TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures

[nkaryb]

I'm upset. After only 130 hours of light use, the tranny on my L110 fried. I talked with Derrick at Tuff Torq. He said what I needed to replace would cost a little over $400. For $572 he said I could just buy a new complete unit. Now get this... the new unit does NOT come with the 5W-50 oil in it that Tuff Torq (the creators of the unit) said it should have. He said John Deere dictates the "specs" and has Tuff Torq put 10W-30 in it! So the oil is going to cost another $30. I asked him about a warranty and they will warranty the unit for only 90 days.

Is this a scam and a racket, or what? Does anyone else feel like they're telling you to bend over and just take it?

This is so wrong on so many levels. Mankind should be our business, not making money off of inferior made products.

Anyway, I'm technically inclined but I don't feel like spending $400+ and the time required to rebuild a sorry transmission to begin with and end up doing something wrong. So I guess I'm being forced to just buy a new unit and oil and just hope and pray I get more than 130 hours out of it.

Thanks for letting me vent. :ashamed:
Nathan in Edmond, Oklahoma

 

[Molerj]

That is a **** shame. This whole fiasco with these transmissions have been a mess. I know people say, use them for what they are intended for & you won't have a problem. Not everyone has a perfect level yard and mows for 1 hr. max each time they cut their grass. I really believe these are weak transmissions and shouldn't have been put in these tractors. There are just too many incidences of failure.

 

[nkaryb]

That is a **** shame. This whole fiasco with these transmissions have been a mess. I know people say, use them for what they are intended for & you won't have a problem. Not everyone has a perfect level yard and mows for 1 hr. max each time they cut their grass. I really believe these are weak transmissions and shouldn't have been put in these tractors. There are just too many incidences of failure.

I'm really beginning to think that someone (us) ought to see about filing a Class Action Lawsuit against these scam artists. We're spending too much money too often on these things and that ought not to be so. Look at all the guys posting here with problems and you have to know that we represent just a small fraction of the people with Tuff Torq transmission problems.

Let's put it in simple terms. Say every few hundred hours the transmission in your car goes out and you have to buy a new one? What about the car manufacturer saying you should change the oil every year to prolong the life of your car's tranny? But to do that, you have to drop the tranny out of the car. It doesn't make very much "common" sense, does it?

John Deere is at fault here, too. Tuff Torq at least says that you need to use a heavier weight oil but to insure total unit failure, John Deere dictates that Tuff Torq put a lighter oil in the units built for them. This is wrong!

Companies are sued all the time for making inferior products. Look at Apple, they're sued all the time for making bad batteries, bad power supplies, etc. We would need to look at other mower companies to see if they intentionally put in lighter weight oil to promote unit failures.

What do you guys think? :anyone:

Does anyone know of a good attorney? :confused3:

 

[LotsofGreenGrass]

I'm upset. After only 130 hours of light use, the tranny on my L110 fried. I talked with Derrick at Tuff Torq. He said what I needed to replace would cost a little over $400. For $572 he said I could just buy a new complete unit. Now get this... the new unit does NOT come with the 5W-50 oil in it that Tuff Torq (the creators of the unit) said it should have. He said John Deere dictates the "specs" and has Tuff Torq put 10W-30 in it! So the oil is going to cost another $30. I asked him about a warranty and they will warranty the unit for only 90 days.

Is this a scam and a racket, or what? Does anyone else feel like they're telling you to bend over and just take it?

This is so wrong on so many levels. Mankind should be our business, not making money off of inferior made products.

Anyway, I'm technically inclined but I don't feel like spending $400+ and the time required to rebuild a sorry transmission to begin with and end up doing something wrong. So I guess I'm being forced to just buy a new unit and oil and just hope and pray I get more than 130 hours out of it.

Thanks for letting me vent. :ashamed:
Nathan in Edmond, Oklahoma

Just replace the parts I mentioned in my work up. You will be fine.

 

[LotsofGreenGrass]

I'm really beginning to think that someone (us) ought to see about filing a Class Action Lawsuit against these scam artists. We're spending too much money too often on these things and that ought not to be so. Look at all the guys posting here with problems and you have to know that we represent just a small fraction of the people with Tuff Torq transmission problems.

Let's put it in simple terms. Say every few hundred hours the transmission in your car goes out and you have to buy a new one? What about the car manufacturer saying you should change the oil every year to prolong the life of your car's tranny? But to do that, you have to drop the tranny out of the car. It doesn't make very much "common" sense, does it?

John Deere is at fault here, too. Tuff Torq at least says that you need to use a heavier weight oil but to insure total unit failure, John Deere dictates that Tuff Torq put a lighter oil in the units built for them. This is wrong!

Companies are sued all the time for making inferior products. Look at Apple, they're sued all the time for making bad batteries, bad power supplies, etc. We would need to look at other mower companies to see if they intentionally put in lighter weight oil to promote unit failures.

What do you guys think? :anyone:

Does anyone know of a good attorney? :confused3:

I feel your pain. If I look around, it would appear that at every company (cable companies in particular) there is someone who always trying to squeeze another dollar out of us. Corporate profits are at an all time high.

Based on my interaction with Tuff Torq, I think they have made efforts to improve this transmission. They will also sell us parts. They don't have to do this. Sure, they profit when they sell the parts. For me, $170 was reasonable. I think the tractor manufacturers could save us all a lot of grief. Offer the syn oil and an HD tractor version, with beefed up trans internals and simple maintenance. Keep in mind, the average consumer looks at the price more than the life of the tractor. They typically fail to change the oil or use gas preserve, nor think to maintain the battery, and then complain when it does not start. The tractor is then dumped at the curb or Craigslist. Of course, guys on this website are not "average consumers" lol

 

[lkaskel]

I'm jealous. Did you purchase the Center Case with IDS kit for the extra $135?

I did not buy the whole center case upgrade but just the bracket and 2 magnets. It was a couple bucks and I think well worth it.

 

[lkaskel]

Here is a question for lotsofgreengrass........Do you know if the replacement parts are upgraded or redesigned from the original parts or are they the same? Has Tuff Torq indicated that they believe the failure is mainly due to the oil or was it a combination of issues? I am actually wondering, after my rebuild this past weekend what I have. Do I have a somewhat improved unit or do I have the exact original unit (except a different filter and added magnets) with different oil? I am wondering how long to expect this to last. Is it now a tranny, with occasional oil changes, that will last 10 years? The truth is my L130 is decent lawn tractor outside of the tranny issues. It is well built and is otherwise holding up great. I like that if I need something for it the local dealer has the parts in stock. I owned a Yardman for 13 years and it did fine until it died. the exception was when I needed a part like a spindle and I had to wait a week or so for the part to come in and the truth is the parts were...well...cheaper. Also the Yardman was a rust bucket. I paid entry level money for it (much less than entry level JD) so I was satisfied with the overall outcome and no knock on Yardman is intended.

The thing that gets me is when the JD dealer or others on here say "if you want a real JD you need to buy a x3... or some other upgraded model". My tractor was sold as a JD by JD with the JD colors and labels. It is a real JD. If JD wanted to enter the market at a lower price point they should have done 1 of 2 things. Release a tractor under a different brand or stand behind the lower priced JD's like they would with the other models. They are hoping that people see the JD colors and make a purchase in trust that this amazing company has developed a product in a range that they can afford which ton's of people did. They should be willing to stand behind their product like it was a "real" JD.......

I hate being made to feel like I am lessor of a person or tractor owner because I simply can not afford $2500 or more to cut 1 acre of grass on a moderate slope.

lotsofgreengrass....you are terrific for helping us out with the rebuild tips and support!!!

Rant over

 

[MD83Z]

What does the adjuster w/ locknut supposed to do on the right side.....It will move the forward reverse lever back and forth......Anyone know what the proper adjustment is?

 

[IMO]

I have the L118 bought new in 2005, with 240 hours on the clock; after reading the horror stories of the K46, of which mine had been OK, I took it off drained the oil and refilled with 5w50 synthetic, time will tell if this will add to the 'life" of the K46. :thumbsup:

 

[gtunney]

I was at about 300 hours on my L118 when it lost its power and I ended up getting it rebuilt. My half acre yard is partially sloped. I'd pulled a plug aerator and tine dethatcher on my lawn in addition to mowing. Plus I occasionally pull my 13 cubic foot trailer with wood up a slight incline from our back woods. I thought I had caused the damage to the tranny myself by running with the transmission release lever only partially engaged, but TuffTorq says that it is either fully engaged or disengaged - I'm not convinced, but who knows. Either way, at the end of 2010, my tranny was cooked. I bought my L118 in 2005, too. I hope your oil change works for you.

I have the L118 bought new in 2005, with 240 hours on the clock; after reading the horror stories of the K46, of which mine had been OK, I took it off drained the oil and refilled with 5w50 synthetic, time will tell if this will add to the 'life" of the K46. :thumbsup: