bugstruck
Platinum Member
I take it all back. Against that Wheel Horse my 325 has never been out of the garage 
Belt drive or shaft drive transmission
- Thread starter lowerAla
- Start date
The shaft drives are *usually* teamed to a very meaty trasmission, in the case with old and new Cub Cadets it is a large cast iron body unit with a spin on fluid filter that holds around 7 quarts of fluid. The units used on shaft driven JD's are the same deal. They can take a licking and just keep coming back for more, and the large volume pump along with all the fluid keeps them cool while they work, and their internal gears and such are made to handle a lot of torque.
By apples to oranges contrast, the belt driven Hydro-Gear transaxle that is common on many of the small LT's including my Craftsman 16/42 has a small aluminum body, no provision to regularly change the fluid (they call these "sealed" units) a small internal filter (again no provision to change it) and they only hold about 2-3 quarts of oil.
Yes, you pay more for the heavy duty transaxles if you need them for your application. The smaller belt drive Hydro-Gears are fine for cutting the grass and light work.
-Fordlords-
By apples to oranges contrast, the belt driven Hydro-Gear transaxle that is common on many of the small LT's including my Craftsman 16/42 has a small aluminum body, no provision to regularly change the fluid (they call these "sealed" units) a small internal filter (again no provision to change it) and they only hold about 2-3 quarts of oil.
Yes, you pay more for the heavy duty transaxles if you need them for your application. The smaller belt drive Hydro-Gears are fine for cutting the grass and light work.
-Fordlords-
Volfandt
Veteran Member
Chris, I've tasked that ole WheelHorse way beyond what I should and it just keeps coming back fro more
I told a story on another forum on how the 856 pulled a mud stuck 85 Ranger pkup not only out of the mud but up a slight incline too! It's amazing what 8hp can do when properly geared
Talking of tranny's, my 856 came w/a 3 sp and a yr later in 67' WH released a 6 sp version so I decided to hunt down a 6sp and upgrade. Well I found a 6 sp tranny but also discovered that it would take more to upgrade than just swapp'n trannys. Anyway's I put her back and sold the 6sp for what I had in it. Since the 856 is a worker I didn't want it down too long
The pics are of the 3sp & 6sp. They are some very stout assembly's, cast iron all the way.....
I told a story on another forum on how the 856 pulled a mud stuck 85 Ranger pkup not only out of the mud but up a slight incline too! It's amazing what 8hp can do when properly geared
Talking of tranny's, my 856 came w/a 3 sp and a yr later in 67' WH released a 6 sp version so I decided to hunt down a 6sp and upgrade. Well I found a 6 sp tranny but also discovered that it would take more to upgrade than just swapp'n trannys. Anyway's I put her back and sold the 6sp for what I had in it. Since the 856 is a worker I didn't want it down too long
The pics are of the 3sp & 6sp. They are some very stout assembly's, cast iron all the way.....
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GeneD14
Veteran Member
- Joined
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- Tractor
- Kubota B26, Allis Chalmers D17 series IV and an Allis 170, Kubota ZG-23 Mower, Kubota ZD 1211, Kawasaki Mule 610, 2 Stihl 361's and a Stihl 660 Ported and tuned
Volfandt said:Chris, I've tasked that ole WheelHorse way beyond what I should and it just keeps coming back fro more
I told a story on another forum on how the 856 pulled a mud stuck 85 Ranger pkup not only out of the mud but up a slight incline too! It's amazing what 8hp can do when properly geared
Talking of tranny's, my 856 came w/a 3 sp and a yr later in 67' WH released a 6 sp version so I decided to hunt down a 6sp and upgrade. Well I found a 6 sp tranny but also discovered that it would take more to upgrade than just swapp'n trannys. Anyway's I put her back and sold the 6sp for what I had in it. Since the 856 is a worker I didn't want it down too long
The pics are of the 3sp & 6sp. They are some very stout assembly's, cast iron all the way.....
I am a huge fan of the older Wheel Horse tractors. I had a Raider 14 and it was belt drive also. That tractor seemed bullet proof by today's standards.
Like the older Wheel Horse models, the late 70's JD 214 I had was belt driven, but to a heavy 4 speed gear drive and not a hydro, which I believe is the case with the Wheel Horse models talked about here. Other than the variator speed lever being fussy, that old 214 could pull anything I could hitch to the back of it. At one pulling contest I watched this spring a stock JD 110 and another 112 with belt driven gear trannies just about won the stock unmodified gear drive class. (No Wheel Horses competed but they would have done equally well.) They had another class for hydros where the older CC's took most of the top honors. I know tractor pulls aren't what someone working ther yard would do, but they do show how tough some of the tractors really are and where some of the reputation in the names comes from.
-Fordlords-
-Fordlords-
To add to this *just about all* new LGT's now have hydrostatic transaxles, however it was pointed out ot me there was or is a Wheel Horse, "Classic," model with a heavy duty gear drive tranny that might be available. Some of the real inexpensive LT's that are out there that are thought to be gear driven use a variable speed belt drive that works on centrifugual spring action. These are a-la go cart and are the lightest duty things out there.
For the question is there a truly heavy duty belt driven *hydrostatic* transaxle available in a new lawn or garden tractor today, my humble opinion is no, there is not.
-Fordlords-
For the question is there a truly heavy duty belt driven *hydrostatic* transaxle available in a new lawn or garden tractor today, my humble opinion is no, there is not.
-Fordlords-
bugstruck
Platinum Member
Those trans pictures tell the story. You can see they were built to last. I don't think my entire Hydro on the 325 is much if any bigger. One would think it would be rather larger than a manual. All aluminium of course. Wouldn't take the pounding that Wheel Horse trans would. I'd bet on that.