TuffTorq K46 Repair Guide with Pictures

[SnuffyNC]

I have decided my L110 with 215 hours might as well get an overhaul too, since it was groaning more and more. Got my K46V apart on the bench, the gears look good. I tried to call Tuff Torq today, but they must be closed, I hope they are not closed all week!

Where did you find the 5w50 oil? The local Walmart doesn't have such.

Thanks LotsofGreenGrass for the guide:thumbsup:

 

[ampsucker]

pepboys has it as does oreilly. o'reilly has castrol synthetic.

tufftorq closes at 3 pm eastern.

 

[SnuffyNC]

I talked with Derrick today, he insisted I order the center case along with the other 3 parts. Total $290.95 not including the sealant and oil. I hope I can get it all back together!

 

[SnuffyNC]

Received my parts today and I am confused with the parts that came with the center case.In the picture the new parts are on the left. # 28, 29 and 30 on the diagram. Part 30 says 3/16 ball on the parts list. Well you can tell from the picture it is not a ball, it looks more like a flat disk of woven material. Does that replace the ball? Derrick told me that the infamous little pin did not come with the new case, but he didn't say anything about the two 3/16 balls. Left a message, but I'm afraid he may be gone for the holidays. Has anyone replaced the center case?


Edit: Just talked with Derrick and the small filters replace the balls.

 

[Haywire]

Does anyone know if it is possible to upgrade the K46 internals to the K66 internals.

When I talked to TT, I specifically asked a couple things.

1. Are there any HD parts that I could use in place of stock items to make the tranny any tougher. He said no.

2. Is there any way to add a line to an external oil cooler to keep the tranny cool since heat is it's primary enemy. He said no. Without knowing what the inside was like, I was hoping I could break into a line and route the fluid to an external oil cooler. No such luck.

I opted for the 2660 in my sig in lieu of the repair. The old tranny is weak but not dead so I gave it to a friend who needs a mower for her flat relatively level yard. I expect it'll last her another couple seasons. When it does die, I'll probably be attempting the rebuild for her.

Ian

 

[Soonerskins]

I have replaced k46 under warranty in a LT2250 Snapper after 20 hours of use after pulling an aerator. My snapper dealer assured me that the mower could handle it. Well, 3 years later and 390 hours later, I pulled the aerator for the first time since the warranty work. Well, same situation. Loss of power up hills. I try to climb a hill, and it is slow, almost to a stop, then it jumps forward. The belt is good. I also notice the same loss of power when turning sharply on the driveway. Does this sound like a candidate for the inexpensive rebuild?

Thanks.

 

[Haywire]

Sounds like it's toast to me. That tranny is not up to pulling ground engaging implements. Heck, it's not up to pulling my 230lbs up hills. Mine starting getting noticeably weak at about 200 hours with just me and a small garden cart as cargo.

Ian

 

[ampsucker]

soonerskins, i have pulled areators, dethatchers, rollers, a 25 gallon sprayer, and a trial mower with mine. was able to still get 700 hours out of it.

i would say you have a problem somewhere. are all the fan blades in good shape for good cooling of the tranny? perhaps your oil got fried and now it just doesn't work right anymore?

i never performed any maintenance of any kind to the hydrostat except recently, just before it gave out, i shimmed up the axles with washers on each side of the rear tire rims to reduce play that had developed there.

even, then, the primary failure mode on my unit was the main drive pulley slipping on the input shaft to the tranny. this is what forced me to tear it apart. after going through that, i decided to replace the internal pumps and housing as well as there was mild scoring and one could see it wouldn't last long with just a new shaft and pulley sheave.

one possible operator related variable is that you should always run the engine at high rpms when towing, then adjust your forward speed with the shuttle pedal. this is because this keeps the cooling fan over the tranny operating at the higher speeds of the engine to cool better and dissipate any heat buildup.

i would say you should try the rebuild, then use the synthetic oil and see if you can get some more hours out of it. if the motor and rest of the tractor frame are in good condition, this is the way to go unless you really feel the need to upgrade to a larger and more expensive model.

amp

 

[spdsl]

Now fire up your tractor and drive off in to the Sunset

Mine worked fine immediately. I heard others had to get the air out by bleeding the transmission?

Here is how you do that: https://www.tufftorqservices.com/EnvEEdefault/FlatHTML/TechInfo/docs/AirPurging.htm



Drop me a line if this guide helped you : )
Brit

Thank you for posting this guide and providing the contact numbers to Tuff Torq and Derrick Dalton. It seems that my K46V is on its way out as well. The belt looks good but as the transmission gets hot the forward power and speed decreases and the transmission starts to whine like a failing power steering pump.

I have a scotts L17.542 with a good frame, deck and Kohler engine. The mower has 384hrs on it and has pulled plenty of yard debris after four hurricanes in the hot humid climate of South Florida. I should consider myself lucky as it seems that others on the forum have used thier mowers a lot less and had failures at low hour usage.

I called john deere and they told me it was a sealed unit and could not be repaired only replaced. Shame on them.

Derrick emailed me back and suggested buying the following parts. I could wait and take it apart first and then order the parts but honestly I wouldn't know what I was looking for.

31 168T2025090 CYLINDER BLOCK (PUMP) KIT EA 58.13

24A 1A646099240 CENTER CASE W/FILTER SERV. KIT EA 137.38

38 168T2025080 CYLINDER BLOCK KIT (MOTOR) EA 71.00

200 1A646099140 SEAL KIT (K46 & T40) EA 37.81

Any thoughts on the parts or tips on removing the transmission from the mower frame would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LotsofGreenGrass]

Thank you for posting this guide and providing the contact numbers to Tuff Torq and Derrick Dalton. It seems that my K46V is on its way out as well. The belt looks good but as the transmission gets hot the forward power and speed decreases and the transmission starts to whine like a failing power steering pump.

I have a scotts L17.542 with a good frame, deck and Kohler engine. The mower has 384hrs on it and has pulled plenty of yard debris after four hurricanes in the hot humid climate of South Florida. I should consider myself lucky as it seems that others on the forum have used thier mowers a lot less and had failures at low hour usage.

I called john deere and they told me it was a sealed unit and could not be repaired only replaced. Shame on them.

Derrick emailed me back and suggested buying the following parts. I could wait and take it apart first and then order the parts but honestly I wouldn't know what I was looking for.

31 168T2025090 CYLINDER BLOCK (PUMP) KIT EA 58.13

24A 1A646099240 CENTER CASE W/FILTER SERV. KIT EA 137.38

38 168T2025080 CYLINDER BLOCK KIT (MOTOR) EA 71.00

200 1A646099140 SEAL KIT (K46 & T40) EA 37.81

Any thoughts on the parts or tips on removing the transmission from the mower frame would be greatly appreciated.

Transmission is not hard to get out. Just standard nuts and bolts. Just make sure the tractor frame is well supported so it does not tip or become unstable. Use a camera at each stage, if you tend to forget where things go : )