Buying Advice Done with hydrostatics

[KYErik]

If this would bolt in, it would be a relatively cheap fix ($270 + shipping): Hydro Gear Hydrostatic Transaxle | Hydrostatic Transaxles | Transaxles | Power Transmission | www.surpluscenter.com

 

[ishiboo]

$3200 CDN is definitely an entry-level mower. Your basic decent mower starts for probably 2 times that amount. Sad but true. They also last 20+ years and keep going, versus the

Start looking for a used decent-quality mower... it would have been a much better investment. John Deere GT, LX, 3x5, etc. would all give you a comfortable modern mowing platform with a lot of life left and a solid transaxle. Plan a little bit for replacement parts - new seat if its going to be in need, steering parts, fluid change on the serviceable hydrostat, etc.

 

[prof fate]

a way to cut costs no doubt.

I have a couple of toro zero turns, all are like that ( ****, my 2014 subaru with cvt is that way...) the one I bought new I coulda bought the next model up and gotten the changeable/serviceable/rebuildable trans units - at $1000 cost.

that's a hefty up charge on a $3000 item. I use it less than 50 hours a year...if it last 10-15 years it's what, 300 or maybe only $200 a year in cost. It's made it 3 years so far, this is the fourth year and i'm at 110 hours..so couldn't justify the upcharge cost.

The second toro I got used for $550...sold my old tractor for $450..so it's $100 machine at this point.

My old snapper had HST - no clue what trans model - went 13 years with zero maintenance and still worked when I sold it (to get the zero turn).

The problem with the K46 transmission is there is no oil filtration and not even any feasible way to change the oil. No drain plug on this non serviceable transmission. So it just chews itself up from its own metal particles.

 

[fitterski]

Boy, whaaaaaat a learning curve! I've been very busy and didn't have time to answer all the good advice so I'll just sum up the situation as of this moment. Thanks for the surplus-center link, MAN, THEM FOLKS HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME BEFORE TOO so I will certainly investigate.

The model SLTX1054 # is 13AK92AK010 ser# 1K199H36103, the axle model is 618-042708 & the ser# (unreadable) U314H30060. I should maybe check to see if the axle is the one the unit was delivered with! For now I'll wait for the response from Hydro-Gear, then I may need to repair the mess because as it is I can't even GIVE it away much less sell it ..but I need to cover this season cause setting up my long-term answer will take some time and would be impossible to implement within weeks (at a reasonable cost)

 

[fitterski]

a way to cut costs no doubt. I have a couple of toro zero turns, all are like that ( ****, my 2014 subaru with cvt is that way...) .....

We're renting out Subaru Outback, I guess just we'll keep renting )

 

[fitterski]

$3200 CDN is definitely an entry-level mower. Your basic decent mower starts for probably 2 times that amount. Sad but true. They also last 20+ years and keep going, versus the

Start looking for a used decent-quality mower... it would have been a much better investment. John Deere GT, LX, 3x5, etc. would all give you a comfortable modern mowing platform with a lot of life left and a solid transaxle. Plan a little bit for replacement parts - new seat if its going to be in need, steering parts, fluid change on the serviceable hydrostat, etc.

My father in-law had a Ford 100 or similar, all manual. It ran for something like 35 years and I wanted to buy it from him but he forgot and gave it away. I don't know what they cost originally but I was making around $600 a month then and I'd be surprised if the cost was more that 1/2 a month greenhorn pay.

Anyway, I'm not the least bit prepared to pay over 5 grand for a mower even if it lasts 40 years, much less for the 9 that I got outta this one. The manicured part of my land is some 300'x600' so once I start mowing it's 4 hours and I start by warming up the engine a bit, then lock to full throttle and just hang on to the steering for dear life but the gas don't come off ever! So I can see how planned-obsolescence WOULD overheat. The answer to that should have been more aluminum with lots of fins ($3.00/lb) and more cooling oil ($10/gl) .say $30 on the $3000 tag, WOW, that's like all of a complete %!

 

[Industrial Toys]

My Hydro Cushman cost the taxpayer somewhere in the 80s thousand range. Parts are similarly expensive. Cost me almost 20 grand USED maybe fifteen years ago.

It currently sits out of service in a big puddle of oil awaiting hydraulic spool cartridge valves, back-ordered for eighteen weeks!

 

[crazyal]

I bought my Deere x500 used. It was a year old and still had most of it's warranty left. I got it for about 2/3 of what they cost new. When I was looking around, and this is the problem, I found a guy selling one that was a couple years old with low hours. It came with the house he had just bought. He said his yard was less than 1/10 of an acre. It took him less time to mow it with a push mower because the stuff that had to be mowed around. These companies build mowers for guys like this. Flat yards and put 20 hours a year on their mower. They look nice and shiny but after 5 to 10 years the owner wants to upgrade to get the latest and will probably sell it for around $500 to $150 (depending on it's age). They will never wear out the low cost transaxle because of the low hours and never working it hard. That allows Hydro Gear and Tuff Torq to get away will making them.

 

[buickanddeere]

That was me

 

[buickanddeere]

The absolute lowest end Deere is the X370 with the K57 transaxle . The X380 and up has a even more robust K58 transaxle.
Anything below a X380 is just a daisy cutter for a retired Aunt Mildred to use for 100 hours on a flat city lawn .
TractorData.com John Deere X38 tractor transmission information