New Owner - Limited Distribution Husq. GT48DXLS Garden Tractor

[PILOON]

In all probability that Huskavarna is made by MTD, if it is like their snow blowers, so parts should be readily available.

 

[HusqGT48DXLS]

In all probability that Huskavarna is made by MTD, if it is like their snow blowers, so parts should be readily available.

Nope..possibly one of the lower end Husqvarna models at Lowe's. This one can only be purchased at a Husqvarna dealer. MTD uses an 11 digit serial number. My new tractor has a 13 digit serial number and the first two digits do not match any of MTD's product categories. I have not been able to find any other garden tractor manufacturer using the K66 Tuff Torq transmission, other than John Deere's X500 series. All of the lower models either have the K46, K58 (very limited) or cheaper version of the Tuff-Torq.

Brands Manufactured by MTD

 

[dslanec]

I picked up my mulch kit today.....well it's not even close to being correct. The "plug cover" is about half the size of the actual opening. The baffles that came In The kit do not fit either. I called husqvarna and they said I had the correct part number. So I took the kit back to dealer and they said it shows the correct part number too but clearly agreed with me that there is no way it was going to fit my mower. So the dealer is going to call their rep from husqvarna on Monday and try to figure this out. I sure hope it gets taken care of because I must have a mower that mulches and I confirmed with the dealer and husqvarna before I bought my mower that there was a mulching kit available. I will say that while I was under the mowing deck today I noticed that it is a very unique (to me anyway) design. Different from any deck I have ever seen.

 

[dslanec]

My new mower finally arrived. I have not mowed the grass due to rain, but here are some initial observations and pictures.

1. The mower deck is extremely loud when running at full throttle compared to my old John Deere L118.
2. A few design or build issues:
a. The seat does not adjust back far enough.
b. The mower deck adjustment lever should have been installed on the right side. The 48" deck and extra long chute make it difficult to get on from the right side. The lever and seat arm rest make it challenging to get on from the left side unless the mower height is 3" or greater. The handle catches my leg in any lower setting.
c. The steering wheel is rotated about 45 degrees with the wheels straight.
d. Front and rear wheels inflated to 35 psi. Front max is 14 psi. Rear max is 10 psi.
3. The mower deck was not adjusted properly at the factory. The cut height was 3 3/4" on the 3" setting. The adjustment nuts are fully backed off at the end of the threaded rod to reach the correct cut height.
4. Shipping issue: The right side foot rest was damaged in shipping due to poor packaging. The chute was held up with a rubber band inside the crate with the top edge resting on the foot pedal edge (see picture). The bouncing in shipment gouged and removed several inches of paint. A simple foam insert would have prevented this issue.

ON EDIT: I had a chance to mow the lawn today. It cuts better than my John Deere so it looks like the new "Clear-Cut" deck has solved the major complaint about poor cut quality of the old fabricated decks. I mowed wet grass and it worked great without any clumping. In the Pacific Northwest, we do not have the luxury of waiting until the grass is dry to mow. The 48" deck will take some time to get accustomed to after using a 42" deck for years. I do have to turn the steering wheel considerably more than my John Deere for the same turns.

I will say I agree about the steering. It seems like it should have a different ratio or something. It's also not the easiest steering machine. That could also be because I have only drove my bigger tractor (that has power steering) for the past 3 years and am used to that.

 

[HusqGT48DXLS]

I picked up my mulch kit today.....well it's not even close to being correct. The "plug cover" is about half the size of the actual opening. The baffles that came In The kit do not fit either. I called husqvarna and they said I had the correct part number. So I took the kit back to dealer and they said it shows the correct part number too but clearly agreed with me that there is no way it was going to fit my mower. So the dealer is going to call their rep from husqvarna on Monday and try to figure this out. I sure hope it gets taken care of because I must have a mower that mulches and I confirmed with the dealer and husqvarna before I bought my mower that there was a mulching kit available. I will say that while I was under the mowing deck today I noticed that it is a very unique (to me anyway) design. Different from any deck I have ever seen.

Well, it looks like my initial skepticism was right about the part number. My bagger is scheduled to arrive either today or Monday. Hopefully, I do not experience a similar situation with the bagger fitment.

 

[plowhog]

The steering on mine seemed fine. Didn't notice anything unusual, seemed smooth and steer to turn ratio about right.

I agree that the discharge chute on the right side makes mounting on the left more likely. Regarding noise, I've been mowing at about 2/3 power as that is all I seem to need. My old craftsman unit was 12 hp, so 2/3 of 24 hp is well more than that. I might throttle up if I get brave and challenge some steep hills, but on flat ground full power seemed way more than I need.

 

[Ut4000]

I am contemplating buying the GT48dxls, but wanted a maintainable transmission. The manual says this transmission is factory sealed. What are the forums thoughts?

 

[Ut4000]

Is the k66 on this tractor maintainable? With a filter and reservoir?

 

[plowhog]

I did some research at TuffTorq before buying the GT48DXLS. I found some of their transmissions were factory sealed, no maintenance. They apparently engineer the expected longevity of the transaxle to match the lubrication, etc. without changing fluids. I believe the K66 in the Husky is one of those. It was a little confusing at the TuffTorq site but I believe that is correct.

I did the research since the K46 transaxle used in older models (and competing models) had so many complaints. I was comparing the Husky to the Deere X3XX series at the time, even though the Deere was a lot more $$. I think the lower end X3XX units have a K46, but the x380 I think has a K58. I wound up more choosing between Husky and the Deere X5XX platform, which I believe has a K72 transaxle. But that pushed the $$ difference to about double.

I'm comfortable TuffTorq knows their engineering for the K66. But, time will of course tell!!

 

[Gem99ultra]

I did some research at TuffTorq before buying the GT48DXLS. I found some of their transmissions were factory sealed, no maintenance. They apparently engineer the expected longevity of the transaxle to match the lubrication, etc. without changing fluids. I believe the K66 in the Husky is one of those. It was a little confusing at the TuffTorq site but I believe that is correct.

I did the research since the K46 transaxle used in older models (and competing models) had so many complaints. I was comparing the Husky to the Deere X3XX series at the time, even though the Deere was a lot more $$. I think the lower end X3XX units have a K46, but the x380 I think has a K58. I wound up more choosing between Husky and the Deere X5XX platform, which I believe has a K72 transaxle. But that pushed the $$ difference to about double.

I'm comfortable TuffTorq knows their engineering for the K66. But, time will of course tell!!

Just as a matter of info, "Husky" is made by MTD and is a different animal than Husqvarna.