D170 - extending K46 transmission life?

crazyal · Aug 16, 2018

Deere doesn't make the engine or transmission. I think Honda was one of the few who actually did. I have a MTD with a POS Kohler on it. I have one of the few good ones while others have had the blocks crack. My experience with Deere (and most brands) is you have a warranty period. Usually a length of time and a number of hours. Exceed one of the two and the warranty is over.

tom3 · Sep 13, 2018

I believe the K46 is a Chinese built hydro, built to a price point, a low price point for sure. Failure at 100 hrs is absurd.

Also note this transmission uses the same oil for the hyd. unit and the differential gears. Gear lube is not right for the hyd. unit, and hydraulic oil is not right for those gears.

L120 · Jan 8, 2019

What would be really interesting is for someone to find a bullet proof mod for the K46. Add drain plug-fill plug-filter change. This along with a way to pressurize the fluid thru a cooler. Had my tranny out recently and could see 2-places where drain plugs could be tapped into the bottom case to drain each section gear cavity & pump/motor cavity.

This would be a really fun project to tinker with the K46, but I have a house renovation to complete before any playing.

kittyhawk · Feb 19, 2020

I have two JD mowers, X300 and a X350. I was wondering about drilling and tapping two drain plugs on them so I can drain and refill every mowing season. From what I致e read there are two sides to the transmission unit and looks to be a good idea. I致e seen a few YouTube videos where guys have done the same thing but no follow ups on how it well it worked out.

crazyal · Feb 27, 2020

I would think that drilling would risk getting metal inside the transmission. To do it you would want to take it apart first. Is there an easy way (or place to make a fill port) to fill it back up?

bmg88201 · Feb 27, 2020

I have 2010 X300 with a K46 in it with 516 hours on it, never had one problem. I mow a mostly flat three acres. I have changed the tranny oil twice so far. The first time was at 300 hours and the second was at 500 hours. I think I will change the oil every other mowing season from now on which would mean about 100 hours of service. It was not that hard to pull the tranny and turn it upside down over a bucket and let it drain. I put 5-50 full synthetic back in it each time. Probably took me about three hours to do it, including letting drain it for an hour. I also make sure that I clean off the tranny after each mow to aid in heat loss. As far as I know, the K46 is a good transmission.

Richard001 · Feb 28, 2020

crazyal said:
I would think that drilling would risk getting metal inside the transmission. To do it you would want to take it apart first. Is there an easy way (or place to make a fill port) to fill it back up?

This kind of work is done all the time by mechanics. The trick it to put some heavy grease on the drill and on the part to be drilled. Reapply the grease every now and then. The heavy grease captures the chips.

Now the taping threads maybe a different matter. Not being familiar with the transmission, I don't know if there is enough metal thickness for threads. Perhaps one could use a thermos type expanding plug to fill the hole.

Richard

Amvcane · Feb 29, 2020

Shop work starts about the 2 min. mark.

Add Drain Plugs To Your Transmission (Tuff Torq) - YouTube

crazyal · Mar 10, 2020

A year or so someone posted a thread about trying to remove a frost plug and drilled through the block into a cylinder. People's skills vary widely. That video show how to do it by taking the transaxle apart. It's a much safer way to add a drain. While doing it I would also replace the worn parts and clean everything up unless you are just trying to be proactive and you know that yours still has lots of life left in it.

kittyhawk · Mar 27, 2020

Good morning everyone, well since I am now sent home and working on call I figured I would tackle my X300. For me it is preventative maintenance to keep the tractor running as long as possible. I have read all the posts and watched a ton of videos on servicing the K46 and finally decided to just pull the transmission and drain it. I found it to be really east and took my time, two days to finish up. I found some 5w50 Mobile 1 at my local Oreillys auto parts, I can say it definitely made a difference in the speed and the pulling power. I知 going to head up the country today and will tackle my X350 Tomorrow.
Thanks everyone for all your comments and suggestions.
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy....