throw out anything that's still got some life left in it --

I'd be scroungin' on ebay and craigslist, etc. for a cheap redo.

Who knows, you might just run into a great little diesel Kubota or JD to pull that big air machine with!

Best of luck.

AKfish

 

[bontai_Joe]

Does your Cyclone vacuum swivel like a trailer on the hitch pin? or does it mount rigid and used swivel caster wheels for turning? If like a trailer, and not grossly overloaded, I don't see it being the primary cause of your axle breaking. If rigidly mounted, then in my opinion, it added stresses to the axle that may have caused it to fail. I sure wouldn't put $500 plus labor into a 10 year old Craftsman, unless the rest of the tractor was in outstandingly great condition and had very low hours (like under 200). And if your cyclone is rigid mount, I wouldn't fix the Craftsman at all unless you can use it without the Cyclone.

 

[WH401]

Definately don't spend that kind of money on a tractor that is probably only worth that much, if that. Spend the money and get a quality Kubota that will last you for years to come. No more "sheet metal" tractors.

 

[Airic]

Yea, plastic tractors are better.

 

[Fordlords]

If the engine runs good, pull it out and sell it on Craigslist or E-Bay. Then send the old horse to the glue factory. Those Hydro-Gear units on the small LT's don't safely handle too much more than moving the tractor and maybe a light yard cart.

-Fordlords-