TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures

   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #171  
GeneralElectic: thank you for your comments but I must disagree with your "The engineers and marketers know that it's worth putting that extra margin of strength and durability in it because they know it will pay off in the long run with a good reputation and a loyal customer base." but do agree with the TT possition on maintenance.
There where the "engineers and marketers" have let us down by:
1) Not reflecting the TT maintenance requirements in the owner manual.
2) Not to require regular removal of debris from the transaxel in the manual.
3) Not spending a little to make oil changing simpler.
4) Not offering a "heavy duty/hilly terrain" oil cooler option.
All this would make owner aware and thus resposible if any damage happens.

As a "penny-pinching homeowners who whine about every dollar something costs." I believe that I have a right to be informed of the risks I am "buying".

Would you not agree to that?
 
   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #172  
Hellem: I believe that we do agree on most and maybe all points I made. It's the Scag-category equipment that's made for the long haul. People (I mean the homeowner types, not the lawn-care professionals) that inhabit TractorByNet are caught in that gray middle where we usually want something a lot better than the Big Box Store offerings, but can't justify spending the kind of money Scag-category equipment costs. "Dealer" category equipment isn't a guarantee of upgraded equipment either, just look at all the K46-equipped machines in your dealer's showroom, particularly those that are sold for "heavier" duty.

Your four points are right on, although IIRC, there are a few words about #2 in the manual that came with my YTH24V42LS.

If you are willing to spend a bit extra for something like an oil cooler, then you clearly don't fall into the "penny pinching" category!

======================

After 40 minutes of mowing yesterday in 80F ambient conditions, the temperature of the K46, within two minutes of finishing, ranged from 121F on the bottom of the case to 128F on the top, according to an infrared thermometer. Even allowing a few degrees due to the non-ideal surface for infrared measurements, that's NOT BAD. It's low enough to suggest that thermal breakdown, at least in this case, isn't the principal villain and an oil cooler probably wouldn't accomplish much. Adding an external filter to remove small contaminants is still worth considering post-warranty. Switching to a quality synthetic oil ought to take care of everything else.
 
   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures
  • Thread Starter
#173  
Hello All,

Great to see that this thread continues to grow! :):):)

I have some thoughts as I have read some of the posts.

Having been burned by more and more pieces of equipment with early failure, I have reached some conclusions.

1. For any piece of equipment, regardless of brand, it seems like somewhere there is a bean counter sitting at a desk who's entire job is to extract another dollar from my pocket. They study us under microscope with lots of data at their finger tips. They know the MTBF (Mean time between failures). We are no match for full time large coporations, unless we speak out in numbers. Furtherermore, we need to be educated consumers and act like them. Extended service contract? Why do I need it "Mr. Machinery Company", if your products are THAT good? That's really not reassuring "Mr. will get a commission" if I buy the extended warranty.

2. The internet is a powerful tool to level the playing field. Example: Dell Computers produced some problematic computers and refused to address the issues. Customers were steamed. A website formed and complaints rolled in. One person became thousands. Dell promised to fix the issue. Today Dell regularly scans the internet for bad press. This info comes from the book "The Long Tail". Excellent read. I also google a major purchase before I buy. I will type in "Problem with ....." and see what somes up. Amazing what you find.

3. A Family business name without Family employees is just smoke and mirrors. Corporations pay billions to buy a Family name. Why? Because they think that you will trust and buy. "Um yes, can I speak to John Deere please...? " The reality is that there is little accountablility available to the consumer, unless you do your homework.

4. I typically buy well maintained, used commercial grade equipment when possible. I am always happier in the end. The words "heavy duty" and "commercial grade" are worthless these days.

5. We have equipment users, and well...abusers lol. Manufactures have to have some limits as to expectations that hey are responsible for. Pulling my F150 with my L110 was not in the owners manual lol I do agree that many manuals leave a LOT out. Then there is the new breed of American Men who can't fix anything and or have no concept of machine management. They don't read the manausl becuase they are "just too busy". If you don't understand it and can't fix it, you will pay dearly. "Um yeah...it broke...I was just standing there...I think I should get a get a new one" Manufacturers should not have to pay for this nonsense.

6. The only people that win in a Class Action Suit are Lawyers. This cost is built into the price of the product. The John Deere suit I received a card on offered a 20 or 30 dollar coupon on a 2k tractor! Worthless. The Home Depot Class action suit on my air compressor netted me a rubber air hose. Wow! Which lawyer do I thank first? !

7. Transparency in Marketing is an Oxymoron.

8. I am amazed at what passes for customer service these days. Underpaid Customer Service reps with no vested interest in the customer, or for that matter, which the Corporation considers "Pee Ons" are not likely highly motivated to help you. It all starts at the top of a corporation. Treat people fairly! Building loyalty by taking care of the customer is really not that expensive. Will I buy more Scorpion Auto parts because they sent me a free bolt when I called to oder a new one because I stripped it ? Heck yes! Will I buy a tractor with a TT trans because the Customer Service was excellent? YES.

I apologize in advance for typos, poor grammar, frankness : ) My spell check won't work for some reason.
 
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   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #174  
Hellem said:
There where the "engineers and marketers" have let us down by:
1) Not reflecting the TT maintenance requirements in the owner manual.
They do spell out the requirements , it is a sealed unit unless you are in the severe service category then it needs to be seviced by a dealer.

2) Not to require regular removal of debris from the transaxel in the manual.
That is just common sense to clean your mower, if you can't figure that out you should not be operating this equpiment
3) Not spending a little to make oil changing simpler.
The company does not want homeowners doing that service because they will screw it up and then blame the manufacturer!

4) Not offering a "heavy duty/hilly terrain" oil cooler option.
They do offer that choice it is called a "GT" ground engaging tractor it has the proper transaxle for heavy duty service.

I believe that I have a right to be informed of the risks I am "buying".


With the internet and sites like this all of this info can be had if you just do a little research so you can be an educated consumer.
Click to expand...
 
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   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #175  
evo803:
They do spell out the requirements , it is a sealed unit unless you are in the severe service category then it needs to be seviced by a dealer.

Well, not necessarily. My dealer, who's by no means a shoestring operation, does not perform any service on hydros other than oil/filter changes where they're designed for that. They don't work on "sealed" units at all, and frankly, seeing the cleanliness/organization of the typical OPE dealer shop, I wouldn't WANT them to work on anything as dirt-sensitive as a hydro. The extent of warranty service on things like the K46 etc. is swapping out a defective unit. Do you know of a dealer that's certified to perform the kind of rebuilding that this thread discusses? Maybe there are some... I just don't know of a single one around here. It's interesting that TT recommends a 200 hour service interval for "severe" service, yet it seems that you have to do it yourself.

The company does not want homeowners doing that service because they will screw it up and then blame the manufacturer!

If this were true, they wouldn't make repair parts purchase so easy. I have to give TT credit for the responsiveness of their end-user support. This kind of thing is becoming increasingly rare, probably for the reason you mention. This document, especially the 3rd paragraph, is clearly addressed to end users considering their own rebuild: https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/html/helplosspower.html

What they don't give you, for the K46 anyway, is any kind of guidance in techniques, requirements, or specifications. For instance, what are the torque requirements for the center case and lower case screws? In what order should they be tightened? That kind of information doesn't seem to exist anywhere in publicly available places.

There are videos of people performing this repair. Some of the practices you see there made me cringe, especially in cleanliness. Can't really blame anyone though, there's not a heck of a lot of guidance from TT in this area. Unfortunately, there are going to be people looking at them and assuming that they know what they're doing, which might not bode well for the long-term success of their own repairs.

FWIW, there is a service manual for the K61: https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/docs/manuals/k61.pdf

There are obvious differences between this and the K46, but there are enough similarities that it's worth studying this before tearing into your K46.

You have to wonder why, if they can publish this for the K61, why not for the K46.

They do offer that choice it is called a "GT" ground engaging tractor it has the proper transaxle for heavy duty service.

Yes and no. I'd have been totally okay with buying higher up in the price continuum for one like this, except that all the machines in this category have decks that are larger than I could deal with. Storage constraints forced my purchase into a smaller machine (at least I found one with a fabricated steel deck) with the light-duty K46. There are some really nice Kubota and Deere models with very robust (user-serviceable, too) hydros in them, but the smallest deck you can get on any of them is 6" larger than would fit in my garage.

It's not just tractors. You find the same situation to one degree or another in all OPE. If you want "commercial" build quality, the equipment tends to be larger, reflecting the pervasive Smaller == Cheaper paradigm.
 
   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #176  
HEADS UP, GUYS


If you have a candidate K46 for repair, think twice about it. You can buy a BRAND NEW K46CR (the one with the auto-locking differential) for $436 at Sears Parts. Here's the link:

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-number/426121/0071/917

But WAIT! If you call right now (and you know we can't do this all day), you can apply a 10% off coupon code to any Sears Parts order!! Folks, this is a Really Good Deal. For $392 (plus ~$15 shipping and whatever tax you have) YOU GET A BRAND NEW COMPLETE TRANSAXLE WITH AUTO-LOCKING DIFF. The Hilliard differential alone is $252!

Note that the description of the part is a little sketchy, but if you Google the part numbers, you'll see what it is. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself.

The coupon code is: Px11xSPNGEMAILLG

I tried it. It works. It expires 30 Aug.

While you're there, I suggest that you check out the prices for supplies like blades and oil filters. I found my Kawasaki OEM oil filters for $2.39 ea. You can't beat that with a stick.
 
   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #179  
Do some research from tuff torq on the model number you want. They make lots of different K46 transaxles for all manufacturers. Some axles are a little shorter some different diameter. The internals are sometimes set up opposite for a JD to work.
 
   / TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures #180  
What is the difference between a K46A vs a K46B or K46C? Is there any transmission can be used to replace a K46A. I see the links to Sears but they do not list a K46A. Someone gave a Scotts L2548 to my Dad but it does not pull. It only has 90 hrs on the meter.
 
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